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Georgia, House of Representatives, District 80

Georgia House of Representatives District 80
Current incumbentMatthew Wilson Democratic Party

Georgia's eightieth state house district is represented by Democratic Representative Matthew Wilson.

Georgia state representatives represent an average of 53,820 residents. After the 2000 Census, each member represented 48,980 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."

Salaries

State legislators
SalaryPer diem
$17,342/year$173/day, set by the Legislative Services Committee.

Vacancies

If there is a vacancy in the house, the vacant seat must be filled by a special election. The Governor must declare a special election no later than 10 days after the vacancy happened. The 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.

Elections

2020

Elections for the office of Georgia House of Representatives will take place in 2020. The general election will be held on November 3, 2020. A primary is scheduled for May 19, 2020, and a primary runoff is scheduled for July 21, 2020. A runoff election is scheduled for December 1, 2020. The filing deadline is March 6, 2020.

2018

General election
General election for Georgia House of Representatives District 80

Matthew Wilson (D) defeated incumbent Meagan Hanson (R) in the general election for Georgia House of Representatives District 80 on November 6, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes

Matthew Wilson (D)
52.5
12,578

Meagan Hanson (R)
47.5
11,389

Total votes: 23,967
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Georgia House of Representatives District 80

Matthew Wilson advanced from the Democratic primary for Georgia House of Representatives District 80 on May 22, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes

Matthew Wilson (D)
100
2,865

Total votes: 2,865
Republican primary election
Republican primary for Georgia House of Representatives District 80

Incumbent Meagan Hanson advanced from the Republican primary for Georgia House of Representatives District 80 on May 22, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes

Meagan Hanson (R)
100
2,126

Total votes: 2,126

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.

Meagan Hanson defeated incumbent Taylor Bennett in the Georgia House of Representatives District 80 general election.

Georgia House of Representatives, District 80 General Election, 2016

Party Candidate Vote % Votes
Republican Green check mark transparent.png Meagan Hanson 50.58% 12,386
Democratic Taylor Bennett Incumbent 49.42% 12,100
Total Votes 24,486
Source: Georgia Secretary of State

Incumbent Taylor Bennett ran unopposed in the Georgia House of Representatives District 80 Democratic primary.

Georgia House of Representatives, District 80 Democratic Primary, 2016

Party Candidate
Democratic Green check mark transparent.png Taylor Bennett Incumbent (unopposed)

Alan Cole and Meagan Hanson defeated Catherine Bernard in the Georgia House of Representatives District 80 Republican primary.

Georgia House of Representatives, District 80 Republican Primary, 2016

Party Candidate Vote % Votes
Republican Green check mark transparent.png Alan Cole 36.18% 846
Republican Green check mark transparent.png Meagan Hanson 33.58% 785
Republican Catherine Bernard 30.24% 707
Total Votes 2,338

Meagan Hanson defeated Alan Cole in the Georgia House of Representatives District 80 Republican Primary Runoff.

Georgia House of Representatives, District 80 Republican Primary Runoff, 2016

Party Candidate Vote % Votes
Republican Green check mark transparent.png Meagan Hanson 50.95% 777
Republican Alan Cole 49.05% 748
Total Votes 1,525

2015

A special election for the position of Georgia House of Representatives District 80 was called for July 14. A runoff election took place on August 11. The filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was June 3.

The seat was vacant following Mike Jacobs' (R) appointment to a judgeship in DeKalb County.

Taylor J. Bennett (D), Loren Collins (R), J. Max Davis (R) and Catherine S. Bernard (R) faced off in a special election. Since no candidate received more than 50 percent of the vote, the top two vote-getters, Bennett and Davis, met in a runoff election, which Bennett won.

Georgia House of Representatives, District 80, Special Election Runoff, 2015

Party Candidate Vote % Votes
Democratic Green check mark transparent.pngTaylor J. Bennett 54.5% 2,715
Republican J. Max Davis 45.5% 2,263
Total Votes 4,978

Georgia House of Representatives, District 80, Special Election, 2015

Party Candidate Vote % Votes
Democratic Green check mark transparent.pngTaylor J. Bennett (advanced to runoff) 36.8% 1,473
Republican Green check mark transparent.pngJ. Max Davis (advanced to runoff) 31.5% 1,259
Republican Catherine S. Bernard 30.1% 1,203
Republican Loren Collins 1.6% 63
Total Votes 3,998

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. Incumbent Michael J. "Mike" Jacobs defeated Catherine S. Bernard in the Republican primary and was unchallenged in the general election.

Georgia House of Representatives, District 80 Republican Primary, 2014

Candidate Vote % Votes
Green check mark transparent.pngMichael J. Jacobs Incumbent 74.5% 2,398
Catherine S. Bernard 25.5% 820
Total Votes 3,218

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 Mike Jacobs (R) was unopposed in both the general election and Republican primary.

Georgia House of Representatives, District 80, General Election, 2012

Party Candidate Vote % Votes
Republican Green check mark transparent.pngMike Jacobs Incumbent 100% 16,041
Total Votes 16,041

Campaign contributions

From 2004 to 2016, candidates for Georgia House of Representatives District 80 raised a total of $1,308,931. Candidates who raised money in contributions earned $68,891 on average. All figures come from Follow the Money.

Campaign contributions, Georgia House of Representatives District 80

Year Amount Candidates Average
2016 $407,377 4 $101,844
2014 $139,119 2 $69,560
2012 $68,181 2 $34,091
2010 $186,025 3 $62,008
2008 $212,253 3 $70,751
2006 $88,406 2 $44,203
2004 $207,570 3 $69,190
Total $1,308,931 19 $68,891