Four Republicans pitch growth, tax plans at Forsyth Senate forum

The open Georgia Senate District 27 seat drew four Republicans to a Forsyth Leadership forum Monday night, where growth, taxes and public safety quickly emerged as the defining tests for a county that keeps adding people, homes and traffic.

The race is for the seat being vacated by state Sen. Greg Dolezal, a Republican first elected to the Georgia State Senate in November 2018. District 27 covers a large portion of Forsyth County, putting the contest squarely in front of voters who are already living with the effects of one of metro Atlanta’s fastest-growing counties.

That pressure was visible in the numbers. Forsyth County’s population reached 282,805 on July 1, 2025, according to U.S. Census Bureau estimates, up 12.5% from the 2020 census base. The county had 280,096 residents a year earlier, on July 1, 2024. Its median household income was $143,784 in 2020-2024 estimates, while the median value of owner-occupied homes hit $550,400, figures that help explain why taxes, development and infrastructure dominate local politics.

The four Republican candidates laid out their positions on a dozen topics ahead of the May 19 Republican primary. The forum, part of a Forsyth Leadership candidate-forum series, was designed to give local voters a chance to hear from candidates before the primary and compare how they would approach the county’s next stage of growth.

For Forsyth residents, the stakes go beyond campaign talking points. Any new Senate vote on taxes, roads, schools, zoning or public safety will land in a county where subdivision growth, rising home values and packed commuter routes already shape daily life. With the filing deadline now past on March 6, the May 19 primary, and a June 16 runoff if needed, will decide who gets the chance to represent a district where growth is no longer a future issue but the central political fact on the ground.