ATLANTA — Many Statehouse incumbents appeared to beat back challengers Tuesday, ensuring their return to the Capitol in January. Republicans retain control of the House and Senate.

Two Generation Z candidates will join the 236-member Legislature as new members of the House of Representatives: Democrats Bryce Berry and Gabriel Sanchez.

Berry, a 22-year-old Atlanta middle school teacher, handily defeated incumbent Mesha Mainor, who switched to the Republican Party last year, for the House District 56 seat. 

“I am honored to serve as the next representative for Georgia State House District 56,” Berry said in a written statement released Tuesday night by Voters of Tomorrow, the nation’s largest Gen Z-led voter outreach organization. Berry said he would focus on housing and education if elected.

Gabriel Sanchez, a 27-year-old waiter and self-described Democratic socialist, defeated Republican challenger and businesswoman Diane Jackson to represent Smyrna-based House District 42. 

Sanchez attributed his victory to a campaign that focused heavily on door-to-door canvassing which resonated with people who were concerned about the housing crisis and access to health care and were struggling financially.

“The price of everything is going up, except for our wages,” Sanchez told State Affairs. “People really resonate with our message. I really think that’s what pushed us to have a landslide victory tonight.”

Nearly half of the 236 Statehouse seats were contested: 23 of the 56 Senate seats and 90 of the 180 House seats. 

Voting in several metro Atlanta precincts — namely Gwinnett and Fulton counties — was extended beyond the 7 p.m. closing time due to bomb threats.

The results are unofficial and have not yet been certified. 

Here are the preliminary results of some of the other high-profile Statehouse races. 

House 

House District 48: Republican incumbent Scott Hilton, R-Peachtree Corners, a real estate investment firm executive, faced Democratic challenger Laura Murvartian, a small-business owner who campaigned on restoring reproductive freedom, cutting health care costs, strengthening Georgia’s economy and community safety. Gov. Brian Kemp and super PACs poured lots of money into HD 48, which includes Peachtree Corners, Johns Creek and Roswell, to help Hilton keep his seat. As vice chair of the House Education Committee, Hilton has sponsored and passed legislation on education, social media protections for minors and support for disabled Georgians.

Winner: Rep. Scott Hilton

House District 53: Two attorneys went head-to-head in this North Atlanta district. Incumbent Rep. Deborah Silcox, R-Sandy Springs, faced Susie Greenberg, who hoped to return the district to the Democrats. Hundreds of thousands of dollars were poured into this race. Silcox was elected to the formerly Democratic seat in 2022 by fewer than 1,500 votes.

Winner: Incumbent Deborah Silcox was leading with 52% of the votes to challenger Susie Greenberg’s 48%

House District 99: Incumbent Matt Reeves, R-Duluth, faced Democratic challenger Michelle Kang, an organizer who works with nonprofits helping immigrant families find housing and other services. Reeves is an attorney who serves on the House Majority Caucus Whip Team. HD 99 includes the Gwinnett County towns of Suwanee, Sugar Hill and Duluth. 

Winner: Incumbent Matt Reeves was leading with 50.3% of the votes to challenger Michelle Kang’s 49.6%, indicating a possible runoff

House District 105: Farooq Mughal, the first Pakistani American elected to the Georgia Legislature, in this election navigated a completely changed district, which includes Dacula, Buford and the Mall of Georgia. The Republican challenger — Sandy Donatucci — is a small-business owner, military spouse and Gwinnett County planning commissioner who lives in Buford. Mughal, a business owner, was a co-sponsor of a bill to make Mulberry a city.

Winner: Challenger Sandy Donatucci was leading with 50.2% of the votes to incumbent Farooq Mughal’s 49.8% 

House District 180: Incumbent Rep. Steven Sainz, R-St. Marys, who championed the sex offender bill called Mariam’s Law, faced Democrat Defonsio Daniels, a former Marine and federal police officer. This coastal district includes Camden County and parts of Glynn County and Jekyll Island.

Winner: Rep. Steven Sainz 

Senate

Senate District 27: Gen Z Democratic challenger Hamza Nazir ran against incumbent Greg Dolezal, R-Cumming. Nazir, a 25-year-old technical consultant, ran on a campaign to expand Medicaid, make health insurance more affordable for Georgians and create gun safety laws. District 27 includes most of Forsyth County. Dolezal serves as chair of the Senate Committee on Transportation and vice chairman of the Senate Committee on Appropriations. He is the founder and partner of the technology company Renewed Vision in Forsyth County.

Winner: Sen. Greg Dolezal

Senate District 30: Incumbent Sen. Tim Bearden, R-Carrollton, faced Democratic challenger Wanda Cooper, a legal researcher who ran to create more affordable housing and curb homeowners association abuses. Bearden serves on the Senate Banking and Financial Institutions Committee and the Education and Youth Committee. A former state representative, Bearden was elected to fill the Senate seat in February when Sen. Mike Dugan resigned to run for Congress. The district includes Carroll, Douglas, Haralson, and Paulding counties.

Winner: Sen. Tim Bearden

Senate District 48: One of the must-watch Statehouse races was between incumbent Republican Sen. Shawn Still and Democratic challenger Ashwin Ramaswami, a 25-year-old former software engineer in the Donald Trump and Joe Biden administrations who built a tool that detects vulnerabilities in election websites. Ramaswami ran on a campaign to pass gun safety laws and restore abortion rights. Still was one of 18 people indicted along with Trump in Fulton County last year for allegedly trying to overturn the 2020 election results in Georgia. Senate District 48 covers parts of North Fulton, South Forsyth and North Gwinnett counties as well as parts of Johns Creek, Cumming, Sugar Hill, Suwanee, Alpharetta and Buford.

Winner: Sen. Shawn Still 

Senate District 56: Incumbent Sen. John Albers, R-Roswell, faced Democratic challenger and entrepreneur JD Jordan, who ran on a platform “to fight for our freedoms and to deliver a better future for everyone.” Albers chairs the Senate Public Safety Committee and carried Mariam’s Law in the Senate.

Winner: Sen. John Albers

Have questions, comments or tips? Contact Tammy Joyner on X @lvjoyner or at [email protected].

Know the most important news affecting Georgia

Get our free weekly newsletter that covers government, policy and politics that impact your everyday life—in 5 minutes or less.

Sign Up