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Georgia, State Senate, District 17

Georgia State Senate District 17
Current incumbentBrian Strickland Republican Party

Georgia's seventeenth state senate district is represented by Republican Senator Brian Strickland.

Georgia state senators represent an average of 172,994 residents. After the 2000 Census, each member represented 157,437 residents.

About the chamber

Members of the Georgia State Senate serve two-year terms and are not subject to term limits. Georgia legislators assume office the second Monday in January.

Qualifications

According to the Georgia Constitution, Georgia Senators must be at least 25 years old, American citizens, Georgia citizens for at least two years and a resident of his or her Senatorial District for at least one year immediately preceding election.

Salaries

State legislators
SalaryPer diem
$17,342/year$173/day, set by the Legislative Services Committee.

Vacancies

If there is a vacancy in the senate, the vacant seat must be filled by a special election. The Governor must declare a special election no later than 10 days after the vacancy happened. The election must be held no less than 30 days and no later than 60 days after the Governor calls for the election. The counties representing the vacant district are responsible for conducting the election.

Elections

2020

Elections for the office of Georgia State Senate will take place in 2020. The general election will be held on November 3, 2020. A primary is scheduled for May 19, 2020, and a primary runoff is scheduled for July 21, 2020. A runoff election is scheduled for December 1, 2020. The filing deadline is March 6, 2020.

2018

Regular election

General election
General election for Georgia State Senate District 17

Incumbent Brian Strickland (R) defeated Phyllis Hatcher (D) in the general election for Georgia State Senate District 17 on November 6, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes

Brian Strickland (R)
54.5
44,366

Phyllis Hatcher (D)
45.5
37,088

Total votes: 81,454
(100.00% precincts reporting)
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Georgia State Senate District 17

Phyllis Hatcher advanced from the Democratic primary for Georgia State Senate District 17 on May 22, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes

Phyllis Hatcher (D)
100
8,568

Total votes: 8,568
Republican primary election
Republican primary for Georgia State Senate District 17

Incumbent Brian Strickland defeated Nelva Lee in the Republican primary for Georgia State Senate District 17 on May 22, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes

Brian Strickland (R)
92.3
12,260

Silhouette Placeholder Image.png

Nelva Lee (R)
7.7
1,024

Total votes: 13,284

Special election

A special election for the position of Georgia State Senate District 17 was held on January 9, 2018. The filing deadline for candidates running in this election was December 8, 2017. A runoff election would have been held on February 6, 2018, if no candidate had received over 50 percent of the vote.

The seat was left vacant after the resignation of Rick Jeffares (R) on December 1, 2017. Jeffares resigned from the state Senate in order to focus on his campaign for lieutenant governor.

General election
Special general election for Georgia State Senate District 17

Incumbent Brian Strickland (R) defeated Phyllis Hatcher (D), Ed Toney (R), and Nelva Lee (R) in the special general election for Georgia State Senate District 17 on January 9, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes

Brian Strickland (R)
62.0
5,003

Phyllis Hatcher (D)
34.4
2,774

Silhouette Placeholder Image.png

Ed Toney (R)
2.5
198

Silhouette Placeholder Image.png

Nelva Lee (R)
1.2
97

Total votes: 8,072


2016

Elections for the Georgia State Senate 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.

Incumbent Rick Jeffares defeated Bill Blackmon in the Georgia State Senate District 17 general election.

Georgia State Senate, District 17 General Election, 2016

Party Candidate Vote % Votes
Republican Green check mark transparent.png Rick Jeffares Incumbent 59.65% 48,444
Democratic Bill Blackmon 40.35% 32,772
Total Votes 81,216
Source: Georgia Secretary of State

Bill Blackmon ran unopposed in the Georgia State Senate District 17 Democratic primary.

Georgia State Senate, District 17 Democratic Primary, 2016

Party Candidate
Democratic Green check mark transparent.png Bill Blackmon (unopposed)

Incumbent Rick Jeffares ran unopposed in the Georgia State Senate District 17 Republican primary.

Georgia State Senate, District 17 Republican Primary, 2016

Party Candidate
Republican Green check mark transparent.png Rick Jeffares Incumbent (unopposed)

2014

Elections for the Georgia State Senate took place in 2014. A primary election took place on May 20, 2014 with a runoff election taking place where necessary on July 22, 2014. The general election was held on November 4, 2014. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was March 7, 2014. Incumbent Richard M. Jeffares was unopposed in the Republican primary and was unchallenged in the general election.

2012

Elections for the office of Georgia State Senate consisted of a primary election on July 31, 2012, and a general election on November 6, 2012. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was May 25, 2012. Incumbent Rick Jeffares (R) defeated Nelva Lee (D) in the general election and was unopposed in the Republican primary. Lee was unopposed in the Democratic primary. A total of $130,984 was raised by 2012 candidates in the district, with Jeffares outraising Lee by a margin of $109,463 to $21,521.


Georgia State Senate, District 17, General Election, 2012

Party Candidate Vote % Votes
Republican Green check mark transparent.pngRick Jeffares Incumbent 62.8% 47,069
Democratic Nelva Lee 37.2% 27,929
Total Votes 74,998

Campaign contributions

From 2002 to 2016, candidates for Georgia State Senate District 17 raised a total of $1,140,928. Candidates who raised money in contributions earned $47,539 on average. All figures come from Follow the Money.

Campaign contributions, Georgia State Senate District 17

Year Amount Candidates Average
2016 $205,092 2 $102,546
2014 $81,453 1 $81,453
2012 $130,984 2 $65,492
2010 $168,326 5 $33,665
2008 $160,384 3 $53,461
2006 $93,680 2 $46,840
2004 $230,899 6 $38,483
2002 $38,177 2 $19,089
2000 $31,933 1 $31,933
Total $1,140,928 24 $47,539