DALTON, Ga. — Four Gordon County residents, including one who narrowly lost a bid to unseat Chuck Payne in the Georgia Senate District 54 Republican primary earlier this year, qualified Wednesday for the state House of Representatives seat left vacant after the death of Rep. John Meadows.

The special election for the District 5 seat is Jan. 8, 2019. A runoff, necessary if no one receives more than 50 percent of the vote, would be Feb. 5. District 5 comprises parts of Gordon and Murray counties.

Matt Barton, Larry Massey Jr., Scott Tidwell and Jesse Vaughn qualified with the Secretary of State’s office for the seat Meadows held since 2004. Meadows, the chairman of the House Rules Committee, died of stomach cancer in November. He was 74.

All four candidates are registered as Republican. Qualifying began Wednesday and continues today from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Friday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Secretary of State’s office in Atlanta. The qualifying fee is $400.

• Barton is a former member of the Calhoun City Council and the Calhoun Board of Education. He is the owner of a medical transport and delivery service and attended the University of North Georgia and Dalton State College.

• Massey of Resaca is a retired aviator who served in the U.S. Marine Corps and is a real estate investor and property manager. He was appointed to fill a vacant post on the Gordon County Board of Education in 2017, and has a business management degree from Kennesaw State University.

• Tidwell, who listed his occupation as pastor and insurance agent, lost to Payne in the Republican primary earlier this year. Payne won by 440 votes out of the more than 9,500 votes in the primary and easily won in the general election over Democrat Michael Morgan. Tidwell is originally from Cobb County and moved to the area five years ago. He has a bachelor’s degree from Andersonville Theological Seminary and currently pastors Prayer Baptist Church.

• Vaughn is an attorney in Calhoun with Vaughn & Clements. P.C. He earned his law degree from Mercer University and was formerly on the board of directors for the Gordon County Chamber of Commerce.