MACON, Ga. — There’ll be a new face under the Gold Dome representing Macon-Bibb and Monroe County: Tangie Herring beat Noah Harbuck to win a seat as the representative for Georgia House District 145.
It comes as the redistricting process created essentially a new district, opening a floodgate for new faces to vie for the new seat.
Harbuck, who works in insurance in Forsyth, faced off against Herring, a former teacher who lives in Macon.
Here’s how voters in Macon and Monroe County voted in House District 145:
Results:
Noah Harbuck (R): 49.53% - 13,364 votes
Tangie Herring (D): 50.47% - 13,615 votes
Herring’s victory comes as redistricting upended the race, drawing out incumbent Republican peach farmer Robert Dickey, who lives in Crawford County.
When the U.S. Census alters the population, state lawmakers begin to redraw house districts to, in theory, rebalance the populations, but it can also have consequences for politicians like Dickey who suddenly don’t live in their district anymore.
However, Dickey ran unopposed in Georgia House District 134.
After redistricting, three Republican candidates entered the fray: Harbuck, De’ron Rogers and Nancy Hicks.
In the primary, Harbuck won outright, securing 58% of the Republican vote.
Three people vied for the Democratic nomination, but it ended in a run-off. Herring faced off against Juawn Jackson in the runoff with Herring securing 58% of the vote in the second round.
Meet the new representative
As Herring heads to Atlanta, Herring said she wanted to focus on healthcare, public safety, education and housing. She also wanted to shake up leadership in teh state house.
"The call to serve Middle Georgia is now more pressing than ever," Herring said. "Our region deserves far better than the current leadership in the state Capitol. I am not just running for a seat; I am stepping up to unlock change, to fight for public safety, education, healthcare and housing that every person in District 145 rightfully deserves.”
