Gwinnett Daily Post

LOGANVILLE -- Four men will square off next month in a special election to replace state Rep. Len Walker.

The men qualified this week for the Feb. 7 race for House District 107, which is centered in the Loganville-Grayson area.

A few are familiar names, including Mike Lynch, a former Loganville councilman who left the post when he was deployed with the Army, and Tom Kirby who ran for Congress in 2010.

They are joined by Mark Banks, a golf course superintendent and Paul Smith, a minister.

All four live in Loganville and all but Lynch have identified themselves as Republicans. Lynch is identified as an independent in the Secretary of State paperwork.

The election for Gwinnett and Walton counties is nonpartisan, and a runoff, if needed, is scheduled for March 6.

Walker, a longtime incumbent who headed the House Higher Education Committee, resigned to take on a position as a minister in Big Canoe.