BRUNSWICK, Ga. – A longtime Republican state senator representing much of Coastal Georgia has decided not to run for another term.
Sen. William Ligon, of White Oak, made the announcement Wednesday, according to The News of Brunswick.
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Ligon is a native of the Georgia coast and first ran for state Senate District 3 in 2010. He thanked supporters for electing him to the legislature five times in a statement and said it’d been a rewarding experience.
“Now, after a full decade in office, it is time for me to step aside and allow someone else the opportunity to serve our coastal district,” Ligon said.
Ligon is chairman of the Senate Banking and Financial Institutions Committee.
The conservative senator drew some criticism in 2018 when he sponsored a bill that would have allowed adoption agencies to use religious beliefs as justification to not work with LGBT parents. The bill passed the state Senate but failed to gain traction in the House. Ligon said the proposal wasn’t discriminatory and was needed to ensure that faith-based organizations are not kept out of civic life.
Candidate qualifying will take place next week for the state Senate Dist. 3 seat, which includes Brantley, Camden, Glynn, McIntosh and part of Charlton counties and will be up for grabs in November’s general election. Cody Smith, a Republican and Camden County businessman, is the only candidate who has filed campaign finance disclosure reports for the seat so far.