ATLANTA — Three candidates have qualified for the special election for the vacant Georgia House of Representatives District 171 seat.

Following the death of Rep. Jay Powell on Nov. 26, a special election will be held for the district which covers parts of Colquitt, Decatur and Mitchell counties. 

Powell, who chaired the House Rules Committee, collapsed during a Republican leadership meeting late last month. 

The special election will be held Jan. 28, two weeks after the legislative session begins. If a runoff is needed, it will be held Feb. 25.

Two Republicans and one Democrat will be listed on the ballot. To qualify, prospective candidates were required to pay a $400 fee and register during a short three day window through the Election Division of the Office of Secretary of State.

Jewell Howard, of Bacontion, a retired educator is making a run as a Democrat. Two former agricultural businessmen, Tommy Akridge, of Camilla, and Joe Campbell, of Camilla, are running as Republicans.

Campbell, 67, chairman of the Mitchell County Republican party and a retired executive in the peanut shelling industry, has never run for office but said in a statement that he will make the agriculture needs of rural Georgia a priority.

“I believe in Donald Trump’s American-First agenda and will stand for the conservative principles that Southwest Georgia holds dear,” Campbell said in a prepared statement. “I will be an advocate for our agriculture community and a voice for local business. As the husband of a teacher, I also have a heart for education. It is important that we hold up our conservative values, keep taxes low, reduce unnecessary regulations and enable our local employers, teachers, farmers and citizens to thrive.”

His Republican opponent, Tommy Akridge, a 62-year-old agricultural businessman said Thursday morning that legislators need to protect the number one industry in Georgia — agriculture — and his experience as a farmer and serving on the Georgia Farm Bureau board of directors for over a decade puts him in a position to do so.

“I’ve always felt like that, if you want to get some change made you can’t just sit on the porch and complain about it that you need to get in the middle of the fray, if you will…” Alkridge said. “I want to be an advocate for making sure that the rural economy stays strong.”

Aldridge never planned on running, he said, but he hopes if elected he can represent strong conservative and Christian values.

“My wife and I prayed long and hard about it,” Alkridge said, “and we made a family decision about it and we decided this was something that God wanted me to do — to get back in public service.”

Alkridge said that supporting the education system that serves rural areas of the state and helping local businesses are also priorities for him.

Howard, 64, sought the district 171 House seat before in 2012, running against Powell who won 59% of the vote.

The retired educator said that his experience as a former principal and teacher will better help him his focus is goal of increased economic opportunities and keeping future workforce from leaving the area.

“I felt an obligation to continue to co-opt my services to this community to help it become a productive place to live. (I will) bring about some changes so our children will not have to leave their home county to find employment somewhere else like in Atlanta because we don’t have the industry here to support them and their livelihood,” Howard said. “I feel excited about it simply because this is an opportunity to continue to be a public servant.”