Democratic Georgia state Rep. Tish Naghise dies

Letitia “Tish” Naghise, a first-term member of the Georgia House, has died. Kaleb McMichen, a spokesperson for House Speaker Jon Burns, said Naghise died Wednesday. McMichen couldn’t say where Naghise died or describe her cause of death.

The Fayetteville resident won a Democratic primary in House District 68, which includes Atlanta suburbs in southern Fulton and northern Fayette counties, before easily beating a Republican in November.

Naghise said on her website that she got involved in Democratic politics when Barack Obama ran for election in the 2008 presidential race. She was a delegate to the Democratic National Convention in 2020. Naghise worked for the Democratic Party of Georgia, Census advocacy group Fair Count and environmental advocacy group Georgia Conservation Voters before making a successful first run for office in 2022.

She said she had worked as a paralegal and fraud examiner. She also owned part of a trucking company, T & C Transportation Enterprises, according to state ethics disclosures. Naghise was of Nigerian descent.

“Rep. Naghise was my dear friend and a treasured member of the Democratic Caucus,” House Minority Leader James Beverly, a Macon Democrat, said in a statement. “She made an impact from day one at the Capitol, showing up with enthusiasm and grace. She was deeply passionate about fighting for the greater good, which led her to a lifetime of public service and organizing.”

Gov. Brian Kemp will call a special election to replace Naghise.

A second House seat in Clayton County is also vacant after Democratic Rep. Mike Glanton of Jonesboro stepped down for health reasons.

Voters in House District 75 will go to the polls on March 21 to select a replacement for Glanton. If no one wins a majority, an April runoff would follow.