UPDATE: Judge rules in favor of Rep. Patty Stinson in legal challenge

The challenge could have removed Stinson from the race for Georgia House District 150 ahead of the May primary.

UPDATE (4/2/2026): Candidate for Georgia House District 150 Patty Stinson will remain on the ballot, after a ruling from a judge.

The ruling was issued April 1, of 2026 and obtained by 41NBC on April 2, 2026. It clarifies that Stinson’s current and previous addresses are within district 150, and that she lives in a tiny house on the same property as a funeral home. The court found that Stinson pays utility bills and insurance for the home, files taxes and other paperwork using her 133 Railroad Street, and has the address on her driver’s license. The ruling also states that Rep. Stinson credibly testified that she has no other residential addresses, and intends to continue living there.

In her testimony, Stinson says that she previously lived on Plantation Road in Butler and ran the funeral home with her late husband, Darryl Bentley, from 2006 to 2021. When her husband died, Stinson says she decided to downsize. She moved into the tiny home on Railroad St. sometime in 2021 or 2022. Stinson updated her address shortly after.

The primary election for House District 150 is on May 19, 2026, and the general election will take place on November 3, 2026.

MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – A legal challenge calling into question a candidate’s place on the ballot in the race for Georgia House District 150 went before an administrative law judge today.

Michael Mixon filed a complaint claiming candidate Patty Stinson does not meet the state’s residency requirements to run. Georgia law requires candidates to live in the district for at least one year before the election.

The judge has not yet issued a ruling, but Stinson released a statement addressing the matter.

“The hearing today lasted about an hour. I think it went well. Mr. Mixon, Michael Mixon, the challenger, testified that after talking with his brother, who is a county commissioner in Dooley County, he was inspired to submit such challenge because he believed that I lived in a funeral home and that wasn’t a traditional way for an elected official to be living. And so he decided to submit such challenge based off the fact that he believed that I lived in a funeral home. I’ve never said that I lived in the funeral home. I’ve always contended that 133 Railroad St is my legal address. And there’s other structures on the property of 133 Railroad St. And that’s what I presented to my legal team and I presented to the judge, that 133 Railroad St is my legal address. That’s where I get all my mail. That’s where I claim my residence. It may not be a traditional home like he may be expecting, although he didn’t define what a traditional home is. But it’s where I claim my residence and it is where I get mail and I was able to produce all of that. But the biggest thing, I want to make sure that the viewers know, my constituents know, that I have never misrepresented where I live. I’ve never said that I lived in a funeral home. They said I lived in a funeral home. I’ve always worked hard for the good folks of House District 150 and I look forward to continuing to do so, and that includes Mr. Mixon, because he is a constituent of House District 150 and if I can ever do anything for anyone in House District 150, I stand ready to do so.”

The judge will determine whether Stinson is eligible to remain on the ballot ahead of the May primary.