Longtime coastal Georgia state senator won't seek reelection

A longtime Republican state senator representing coastal southeast Georgia has decided to not to run for another term.

Sen. William Ligon of White Oak made the announcement Wednesday, according to The News of Brunswick.

Sen. William Ligon (Georgia Senate / Supplied)

Ligon is a native of the Georgia coast and first ran for state Senate in 2010. He thanked supporters for electing him to the legislature five times in a statement and said it’d been a rewarding experience.

“Now, after a full decade in office, it is time for me to step aside and allow someone else the opportunity to serve our coastal district,” Ligon said.

Ligon is chairman of the Senate Banking and Financial Institutions Committee.

The conservative senator drew some criticism in 2018 when he sponsored a bill that would have allowed adoption agencies to use religious beliefs as justification to not work with LGBT parents. The bill passed the state Senate but failed to gain traction in the House. Ligon said the proposal wasn’t discriminatory and was needed to ensure that faith-based organizations are not kept out of civic life.

Candidate qualifying for the seat, which will be up for grabs in November’s general election, will take place next week. Cody Smith, a Republican and Camden County businessman, is the only candidates who’s filed campaign finance disclosure reports for the seat so far.