Shigley Loses State Senate Bid

Jewish Democrat Debra Shigley was defeated Sept. 23 in her bid to represent state Senate District 21, which takes in a large portion of Cherokee County and part of northern Fulton County.

Shigley, the leading vote getter against six Republicans in an open primary Aug. 26, lost a runoff to Republican Jason Dickerson by a margin of 61.5 percent to 38.5 percent.

Voter turnout was 21 percent, with nearly 31,000 votes cast. Turnout for the primary was 14 percent.

Dickerson received 71.6 percent of the vote in Cherokee County, creating a margin large enough to withstand Shigley winning 54.7 percent of the vote in Fulton County.

“I am incredibly proud of the campaign our team ran and thankful for every single person who volunteered their time fighting for a better Georgia,” Shigley said. “In May, we got off the sidelines and stood up, offering a vision for a better future for our children and our families. Despite the results, I am both proud and grateful for our efforts and will continue the work required to make the 21st District a better place for everyone to work and live in.”

In a statement released Sept. 23, Dickerson said: “Conservatives in District 21 sent a strong message: woke liberal ideology has no place here. I’m looking forward to taking office and fulfilling their mandate to champion the America First values that make us the greatest state to live, work, and raise a family.”

The runoff was held on Rosh Hashanah, scheduling that drew the ire of the Jewish Community Relations Council of Atlanta, but that met the state election law that a runoff be held four weeks after the primary.

Shigley’s loss leaves Democratic state Rep. Esther Panitch as the only Jewish member of the Georgia General Assembly.

A single Jewish legislator accounts for 0.04 percent of the General Assembly. An estimated 1.3 percent of the state’s population is Jewish.

The 21st District seat opened in May when Republican Brandon Beach was appointed by President Donald Trump to be Treasurer of the United States. Beach, a staunch supporter of the president, had represented the district since 2013, winning re-election in 2024 with 70 percent of the vote.

Republicans currently hold a trifecta under the Gold Dome, with majorities in the House and Senate and Gov. Brian Kemp as the state’s chief executive. Republicans hold 100 of the 180 seats in the House and 33 out of 56 seats in the Senate.

State representatives and senators are paid $17,342 plus per diem annually for their part-time jobs. State Senate districts average 191,000 residents and state House districts 59,500.

Dickerson spent approximately $750,000 of his own money in the primary and runoff races, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported. Shigley raised about $252,000.

Shigley had in-person campaign support from Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin, current Democratic gubernatorial candidates Geoff Duncan and Jason Esteves, former Democratic gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams, and Democratic U.S. Rep. Lucy McBath.

Dickerson’s endorsements included Republican Gov. Brian Kemp and Republican Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, who is seeking his party’s nomination to succeed Kemp.

In the primary, Shigley received 39.5 percent of the vote, trailed by Dickerson with 17.3 percent. The runoff was required because no candidate received a majority of the votes cast.

Shigley, 46, received her undergraduate degree from Harvard University and her law degree from Georgia State University. She has worked as an employment attorney and was co-founder of a company called Colour, a technology-based hair care service for women of color. She and her husband, Kevin, are the parents of five children.

In 2024, Shigley won the Democratic primary in House District 47 but was defeated in the general election by 12-term Rep. Jan Jones, the second-ranking Republican in the House, who received 62 percent of the vote.