5 sign up for race to succeed late Georgia Sen. Jack Hill
Sen. Jack Hill (Georgia Senate / Supplied)
STATESBORO, Ga. - Five candidates in southeast Georgia have signed up for a special election for the seat of the late state Sen. Jack Hill.
The 75-year-old Republican was found dead at his Reidsville office April 6. Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger scheduled a special election for the seat on June 9, when Georgia will also hold primary elections for state and federal offices.
Four Republicans qualified for the race to succeed Hill by the deadline Wednesday, the Savannah Morning News reported. They are Brooklet physician Scott Bohlke, Statesboro accountant Billy Hickman, Swainsboro attorney Kathy Palmer, and retiree Neil Singleton of Collins.
A fifth candidate, Jared Sammons, qualified to run as an independent.
Hill spent nearly three decades in the state Senate was chairman of the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee, which oversees legislation on how tax dollars are spent. The District 4 seat includes portions of Bulloch, Candler, Effingham, Evans and Tattnall counties.
SEE ALSO: Long-time Georgia Senator Jack Hill passes away at 75