District 53 Candidate Lanny Thomas Recovering After Medical Emergency; Opponent Pauses Campaign

Lanny Thomas, Republican candidate for Georgia Senate District 53, is recovering in the hospital after experiencing a sudden medical emergency, according to a statement from his family.

Thomas underwent emergency surgery on Monday, his son Christian Thomas shared in a social media update. While the exact details of the medical issue have not been publicly released, the family confirmed that he is now in recovery.

In the statement, Christian Thomas expressed appreciation for the overwhelming support and prayers from the community. He also noted that his father remained committed to his campaign even in the hours leading up to the procedure.

Thomas is currently running against Democratic candidate Jack Zibluk in the upcoming runoff election scheduled for April 7—now just 20 days away.

Following the news, Zibluk announced he is temporarily suspending his campaign out of respect.

“Lanny is a good man, a dedicated educator and public servant, and I look forward to working with him,” Zibluk said in a statement.