Melvin Everson on Tuesday became the first black Republican since Reconstruction to win a contested election for the Georgia Legislature. In a squeaker of an election decided by a mere 27 votes, Everson defeated Warren Auld in a runoff for the state House District 106 seat in south Gwinnett County. Auld, a former Snellville city councilman, is white. "This is a great day for Snellville and it's a great day for me," Everson said. "It's just a prelude to what the Republican Party has to offer to African-Americans. A door has been opened and we need to seize this opportunity."...