Help us improve in just 2 minutes—share your thoughts in our reader survey.

Georgia State Senate District 21

From Ballotpedia
Revision as of 16:59, 3 September 2025 by Jaclyn Beran (contribs)
(diff) ← Older revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)
Jump to: navigation, search

Georgia State Senate District 21
Incumbent
Vacant

Georgia State Senate District 21 is vacant. It was last represented by Brandon Beach (R).

As of the 2020 Census, Georgia state senators represented an average of 191,523 residents. After the 2010 Census, each member represented 173,707 residents.

To learn more about the 2025 special election for Georgia State Senate District 21, click here.

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

See also: State legislature candidate requirements by state

Paragraph 3 of Section 2 of Article 3 of the Georgia Constitution states, "At the time of their election, the members of the Senate shall be citizens of the United States, shall be at least 25 years of age, shall have been citizens of this state for at least two years, and shall have been legal residents of the territory embraced within the district from which elected for at least one year."[1]

GA Code § 21-2-8 states that an individual cannot hold public office if they are "not a qualified voter entitled to vote."[2]


Salaries

See also: Comparison of state legislative salaries
State legislative salaries, 2024[3]
SalaryPer diem
$24,341.64/year$247/day

Vacancies

See also: How vacancies are filled in state legislatures

If there is a vacancy in the Georgia General Assembly, the vacant seat must be filled by a special election. If the vacancy occurs during a legislative session, the governor must declare a special election no later than 10 days after the vacancy happens. If the vacancy occurs after the regular legislative session held during the first year of the term of office for members, the governor may order a special election at any time but no later than 60 days before the November general election. If the vacancy occurs between 60 days before the November general election and the next legislative session, the governor is required to order a special election within 10 days.[4]

The special 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.[4]

DocumentIcon.jpg See sources: Georgia Code § 21-2-544


District map

Redistricting

See also: Redistricting in Georgia

In Georgia, both congressional and state legislative district lines are drawn by the state legislature. A simple majority in each chamber is required to approve redistricting plans, which are subject to veto by the governor.[5]

The Georgia Constitution requires that state legislative districts be contiguous. There are no similar requirements for congressional districts.[5][6]

2020-2023

See also: Redistricting in Georgia after the 2020 census

The district court's approval of remedial state legislative maps was appealed to the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals. Oral argument was held on January 23, 2025.[7]

Governor Kemp (R) signed revised legislative maps into law on December 8, 2023. Legislators in the Georgia House of Representatives voted 98-71 to adopt the new state legislative maps on December 5. The Georgia State Senate voted 32-23 to adopt the state legislative maps on December 1. For more information about the enacted legislative maps, click here.[8][9]

Below are the maps in effect before and after the 2020 redistricting cycle. The map on the right was in effect for Georgia’s 2024 state legislative elections.

Georgia State Senate District 21
before 2020 redistricting cycle

Click a district to compare boundaries.

Georgia State Senate District 21
after 2020 redistricting cycle

Click a district to compare boundaries.

Elections

2025

See also: Georgia state legislative special elections, 2025

A special election for Georgia State Senate District 21 was called for August 26, 2025. A general runoff will take place on September 23, 2025.[10] The candidate filing deadline was June 4, 2025.[11]

The seat became vacant after Brandon Beach (R) was appointed to serve as the United States Treasurer.[12]

General runoff election

Special general runoff election for Georgia State Senate District 21

Debra Shigley and Jason Dickerson are running in the special general runoff election for Georgia State Senate District 21 on September 23, 2025.

Candidate
Image of Debra Shigley
Debra Shigley (D) Candidate Connection
Image of Jason Dickerson
Jason Dickerson (R)

Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

General election

Special general election for Georgia State Senate District 21

The following candidates ran in the special general election for Georgia State Senate District 21 on August 26, 2025.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Debra Shigley
Debra Shigley (D) Candidate Connection
 
39.5
 
8,444
Image of Jason Dickerson
Jason Dickerson (R)
 
17.4
 
3,709
Image of Steve West
Steve West (R)
 
17.0
 
3,642
Brian Will (R)
 
10.3
 
2,192
Brice Futch (R) Candidate Connection
 
8.2
 
1,749
Image of Lance Calvert
Lance Calvert (R)
 
6.7
 
1,424
Image of Stephanie Donegan
Stephanie Donegan (R)
 
1.0
 
207

Total votes: 21,367
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

2024

See also: Georgia State Senate elections, 2024

General election

General election for Georgia State Senate District 21

Incumbent Brandon Beach defeated Lillia Lionel in the general election for Georgia State Senate District 21 on November 5, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Brandon Beach
Brandon Beach (R)
 
70.3
 
81,481
Image of Lillia Lionel
Lillia Lionel (D)
 
29.7
 
34,349

Total votes: 115,830
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Georgia State Senate District 21

Lillia Lionel defeated Tracey Verhoeven in the Democratic primary for Georgia State Senate District 21 on May 21, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Lillia Lionel
Lillia Lionel
 
51.6
 
2,764
Image of Tracey Verhoeven
Tracey Verhoeven Candidate Connection
 
48.4
 
2,593

Total votes: 5,357
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Georgia State Senate District 21

Incumbent Brandon Beach advanced from the Republican primary for Georgia State Senate District 21 on May 21, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Brandon Beach
Brandon Beach
 
100.0
 
14,202

Total votes: 14,202
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

2022

See also: Georgia State Senate elections, 2022

General election

General election for Georgia State Senate District 21

Incumbent Brandon Beach won election in the general election for Georgia State Senate District 21 on November 8, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Brandon Beach
Brandon Beach (R)
 
100.0
 
73,600

Total votes: 73,600
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Georgia State Senate District 21

Incumbent Brandon Beach advanced from the Republican primary for Georgia State Senate District 21 on May 24, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Brandon Beach
Brandon Beach
 
100.0
 
30,648

Total votes: 30,648
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

2020

See also: Georgia State Senate elections, 2020

General election

General election for Georgia State Senate District 21

Incumbent Brandon Beach won election in the general election for Georgia State Senate District 21 on November 3, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Brandon Beach
Brandon Beach (R)
 
100.0
 
94,143

Total votes: 94,143
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Georgia State Senate District 21

Incumbent Brandon Beach defeated Michael Caldwell in the Republican primary for Georgia State Senate District 21 on June 9, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Brandon Beach
Brandon Beach
 
59.1
 
16,822
Image of Michael Caldwell
Michael Caldwell
 
40.9
 
11,639

Total votes: 28,461
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

2018

See also: Georgia State Senate elections, 2018

General election

General election for Georgia State Senate District 21

Incumbent Brandon Beach defeated Nicole Nash in the general election for Georgia State Senate District 21 on November 6, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Brandon Beach
Brandon Beach (R)
 
70.4
 
61,554
Nicole Nash (D)
 
29.6
 
25,901

Total votes: 87,455
(100.00% precincts reporting)
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Georgia State Senate District 21

Nicole Nash advanced from the Democratic primary for Georgia State Senate District 21 on May 22, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
Nicole Nash
 
100.0
 
4,682

Total votes: 4,682
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Georgia State Senate District 21

Incumbent Brandon Beach advanced from the Republican primary for Georgia State Senate District 21 on May 22, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Brandon Beach
Brandon Beach
 
100.0
 
13,464

Total votes: 13,464
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

2016

See also: Georgia State Senate elections, 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 Brandon Beach ran unopposed in the Georgia State Senate District 21 general election.[13][14]

Georgia State Senate, District 21 General Election, 2016
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Republican Green check mark transparent.png Brandon Beach Incumbent (unopposed) 100.00% 78,154
Total Votes 78,154
Source: Georgia Secretary of State



Incumbent Brandon Beach defeated Aaron Barlow in the Georgia State Senate District 21 Republican primary.[15][16]

Georgia State Senate, District 21 Republican Primary, 2016
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Republican Green check mark transparent.png Brandon Beach Incumbent 58.34% 9,238
     Republican Aaron Barlow 41.66% 6,597
Total Votes 15,835

2014

See also: Georgia State Senate elections, 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 Brandon L. Beach was unopposed in the Republican primary and was unchallenged in the general election.[17][18][19]

2013

See also: State legislative special elections, 2013

Brandon Beach (R) won election in the special election for Georgia State Senate District 21. The seat was vacant following the resignation of Chip Rogers (R) on December 5, 2012. Beach defeated Sean Jerguson (R) in the special election on January 8, 2013.[20][21][22]

Georgia State Senate, District 21, Special Election, 2013
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Republican Green check mark transparent.pngBrandon Beach 57.6% 5,471
     Republican Sean Jerguson 42.4% 4,032
Total Votes 9,503


2012

See also: Georgia State Senate elections, 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 Chip Rogers (R) was unopposed in the general election and defeated Brandon Beach in the Republican primary.[23][24] A total of $502,390 was raised by 2012 candidates in the district, with Rogers outraising Beach by a margin of $371,080 to $131,310.[25]

Georgia State Senate, District 21, General Election, 2012
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Republican Green check mark transparent.pngChip Rogers Incumbent 100% 66,429
Total Votes 66,429
Georgia State Senate, District 21 Republican Primary, 2012
Candidate Vote % Votes
Green check mark transparent.pngChip Rogers Incumbent 59% 17,659
Brandon Beach 41% 12,269
Total Votes 29,928

Campaign contributions

From 2000 to 2024, candidates for Georgia State Senate District 21 raised a total of $3,707,921. Candidates who raised money in contributions earned $154,497 on average. All figures come from Follow the Money

Campaign contributions, Georgia State Senate District 21
Year Amount Candidates Average
2024 $452,056 3 $150,685
2022 $158,705 1 $158,705
2020 $222,003 2 $111,001
2018 $226,869 2 $113,434
2016 $727,583 2 $363,792
2014 $169,090 1 $169,090
2012 $502,390 2 $251,195
2010 $354,673 2 $177,337
2008 $299,355 2 $149,678
2006 $149,077 1 $149,077
2004 $248,939 2 $124,470
2002 $26,213 1 $26,213
2000 $170,968 3 $56,989
Total $3,707,921 24 $154,497


See also

External links

Footnotes

  1. Justia, "Constitution of the State of Georgia," accessed March 21, 2025
  2. Justia, "GA Code § 21-2-8," accessed May 27, 2025
  3. National Conference of State Legislatures, "2024 Legislator Compensation," August 21, 2024
  4. 4.0 4.1 The State of Georgia, "Official Code of Georgia," accessed January 23, 2024 (Statute 21-2-544)
  5. 5.0 5.1 All About Redistricting, "Georgia," accessed April 23, 2015
  6. Georgia Constitution, "Article 3, Section 2," accessed April 23, 2015
  7. Democracy Docket, "11th Circuit Considers Fate of Georgia Maps in High-Stakes Redistricting Case," January 21, 2025
  8. Georgia General Assembly, "Legislative and Congressional Reapportionment Office - Proposed Plans," accessed December 11, 2023
  9. Twitter, "RedistrictNet," December 7, 2023
  10. Cherokee Tribune, "Qualifying Dates Announced for Georgia Senate Special Election," May 27, 2025
  11. James Magazine, ""Special election for SD 21 draws a crowd,"" May 27, 2025
  12. FOX 5 Atlanta, "Georgia Sen. Brandon Beach tapped by Trump to be treasurer," March 27, 2025
  13. Georgia Secretary of State, "Qualifying Candidate Information," accessed August 17, 2016
  14. Georgia Secretary of State, "General Election results," accessed November 23, 2016
  15. Georgia Secretary of State, "Qualifying Candidate Information," accessed March 13, 2016
  16. Georgia Secretary of State, "General primary results," accessed May 24, 2016
  17. Georgia Secretary of State, "Official candidate list," accessed March 10, 2014
  18. Georgia Secretary of State, "Official primary election results," accessed May 28, 2014
  19. Georgia Secretary of State, "Official general election results," accessed November 13, 2014
  20. Cherokee Ledger News, "Special Senate and House elections set," December 6, 2012
  21. Cherokee Tribune, "Beach bests Jerguson in state Senate special election," January 9, 2013
  22. results.enr.clarityelections.com, "Official election results," accessed November 15, 2013
  23. Georgia Secretary of State, "Official 2012 Primary Results," accessed November 16, 2012
  24. Georgia Elections Division, "2012 Election Results" accessed November 16, 2012
  25. followthemoney.org, "Georgia 2012 Senate Candidates," accessed November 26, 2013


Current members of the Georgia State Senate
Leadership
Majority Leader:Jason Anavitarte
Minority Leader:Harold Jones
Senators
District 1
District 2
District 3
District 4
District 5
District 6
District 7
District 8
District 9
District 10
District 11
District 12
District 13
District 14
District 15
District 16
District 17
District 18
District 19
District 20
District 21
Vacant
District 22
District 23
Max Burns (R)
District 24
District 25
District 26
District 27
District 28
District 29
District 30
District 31
District 32
District 33
District 34
District 35
Vacant
District 36
District 37
District 38
District 39
District 40
District 41
District 42
District 43
District 44
District 45
District 46
District 47
District 48
District 49
District 50
District 51
District 52
District 53
District 54
District 55
District 56
Republican Party (32)
Democratic Party (22)
Vacancies (2)