Georgia House of Representatives elections, 2016
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| 2016 Georgia House Elections | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Primary | May 24, 2016 |
| General | November 8, 2016 |
| 2016 Election Results | |
| 2014・2012・2010・2008 2006・2004・2002・2000 | |
| 2016 Elections | |
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| •State legislative elections in 2016 | |
All180 seats in theGeorgia House of Representatives were up for election in 2016. Democrats gained one seat in theNovember 2016 general election.[1]
Introduction
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.
Majority control
- See also:Partisan composition of state houses
Heading into the election, the Republican Party held the majority in the Georgia House of Representatives:
| Georgia House of Representatives | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | As of November 7, 2016 | After November 8, 2016 | |
| Democratic Party | 61 | 62 | |
| Republican Party | 116 | 118 | |
| Independent | 1 | 0 | |
| Vacancy | 2 | 0 | |
| Total | 180 | 180 | |
Incumbents retiring
Fifteen incumbents did not run for re-election in 2016. Those incumbents were:
| Name | Party | Current Office |
|---|---|---|
| Stephen Allison |  Republican | House District 8 |
| Mike Dudgeon | Republican | House District 25 |
| Joe Wilkinson | Republican | House District 52 |
| Margaret Kaiser |  Democratic | House District 59 |
| LaDawn Jones | Democratic | House District 62 |
| Ronnie Mabra | Democratic | House District 63 |
| Virgil Fludd | Democratic | House District 64 |
| Matthew Ramsey | Republican | House District 72 |
| Dee Dawkins-Haigler | Democratic | House District 91 |
| Tom Rice | Republican | House District 95 |
| Hugh Floyd | Democratic | House District 99 |
| B.J. Pak | Republican | House District 108 |
| Barbara Sims | Republican | House District 123 |
| Nikki Randall | Democratic | House District 142 |
| E. Culver Kidd |  Nonpartisan | House District 145 |
Note:Carl Gilliard (D) was elected to District 162 in a special election on April 26, 2016. He replacedBob Bryant (D), who died in February 2016.
Note: District 29 and District 68 were vacant. They were previously represented byCarl Rogers (R) andDustin Hightower (R).
2016 election competitiveness
Very few general election competitions in Georgia.
Ballotpedia conducts a yearly study of electoral competitiveness in state legislative elections. Details on how well Georgia performed in the study are provided in the image below.Click here for the full 2016 Competitiveness Analysis »
- In theGeorgia State Senate, there were 17 Democratic incumbents and 39 Republican incumbents. Three incumbents faced primary challengers in the Democratic Party. There were nine primary challenges in the Republican primary.
- In theHouse, there were 61 Democratic incumbents, 118 Republican incumbents, and one independent incumbent. Fifteen state representatives faced primary opposition in the Democratic Party. There were 22 primary challenges in the Republican primary.
- Georgia's elections feature one of the lowest rates of general election competition in the nation with 80.5 percent of seats having only one major party candidate. From 2010-2014, the national average was at 38.0 percent.
- Overall, 18.6 percent of Democratic incumbents and 21.4 percent of GOP incumbents faced primary opposition in all of the state legislatures with elections in 2016.
- The cumulative figure for how many state legislative candidates faced no major party opposition in November in these states was 41.8 percent. This compares to 32.7 percent in 2010, 38.3 percent in 2012, and 43.0 percent in 2014.
- More details on electoral competitiveness in Georgia can be foundbelow.
Races we watched
Ballotpedia identified 14 notable Georgia state primary races in 2016, 12 of which were state House contests.
Click here to read more about Ballotpedia's coverage of notable Georgia races »
Primary contests
- The House Speaker faced a rematch with his 2014 primary challenger over taxes and transportation.
- ☑David Ralston(Inc.) ☐Sam Snider
- Four Republicans competed for an open seat left by the Republican incumbent.
- ☐David Barton ☐Joshua Littrell
Kent Woerner ☑Matt Gurtler
- Two Republicans competed for an open seat left by the Republican incumbent.
- ☑Deborah Silcox ☐Graham McDonald
- Three Democrats competed for the open seat left by the Democratic incumbent.
- ☑David Dreyer Janine Brown ☐Josh Noblitt
- Six Democrats competed for the open seat left by the Democratic incumbent.
- ☐Aaron Johnson ☐Joshua Butler ☐Larry Perkins ☐Rafer Johnson Valerie Vie ☑William Boddie
- Three Republicans competed for the open seat left by the Republican incumbent.
- ☐James Clifton ☑Josh Bonner ☐Lisa Inagawa
- A Republican incumbent ran for re-election despite an arrest on DUI charges.
- ☑Tom Taylor(Inc.) ☐Josh Bonner ☐Tom Owens
- Three Republicans competed for the GOP nomination to challenge the Democratic incumbent.
- Alan Cole ☐Catherine S. Bernard ☑Meagan Hanson
- A Democratic incumbent faced a primary challenger backed by teachers' unions.
- ☑Mary Margaret Oliver(Inc.) ☐Brian Westlake
- Three Republicans competed for the open seat left by the Republican incumbent.
- ☐Lori Greenhill ☑Mark Newton ☐Wright McLeod
- A Republican incumbent faced his 2014 primary challenger, whom he defeated by 71 votes in 2014.
- ☑Greg Morris(Inc.) ☐Lee Burton
- The state House majority leader faced a conservative challenger.
- ☑Jon G. Burns(Inc.) ☐Daniel Almond
List of candidates
General election
Primary election
Margins of victory
The average margin of victory for contested races in the Georgia House of Representatives in 2016 was lower than the national average. Out of 180 races in the Georgia House of Representatives in 2016, 32 were contested, meaning at least two candidates competed for that seat in the general election. The average margin of victory across these races was 28 percent. Across contested single-winner state legislative elections in 2016, the average margin of victory was 29.01 percent.[3]
| Democratic candidates in the Georgia House of Representatives saw larger margins of victory than Republican candidates in 2016. Democrats won 62 races. In the 11 races where a winning Democrat faced a challenger, the average margin of victory was 30.7 percent. Republicans won 118 races in 2016. In the 21 races where a winning Republican faced a challenger, the average margin of victory was 26.5 percent. |
| More Republican candidates than Democratic candidates saw margins of victory that were less than 10 percentage points. Eight of the 32 contested races in 2016—25 percent—saw margins of victory that were 10 percent or less. Five races saw margins of victory that were 5 percent or less. Republicans won five races with margins of victory of 10 percent or less. |
Georgia House of Representatives: 2016 Margins of Victory Less than 10 Percent District Winning Party Margin of Victory District 40 R 7.0 percent District 80 R 1.2 percent District 101 D 2.2 percent District 105 R 0.9 percent District 108 R 5.3 percent District 111 R 3.4 percent District 132 D 7.4 percent District 138 D 1.6 percent
| The average margin of victory for incumbents in the Georgia House of Representatives who ran for re-election and won in 2016 was higher than the national average. One hundred fifty-three incumbents who ran for re-election in 2016 won. The average margin of victory for the 25 winning Georgia House of Representatives incumbents who faced a challenger in 2016 was 31.9 percent. The average margin of victory for all winning incumbents in contested single-winner state legislative elections in 2016 was 31.8 percent. |
| Democratic incumbents in the Georgia House of Representatives saw larger margins of victory than Republican incumbents. Fifty Democratic incumbents won re-election. In the eight races where a winning Democratic incumbent faced a challenger, the average margin of victory was 36.2 percent. One hundred three Republican incumbents won re-election. In the 17 races where a winning Republican incumbent faced a challenger, the average margin of victory was 29.9 percent. |
Georgia House of Representatives: 2016 Margin of Victory Analysis Party Elections won Average margin of victory[4] Races with incumbent victories Average margin of victory for incumbents[4] Unopposed incumbents Unopposed races Percent unopposed Democratic 62 30.7 percent 50 36.2 percent 42 51 82.3 percent Republican 118 26.5 percent 103 29.9 percent 86 97 82.2 percent Total 180 28.0 percent 153 31.9 percent 128 148 82.2 percent
Click[show] on the tables below to see the margin of victory in Georgia House of Representatives districts in 2016.
Important dates and deadlines
- See also:Georgia elections, 2016
The calendar below lists important dates for political candidates in Georgia in 2016.
| Dates and requirements for candidates in 2016 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Deadline | Event type | Event description | |
| January 31, 2016 | Campaign finance | Campaign finance report due | |
| March 7, 2016 | Ballot access | Filing period for party candidates opens | |
| March 11, 2016 | Ballot access | Filing period for party candidates closes | |
| March 31, 2016 | Campaign finance | Campaign finance report due | |
| May 24, 2016 | Election date | Primary election | |
| June 27, 2016 | Ballot access | Filing period opens for independent and political body candidates | |
| June 30, 2016 | Campaign finance | Campaign finance report due | |
| July 1, 2016 | Ballot access | Filing period closes for independent and political body candidates | |
| July 12, 2016 | Ballot access | Petition filing deadline for independent and political body candidates | |
| July 26, 2016 | Election date | Primary runoff | |
| September 6, 2016 | Ballot access | Filing deadline for write-in candidates | |
| September 30, 2016 | Campaign finance | Campaign finance report due | |
| October 25, 2016 | Campaign finance | Campaign finance report due | |
| November 8, 2016 | Election date | General election | |
| December 6, 2016 | Election date | General runoff | |
| December 31, 2016 | Campaign finance | Campaign finance report due | |
| Sources:Georgia Secretary of State, "2016 Elections and Voter Registration Calendar," accessed September 21, 2015 Georgia Government Transparency and Campaign Finance Commission, "Campaign Disclosure Report Filing Schedule," accessed November 25, 2015 | |||
Competitiveness
Candidates unopposed by a major party
In 149 of the 180 districts that were up for election in 2016, there was only one major party candidate running for election. A total of 51 Democrats and 98 Republicans were guaranteed election barring unforeseen circumstances.
Two major party candidates faced off in the general election in 31 (18.6%) of the 180 districts up for election.
Primary challenges
A total of 37 incumbents faced primary competition on May 24. Fifteen incumbents did not seek re-election in 2016, two seats were vacant, and another 126 incumbents advanced past the primary without opposition. The following incumbents were defeated in the primary election:
- District 84:Rahn Mayo (D)
- District 125:Earnest Smith (D)
Primary runoff
The following incumbents were defeated in a primary runoff election:
- District 6:Tom Dickson (R)
- District 73:John Yates (R)
- District 77:Darryl Jordan (D)
Retired incumbents
Fifteen incumbent representatives did not run for re-election and 163 (90.5%) ran for re-election. In addition, two seats were vacant at the time of the election. A list of the incumbents that did not run for re-election—seven Democrats, seven Republicans, one Independent—may be foundabove.
Results from 2014
There were 6,057 seats in 87 chambers with elections in 2014. All three aspects of Ballotpedia'sCompetitiveness Index—the number ofopen seats,incumbents facing primary opposition, andgeneral elections between partisan candidates—showed poor results compared to the prior election cycle. States with elections in 2014 held fewer general elections between partisan candidates. Additionally, fewer incumbents faced primary opposition and more incumbents ran for re-election than inrecent years.
Since 2010, when the Competitiveness Index was established, there had not been an even-year election cycle to do statistically worse in any of the three categories. See the following chart for a breakdown of those scores between each year.
| Overall Competitiveness | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 2012 | 2014 | |
| Competitiveness Index | 36.2 | 35.8 | 31.4 |
| % Open Seats | 18.6% | 21.2% | 17.0% |
| % Incumbent with primary challenge | 22.7% | 24.6% | 20.1% |
| % Candidates with major party opposition | 67.3% | 61.7% | 57.0% |
The following table details Georgia's rates foropen seats, incumbents that facedprimary challenges, andmajor party competition in the 2014 general election.
| Georgia General Assembly 2014 Competitiveness | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| % Open Seats | % Incumbent with primary challenge | % Candidates with major party opposition | Competitiveness Index | Overall rank |
| 7.2% | 21.9% | 20.3% | 16.5 | 45 |
Historical context
Uncontested elections: In 2014, 32.8 percent of Americans lived in states with an uncontested state senate election. Similarly, 40.4 percent of Americans lived in states with uncontested house elections. Primary elections were uncontested even more frequently, with 61 percent of people living in states with no contested primaries. Uncontested elections often occur in locations that are so politically one-sided that the result of an election would be a foregone conclusion regardless of whether it was contested or not.
Open seats: In most cases, an incumbent will run for re-election, which decreases the number of open seats available. In 2014, 83 percent of the 6,057 seats up for election saw the incumbent running for re-election. The states that impose term limits on their legislatures typically see a higher percentage of open seats in a given year because a portion of incumbents in each election are forced to leave office. Overall, the number of open seats decreased from 2012 to 2014, dropping from 21.2 percent in 2012 to 17.0 percent in 2014.
Incumbent win rates: Ballotpedia'scompetitiveness analysis of elections between 1972 and 2014 documented the high propensity for incumbents to win re-election in state legislative elections. In fact, since 1972, the win rate for incumbents had not dropped below 90 percent—with the exception of 1974, when 88 percent of incumbents were re-elected to their seats. Perhaps most importantly, the win rate for incumbents generally increased over time. In 2014, 96.5 percent of incumbents were able to retain their seats. Common convention holds that incumbents are able to leverage their office to maintain their seat. However, the high incumbent win rate may actually be a result of incumbents being more likely to hold seats in districts that are considered safe for their party.
Marginal primaries: Often, competitiveness is measured by examining the rate of elections that have been won by amounts that are considered marginal (5 percent or less). During the 2014 election, 90.1 percent of primary and general election races were won by margins higher than 5 percent. Interestingly, it is usually the case that only one of the two races—primary or general—will be competitive at a time. This means that if a district's general election is competitive, typically one or more of the district's primaries were won by more than 5 percent. The reverse is also true: If a district sees a competitive primary, it is unlikely that the general election for that district will be won by less than 5 percent. Primaries often see very low voter turnout in comparison to general elections. In 2014, there were only 27 million voters for state legislative primaries, but approximately 107 million voters for the state legislative general elections.
Campaign contributions
The following chart shows how many candidates ran for State House in Georgia in past years and the cumulative amount of campaign contributions in State House races, including contributions in both primary and general election contests.[5]
| Georgia House of Representatives Donations | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Candidates | Amount |
| 2014 | 275 | $13,221,530 |
| 2012 | 317 | $14,769,603 |
| 2010 | 316 | $12,353,966 |
| 2008 | 279 | $12,254,318 |
| 2006 | 294 | $14,979,081 |
State comparison
The map below shows the average contributions to 2014 candidates for state houses. The average contributions raised by state house candidates in 2014 was $59,983. Georgia, at $48,078 per candidate, is ranked 22 of 45 for state house chambers with the highest average contributions. Hover your mouse over a state to see the average campaign contributions for that state’s house candidates in 2014.[5][6]
Qualifications
Paragraph 3 of Section 2 of Article 3 of theGeorgia Constitution states: "At the time of their election, the members of the House of Representatives shall be citizens of the United States, shall be at least 21 years of age, shall have been citizens of this state for at least two years, and shall have been legal residents of the territory embraced within the district from which elected for at least one year."[7]
See also
External links
- Georgia Secretary of State - Qualifying Candidate Information
- Georgia Secretary of State - Primary results
- Georgia Secretary of State - General election results
Footnotes
- ↑Republicans reclaimed two seats left vacant prior to the election.
- ↑Under Ballotpedia's competitiveness criteria, districts that have a margin of victory of less than 5 percent are considered highly competitive. Districts that have a margin of victory from 5 to 10 percent are considered mildly competitive.
- ↑This calculation excludes chambers that had elections where two or more members were elected in a race. These chambers are the Arizona House, the New Hampshire House, the North Dakota House, the South Dakota House, the Vermont House, the Vermont Senate, and the West Virginia House.
- ↑4.04.1Excludes unopposed elections
- ↑5.05.1followthemoney.org, "Contributions to candidates and committees in elections in Georgia," accessed July 28, 2015
- ↑This map relies on data collected in July 2015.
- ↑Georgia State Senate, "Georgia Constitution," accessed June 27, 2023
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