Tuesday's special election to replace state Sen. Colton Moore, who resigned from the state Senate to focus on his bid for Marjorie Taylor Greene's Congressional seat, will move to a runoff election after no candidate received at least 50% of the vote.
Moore was also arrested during Gov. Brian Kemp's State of the State address in January for trying to enter the House chamber despite being banned. As well, he lost Tuesday's special election to choose who will serve the remainder of Greene's term after her resignation earlier this year.
The race was dominated by Republican Lanny Thomas and Democrat John Zibluk, according to an AP poll.
Thomas, who previously served in local government positions, recieved 39% of the vote. He ran a campaign of affordability, notably supporting the measure to eliminate the state income tax by 2032.
Zibluk, a journalist and university professor, trailed with 27% of the vote as the only Democrat candidate vying for the seat in a field of three other Republicans. Zibluk is running a grassroots campaign focusing on localizing control of state roads and increasing access to mental health services.
The district, however, is historically Republican putting Thomas at an advantage in the runoff scheduled for April 7.
Gov. Kemp congratulated Thomas on his advancement to the runoff in a post on X, formerly Twitter.
Congratulations to Lanny Thomas! Let’s finish the job on April 7th. https://t.co/uXYE0upxxT
— Brian Kemp (@BrianKempGA) March 11, 2026
