Georgia House of Representatives District 18
Georgia House of Representatives District 18 is represented by Tyler Smith (R).
As of the 2020 Census, Georgia state representatives represented an average of 59,585 residents. After the 2010 Census, each member represented 54,042 residents.
About the chamber
Members of the Georgia House of Representatives serve two-year terms and are not subject to term limits. Georgia legislators assume office the second Monday in January.
Qualifications
Paragraph 3 of Section 2 of Article 3 of the Georgia Constitution states, "At the time of their election, the members of the House of Representatives shall be citizens of the United States, shall be at least 21 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, 2025[3] | |
|---|---|
| Salary | Per diem |
| $25,315.32/year | $247/day |
Vacancies
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]
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
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 House of Representatives District 18
before 2020 redistricting cycle
Click a district to compare boundaries.
Georgia House of Representatives District 18
after 2020 redistricting cycle
Click a district to compare boundaries.
Elections
2026
See also: Georgia House of Representatives elections, 2026
General election
The primary will occur on May 19, 2026. The general election will occur on November 3, 2026. General election candidates will be added here following the primary.
Democratic primary
Democratic primary for Georgia House of Representatives District 18
Pat Rhudy (D) is running in the Democratic primary for Georgia House of Representatives District 18 on May 19, 2026.
Candidate | ||
| Pat Rhudy | ||
| ||||
 = 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
Republican primary for Georgia House of Representatives District 18
Incumbent Tyler Smith (R) and Frank Phillips (R) are running in the Republican primary for Georgia House of Representatives District 18 on May 19, 2026.
Candidate | ||
 | Tyler Smith | |
 | Frank Phillips | |
| ||||
| = 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 House of Representatives elections, 2024
General election
General election for Georgia House of Representatives District 18
Incumbent Tyler Smith won election in the general election for Georgia House of Representatives District 18 on November 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Tyler Smith (R) | 100.0 | 30,101 |
| Total votes: 30,101 | |||
| = 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 House of Representatives District 18
Incumbent Tyler Smith advanced from the Republican primary for Georgia House of Representatives District 18 on May 21, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Tyler Smith | 100.0 | 8,676 |
| Total votes: 8,676 | |||
| = 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
General election
General election for Georgia House of Representatives District 18
Incumbent Tyler Smith defeated Pat Rhudy in the general election for Georgia House of Representatives District 18 on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Tyler Smith (R) | 86.4 | 20,567 |
| Pat Rhudy (D) | 13.6 | 3,225 | ||
| Total votes: 23,792 | |||
| = 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 House of Representatives District 18
Pat Rhudy advanced from the Democratic primary for Georgia House of Representatives District 18 on May 24, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Pat Rhudy | 100.0 | 853 | |
| Total votes: 853 | |||
| = 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 House of Representatives District 18
Incumbent Tyler Smith advanced from the Republican primary for Georgia House of Representatives District 18 on May 24, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Tyler Smith | 100.0 | 10,587 |
| Total votes: 10,587 | |||
| = 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
General election
General election for Georgia House of Representatives District 18
Tyler Smith defeated Pat Rhudy in the general election for Georgia House of Representatives District 18 on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Tyler Smith (R) | 75.2 | 18,168 |
| Pat Rhudy (D) | 24.8 | 6,002 | ||
| Total votes: 24,170 | |||
| = 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 runoff election
Republican primary runoff for Georgia House of Representatives District 18
Tyler Smith defeated Cason Hightower in the Republican primary runoff for Georgia House of Representatives District 18 on August 11, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Tyler Smith | 51.3 | 3,774 |
| Cason Hightower | 48.7 | 3,577 | ||
| Total votes: 7,351 | |||
| = 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 House of Representatives District 18
Pat Rhudy advanced from the Democratic primary for Georgia House of Representatives District 18 on June 9, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Pat Rhudy | 100.0 | 2,346 | |
| Total votes: 2,346 | |||
| = 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 House of Representatives District 18
Cason Hightower and Tyler Smith advanced to a runoff. They defeated Lane Daniel in the Republican primary for Georgia House of Representatives District 18 on June 9, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Cason Hightower | 46.9 | 4,374 | |
| ✔ | | Tyler Smith | 34.9 | 3,255 |
| Lane Daniel | 18.2 | 1,695 | ||
| Total votes: 9,324 | |||
| = 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
General election
General election for Georgia House of Representatives District 18
Incumbent Kevin Cooke defeated Pat Rhudy in the general election for Georgia House of Representatives District 18 on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Kevin Cooke (R) | 74.2 | 13,566 |
| Pat Rhudy (D) | 25.8 | 4,714 | ||
| Total votes: 18,280 | |||
| = 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 House of Representatives District 18
Pat Rhudy advanced from the Democratic primary for Georgia House of Representatives District 18 on May 22, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Pat Rhudy | 100.0 | 968 | |
| Total votes: 968 | |||
| = 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 House of Representatives District 18
Incumbent Kevin Cooke advanced from the Republican primary for Georgia House of Representatives District 18 on May 22, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Kevin Cooke | 100.0 | 3,514 |
| Total votes: 3,514 | |||
| = 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
Elections for the Georgia House of Representatives 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 Kevin Cooke ran unopposed in the Georgia House of Representatives District 18 general election.[10][11]
| Georgia House of Representatives, District 18 General Election, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican |  Kevin Cooke Incumbent (unopposed) |
100.00% | 16,474 | |
| Total Votes | 16,474 | |||
| Source: Georgia Secretary of State | ||||
Incumbent Kevin Cooke ran unopposed in the Georgia House of Representatives District 18 Republican primary.[12][13]
| Georgia House of Representatives, District 18 Republican Primary, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | |
| Republican | Kevin Cooke Incumbent (unopposed) | |
2014
Elections for the Georgia House of Representatives took place in 2014. A primary election took place on May 20, 2014, with runoff elections 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. Patricia L. "Pat" Rhudy was unopposed in the Democratic primary, while incumbent Kevin C. Cooke was unopposed in the Republican primary. Rhudy was defeated by Cooke in the general election.[14][15][16]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Kevin Cooke Incumbent |
74.1% | 8,584 | |
| Democratic | Pat Rhudy | 25.9% | 3,007 | |
| Total Votes | 11,591 | |||
2012
Elections for the office of Georgia House of Representatives 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 Kevin Cooke (R) defeated Pat Rhudy (D) in the general election. Neither candidate faced opposition in their primary.[17][18]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Kevin Cooke Incumbent |
70.8% | 12,181 | |
| Democratic | Pat Rhudy | 29.2% | 5,020 | |
| Total Votes | 17,201 | |||
Campaign contributions
From 2004 to 2024, candidates for Georgia House of Representatives District 18 raised a total of $867,226. Candidates who raised money in contributions earned $39,419 on average. All figures come from Follow the Money
| Campaign contributions, Georgia House of Representatives District 18 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Amount | Candidates | Average |
| 2024 | $113,775 | 1 | $113,775 |
| 2022 | $130,000 | 2 | $65,000 |
| 2020 | $158,434 | 2 | $79,217 |
| 2018 | $11,750 | 2 | $5,875 |
| 2016 | $11,800 | 1 | $11,800 |
| 2014 | $26,974 | 2 | $13,487 |
| 2012 | $42,678 | 2 | $21,339 |
| 2010 | $80,843 | 2 | $40,422 |
| 2008 | $127,940 | 2 | $63,970 |
| 2006 | $76,448 | 3 | $25,483 |
| 2004 | $86,584 | 3 | $28,861 |
| Total | $867,226 | 22 | $39,419 |
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Justia, "Constitution of the State of Georgia," accessed May 21, 2025
- ↑ Justia, "GA Code § 21-2-8," accessed May 27, 2025
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "2025 Legislator Compensation," December 2, 2025
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 The State of Georgia, "Official Code of Georgia," accessed January 23, 2024 (Statute 21-2-544)
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 All About Redistricting, "Georgia," accessed April 23, 2015
- ↑ Georgia Constitution, "Article 3, Section 2," accessed April 23, 2015
- ↑ Democracy Docket, "11th Circuit Considers Fate of Georgia Maps in High-Stakes Redistricting Case," January 21, 2025
- ↑ Georgia General Assembly, "Legislative and Congressional Reapportionment Office - Proposed Plans," accessed December 11, 2023
- ↑ Twitter, "RedistrictNet," December 7, 2023
- ↑ Georgia Secretary of State, "Qualifying Candidate Information," accessed August 17, 2016
- ↑ Georgia Secretary of State, "General Election results," accessed November 23, 2016
- ↑ Georgia Secretary of State, "Qualifying Candidate Information," accessed March 13, 2016
- ↑ Georgia Secretary of State, "General primary results," accessed May 24, 2016
- ↑ Georgia Secretary of State, "Official candidate list," accessed March 10, 2014
- ↑ Georgia Secretary of State, "Official primary election results," accessed May 28, 2014
- ↑ Georgia Secretary of State, "Official general election results," accessed November 13, 2014
- ↑ Georgia Secretary of State, "Official 2012 Primary Results," accessed November 16, 2012
- ↑ Georgia Elections Division, "2012 Election Results" accessed November 16, 2012
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