Ten Democrats flipped seats from Republicans to join the state House for the legislative session that starts in January 2027. The wins represented the best showing Democrats have had in recent memory and broke the House’s Republican supermajority. Of the 10 winners, seven were Black and three were white, bolstering the numbers of the Legislative Black Caucus.
Among the winners was Jumelle Brooks, who ousted Rep. Daniel Gibson in District 12. Gibson lost by nearly 10 points, four years after defeating Anne Parks, a Black Democrat, from the seat she’d held for a quarter century. Brooks runs a home health care service for elderly adults in rural counties. Her goals include bolstering renters’ rights by putting penalties on landlords that don’t clean up or repair properties, according to her campaign website. She also wants to work on closing gaps in how well students perform and improve working conditions for support staff in schools, such as bus drivers, custodians and substitute teachers. She hopes to introduce afterschool programs and job training programs in an effort to reduce violence among teenagers, according to her website.
Cynthia Ford defeated Lucas Atkinson in District 57. His ousting followed his decision to run as a Republican this year after a decade as a Democrat. Ford is an Air Force veteran and former Marion County director for the Department of Juvenile Justice. Her priorities include creating jobs and housing in rural areas and improving access to rural health care, according to her campaign page.
Michele Demery defeated Rep. Fawn Pedalino by nearly 5 percentage points in District 64. Pedal, who ousted then-Rep. Kimberly Johnson, a Black Democrat, in 2022, lost the seat. Demery jumped into the race late. David Epperson, who initially filed to run against Pedalino, withdrew in April, less than a week after filing closed. The Democratic Party reopened filing for 48 hours, drawing three more candidates. One was disqualified immediately.
