Former state representative Bob Snelling said he will work to appeal to those aligned with both parties after he easily won the Republican nomination for the new House District 66 in last week’s runoff election.

“My intent is to reach out to everybody,” he said.

Snelling, of Douglasville, won 82 percent of the vote in defeating Mike Miller, a Douglas County School Board member, in the Aug. 21 runoff.

He said, if he is elected Nov. 6, he will be working with a Douglas County legislative delegation and local elected officials from both parties.

“The job is much more comprehensive than just representing a political philosophy,” Snelling said.

Snelling, a Delta Airlines flight instructor, said he was “kind of overwhelmed” by the size of his victory Aug. 21.

“I really think it was people motivated to vote for me,” he said. “I made a good effort to get out to the community.”

He emphasized such issues as abolishing the state income tax and the federal Affordable Care Act, also known as “Obamacare.”

Snelling previously served in the state House from 1994 to 2002. He opted not to seek re-election when then-majority Democrats paired him in the same district with another Republican House member during redistricting following the 2000 federal census.

The Douglasville resident will now face Democrat Kimberly Alexander in November for election to the seat.

Alexander, also a Douglasville resident, lost to incumbent Bill Hembree for the House District 67 seat in 2010. The Paulding County native also was the first black resident to seek election to Hiram City Council.

She said she looks forward to the general election campaign and has enthusiastic campaign workers in both counties. She said she plans to emphasize such issues as economic development and oppose women’s access to affordable health care.

“I don’t think men should be legislating on women’s health issues,” said Alexander, who works as an internal auditor.

House District 66, which includes Douglas and Paulding counties, was formed during redistricting following the 2010 federal census.

Also on Aug. 21, College Park attorney LaDawn “LBJ” Jones defeated Marvin Arrington, an Atlanta attorney, in the runoff for the Democratic nomination for the House District 62 seat.

Jones received 63 percent of the vote and Arrington 37 percent.

The runoff victory was tantamount to election to the District 62 seat. Jones will be unopposed in the Nov. 6 general election. District 62 includes parts of Douglas and Fulton counties.