- Voters in a Georgia congressional district near Augusta selected Columbia County Commissioner Gary Richardson of Evans to fill the vacant seat.
- Gary Richardson won about 60% of the vote, defeating conservative critic CJ Pearson of Grovetown.
- The vacancy was created by Republican Congressman Barry Fleming’s resignation to become a Superior Court judge.
Voters in a Georgia legislative district near Augusta chose a county commissioner to fill the vacancy created when a former congressman resigned to become a judge.
In State House District 125, Columbia County Commissioner Gary Richardson (Evans) defeated conservative commentator CJ Pearson (Grovetown) Tuesday in state House District 125, according to unofficial results, with all precincts reporting. Mr. Richardson received about 60% of the vote.
Mr. Richardson and Mr. Pearson were vying to replace Republican Congressman Barry Fleming, who resigned to become a Superior Court judge. They advance to a runoff election in February for first and second place: Republican and farmer James Steed of Grovetown, Kay Turner, a Grovetown Democrat and hairdresser, and Libertarian of Grovetown He defeated software developer John Terpish.
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Pearson and Richardson will face off again in the May Republican primary, seeking a two-year term.
Georgia State Capitol in Atlanta. Voters in a Georgia legislative district near Augusta chose a county commissioner to fill the vacancy created when a former congressman resigned to become a judge. (Joe Soum/Visions of America/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
The district covers parts of Columbia and McDuffie counties.
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Richardson, a car wash owner, cannot run for county commission because of term limits, but he touted his experience in public service.
Mr. Pearson won support from far-right conservatives and overcame the residency challenge while campaigning on a platform aligned with Mr. Trump. Mr. Pearson, 21, is facing opposition from Gov. Brian Kemp’s political group after Mr. Pearson helped run the primary campaign of Kemp’s 2022 challenger, Vernon Jones.
