In State Senate District 47, Tim Riley, a gay mental health counselor who lives in Athens, ran as a Democrat for the same seat he sought in 2008. Riley, endorsed by the Atlanta Stonewall Democrats, faced Republican Frank Ginn, an engineer from Danielsville.
With 99 percent of precincts reporting on Wednesday, Riley had 26.6 percent of the vote to Ginn’s 73.4 percent.
State Senate District 47 includes parts of Barrow, Clarke, Elbert, Jackson, Madison and Oglethorpe counties.
The Georgia General Assembly currently has two openly gay members: State Reps. Karla Drenner (D-Avondale Estates) and Simone Bell (D-Atlanta). Both were unopposed on the Nov. 2 ballot. The state legislature has never had an openly gay man as a member.
Joan Garner, a lesbian, also appeared on the ballot for Fulton County Commission District 6. Garner, the winner of the Democratic primary, faced no competition in the general election.