Powerful GOP leader David Ralston will not seek re-election as Georgia House Speaker

ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) - State Rep. David Ralston, one of the state’s most powerful and influential Republican elected officials, announced Friday he will not seek another term as Georgia House speaker.

Ralston, a Republican lawmaker from Blue Ridge, said he will serve out the remainder of his term as speaker, which ends in January.

“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,” Ralston, the 73rd speaker of the Georgia House, said in a statement.

Ralston is being unopposed in his re-election bid for Georgia’s 7th house district.

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State Rep. Jan Jones, a Republican who represents metro Atlanta’s 47th House district, is currently speaker pro tempore, the second highest position in the House. Jones also sits on some of the House’s most powerful committee, including Appropriations, Education, Ethics, Rules and reapportionment.

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.

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, January 9, 2023.