By Dave Williams
Bureau Chief/Capitol Beat News Service
ATLANTA - Two Georgia House Democrats drawn into districts with fellow Democrats during the General Assembly’s recent redistricting special session will not seek re-election this year, Georgia Public Broadcasting reported Tuesday.
The new House map the legislature’s Republican majorities approved last month put Rep. Gregg Kennard, D-Lawrenceville, in the same Gwinnett County district with House Minority Whip Sam Park, D-Lawrenceville. Rep. Doug Stoner, D-Smyrna, was drawn into a Cobb County district with Rep. Teri Anulewicz, D-Smyrna.
On Tuesday, Kennard and Stoner announced they will leave the legislature at the end of this year.
Kennard said he wasn’t willing to force voters to choose between him and Park.
“He’s really an incredible presence down at the House,” Kennard said. “He’s really important to the chamber and Georgia.”
Stoner released a statement thanking his constituents for supporting him during his tenure under the Gold Dome.
“I am grateful for the opportunity to have worked alongside so many dedicated individuals who are committed to making our community a better place for all,” he said.
The new House map also pairs two other sets of incumbents: Democrats Becky Evans and Saira Draper in DeKalb County and Republicans Beth Camp and David Knight in a district that includes all of Pike County and parts of Spalding and Lamar counties.
The redistricting special session followed a ruling by U.S. District Judge Steve Jones in October declaring the legislative and congressional maps the General Assembly adopted in 2021 violated the Voting Rights Act. Jones upheld the redrawn maps that came out of the special session last week.
Kennard is serving his third two-year term in the House. Stoner is in his second stint in the lower chamber. He was elected in 2022 after previously serving one term in the House and four terms in the state Senate.