{{Short description|American attorney and politician}} {{Infobox officeholder | name = Deborah Gonzalez | office = District Attorney of the Western Georgia Judicial Circuit | term_start = January 2021 | term_end = | predecessor = Brian Patterson | successor = | state_house2 = Georgia | district2 = 117th | term_start2 = November 27, 2017 | term_end2 = January 14, 2019 | predecessor2 = Regina Quick | successor2 = Houston Gaines | party = Democratic }} '''Deborah Gonzalez''' is an American attorney and politician from Georgia. Gonzalez was elected as a District Attorney for Georgia's Western Circuit district on December 1, 2020, and is a former Democratic member of the Georgia General Assembly. She served as a state representative for Georgia House District 117 from November 27, 2017, until January 14, 2019.
==Legal career and political service== Gonzalez is a practicing attorney, with more than 20 years experience. Her practice has concentrated in the area of media and entertainment and social media and technology.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.onlineathens.com/local-news/2017-06-15/athens-attorney-announces-democratic-run-state-house|title=Athens attorney announces Democratic run for state House|publisher=Athens Banner-Herald|author=Jim Thompson|date=July 15, 2017|accessdate=February 9, 2020}}</ref>
On June 10, 2017, Gonzalez announced her intention to run for District 117 in the Georgia House of Representatives. She subsequently won with 53 percent of the vote in a November 2017 special election.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.redandblack.com/athensnews/georgia-representatives-gonzalez-wallace-to-be-sworn-in-today/article_64fdc94e-d323-11e7-ba4f-937a36773ee6.html|title=Georgia representatives Gonzalez, Wallace to be sworn in today|publisher=The Red and Black|author=Erin Schilling|date=November 27, 2017|accessdate=February 9, 2020}}</ref> The vacancy in the seat was created when her predecessor was appointed by Georgia Governor Nathan Deal to serve as a Superior Court Judge.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.redandblack.com/athensnews/breaking-democrat-deborah-gonzalez-wins-district-state-house-seat/article_70bc5730-c42f-11e7-ab3f-878baf3fd034.html|title=BREAKING: Democrat Deborah Gonzalez wins district 117 state house seat|publisher=The Red and Black|author=Grace Walker|date=November 7, 2017|accessdate=February 9, 2020}}</ref>
In the November 2018 general election, Gonzalez was defeated in her attempt to win a full term when Houston Gaines reclaimed the seat for the Republican party.
On July 11, 2019, Gonzalez announced her candidacy to run for district attorney in the Western Judicial Circuit, which serves Athens-Clarke and Oconee counties, to succeed incumbent Ken Mauldin who announced his retirement effective February 29, 2020, 10 months prior to the end of his term.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.redandblack.com/athensnews/former-athens-rep-deborah-gonzalez-running-for-district-attorney/article_4a4d4846-a5f3-11e9-be6f-d76aeba4be63.html|title=Former Athens Rep. Deborah Gonzalez running for district attorney|publisher=The Red and Black|author=Francisco Guzman|date=July 14, 2019|accessdate=December 30, 2019}}</ref> However, Governor Brian Kemp refused to announce by May 3, 2020, an acting replacement for the remainder of Maudlin's term, which under House Bill 907 (passed 2018) would delay the primary and election for the office to 2022. Gonzalez filed a federal lawsuit against Kemp and Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger over the law in order to force the special election to take place,<ref>{{cite web |publisher=The Red and Black |date=May 20, 2020 |title=Athens' Gonzalez, ex-state rep, sues over canceled district attorney election |url=https://www.onlineathens.com/news/20200520/athens-gonzalez-ex-state-rep-sues-over-canceled-district-attorney-election |author=Lee Shearer}}</ref> with Judge Mark Howard Cohen of the District Court for the Northern District of Georgia ruling in Gonzalez's favor. The state appealed the ruling to the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, who referred the case to the Georgia Supreme Court. On October 11, the Court ruled in Gonzalez's favor, finding that HB907 unconstitutionally allows the governor to appoint an acting district attorney to serve beyond the term of the prior incumbent rather than the remaining time left in the prior incumbent's term.<ref>{{cite web |website=Associated Press |date=October 11, 2020 |title=High court: Special election for Georgia DA seat can proceed |url=https://apnews.com/article/election-2020-georgia-general-elections-elections-athens-1a9a7f96fd336e1bdb686719905d1bd6}}</ref> The state relented and scheduled a blanket primary for the office for the November ballot.
A special election was held on November 3, 2020, and went to a runoff on December 1, 2020. Gonzalez defeated her opponent in the runoff, James Chafin, with 51.7% of the vote.<ref>{{cite web |website=Flagpole Magazine |date=December 1, 2020 |title=Deborah Gonzalez Wins Athens District Attorney Race |last=Aued |first=Blake |url=https://flagpole.com/news/in-the-loop/2020/12/01/deborah-gonzalez-wins-athens-district-attorney-race/ |accessdate=December 2, 2020}}</ref> She was the first Latina to be elected District Attorney in the state of Georgia.<ref>{{cite web |website=Latino Victory |date=December 1, 2020 |accessdate=December 2, 2020 |title=Latino Victory Fund Congratulates Deborah Gonzalez for Winning Historic Race for District Attorney in Georgia Runoff Election |url=https://latinovictory.us/press-release/latino-victory-fund-congratulates-deborah-gonzalez-for-winning-historic-race-for-district-attorney-in-georgia-runoff-election/}}</ref> In 2024, Gonzalez ran for reelection, but lost to Kalki Yalamanchili. Her loss was attributed in part to her handling of the prosecution of Laken Riley's murderer, particularly her refusal to seek the death penalty against the killer on behalf of her personal opposition to capital punishment.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Calder |first=Rich |date=2024-11-09 |title=Georgia DA Deborah Gonzalez defeated by Kalki Yalamanchili |url=https://nypost.com/2024/11/09/us-news/georgia-da-deborah-gonzalez-defeated-by-kalki-yalamanchili/ |access-date=2024-11-20 |language=en-US}}</ref>
== Electoral history ==
{{Election box begin no change | title=2017 Georgia House of Representatives 117th district special election<ref>{{cite web| url=https://results.enr.clarityelections.com/GA/71426/Web02-state/#/ |title=2017 Georgia Special Election 11/07/2017}}</ref> }} {{Election box winning candidate with party link no change | candidate = Deborah Gonzalez | votes = 3,999 | party = Democratic Party (United States) | percentage = 53.15% }} {{Election box candidate with party link no change | candidate = Houston Gaines | votes = 3,525 | party = Republican Party (United States) | percentage = 46.85% }} {{Election box total no change | votes = 7,524 | percentage= 100.00% }} {{Election box gain with party link no swing | winner = Democratic Party (United States) | loser = Republican Party (United States) }} {{Election box end}}
{{Election box begin no change | title = 2018 Georgia House of Representatives 117th district election<ref>{{cite web|url=https://results.enr.clarityelections.com/GA/91639/Web02-state.221451/#/cid/61700|title=2018 District 117 Election Results 11/06/2018}}</ref> }} {{Election box winning candidate with party link no change | candidate = Houston Gaines | party = Republican Party (United States) | votes = 13,164 | percentage = 53.55% }} {{Election box candidate with party link no change | candidate = Deborah Gonzalez (incumbent) | party = Democratic Party (United States) | votes = 11,418 | percentage = 46.45% }} {{Election box total no change | votes = 24,582 | percentage = 100.00% }} {{Election box gain with party link no swing | winner = Republican Party (United States) | loser = Democratic Party (United States) }} {{Election box end}}{{Election box begin no change | title = 2024 District Attorney Election - Western Judicial Circuit }} {{Election box winning candidate with party link no change | candidate = Kalki Yalamanchili | party = Independent | votes = 45,058 | percentage = 59.41% }} {{Election box candidate with party link no change | candidate = Deborah Gonzalez (incumbent) | party = Democratic Party (United States) | votes = 30,781 | percentage = 40.59% }} {{Election box total no change | votes = 75,839 | percentage = 100.00% }} {{Election box gain with party link no swing | winner = Independent | loser = Democratic Party (United States) }} {{Election box end}}
== References == {{reflist}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Gonzalez, Deborah}} Category:Democratic Party members of the Georgia House of Representatives Category:Women state legislators in Georgia (U.S. state) Category:Living people Category:Year of birth missing (living people) Category:2020 United States presidential electors Category:District attorneys in Georgia (U.S. state) Category:21st-century American women politicians Category:21st-century members of the Georgia General Assembly