A special election is coming up in Canton, where five Republicans and one Democrat are hoping to win the seat that belonged to the late state Rep. Mandi Ballinger. Ross Williams/Georgia Recorder
Six candidates have stepped forward to fill a Cherokee County legislative seat that was left empty after the death of the district’s state representative last month.
Rep. Mandi Ballinger, a Canton Republican, died in October after a long battle with cancer. Five Republicans and one Democrat have qualified to replace her in the state House.
House District 23 was drawn to favor a Republican. The last time Ballinger had a Democratic opponent was in 2018, and she won with nearly three quarters of the vote, though the district’s borders have shifted since then.
The election is scheduled for Dec. 9 with early voting set to begin Monday, Nov. 17.
With six candidates splitting the vote, it’s likely that none of them will exceed the required 50% of the vote. In that case, a runoff is scheduled to be held Jan. 6. The House is set to gavel in for the start of the 2026 legislative session on Jan. 12.
The short timeframe to campaign combined with the Thanksgiving travel season and voter fatigue from other recent elections could all portend low turnout.
Here’s who has thrown their hat in the ring to represent part of Cherokee County including Canton, part of northern Holly Springs and the surrounding unincorporated regions, according to documents filed with the secretary of state’s office:
Bill Fincher
Fincher, a Republican former assistant district attorney, now owns an RV park. In a phone call, Fincher said his experience negotiating and trying cases is part of what makes him the best candidate for the job.
“I’m strong for law enforcement. I’m strong for election integrity, and I believe in capping the ad valorem tax to protect people so they can stay in their homes. I’m a friend of taxpayers, having paid a lot of taxes over my life, I’m pro-life, pro-Second Amendment, I’m a Christian conservative.”
Fincher said his top priorities if elected will be ensuring election integrity, capping ad valorem taxes and reducing the price of groce
ries.
Brice Futch
Futch, a Cherokee County firefighter, ran earlier this year for a state Senate seat as a Republican. Futch did not comment for this story, but in his campaign for the Senate, he said his top priorities would include eliminating the state income tax and banning puberty blockers for transgender minors.
Website: www.electbrice.com
Ann Gazell
Gazell is a retired public school principal who now serves as a professor of education at Piedmont University.
Gazell, a Republican, is running on her record of service in the community.
“After 31 years serving Cherokee County students, including opening Indian Knoll Elementary as its founding principal and leading schools in Cobb and Cherokee, I’ve spent the last seven years preparing the next generation of school leaders,” she wrote in an email. “I also proudly serve as President of the Friends of Holly Springs Police Foundation and come from a military family: my father was a WWII Army Air Corps veteran, and my husband, Mike, served nearly 30 years in the Army and the Air National Guard.”
Gazell said her top priorities will include eliminating the state income tax, fighting illegal immigration and ensuring election integrity, including by requiring hand-marked paper ballots and limiting voting to one week.
Website: www.anngazell.com
Rajpal “Raj” Sagoo
Republican Sagoo, a business owner and consultant, said he has achieved success in Cherokee County and wants to carry on the values he grew up with.
“As a lifelong resident of Cherokee County, I share the values and vision that make this community special,” the 33-year-old said in an email. “At my age, I have the energy and drive to fight for those values every day. I have been fortunate to live the ‘Cherokee Dream,’ to live, work, and raise a family right here at home. I am committed to keeping government in check so others can do the same, and to using those roots to continue moving our community forward.”
Sagoo said his top priorities will be reducing the state income tax, lowering property taxes and cutting regulations on small businesses.
Website: www.votesagoo.com
Scott Sanders
The sole Democrat in the race, Sanders acknowledged that winning a conservative district like HD23 will be an uphill climb, but he’s hopeful that a campaign based on what he calls common sense and compromise may find favor with Canton voters.
Sanders, a business executive who comes from a family of educators, said his top priority if elected will be making Georgia teachers’ lives easier. He said he also hopes to focus on fully funding public services and reducing overdevelopment in rural areas.
“I’m not really thrilled with the extremes on either side,” he said in a phone call. “And, you know, this is me trying to bring normalcy and sanity and — I keep using the phrase ‘common sense –’ back to things. That’s all it really is, you know? Voters don’t have to believe in everything I believe in, I wouldn’t expect them to. But if we can agree on some of the bigger stuff, maybe there’s room to figure out smaller stuff or at least take care of the important items and make the world a better place a little bit.”
Website: www.sandersforga.com
William Ware
Ware, a retired microbiologist, said he decided to run in part to help children in state custody, which was also a passion of Ballinger’s.
Ware said the issue is personal for him after members of his family had children taken away in another state.
“At least I can try to do something,” he said. “And at the same time, I understand the complexities that child protective services have, and I want to work with them, not to abolish or get rid of them or anything, but to support them so that we don’t have the problems that we’ve got right now.”
Ware said he’ll be running on a tight budget and acknowledged he is at a disadvantage, but he pledged to serve with integrity and keep an eye on spending if he is elected.
“The term limits are gonna be short for me – I am 78 years old,” he said. “But I have a lot of experience in negotiating. I feel like I can represent the people here. I’m open, transparent, honest. Hopefully, I have some integrity, and I think we lack that in a lot of our politicians. And that’s what I bring to the table”
Website: www.ware4gahr23.com
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