Newly ousted House District 28 State Representative Chris Erwin is gearing up for another campaign, his third in the past year.
Friday night Erwin reached out to his supporters through social media. He said he’s disappointed by today’s court decision to overturn the results of the Dec. 4 special Republican primary election. But, he added, “we look forward to one more opportunity to run and win this race for a third time in a row.”
Erwin, who was sworn-into office at the start of the current legislative session, must now vacate that office until a new election is held.
Senior Judge David Sweat ordered the new election after determining that four votes were illegally cast in Habersham County in the December 4 special primary election. It marked the second time Erwin had faced off at the polls against former Rep. Dan Gasaway.
Gasaway first sued last June when he contested the results of the May 22 GOP Primary between him and Erwin. That lawsuit led to the discovery that hundreds of voters in Habersham County had been assigned to the wrong State House Districts.
Since Erwin won the December election by two just two votes, the four illegal votes voided the that result.
“It is unfortunate that this process has already cost taxpayers tens of thousands of dollars and with today’s court decision it will cost even more,” Erwin wrote. “With that said, I am looking forward to hitting the campaign trail again.”
The former Banks County School Superintendent says, “When I first decided to run, many people told me it was impossible to beat an elected official with the power of incumbency, political connections and access to special interest money. I went from an unknown candidate to become a State Representative. I feel confident now more than ever that our message will resonate with voters of this District once again.”
While Erwin has not publicly ruled out the possibility of an appeal, his comments seem to indicate that he won’t appeal Judge Sweat’s ruling. State statue requires that he vacate the legislative seat. It will remain open until a new election is held, according to state officials.
