Speaker David Ralston announced he will not seek the nomination for Speaker of the House for the 2023-2024 legislative session.
He will still serve as the State Representative for the 7th House district for the 2023-2024 legislative session if elected in the November election. He is running unopposed.
Speaker Ralston made the announcement in a press release Friday, Nov. 4.
“Serving as Speaker of the Georgia House of Representatives has been the honor of a lifetime, and I owe a heartfelt thank you to my colleagues for the trust and confidence they placed in me 13 years ago,” said Speaker Ralston. “I need to take time to address a health challenge which has arisen recently, and the House needs a Speaker who can devote the necessary time and energy to the office. I love the House and want to see the honorable men and women who serve in it succeed. I will work the remainder of my term as Speaker to ensure a smooth transition for my successor.”
Ralston, 73rd Speaker of the Georgia House of Representatives, will remain in the Speaker position through January when his term in position ends.
Gilmer County Board of Commissioners Chair Charlie Paris will be sorry to see Ralston leave the position of Speaker he has held since 2010.
“He has been unbelievably helpful and valuable,” Paris said. “We have gone to him numerous times for help with the department of transportation. We have gone to him for help with grants numerous times.”
One example Paris points to is the Georgia Department of Transportation taking over construction of the Lower Cartecay bridge, which it initially denied.
“We’re talking about literally millions of dollars the county would have to pony up,” he said.
Paris said the GDOT is still working on getting the construction of the bridge underway.
“To me, he has been a good friend and a good ally,” he said. “He will still be there for us. I’m going to miss him as Speaker.”
Gilmer County GOP Chair Richie Stone said it is the end of an era.
“I cannot underscore just how rare it has been to have our own Gilmer County native serve as the leader of the Georgia House of Representatives,” he said. “It’s something we’ll likely never see again. Ask anyone who knows how this stuff works, and they’ll tell you just how instrumental his speakership has been from everything to infrastructure, education and beyond. Especially when we were coming out of the Great Recession.”
Speaker Ralston was first elected to the House in 2002 and was first elected as Speaker of the House in 2010. He is the longest currently-serving state house speaker in the country.
“From a Georgia history perspective, it’s even more astounding when you consider how state politics have evolved and how unlikely it would’ve been even 25 years ago to suggest a Republican from the north Georgia mountains would be the second longest serving Speaker in state history,” said Stone.
Paris said it was a long time since someone from north Georgia held the Speaker’s position.
“And, I suspect, it will be a long time again,” he said.
The Speaker of the House is elected by and from the members of the House on the first day of each biennial legislative session. The Speaker serves as the House’s chief administrative officer. The Speaker also presides over House floor sessions, assigns bills to committees and calls matters before the House for debate.
“It’s going to be strange seeing someone else in that position,” said Stone. “I look forward to continuing working with him as our representative in Atlanta. And, although he may not be the Speaker, he will always be ‘Speaker Ralston’ around here.”
The House of Representatives will elect a new Speaker when the House convenes for the first day of the 2023-2024 legislative session on Monday, Jan. 9, 2023.
“I want to thank all the staff members who have assisted me throughout the years, particularly my Chief of Staff Spiro Amburn who has been by my side from the beginning,” said Speaker Ralston. “I could not have done all of this without the love and support of my family, particularly my wife, Sheree, and our children. They have been my rock, and I love them very much.”