A Democrat will move into a runoff election to represent a stretch of Fulton and Cherokee counties that has been a Republican stronghold for decades and overwhelmingly voted for President Donald Trump last November.
Debra Shigley, an Alpharetta resident and former attorney, was the top finisher in a special election to replace state Sen. Brandon Beach, whom Trump tapped earlier this year to serve as U.S. treasurer. Shigley, the lone Democrat in the race, finished with 39.5% of the vote, benefiting from Republican votes splitting among six GOP candidates.
“We’re very excited and encouraged,” she said.
Unofficial vote totals posted late Tuesday suggested Shigley would compete against Republican Jason Dickerson, who received 17.4% of the vote, in the runoff election Sept. 23. But the race for second place was startlingly close, with Dickerson edging out fellow Republican Steve West by just 65 votes. West could call for a recount.
A mother of five children, Shigley has advocated for making the district more affordable for families by focusing on affordable health care coverage. She also opposed the state’s school voucher program, which gives money to students who are zoned to attend low-performing public schools, saying “public dollars should go to public schools, period.”
Dickerson is a Canton native who is making his first run for office. He is the president of a private investment company. He did not respond to requests from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Tuesday.
The district has favored Republicans. Beach, a Republican from Alpharetta, won reelection last year with 70% of the vote.
Democrats have made gains in Cherokee County in recent elections, but only about 30% of voters supported former Vice President Kamala Harris in 2024. Senate District 21, which represents about 214,000 voters, covers the northern part of the county.
Shigley got more votes in the Fulton County portion of the district, which covers parts of Milton and Alpharetta.
Turnout was low for the off-year special election, with 21,433 votes cast, representing about 13.2% of the voters registered in the district.
Since January, when Trump took office, Shigley said the daily experience for residents has changed.
“Folks have been feeling extremely frustrated. They’re feeling the pain to their pockets because of tariffs, and the cuts to Medicaid and other programs are very concerning,” she said.
Georgia U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff and U.S. Rep. Lucy McBath, both Democrats, endorsed Shigley, and state Sen. Jason Esteves, a Democratic candidate for governor, appeared with her at a campaign event. Shigley said she and her team knocked on more than 30,000 doors over three months while campaigning.
Antoinette Duverneau-Dicken, 38, said her Canton family looked at all the candidates and most aligned with Shigley.
If his second-place finish holds, Dickerson will look to consolidate the Republican vote for the runoff election.
Dickerson has said he would focus on reducing taxes, saying residents need relief from rising property taxes in particular.
John Horzepa, 57, said he voted for Dickerson because they are both veterans and Dickerson shares many of Trump’s priorities.
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