In this article, APN’s editor will examine the candidates, providing information and analysis to help you decide who to vote for on December 9.
You can see early voting times and locations on the ACC Elections Office website here.
In October, Marcus Wiedower stepped down from his position as state representative for district 121, setting up a special election to fill the remaining year of his term. This election is scheduled for December 9. This is only election on the ballot in the Athens area.
District 121 does not cover all of Athens, but if you live in Oconee County or near South Milledge Avenue, University Drive, Riverbend Road, Whitehall Road, College Station Road, Barnett Shoals Road or Whit Davis Road, you can probably vote in the December 9 special election.
Unsure if you live in District 121? Check here.
State Representative, District 121
Two candidates stepped up quickly to fill the void left after Wiedower’s resignation: Eric Gisler for the Democrats and Mack “Dutch” Guest IV for the Republicans. Both candidates are local business owners and Georgia natives, but that’s where the similarities end.
Eric Gisler is an IT professional and the owner of the Olive Basket, a local business that sells olive oil and balsamic vinegar. He has some experience in politics, having run for this seat last year. Despite his 61-39 loss, Gisler had intended to challenge Wiedower again in 2026. Gisler had already begun his campaign before the December special election was announced, giving him a significant head start in campaign logistics over Guest, who has never run for office before.
Gisler is a left-leaning Democrat who wants to expand healthcare access and make insurance more affordable. He has sharply criticized the “Georgia Pathways” health insurance program, which is intended for low-income Georgians, as “a complete and unmitigated failure” due to its inefficiency and extremely low number of participants. He supports expanding Medicaid and adding a less expensive public option to the state’s health insurance exchange.
“The only people who are really happy with their insurance right now are the billionaire CEOs and executives who are making money off it,” Gisler said recently on WUGA. “What we have right now is clearly not working and we have to do something better.”
Gisler also wants to better fund public education, allow ranked choice voting and repeal the state’s six-week abortion ban.
“Dutch” Guest is a lifelong Republican who helps run the trucking, logistics and warehousing services company LAD Truck lines with his father, Mack Guest III. He has never been involved in politics before and says that even if he wins, his service in the state legislature will be short-lived.
“I’m not a career politician,” Guest recently told Oconee County Republicans, as reported by Oconee County Observations. “I’m a trucker. I’m a dad. And this is going to be a short stint in my life.”
Guest has taken very few public positions on political issues since announcing his candidacy, possibly in part due to his inexperience. “There’s been a lot of calls wanting me to take a position on everything,” Guest told Oconee County Republicans. “I’m learning.”
Guest says he will look to State Representative Houston Gaines for advice if he is elected. This means that Guest would be a reliable Republican vote over the coming year, although he may not have many legislative ideas or priorities of his own. The one priority he has expressed is that he wants to lower the state income tax.
Governor Brian Kemp, Oconee County Commissioner Mark Thomas and Oconee County Sheriff James Hale have all endorsed Guest. Guest currently serves on Oconee State Bank’s Community Advisory Board and the Georgia Motor Trucking Association’s Executive Board. He is the former president of the Oconee County Rotary Club.
Vote for Eric Gisler if you’d like to see the state government change directions and start doing things like reducing the cost and increasing the accessibility of health insurance. Also vote for Gisler if you want to see the Democratic party regain control of the state government. This special election represents one of the best chances Democrats have of picking up a seat in some time.
Vote for “Dutch” Guest if you’d like to keep a reliable Republican voice in this seat and you don’t mind if he’s very new to all of this. You should also vote for Guest if you’d like to lower the state income tax.
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