Georgia's 14th Senate district

Georgia's 14th State Senate district is one of 56 districts in the Georgia State Senate. Located entirely within Fulton County, it includes portions of Alpharetta, Johns Creek, Roswell, and Sandy Springs, as well as a small slice of the city of Atlanta. The district is home to the headquarters of several major corporations, including Newell Brands, United Parcel Service, Veritiv, and WestRock.

The 14th district was historically located in southwestern Georgia. Its first occupant was Jimmy Carter—at the time a political newcomer—who held the seat from 1963 to 1967. Population shifts within Georgia eventually led the 14th district to be moved to the northern suburbs of Atlanta, where it remains today. Since 2023, it has been represented by Democrat Josh McLaurin. President Joe Biden carried the district by 20 points over Donald Trump in 2020, making it one of the few white-majority seats in the state to support Biden.

History
Following the abolition of the county unit system in 1962, Jimmy Carter announced his intention to run for the reconfigured 14th District. His main opponent in the Democratic primary was Homer Moore, a warehouseman who had the support of powerful state Rep. Joe Hurst. Shortly before the election, Hurst informed Moore's campaign manager that he was "getting ready to stuff the ballot box" to secure Moore's victory. On election night, results from Quitman County showed clear indications of fraud. Though 496 votes had been tabulated, it was later revealed that only 333 people had signed in to vote.

Carter sued in state court, drawing attention to hundreds of fake ballots that had been neatly folded and placed in a ballot box. Though he prevailed in court, Moore's name remained on the general election ballot. Ultimately, a judge ordered that the general election for the seat be a write-in contest, which Carter won handily.

In 1966, Carter abandoned this seat to run unsuccessfully for governor. He was succeeded by Hugh Carter, his cousin and a staunch segregationist.