Senate District 17
GEOGRAPHIC AREA
- County: Henry, Newton and Rockdale counties
- Metro Area/Region: Southeast Atlanta area
- Cities/Towns/Areas: Covington, Hampton, Locust Grove, Mansfield, McDonough, Oxford, Social Circle, Stockbridge and Newborn
DEMOGRAPHIC DATA
- Population: 174,075
- Median Household Income: $59,400
- Education:
- Completed High School 57.2%
- Completed College/Beyond 32.2%
- Race:
- White 62.2%
- Black 30%
- Hispanic 4.2%
- Asian 1.2%
POLITICAL AREA
- Congressional District(s): GA-3, GA-4, GA-10 and GA-13
- GA House Districts: HD-73, HD-90, HD-91, HD-109, HD-110, HD-111, HD-112, HD-113, HD-130
PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS
| 2016 | Clinton 40.82% | Trump 56.50% | Margin=R+15.7% |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Obama 38.5% | Romney 60.50% | Margin=R+22% |
District Election Results
| Year | Candidate | Percentage | Vote Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 Special Election | Brian Strickland (R) |
62% | 5,003 |
| Phyllis Hatcher (D) |
34.4% | 2,774 | |
| Ed Toney (R) |
2.5% | 198 | |
| Nelva Lee (R) |
1.2% | 97 | |
| 2016 | Rick Jeffares (R) |
59.65% | 48,444 |
| Bill Blackmon (D) |
40.35 | 32,772 | |
| 2014 | Rick Jeffares (R) |
100% | |
| None |
N/A/td> | N/A | |
| 2012 | Rick Jeffares (R) |
62.8% | 47,069 |
| Nelva Lee (D) |
37.2 | 27,929 |
CANDIDATES
- Incumbent: Brian Strickland (R)
- Campaign Website: votebrianstrickland.com
- Facebook: facebook.com/profile.php?id=46201738
- Twitter: twitter.com/@stricklandforga
- Republican Candidate: Nelva Lee
- Campaign Website: nelvalee.com
- Facebook: facebook.com/electnelvalee
- Twitter: twitter.com/@electdrlee
- Democrat Candidate: Phyllis Hatcher
- Campaign Website: phyllishatcher.com
- Facebook: facebook.com/phyllis.hatcher.98
- Twitter: twitter.com/@RevHatcher
NOTES AND SUMMARY
The Senate 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.
Brian Strickland (R) was HD 111 Rep since 2013; he resigned to run for and subsequently won the Senate seat in SD 17. When Strickland was still Representative of HD 111, his district was gerrymandered to include fewer minority voters and more white voters. The gerrymandering was the object of a lawsuit.
Strickland is seen as a rising star within the Republican party of Georgia, and was appointed as the Governor's floor leader for the 2018 General Assembly. He is a lawyer in McDonough.
Nelva Lee (R) is also running in this race. She ran for this seat in 2012 as a Democrat but has since become a Republican (based on, as she says, her Christian moral values). She is a first generation immigrant, has many families members who’ve served in the military. Currently owns an online medical interpreting school.
In the Special Election in January of 2018, Democrat Phyllis Hatcher (D) of Conyers was Strickland's closest competition, with 34.28 percent, or 2,686 votes. Of the 133,001 registered voters in Senate District 17, only 9,060 cast ballots in the special election (6.82 percent of the voters). Hatcher is opposing Strickland again in the general election of 2018.
Phyllis Hatcher is pastor in the United Methodist Church and founded Phyllis Hatcher Ministries, a coalition of care agencies originally operating in Henry County that has since expanded. Agencies involved include United Way, ACFB, We Care Ministries, and McDonough Housing Authority.