Former Macon, Georgia City Council President Miriam Paris was elected Tuesday, Aug.16, as the first African American woman to represent Middle Georgia in the state senate. Winning with 56 percent of the vote, Senate-elect Paris beat former Georgia State Rep. David Lucas in the District 26 special election runoff. Paris will be the eighth female Democrat senator.
“First, I want to thank everyone,” Paris told the crowd. “Everyone gathered, to all my supporters, it’s been a great night. It was a great night for District 26, it was a great night for women and it was a great night for Democrats,” Paris told supporters. “I’m here for all the people of District 26, whether you supported me or not.”
Paris said she faced a huge task in challenging Lucas. Lucas entered this race with 37 years of political service. As of Wednesday, the unofficial vote count was 12,950 for Paris, and 10,220 for Lucas.
“I was up against (essentially) an incumbent of almost four decades,” she said. “But we stayed steady and we stayed on point. I think people were ready for a change. That’s the sentiment across the country, and it’s the sentiment here.”
