Hatchett succeeds Kelley as whip
ATLANTA — Republicans in the Georgia House of Representatives Friday elected Rep. Matt Hatchett, R-dublin, to serve as majority whip. Hatchett now succeeds Rep. Trey Kelley, R-cedartown, in the whip’s post.
Hatchett, an ally of House Speaker David Ralston, defeated Rep. Barry Fleming, R-harlem, during a meeting of the House Republican Caucus in Jekyll Island. The vote totals from the closed-door session were not released.
“Matt Hatchett is a proven leader who has earned the trust of the House Majority
Caucus,” Ralston said after Friday’s vote. “He has fought time and again for our priorities and principles both on the campaign trail and in the well of the Georgia House.”
Hatchett was elected to the House in 2010, succeeding longtime Democratic Rep. Dubose Porter, who left the General Assembly that year in an unsuccessful bid for governor.
Kelley stepped down from leadership earlier this month to focus on a misdemeanor indictment related to a 2019 fatal hit-and-run crash.