Live Results: Special Elections Across Five State Districts in Alabama, Georgia and Wisconsin
By 270toWin Staff
July 13, 2021
There are five legislative special general elections on Tuesday. The most competitive interparty contest is a runoff for a Georgia State House seat in suburban Atlanta.
State Senate
Alabama District 14
There are 35 State Senate districts in Alabama. Currently, the chamber has 26 Republicans and 8 Democrats. The next regularly scheduled election is in 2022.
District 14 is a largely rural area in the central part of the state. The vacancy there was created when Republican Cam Ward was appointed Director of the Alabama Bureau of Pardons and Paroles last December. In 2018, Ward was reelected with about 73% of the vote.
The major party nominees are former State Rep. April Weaver (R) and attorney Virginia Applebaum (D). Polls close at 8:00 PM Eastern Time.
State House
Alabama District 73
There are 105 State House districts in Alabama. The chamber is comprised of 76 Republicans and 27 Democrats. Alabama is one of only five states with four-year terms for the lower body in the state legislature.1 1The others are Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi and North Dakota. The next regularly scheduled election is in 2022.
District 73 is located in Shelby County, in the central part of the state. It is largely within the boundaries of Senate District 14 discussed above. The seat became vacant last December after Republican Matt Fridy was elected to the Alabama Court of Civil Appeals. In 2018, Fridy was reelected with about 69% of the vote.
The Republican nominee is Kenneth Paschal, who narrowly won the primary runoff on April 27. Sheridan Black is the Democratic nominee. Polls close at 8:00 PM Eastern Time.
Georgia (runoffs)
There are 180 State House districts in Georgia. Currently, the chamber has 101 Republicans and 77 Democrats. The next regularly scheduled elections are in 2022.
Under Georgia special election law, both these seats were contested in all-party primaries on June 15. Neither primary saw a candidate get a majority of the vote, necessitating Tuesday's top two runoffs. Polls close at 7:00 PM Eastern Time.
District 34
The suburban Atlanta District 34 vacancy was created by the resignation of Republican Bert Reeves on April 30. Reeves was in his fourth term. He had most recently won reelection by a 56%-44% margin over Democrat Priscilla Smith, who is on the ballot again Tuesday.
Republican Devan Seabaugh led the five-person June primary. He received 47% of the vote, narrowly missing an outright win. Priscilla Smith finished second with just under 25%. In total, Republicans on the ballot received 59% of the vote to 40% for Democrats.
This is the most competitive of Tuesday's elections that include nominees from both major parties.
District 156
District 156 is in the southeastern part of the state, including Vidalia. The vacancy was created by the resignation of Republican Greg Morris on April 13. Morris was first elected to the legislature in 1999. He had represented District 156 since 2012, running unopposed in the general election each time.
As befits this conservative area, Republicans took both spots in the runoff. Leesa Hagan and Wally Sapp combined for 85% of the vote. However, the two were separated by just 37 votes, with Hagan leading by 43% to 42% over Sapp.
Given that primary result, it is possible that this ends up being the closest race of the day in terms of voting totals while, at the same time, being the only race 100% guaranteed to be won by one of the parties before a single vote is counted.
Wisconsin Assembly District 37
The Wisconsin State House is called the State Assembly
There are 99 Assembly districts in Wisconsin. Currently, the chamber has 60 Republicans and 38 Democrats. The next regularly scheduled elections are in 2022.
Located northeast of Madison, the District 37 vacancy was created with the resignation of Republican John Jagler in April. He had won a special election for a vacant State Senate seat earlier that month. Jagler had represented the district since first being elected in 2012, most recently being reelected by a 56% to 41% margin in 2020.
The Democratic nominee is Pete Adams. The Republican nominee is William Penterman, who narrowly won the June 15 party primary. Although Penterman received only about 20% of the vote in a crowded eight-person field that day, he is the favorite in this GOP leaning district. Polls close at 9:00 PM Eastern Time.
Upcoming July 27
- Texas 6th Congressional District Special Election Runoff
