Six years ago, Teddy Reese ran against incumbent Ed Harbison for the Georgia Senate District 15 seat and lost. On Tuesday, May 19, 2026, he tasted victory with more than 58% of the vote against Harbison’s son Edward and Alyssa Nia Williams.
The final vote tally:
- Reese – 9,704 (58.17%)
- Harbison – 4,793
- Williams – 2,185
“I am honored. The race turned out how the voters expected,” said Reese.
Teddy Reese is currently the Georgia Representative for House District 140, an office he has held since 2022. He serves on the Consumer Affairs and House Agriculture committees.
“I want to continue to help farmers. I grew up in Gordon, Georgia, tilling soil and planting a garden with my uncle. Agriculture drives our state.”
Public education, affordable healthcare, and helping veterans are also top priorities for Reese. “These are the “kitchen table” issues that matter to me and those who voted for me.”
“A 12 billion dollar cut in public education is not acceptable. Those kids are our future. Not spending money on public education is a matter of national security,” he said. “Moving forward to the general election, we will continue what we are doing to be effective in all counties served by District 15. I aim to be part of the solution for issues facing our district.”
In November, Reese will face Republican Chuck Hand in the general election.
Hand congratulated Reese on social media for his “hard bought” victory. He went on to say that the people in Senate District 15 will not allow Reese to destroy them the way he destroyed House District 140.
Chuck Hand believes he has the upper hand in the upcoming election. Chuck and his wife Mandy have three grown children and four grandchildren, with another on the way.
“I want to create opportunities for young people to want to stay in this district, which has dwindled over the years in many areas.”
Hand believes the best way to lead growth is to create more jobs, lower taxes, and create safer communities and more economic opportunities.
Chuck Hand was born and raised in Columbus, Georgia. His family moved to Geneva when Chuck was a boy before settling in Butler, Georgia, the county seat of Taylor County.
“I will continue to campaign in the rural counties outside of Muscogee, but I am also concentrating on the south side of Columbus, which often gets neglected.”
There are similarities in the candidates and some differences in opinions, which should make for an interesting race over the course of the next few months.
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