Coastal Georgia voters in Chatham and Effingham counties flipped a key state House of Representatives seat from Republican to Democrat on Tuesday, amid a wave of anger about higher prices and over a local Republican decision to approve a $20 billion data center in the area.
The win for David Dillie, 24, over incumbent Bill Hitchens, a 79-year-old U.S. Marine Corps veteran, represents the first Democratic victory for House District 161 in 14 years. Unofficial voting totals show Dillie winning by 51.8% to 48.2%.
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Dillie, a pipefitter and first-time candidate, successfully rode an anti-establishment wave that surged in the district after Effingham County’s development authority announced a deal with OpenAI to build a hyperscale data center near multiple residential communities in the rapidly developing area.
He also appears to have benefitted from the growing diversity of Pooler, where young professionals have moved in droves in recent years because of rising costs of housing in Savannah.
“We can’t talk about change unless we are part of the change,” said Chelsey Barnes, a local law enforcement officer and mother of two who came to vote before lunchtime at Rice Creek Elementary School.
Dillie also successfully fought off a challenge to his candidacy based on unfounded allegations that he had voted twice in two separate states this year.
Georgia Secretary of State’s Office confirmed the combined total of early votes, absentee ballots and in-person votes is more than 3.9 million, marking a turnout of 51.3%. The turnout rate of eligible voters in Georgia in the 2022 midterm general election was 51.9%, just over four points higher than the national average.
Dillie’s victory in the district next to House Speaker Jon Burns’ constituency illustrates how the powerful House leader will have to navigate a smaller majority to pass key legislation in 2027.
