Georgia Democrat Eric Gisler claims upset state House win in historically Republican district

Democrat Wins Surprising Victory in Longtime Republican Georgia District

In a striking political upset, Democrat Eric Gisler has claimed victory in a special election for Georgia’s House District 121, a traditionally Republican stronghold northeast of Atlanta. Gisler led Republican Mack “Dutch” Guest by approximately 200 votes out of more than 11,000 cast in final unofficial returns.

“I think we had the right message for the time,” Gisler told The Associated Press after his win. The 49-year-old Watkinsville resident, who works for an insurance technology company and owns a gourmet olive oil store, attributed his success to both Democratic enthusiasm and Republican voters seeking change.

“A lot of what I would call traditional conservatives held their nose and voted Republican last year on the promise of low prices and whatever else they were selling,” Gisler explained. “But they hadn’t received that.”

The secretary of state’s office indicated a few provisional ballots might remain before results are finalized, though the margin appears sufficient for Gisler’s victory. Guest, a trucking company president who had been endorsed by Republican Governor Brian Kemp and significantly outraised Gisler, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

This special election was held to replace Republican Marcus Wiedower, who had represented the district since 2018 before resigning mid-term to focus on business interests. Notably, Gisler had previously challenged Wiedower in 2024, losing by a substantial margin of 61% to 39%.

The district encompasses most of Oconee County, a Republican suburb of Athens, and extends into portions of heavily Democratic Athens-Clarke County. Republicans had previously gerrymandered Athens-Clarke to create one strongly Democratic district while distributing the remainder among three Republican-leaning seats.

This victory continues a pattern of Democratic electoral successes in 2023, as the party’s voters express dissatisfaction with Republican President Donald Trump. In Georgia specifically, Democrats recently won two statewide special elections for the Public Service Commission in November, unseating Republican incumbents in campaigns focused on rising electricity costs.

The national trend extends beyond Georgia. Democrats won gubernatorial races in Virginia and New Jersey by substantial margins. In Miami, a Democrat defeated a Trump-endorsed Republican for mayor, becoming the first from the party to win that position in nearly three decades.

Even in races Democrats ultimately lost, such as a recent Tennessee U.S. House race and a Georgia state Senate contest in September, the party has shown unexpected strength in traditionally Republican territories.

While Republicans maintain control of the Georgia House, their majority is projected to shrink to 99-81 when legislators reconvene in January. This represents a significant decline from their 119-seat majority in 2015 and would mark the first time Republicans hold fewer than 100 seats in the chamber since 2005, when they initially gained control following Reconstruction.

In a separate contest on Tuesday, voters in a heavily Republican district in Atlanta’s northwest suburbs advanced Republican Bill Fincher and Democrat Scott Sanders to a January 6 runoff. This special election will fill the vacancy created by the death of Representative Mandi Ballinger.

District 121 has seen political fluctuation in recent years. A Democrat briefly won control in a 2017 special election before losing to Wiedower the following year.

Gisler campaigned on a platform focused on improving healthcare access, addressing affordability issues, and strategically reinvesting Georgia’s budget surplus. This approach evidently resonated with voters looking for solutions to pressing economic and social challenges, allowing him to flip a district that had seemed securely Republican just months ago.

Political analysts will likely scrutinize this result for insights into voter sentiment heading into future elections, particularly as Democrats continue to make inroads in areas previously considered Republican strongholds.