Lanny Thomas, a Republican candidate for the Georgia Senate, had emergency surgery after a sudden medical situation, according to his family.
Thomas was one of the top two vote-getters in the special election for the District 53 Senate seat vacated by Colton Moore.
Thomas is headed to a runoff with Democrat Jack Zibluk, who announced he would suspend campaign operations indefinitely — including phone banks, canvassing and social media videos — out of respect for Thomas and his recovery.
(READ MORE: Georgia special elections end with another runoff and a new Dalton City Council member)
Thomas, the former mayor of Trion, expressed a desire to continue campaigning as soon as he could.
“Before going into surgery, Dad spoke with my mom, our family, and close friends about several matters, including his determination to return to the campaign as soon as possible,” a Facebook post by Thomas’ son, Christian Thomas, said. “He remains committed to winning this election and providing the people of this district with honest and effective representation.”
Zibluk, a Lookout Mountain resident, will host his planned town hall March 25 so that both Democrats and Republicans can discuss how to support Thomas and the appropriate ways to move forward with the campaign.
“Lanny is a good man, a dedicated educator and public servant, and I look forward to working with him no matter the denouement of our election. I wish him and his family the best as we look forward to a full recovery,” Zibluk said in a press release.
In the special election March 10, Thomas won 38.7% of the vote, followed by Zibluk’s 26.99% out of 30,475 votes cast, according to data from the Georgia Secretary of State’s Office.
Senate District 53 includes Catoosa, Chattooga, Dade and Walker counties in Northwest Georgia, as well as the northern section of Floyd County. Moore resigned the seat to run for Congress, but he came in third place in the March 10 special election to replace former U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Rome. That election, also going to a runoff April 7, will have Republican Clay Fuller and Democrat Shawn Harris face off.
Contact Northwest Georgia reporter Ignacio Perez at iperez@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6710.