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Published: Tuesday, December 2, 2014 at 12:40 p.m. Last Modified: Tuesday, December 2, 2014 at 8:58 p.m.

Five candidates including a Daytona Beach Democrat have qualified for the state Senate District 6 special election, which combined with two other elections will cost taxpayers more than $1 million.

The quintet of candidates are vying for the post vacated by former Sen. John Thrasher, who was appointed as president of Florida State University shortly after being reelected in November. The special primary for the seat, which includes all of Flagler, St. Johns and Putnam counties as well as northeast Volusia County, is Jan. 27 and the special general election will be April 7, meaning Flagler will be without a state senator for most of the 2015 Legislative session.

Republican candidates for Senate District 6 include state Rep. Travis Hutson, R-Elkton and Rep. Ronald Doc Renuart, R-Ponte Vedra Beach. Other Republican candidates include Dennis McDonald, a Flagler Beach resident who ran an unsuccessful campaign for Flagler County Commission, and Beth Sweeny of St. Augustine.

Running as the Democratic candidate is David Cox, an educator at Bethune-Cookman University in Daytona Beach who campaigned to unseat U.S. District 6 Rep. Ron DeSantis.

Both Hutson and Renuart will resign from their House seats a day before the April 7 general election, forcing officials to hold two other special elections. The elections to fill their seats as well as the vacant senate seat are expected to cost more than $1 million.

A special election would have been unnecessary if Thrasher had resigned before the November elections. If he had done that, though, Republican leaders from the counties within his district would have nominated a stand-in. Thrasher said he preferred to let voters choose his replacement.

That decision also allowed House members Hutson and Renuart to compete for the seat. Already deemed candidates for their own reelection bids, they could not have taken Thrashers spot in the general election.

Cox blasted Republicans for playing games with constituents money and leaving Flagler without a voice in the senate.

Ultimately, its costing taxpayers when that money could have gone into education or the environment, he said.

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Candidates line up for Thrasher's seat