Rep. Lynn Heffner, D‑Augusta, and Rep. Karen Bennett, D‑Stone Mountain, have announced their resignations from the Georgia House of Representatives just days before the Georgia General Assembly is set to convene.
Heffner said she is stepping down to focus on rebuilding her home after it was damaged during Hurricane Helene. In her statement, she referenced the difficult decision and ongoing challenges in the recovery process.
Bennett, who served 13 years in the House, resigned effective January 1 without issuing a public statement.
Heffner was first elected to the House in 2022. Her departure, combined with Bennett’s, means the General Assembly will need to hold two additional special elections to fill the vacant seats, adding to several other recent departures and one death that have created openings across the legislature.
Voters in House District 23 will decide Tuesday who will fill the seat of the late Rep. Mandi Ballinger, R‑Canton. Republican Bill Fincher, who received 27.4% of the vote in last month’s contest in a race with four other GOP candidates, will face Democrat Scott Sanders in the runoff.
Another election is scheduled for January 20 to fill the seat of John F. Kennedy, R‑Macon, who resigned to focus on his campaign for lieutenant governor. That district covers Crawford, Monroe, Peach, and parts of Bibb and Houston counties.
Separately, State Senator Jason Esteves resigned to concentrate on his run for governor, and pediatric dentist Jaha Howard recently defeated former state Rep. Roger Bruce in a close runoff for the Senate District 35 seat on December 18.
In other recent legislative election news, Democrats scored an upset victory in the contest to succeed former state Rep. Marcus Wiedower, whose district includes parts of Oconee and Clarke counties. Eric Gisler won the seat over Republican Mack “Dutch” Guest IV with just over 50% of the vote, a margin not sufficient to trigger a recount.
