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Bill Hitchens

From Ballotpedia
Bill Hitchens
Candidate, Georgia House of Representatives District 161
Georgia House of Representatives District 161
Tenure
2013 - Present
Term ends
2027
Years in position
12
Compensation
Base salary
$24,341.64/year
Per diem
$247/day
Elections and appointments
Last election
November 5, 2024
Next election
November 3, 2026
Contact

Bill Hitchens (Republican Party) is a member of theGeorgia House of Representatives, representingDistrict 161. He assumed office on January 14, 2013. His current term ends on January 11, 2027.

Hitchens (Republican Party) is running for re-election to theGeorgia House of Representatives to representDistrict 161. He declared candidacy for the 2026 election.[source]

Biography

Bill Hitchens is a Marine Corps Vietnam veteran and worked 28 years for the Georgia State Patrol(GSP).[1] Hitchens' volunteer experience includes serving three terms as president of the Effingham County High School Booster Club, as the state president of the Georgia Chapter of the FBI National AcademyAssociates, and on several state boards, commissions and authorities, including the Georgia PeaceOfficers Standards and Training Council (POST), the state president of the Peace Officers’ Association of Georgia.[2]

Committee assignments

2025-2026

Hitchens was assigned to the following committees:

2023-2024

Hitchens was assigned to the following committees:

2021-2022

Hitchens was assigned to the following committees:

2019-2020

Hitchens was assigned to the following committees:

2017 legislative session

At the beginning of the 2017 legislative session, this legislator served on the following committees:

Georgia committee assignments, 2017
•Defense and Veterans Affairs, Chair
•Economic Development and Tourism
•Public Safety and Homeland Security
•Transportation

2015 legislative session

At the beginning of the 2015 legislative session, Hitchens served on the following committees:

Georgia committee assignments, 2015
•Defense and Veterans Affairs, Vice chair
•Economic Development and Tourism
•Public Safety and Homeland Security

2013-2014

At the beginning of the 2013 legislative session, Hitchens served on the following committees:

Georgia committee assignments, 2013
•Appropriations
•Defense and Veterans Affairs
•Public Safety and Homeland Security

Sponsored legislation

The following table lists bills this person sponsored as a legislator, according toBillTrack50 and sorted by action history. Bills are sorted by the date of their last action. The following list may not be comprehensive. To see all bills this legislator sponsored, click on the legislator's name in the title of the table.


Elections

2026

See also: Georgia House of Representatives elections, 2026

Note: At this time, Ballotpedia is combining all declared candidates for this election into one list under a general election heading. As primary election dates are published, this information will be updated to separate general election candidates from primary candidates as appropriate.

General election

The general election will occur on November 3, 2026.

General election for Georgia House of Representatives District 161

IncumbentBill Hitchens is running in the general election for Georgia House of Representatives District 161 on November 3, 2026.

Candidate
Image of Bill Hitchens
Bill Hitchens (R)

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Incumbents arebolded and underlined.

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Endorsements

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2024

See also: Georgia House of Representatives elections, 2024

General election

General election for Georgia House of Representatives District 161

IncumbentBill Hitchens won election in the general election for Georgia House of Representatives District 161 on November 5, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Bill Hitchens
Bill Hitchens (R)
 
100.0
 
23,751

Ballotpedia Logo

Incumbents arebolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 23,751
Candidate Connection = candidate completed theBallotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for Georgia House of Representatives District 161

IncumbentBill Hitchens advanced from the Republican primary for Georgia House of Representatives District 161 on May 21, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Bill Hitchens
Bill Hitchens
 
100.0
 
2,688

Ballotpedia Logo

Incumbents arebolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 2,688
Candidate Connection = candidate completed theBallotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Hitchens in this election.

Pledges

Hitchens signed the following pledges.

  • U.S. Term Limits

2022

See also: Georgia House of Representatives elections, 2022

General election

General election for Georgia House of Representatives District 161

IncumbentBill Hitchens defeatedMargo Barbee in the general election for Georgia House of Representatives District 161 on November 8, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Bill Hitchens
Bill Hitchens (R)
 
60.8
 
12,393
Image of Margo Barbee
Margo Barbee (D) Candidate Connection
 
39.2
 
7,984

Ballotpedia Logo

Incumbents arebolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 20,377
Candidate Connection = candidate completed theBallotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Georgia House of Representatives District 161

Margo Barbee advanced from the Democratic primary for Georgia House of Representatives District 161 on May 24, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Margo Barbee
Margo Barbee Candidate Connection
 
100.0
 
2,525

Ballotpedia Logo

There were noincumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 2,525
Candidate Connection = candidate completed theBallotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you,complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

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Republican primary election

Republican primary for Georgia House of Representatives District 161

IncumbentBill Hitchens advanced from the Republican primary for Georgia House of Representatives District 161 on May 24, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Bill Hitchens
Bill Hitchens
 
100.0
 
5,147

Ballotpedia Logo

Incumbents arebolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 5,147
Candidate Connection = candidate completed theBallotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you,complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

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2020

See also: Georgia House of Representatives elections, 2020

General election

General election for Georgia House of Representatives District 161

IncumbentBill Hitchens won election in the general election for Georgia House of Representatives District 161 on November 3, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Bill Hitchens
Bill Hitchens (R)
 
100.0
 
27,840

Ballotpedia Logo

Incumbents arebolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 27,840
Candidate Connection = candidate completed theBallotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you,complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data?Contact our sales team.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Georgia House of Representatives District 161

IncumbentBill Hitchens advanced from the Republican primary for Georgia House of Representatives District 161 on June 9, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Bill Hitchens
Bill Hitchens
 
100.0
 
6,876

Ballotpedia Logo

Incumbents arebolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 6,876
Candidate Connection = candidate completed theBallotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you,complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data?Contact our sales team.

2018

See also:Georgia House of Representatives elections, 2018

General election

General election for Georgia House of Representatives District 161

IncumbentBill Hitchens defeatedAdam Bridges in the general election for Georgia House of Representatives District 161 on November 6, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Bill Hitchens
Bill Hitchens (R)
 
63.4
 
15,574
Image of Adam Bridges
Adam Bridges (D)
 
36.6
 
8,973

Ballotpedia Logo

Incumbents arebolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 24,547
Candidate Connection = candidate completed theBallotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you,complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data?Contact our sales team.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Georgia House of Representatives District 161

Adam Bridges advanced from the Democratic primary for Georgia House of Representatives District 161 on May 22, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Adam Bridges
Adam Bridges
 
100.0
 
1,869

Ballotpedia Logo

There were noincumbents in this race. The results have been certified.

Total votes: 1,869
Candidate Connection = candidate completed theBallotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you,complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data?Contact our sales team.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Georgia House of Representatives District 161

IncumbentBill Hitchens advanced from the Republican primary for Georgia House of Representatives District 161 on May 22, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Bill Hitchens
Bill Hitchens
 
100.0
 
2,824

Ballotpedia Logo

Incumbents arebolded and underlined. The results have been certified.

Total votes: 2,824
Candidate Connection = candidate completed theBallotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you,complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data?Contact our sales team.


2016

See also:Georgia House of Representatives elections, 2016

Elections for theGeorgia House of Representatives took place in 2016. The primary election took place on May 24, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. The candidate filing deadline was March 11, 2016.

IncumbentBill Hitchens ran unopposed in the Georgia House of Representatives District 161 general election.[3][4]

Georgia House of Representatives, District 161 General Election, 2016
PartyCandidateVote %Votes
    RepublicanGreen check mark transparent.pngBill HitchensIncumbent (unopposed)100.00%20,835
Total Votes20,835
Source:Georgia Secretary of State



IncumbentBill Hitchens ran unopposed in the Georgia House of Representatives District 161 Republican primary.[5][6]

Georgia House of Representatives, District 161 Republican Primary, 2016
PartyCandidate
    RepublicanGreen check mark transparent.pngBill HitchensIncumbent (unopposed)


2014

See also:Georgia House of Representatives elections, 2014

Elections for theGeorgia House of Representatives took place in 2014. A primary election took place on May 20, 2014, with runoff elections taking place where necessary on July 22, 2014. The general election was held onNovember 4, 2014. Thesignature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was March 7, 2014. IncumbentW.W. "Bill" Hitchens was unopposed in the Republican primary and was unchallenged in the general election.[7][8][9]

2012

See also:Georgia House of Representatives elections, 2012

Hitchens ran in the2012 election forGeorgia House of Representatives District 161. Hitchens defeatedKristopher Moutray in the Republican primary on July 31, 2012. No candidates filed to run in the Democratic primary. The general election took place on November 6, 2012.[10][11][12] Hitchens ran unopposed in the general election.[13]

Georgia House of Representatives, District 161, General Election, 2012
PartyCandidateVote %Votes
    RepublicanGreen check mark transparent.pngBill Hitchens100%17,172
Total Votes17,172
Georgia House of Representatives District 161 Republican Primary, 2012
CandidateVote %Votes
Green check mark transparent.pngBill Hitchens75.9%3,191
Kristopher Moutray24.1%1,015
Total Votes4,206

Campaign themes

2026

Ballotpedia survey responses

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Candidate Connection

Bill Hitchens has not yet completedBallotpedia's 2026 Candidate Connection survey.If you are Bill Hitchens,click here to fill out Ballotpedia's 2026 Candidate Connection survey.

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2024

Bill Hitchens did not completeBallotpedia's 2024 Candidate Connection survey.

2022

Bill Hitchens did not completeBallotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.

2020

Bill Hitchens did not completeBallotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.

Campaign finance summary

Ballotpedia LogoNote: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf.Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at theFEC website. Clickhere for more on federal campaign finance law andhere for more on state campaign finance law.

Bill Hitchens campaign contribution history
YearOfficeStatusContributionsExpenditures
2024*Georgia House of Representatives District 161Won general$36,300 $29,197
2022Georgia House of Representatives District 161Won general$68,725 $0
2020Georgia House of Representatives District 161Won general$40,050 N/A**
2016Georgia House of Representatives, District 161Won$23,400 N/A**
2014Georgia House of Representatives, District 161Won$14,750 N/A**
2012Georgia State House, District 161Won$42,640 N/A**
** Data on expenditures is not available for this election cycle
Note: Totals above reflect only available data.

Scorecards

See also:State legislative scorecards andState legislative scorecards in Georgia

Ascorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.

Ballotpedia is in the process of developing an encyclopedic list of published scorecards. Some states have a limited number of available scorecards or scorecards produced only by select groups. It is Ballotpedia’s goal to incorporate all available scorecards regardless of ideology or number.

Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states.  To contribute to the list of Georgia scorecards, email suggestions toeditor@ballotpedia.org.


2024

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2024, click [show].   

In 2024, theGeorgia State Legislature was in session from January 8 to March 28.

Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to civil rights issues.
Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to business issues.
Legislators are scored on their votes on environmental issues.
Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to business issues.


2023

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2023, click [show].   

In 2023, theGeorgia State Legislature was in session from January 9 to March 29.

Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to business issues.


2022

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2022, click [show].   

In 2022, theGeorgia State Legislature was in session from January 10 to April 4.

Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to business issues.
Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to business issues.


2021

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2021, click [show].   

In 2021, theGeorgia State Legislature was in session from January 11 to March 31.

Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to civil rights issues.
Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to economic issues.
Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to business issues.
Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.


2020

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2020, click [show].   

In 2020, theGeorgia State Legislature was in session from January 13 to June 26. The session was suspended from March 13 through June 11.

Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to economic issues.
Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to business issues.
Legislators are scored on their votes on environmental issues.
Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to business issues.
Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.


2019

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2019, click [show].   

In 2019, theGeorgia General Assembly was in session from January 14 through April 2.

Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to economic issues.
Legislators are scored on their votes on social issues.
Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to business issues.
Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.


2018

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2018, click [show].   

In 2018, theGeorgia General Assembly was in session from January 8 through March 29.

Legislators are scored on their votes on social issues.
Legislators are scored on their votes on children's education.
Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to business issues.
Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.


2017

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2017, click [show].   

In 2017, theGeorgia General Assembly was in session from January 9 through March 31.

Legislators are scored on their stances on economic issues.
Legislators are scored on their votes on social issues.
Legislators are scored on their votes on children's education.
Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to business issues.
Legislators are scored on their votes on environmental issues.
Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.


2016

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2016, click [show].   

In 2016, theGeorgia General Assembly was in session from January 11 through March 24.

Legislators are scored on their stances on economic issues.
Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to business issues.
Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to business issues.
Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.


2015

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2015, click [show].   

In 2015, theGeorgia State Legislature was in session from January 12 through April 2.

Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.


2014

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2014, click [show].   

In 2014, theGeorgia State Legislature was in session from January 13 through March 21.

Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to business issues.
Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to business issues.
Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.


2013

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2013, click [show].   

In 2013, theGeorgia State Legislature was in session from January 13 through March 21.

Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to business issues.
Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.


See also


External links

Officeholder

Georgia House of Representatives District 161

  • Website

    • Personal

  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn

    • Footnotes

    1. ↑Georgia House of Representatives, “Representative Bill Hitchens” accessed December 9, 2019
    2. ↑Georgia House of Representatives, “Representative Bill Hitchens” accessed December 9, 2019
    3. ↑Georgia Secretary of State, "Qualifying Candidate Information," accessed August 17, 2016
    4. ↑Georgia Secretary of State, "General Election results," accessed November 23, 2016
    5. ↑Georgia Secretary of State, "Qualifying Candidate Information," accessed March 13, 2016
    6. ↑Georgia Secretary of State, "General primary results," accessed May 24, 2016
    7. ↑Georgia Secretary of State, "Official candidate list," accessed March 10, 2014
    8. ↑Georgia Secretary of State, "Official primary election results," accessed May 28, 2014
    9. ↑Georgia Secretary of State, "Official general election results," accessed November 13, 2014
    10. ↑Georgia Secretary of State Elections Division, "Candidate List," accessed May 29, 2012
    11. ↑Georgia Secretary of State, Unofficial Primary Election Results, accessed July 31, 2012
    12. ↑Georgia Secretary of State, "General Primary/General Nonpartisan/Special Election July 31, 2012," accessed August 9, 2012
    13. ↑Georgia Elections Division, "2012 Election Results" accessed November 16, 2012

    Political offices
    Preceded by
    -    		Georgia House of Representatives District 161
    2013-Present    		Succeeded by
    -


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