Democrat Kevin Abel won Senate District 14, which includes part of Alpharetta, while Democratic Rep. Esther Panitch won re-election in neighboring House District 51 in the Nov. 3 election.
Panitch received 64.4% of the vote against Republican Keith Gettmann in House District 51, according to unofficial results reported by the Atlanta Jewish Times. The victory gives her a third term and a second consecutive general-election win over Gettmann.
Abel won the open Senate District 14 seat with 62.7% against Republican Michael Dvorscak. He will succeed Democrat Josh McLaurin, who pursued and won the lieutenant governor’s office rather than seeking another Senate term.
Representation across north Fulton
House District 51 includes portions of Sandy Springs, Roswell and Johns Creek.
Senate District 14 includes parts of those communities, Alpharetta and northeast Atlanta, according to McLaurin’s legislative biography.
Panitch practices family law and criminal defense and co-chairs the Georgia-Israel Caucus. She has been the General Assembly’s only Jewish member during her first two terms.
That representation is expected to expand in January. Abel and newly elected House District 48 Democrat Adam Cleveland will join her, bringing the number of Jewish state legislators to three, AJT reported.
House majority changes hands
The local victories accompanied broader Democratic gains across Georgia.
Democrats appeared to win control of the state House, although several close contests left the final seat count unsettled, according to the Georgia Recorder. Republicans retained the Senate, with their projected majority narrowing to 29–27.
The incoming legislature will also work with Democratic Governor-elect Keisha Lance Bottoms and McLaurin as lieutenant governor.
Certification still ahead
The returns remain unofficial. County certification is due by 5 p.m. Monday, Nov. 9, with state certification due Nov. 20, according to the Georgia election calendar.
The new General Assembly convenes in January.
