Eric Gisler, Democratic candidate for the Georgia State House, just won the special election versus Republican candidate Mack “Dutch” Guest IV, for a previously held GOP seat.
Newsweek reached out to Gisler and Guest’s campaigns via email Tuesday night for comment.
Why It Matters
Georgia has become a bellwether state for national politics, with recent elections possibly signaling wider trends in party momentum ahead of major cycles such as the 2026 midterms.
The recent Democratic gains—culminating in the flip of both this local Republican-held office and the mayoral seat in Miami on Tuesday night—underscore a potential shift in Georgia and Florida’s electoral landscape and may indicate voter priorities around affordability, energy policy and party identity ahead of forthcoming federal and gubernatorial races.
What To Know
According to Decision Desk Headquarters (DDHQ), CNN and Atlanta-Journal Constitution Chief Political Reporter Greg Bluestein, Gisler flipped the previous GOP Georgia House seat covering parts of Oconee County and Athens.
Bluestein wrote on X, “In a stealth upset, Democrat Eric Gisler flips a GOP-held Georgia House seat spanning parts of Athens and Oconee County. Gisler won 39% of vote last November. He captured 51% tonight to defeat a Republican backed by Gov. Brian Kemp and other GOP leaders. #gapol”
As of 9:49 p.m., DDHQ said that Gisler had 50.9 percent of the vote compared to Guest’s 49.2 percent, with over 95 percent of the vote in.
These results follow additional Democratic momentum, such as the recent victory of former state Representative Mary Robichaux in the Roswell mayoral runoff, ousting an incumbent backed by Republican Governor Brian Kemp.
What People Are Saying
DNC Chair Ken Martin, in a released statement to Newsweek Tuesday night: “Georgians deserve strong, commonsense leaders like Representative-Elect Gisler who will lower their costs and fight for them, not representatives who bend the knee to Donald Trump and rubber-stamp his inflationary agenda. Tonight’s results prove once again that Democrats have the momentum across the country as we organize and compete everywhere, including in districts that Trump won by double-digits. Fresh off the resounding victories in the Georgia Public Service Commissioner races and now this historic flip, the DNC will continue to invest, organize, and compete in every corner of Georgia as we rebuild long-standing Democratic power in the Sun Belt.”
Georgia Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner John King, a Republican, on X Tuesday: “Georgia Republicans, we need to sound the alarm from now until November, starting with helping Bill Fincher win the runoff for HD 23. Our donors aren’t motivated and our voters aren’t either. Of course we need to talk about why liberal policies are bad, but we also must put forward a clear agenda to lower prices and help working families keep more of what they earn.”
What Happens Next
With Democrats increasing their presence in local Georgia politics, all eyes are now on the 2026 midterm elections, which will include a pivotal U.S. Senate race and an open gubernatorial contest.
