It’s the week before Thanksgiving, and holiday-themed events are popping up on our East Cobb events calendar, including the Ecumenical Thanksgiving Celebration. on Thursday.
It’s the 14th annual service starting at at 7 p.m. at Temple Kol Emeth (1415 Old Canton Road), and this year’s theme is “Harmonizing the Voice of Humanity.” Representatives of Jewish, Christian, Muslim and other metro area faith communities will participate in readings, music and fellowship.
The public is invited to stay for dessert and is asked to bring canned food donations for Must Ministries and an offering for Give-a-Gobble. Overflow parking is at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 3155 Trickum Road.
The elections are over, but the League of Women Voters of Marietta-Cobb is delving into lingering political matters with a discussion Monday night about gerrymandering. It starts at 7 p.m. at WellStar East Cobb Health Park (3747 Roswell Road), and the guest speaker is Elizabeth McNamara, the former president of the League of Women Voters of the U.S.
Cobb Police are continuing their community outreach events with citizens on Tuesday. Cookies With a Cop goes from 6-8 p.m. at the Great American Cookies/Marble Slab Creamery in Providence Square Shopping Center (4101 Roswell Road). Bring your questions about crime and public safety for Precinct 4 community officers to answer in an informal setting.
Check our full calendar listings for more, including a number of public library book club and other events going on during this week, and beyond.
Did we miss anything? Do you have a calendar item you’d like to share with the community? Send it to us, and we’ll spread the word! E-mail: calendar@eastcobbnews.com, and you can include a photo or flyer if you like.
Whatever you’re doing this week, make it a great one! Enjoy!
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A “Blue Wave” tent on election day in front of Eastvalley Elementary School urged voters to support Democratic candidates. (East Cobb News photo by Wendy Parker)
Cobb County may be trending for the Democratic Party in major elections, but East Cobb remains reliably Republican ground in the county and metro Atlanta area.
But it could be argued that East Cobb’s stronghold status has been dented to some degree in Tuesday’s elections.
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams carried the county by 54-46 percent, following Hillary Clinton’s 46-44 margin over Donald Trump in the 2016 presidential race.
Brian Kemp won precincts in blue; Stacey Abrams in green; click map for precinct details.
Voters in East Cobb stuck with Republicans in those races, just as they did for the most part this week. (The results of all races are to be certified Monday by the Cobb Board of Elections.)
Yet for the first time in a long time, Democratic candidates were on the ballot in every race in the East Cobb area, which no longer has all GOP elected officials.
Lucy McBath, a Democrat from East Cobb and a gun-control advocate with a national profile, unseated Republican incumbent Karen Handel in a close 6th Congressional District race. Handel won East Cobb precincts decisively, getting in some cases more than 60 percent of the vote.
But McBath cruised in DeKalb and nearly drew even with Handel in North Fulton, following some suburban trendlines in Congressional elections that are favoring Democratic candidates.
That it happened in a district that has been in Republican hands since Newt Gingrich was first elected in 1978 is notable.
McBath’s unofficial victory was less than 3,000 votes, a year after Handel fended off Jon Ossoff by four points in a special election that was the most expensive ever for a U.S. House race.
Close calls in county, legislative races
In the Cobb Board of Education Post 6 election, Republican incumbent Scott Sweeney was defeated by Democrat Charisse Davis (in photo) in another close race. The post covers the Walton and Wheeler attendance zones and some of the Campbell area.
Sweeney ran strong in most East Cobb precincts where he lives, but Davis got most of her votes in the Smyrna and Vinings area that is her home.
Longtime legislator Sharon Cooper, the chairwoman of the Georgia House Health and Human Services Committee, was re-elected with only 52 percent of the vote for the District 43 seat in East Cobb she has held since 1997.
That 52 percent number is also is what Republican Cobb commissioner JoAnn Birrell received in her election to a third term representing District 3. She defeated Caroline Holko, a Democratic first-time candidate like many others in East Cobb, but this was Birrell’s closest margin since she was first elected.
Republican State Rep. Sam Teasley, who represents part of Northeast Cobb in District 37, was defeated also by the slightest of margins by Democrat Mary Frances Williams.
Otherwise, Republican incumbents prevailed in East Cobb, which is looking like territory of last resort for the county GOP.
Wake-up call for Cobb GOP
In a statement, the Cobb Republican Party said on Wednesday that “while the Blue Wave did not turn out to be the tsunami Democrats hoped for, it did hit Cobb County and did wash out a couple of our great Republican elected officials.”
Sam Teasley was the lone Republican legislator representing East Cobb who was defeated Tuesday.
Noting that Abrams won won Cobb by nearly 30,000 votes, the GOP added that “we all now see exactly how much we must fight for every vote, or concede Cobb to Democrats along with higher taxes for less services.
“Nothing in politics is ever permanent and sometimes a wake-up call what is needed to spur good people to action,” said the Cobb Republican statement.
Demographic changes are part of the reason why Cobb is becoming more “blue,” and not just in South Cobb. Marietta and points north in Acworth and Kennesaw also are voting more with Democrats.
Some precincts in East Cobb closer to the city of Marietta are also trending purple, if not blue. Some Republicans were getting closer to 50 percent than the 55-and-up margins they enjoy in easternmost precincts.
The Cobb school board, which has had a 6-1 Republican majority for several years, will now be a 4-3 split, with Democrats picking up two seats on Tuesday. Republican David Chastain, who represents the Kell and Sprayberry areas, was re-elected.
The Cobb state house delegation will have a Democratic majority, holding eight of the 15 seats come January.
The Ossoff effect?
In East Cobb, last year’s special Congressional election inspired Ossoff volunteers to launch candidacies of their own.
None of them won on Tuesday, but they did make entrenched Republican incumbents, some of whom see little competition, campaign more than usual.
All of the Democrats were women, and some of them, including McBath and Davis, are minorities. A number of them were outspokenly progressive in their views, which is also unusual for those running for office in East Cobb.
Holko (in photo) was among them, as she advocated for more transit options and other positions that aren’t heard much on the campaign trail in this community. The day after the election, she told supporters that “Rome wasn’t built in a day, and change comes in steps.”
Whether this year’s Democratic surge in Cobb is part of a permanent movement or not remains to be seen.
What seems fairly clear is that with a presidential race looming in 2020, East Cobb will be eyed for further gains by Democrats, and doubling-down efforts by Republicans.
Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!
This morning U.S. Rep. Karen Handel conceded to Lucy McBath in the 6th Congressional District election.
Here’s part of the statement Handel issued:
After carefully reviewing all of the election results data, it is clear that I came up a bit short on Tuesday. Congratulations to Representative-Elect Lucy McBath and I send her only good thoughts and much prayer for the journey that lies ahead for her.
While Tuesday’s loss is indeed disappointing, there is much for which we can and should be grateful.
We live in a great country. In no other nation in the world could a girl leave home at 17 – finish school on her own and then work her way up – and have the incredible opportunities that I have had.
This country has enabled me to follow my dreams personally and professionally. You gave me the honor of serving as Chairman of the Fulton Commission, as Secretary of State. And, for the last year and a half, you gave me the high honor – the incredible privilege – of serving you as your representative in Congress.
My story underscores just how exceptional this country is. In this great nation, the least among us have opportunities to offer our best. We’re a country that encourages and rewards hard work.
McBath, an East Cobb Democrat, claimed victory on Wednesday. Handel, a Republican from Roswell who touted President Trump’s tax cuts, said in response she wouldn’t make any additional statements then.
The results are still unofficial, but McBath surged ahead of Handel by fewer than 3,000 votes after extremely tight returns all evening on Tuesday. Handel won 55 percent of the vote in East Cobb precincts and barely won her North Fulton home ground. McBath got more than 60 percent of the vote in north and central DeKalb.
The margin was within the realm of a recount, but Handel decided against that. After winning a special election last year in the most expensive race in U.S. House history, Handel will have served 18 months when McBath succeeds her in January.
She will be the first Democrat to hold the seat since Newt Gingrich was first elected in 1978. McBath also is one of 37 Democrats to defeat Republican incumbents this year, with the GOP losing House control as a result.
On Thursday afternoon, McBath issued a statement in response to the mass shootings in southern California that killed 12 people at a nightclub. Her son was shot and killed six years ago in an incident that prompted her to become a gun-control advocate:
The tragedy in California is one of far too many. I grieve with the families affected and for every life lost. I pray that Congress will support me in taking action to prevent these tragedies from affecting the lives of so many. I am deeply thankful for all of the first responders.
As a congresswoman, but more importantly as a mother,I pledge to do every thing I can to make our communities safer. The most important title I am ever going to hold is Jordan’s mom – and that is what drives me to keep going. Knowing firsthand the deep pain of losing a loved one to gun violence is what drove me to stand up. Then, after watching the tragedy of Parkland, I knew I had to do more. That is why I am here today.
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Democratic challenger Lucy McBath is declaring victory in the Georgia 6th Congressional District race over Republican incumbent Karen Handel.
Here’s the statement issued by McBath’s campaign shortly before 2 p.m. today:
“After a hard fought race, I am honored to announce that the people of Georgia’s Sixth Congressional District have put their trust in my vision for the future of our district and nation.
The voters responded to my commitment to put aside partisan fights for the good of the American people. Six years ago, I went from a Marietta mom to a mother on a mission. After my son was lost to gun violence, I stood up and started demanding more. After Parkland, I was compelled to enter this race for Congress – to provide leadership that would be about the business of putting lives over profit. I vow to make that my top priority.
I look forward to representing the people of Georgia’s Sixth Congressional District, and I pledge to work hard fighting for every single person and family in this district.”
Handel’s campaign had this response around 3 p.m.:
Given the close results of our race, and the fact that the official results at this time are within the 1% threshold where a recount is possible, we believe it is prudent to review and assess all data before making additional actions or statements.
Both candidates exchanged the lead more than once in the hours shortly after the polls closed on Tuesday in a race that late polls showed to be a dead heat.
Shortly after 2 a.m., Handel held an extremely thin lead, by around 50 votes. Both candidates told supporters late last night that a recount seemed likely
But as absentee ballots and other late-reporting votes came in from Fulton County this morning, McBath, an East Cobb resident and nationally known gun-control advocate, took the lead.
Handel won the East Cobb portion of the 6th District and McBath cruised in DeKalb. In Handel’s home base of North Fulton, she leads McBath by less than 1,000 votes.
If McBath is officially declared the winner, she’ll be part of the new Democratic majority in the U.S. House.
She would also would end a 40-year Republican Congressional hold on the seat that Newt Gingrich first won in 1978.
We’ll keep updating this post.
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Charisse Davis will be the only woman on the Cobb Board of Education. (East Cobb News file photo)
Catching you up on the day after some notable elections results in East Cobb, and starting with one incumbent who was defeated last night.
That’s Republican Scott Sweeney, who was vying for his third term for the Post 6 seat on the Cobb Board of Education that includes the Walton and Wheeler attendance zones.
He was ousted by Charisse Davis, who like many fellow Democratic challengers in local races was running for the first time.
Some additional votes came in from when when we posted early this morning, and Davis received 21,654 votes, or 51.27 percent. Sweeney had 20,580 votes, or 48.734 percent.
As we noted last night/early this morning, Davis’ win closes the GOP majority on the school board to 4-3 come January. She’s a former school teacher and now librarian in Fulton County whose children attend school in the Campbell attendance zone, some of which is in District 6.
Here’s what Davis told her supporters this morning.
As a school district, we have an opportunity to celebrate our successes while facing our issues with the goal of finding solutions. As an educator and mom of two in the district, I am committed to seeing the district become a leader in implementing solutions that can help all of our students achieve. We can, and will, do better to provide access to early learning options, provide transparency to the families in this community, and focus on the students of this district, no matter how they learn.
East Cobb News covered a candidates’ forum between Davis and Sweeney last month during what came to be a competitive election. Both were unopposed in the primaries, but she received more votes than Sweeney, whose sons attend Walton and Dickerson.
On Tuesday, Sweeney won most of the East Cobb precincts, although Davis carried the Terrell Mill precinct handily. He carried a precinct in Vinings, but she enjoyed large margins in all other precincts in the Cumberland-Smyrna area.
We’ve got a table below that breaks it down, and will be adding more reaction.
For now, she breaks the Republican lock on elected officials that represent East Cobb residents. The 6th Congressional District and State House 37th District races are still in too-close-to-call mode.
Republican Cobb school member David Chastain won a second term Tuesday, defeating Democrat Cynthia Parr to keep the Post 4 seat that includes the Kell and Sprayberry districts.
Chastain received 20,592 votes, or 53.61 percent, while Parr got 17,820 votes, or 46.39 percent.
We’ll have more later in the week on reaction from other races, including commissioner JoAnn Birrell’s close re-election, legislative results and where the Georgia governor’s race stands.
Most East Cobb incumbents prevailed in Tuesday’s elections, but two races may not be determined for a while.
And the governor’s race could be headed for a runoff.
In the 6th Congressional District race, Republican incumbent Karen Handel was fighting to hold on to the seat she won in a special election last year against Democratic newcomer Lucy McBath.
As of this writing, Handel led by fewer than 200 votes, out of more than 300,000 cast, with a handful of Cobb and some Fulton precincts still not reporting.
That’s because some polls closed in Fulton around 10 p.m. after technical issues, and the last of the voters cast their ballots shortly before midnight.
Fulton is the battleground in the 6th District, which has been in GOP hands since 1978. Handel won East Cobb precincts with 56 percent of the vote, while Handel cruised in north and central DeKalb with 59 percent.
In north Fulton, Handel’s home turf, she was leading 50.53-49.47 percent. Handel and McBath both told their supporters late Tuesday the final results won’t be determined until Wednesday.
The close race comes as Democrats were projected to regain control of the U.S. House.
In the Cobb Board of Education Post 6 race, Republican incumbent Scott Sweeney also was in a battle with a newcomer, Democrat Charisse Davis, for the seat that includes the Walton and Wheeler and part of the Campbell attendance zones.
Shortly before 1 a.m., and with 100 percent of the precincts in, Davis has 19,324 votes, or 50.46 percent, to 18,971 for Sweeney, or 49.54 percent.
Sweeney is the parent of sons in the Walton district, and was first elected in 2010. He got his biggest margins in his East Cobb base.
Davis is a former teacher and public librarian who lives in the Campbell attendance zone, and that’s where she picked up most of her votes.
Her election would cut the Republican majority on the seven-member school board to only 4-3. She also would be the only woman on the board.
Charisse Davis pulled ahead of Scott Sweeney by 300+ votes late Tuesday in the Cobb school board Post 6 election.
Two-term Cobb Commissioner JoAnn Birrell pulled out a close re-election bid to keep her District 3 seat that includes Northeast Cobb. A Republican, she defeated Democrat Caroline Holko with 33,899 votes, or 52.40 percent, to 30,790, or 47.60 percent.
Republican Cobb school board member David Chastain was re-elected to the Post 6 seat that covers the Kell and Sprayberry attendance zones. He defeated Democrat Cynthia Parr with 19,247 votes, or 54.18 percent, to 16,278, or 45.82 percent.
Another close race in East Cobb was for the State House District 37 seat. Republican incumbent Sam Teasley was holding a very narrow lead over Democrat Mary Frances Williams. He had 10,932 votes, or 50.34 percent, to 10,785 votes for Williams, or 49.66 percent.
Other East Cobb legislative incumbents, all Republicans, held onto their seats: State Senator Sen. Kay Kirkpatrick and representatives Sharon Cooper, Matt Dollar, Don Parsons and John Carson.
Cooper had the closest race of all, defeating Democrat Luisa Wakeman by 52.55-47.45 percent in the State House 43 seat she has held since 1997.
In the Georgia governor’s race, Republican Brian Kemp was holding on against Democrat Stacey Abrams after rolling up a big lead early in the evening.
But Abrams fought back as metro Atlanta counties reported, including Cobb, and the race could be headed for a runoff.
With 95 percent of all precincts reporting, Kemp had 1,925,539 votes, or 51.06 percent. Abrams received 1,809,629 votes, or 47.99 percent. Abrams, who won Cobb by 53-45 percent, came out to her supporters in Atlanta early this morning and did not concede.
Libertarian Ted Metz got just 35,659 votes, but his 0.95 percent share of the statewide vote could extend a contentious race for a few more weeks.
We’ll follow up these developments and take a deeper look at the other races on East Cobb News Wednesday and through the rest of the week.
UPDATED, 10:15 P.M.
The “Blue Wave” election Democrats were hoping for has been little more than a trickle thus far in East Cobb, with one major exception.
In the 6th Congressional District race, Republican incumbent Karen Handel and Democratic Lucy McBath are running just about even and have exchanged thin leads.
At 10 p.m., Handel held a slight lead, 50.89 percent to 49.11 race, with 61 percent of the precincts fully reporting.
Due to technical issues, some precincts in Fulton County closed at 9:30 and 10 p.m.
In East Cobb, a Republican stronghold, Handel enjoys a 68.6-31.3 percent lead.
McBath has a 53-46 percent edge in DeKalb, and McBath is up 50-49 in Fulton.
In the Cobb Commission District 3 race, Republican incumbent JoAnn Birrell is leading Democrat Caroline Holko 62-38 percent, but none of the seat’s 44 precincts are fully reporting.
It’s also early in two Cobb school board races in East Cobb, where Republican incumbents David Chastain and Scott Sweeney have 60 and 67 percent of the vote, respectively.
East Cobb’s legislative incumbents, also all Republicans, also are leading handily, with most having 60 percent or more of the vote.
In the governor’s race, Republican Brian Kemp had a big early lead over Democrat Stacey Abrams that has narrowed to around 55-44 percent with 63 percent of the precincts reporting.
Metro Atlanta counties still have to fully report, including Cobb.
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On Tuesday voters will be going to the polls in midterms that have spiked interest across the country, and close to home. This East Cobb Election Day post rounds up everything we’ve put together before you head to your precinct and contains some late news from Monday as campaigning drew to a close.
The polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at all precincts.
In East Cobb, there’s a full slate of competitive races that is rare for a community that’s been strong Republican territory for years.
Every elected official who represents East Cobb—federal, state and local—is in the GOP, but there are Democrats in all of the 10 state and local races on Tuesday’s ballot.
All of the Democrats are women, many of them minorities. Nine of them are first-time candidates, some reacting to Donald Trump’s presidential election and energized by Jon Ossoff’s Congressional campaign.
With plenty of midterm prognostications focused on suburban voting, the results from East Cobb figure to be closely watched.
On Monday, some national polls declared the 6th Congressional District race that includes East Cobba toss-up, including the Cook Political Report and The New York Times.
Republican incumbent Karen Handel (left), who defeated Democrat Ossoff in a special election last year, is facing Democrat Lucy McBath (right), a high-profile gun-gun control advocate, in a race that could help determine party control of the U.S. House of Representatives.
Handel had been holding a slight lead within the margin of error. When she defeated Ossoff last year, Handel got some of her strongest margins in East Cobb. The district also includes north Fulton, Sandy Springs, and north and central DeKalb.
Republicans are trying to hold on to their majority in the House, and are expected to lose seats. The 6th Congressional District of Georgia has been in GOP control since 1979, when Newt Gingrich was first elected.
The Georgia governor’s race also is expected to be close and is seen as sparking early voter turnout.
Democrat Stacey Abrams has drawn virtually even with Republican Brian Kemp, and Cobb County is seen as battleground turf. The possibility of a runoff looms with Libertarian candidate Ted Metz on the ballot.
The politicking also has gotten ugly, with Kemp, the current Secretary of State, accusing the Georgia Democratic Party of trying to hack the state elections system.
At the local level, there’s a Cobb Board of Commissioners race and two Cobb Board of Education races for East Cobb voters to decide.
District 3 Republican incumbent commissioner JoAnn Birrell is being challenged by Caroline Holko for a seat that includes Northeast Cobb.
For the Cobb school board Post 6 race, which includes the Walton and Wheeler attendance zones, two-term incumbent Scott Sweeney will face Charisse Davis. In Post 4 (Kell and Sprayberry), David Chastain is vying for a second term against Cynthia Parr.
East Cobb’s legislative delegation, which typically doesn’t generate much general election competition, has it this year.
One State Senate race and five State House races will be determined on Tuesday as well.
Early voting has been at a record pace in Cobb and Georgia. Cobb government said Monday that the nearly 135,000 people who have voted early make up around 27 percent of al the registered voters in the county.
There is the threat of stormy weather Tuesday, and rain could last for most of the day.
Cobb government said late this afternoon that:
“If voting is delayed due to weather, the Elections Office will ask a judge to extend voting past 7 pm for the length of time they had to shut down.”
We will post more about this as weather updates become available during the day.
East Cobb News will provide continuing coverage all day and evening on Tuesday.
We’ll also be sending out a special election newsletter first thing Wednesday morning, since it figures to be a long night.
If you’d like to sign up, click the link below.
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A couple of notes as we wrap up our preview material for Tuesday’s voting:
There have been two East Cobb precinct changes to keep in mind.
The Bells Ferry 3 precinct that had been located at Noonday Baptist Church on Canton Road has moved right across the road, to the church’s East campus, located at 4120 Canton Road.
The Timber Ridge polling station has moved away from Timber Ridge Elementary School and is now at the Catholic Church of St. Ann, seen at right (4905 Roswell Road), for what Cobb Elections said were due to security concerns at the school.
Classes are not in session on Tuesday because of the elections. It will be a staff learning day instead.
If you’re not sure where your precinct is located, you can check at the Georgia Secretary of State website here.
All precincts will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday. There is no early voting on Monday.
Cobb Elections also has issued sample ballots to see what names and ballot issues will be awaiting you when you head to the polls. Here’s the consolidated ballot for all voters in the county, and here’s a link to get the names you’ll be seeing on your personalized ballot.
As we noted yesterday, early voting that ended Friday was up dramatically from the 2014 midterms, with nearly 112,000 ballots already cast in Cobb in person. Nearly 23,000 more voters have cast absentee ballots.
In addition to a close Georgia governor’s race, local voters will have full slates on most of their ballots. That includes East Cobb, where 10 races are being contested, including 6th District Congress, District 3 of the Cobb Board of Commissioners, two Cobb school board seats, a State Senate seat and five State House seats.
Please visit our East Cobb Elections Guide link below for full previews of those races and other voting information.
If we missed anything or you spot a correction that needs to be made, e-mail us: editor@eastcobbnews.com.
Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!
Once the bastion of Southern Sunbelt Republicanism, Cobb County has become hotly contested turf in major elections. The Georgia governor’s race is the latest example.
In 2016, a majority of Cobb voters preferred a Democratic presidential candidate over a Republican for the first time since Jimmy Carter.
Hillary Clinton’s 48-46 margin over Donald Trump revealed some gradual demographic changes in the Cobb electorate which could factor in many state and local elections that will conclude on Tuesday.
The major-party nominees for Georgia governor both visited Cobb this week, and one with very notable company. Democrat Stacey Abrams, a former minority leader of the Georgia House, had a town hall meeting Thursday at the Cobb Civic Center with Oprah Winfrey.
That Oprah Winfrey. On Friday, former President Barack Obama stumped on behalf of Abrams in Atlanta.
Vice President Mike Pence was in the state this week at the same time, campaigning for Republican nominee Brian Kemp, the Georgia Secretary of State. On Monday, President Trump will be coming to Macon to campaign for Kemp, whom he endorsed in a runoff.
Abrams would be the first black and female governor in Georgia, and the first black female governor in any state.
Kemp also was in Cobb County this week, and had an event at Williamson Bros. BBQ in East Marietta.
Georgia voters also will be choosing a whole slate of statewide offices, including lieutenant governor, secretary of state, attorney general, two public service commissioners as well as labor, agriculture and insurance commissioners.
Some polls have the governor’s race too close to call. A runoff is possible but is not considered likely, with Libertarian candidate Ted Metz polling under 2 percent.
Early voting ended in Cobb on Friday, and Cobb Elections is reporting that more than 92,000 people voted in person through Thursday. Another 21,000 Cobb voters cast absentee ballots.
According to Ryan Anderson, creator of the independent site Georgia Votes, more than 2 million early votes have been cast across the state, an increase of 120 percent from early voting during the 2014 midterm elections.
East Cobb voters will have a full slate of races on their ballots, which is a rare thing. There is a Democrat in every race in an area that has all Republican incumbent office holders.
We’ll have more later this weekend and on Monday as the campaigning comes to a close, and final balloting takes place on Tuesday.
The District 37 Georgia House seat that includes portions of Northeast Cobb will feature a three-term incumbent against a first-time candidate.
Republican State Rep. Sam Teasley did not have primary opposition in May. Mary Frances Williams won a three-way Democratic primary without a runoff.
He is a realtor and the vice chairman of the House Republican Caucus. She is a social worker and lobbyist, and the daughter of the late Marietta mayor and state representative Howard Atherton.
District 37 also includes portions of the city of the Marietta and West Cobb.
Teasley has advocated conservative positions on fiscal and cultural issues during his time in the legislature.
He is the sponsor of the Direct Primary Care Act, which he says will expand “healthcare freedom” for families by declaring that direct care agreements are not considered insurance.
Teasley also voted this year to reduce corporate and individual income tax rates and supports a state constitutional amendment that would require a super-majority vote in the legislature for any tax increase.
He also has been a sponsor of legislation to raise the cap on state tax credits for private schools.
He has been endorsed by the Family Policy Alliance, which is a public policy arm of the conservative Christian organization Focus on the Family.
Williams has been an advocate for full funding of Quality Basic Education in Georgia. Her top priority is working for better access to health care. As a lobbyist she advocated for the Family Care Act, which became law last year. It allows for employees to use sick leave to care for ailing family members.
On transit matters, she favors what she calls a “a proactive statewide transportation policy” that includes Cobb County.
Williams said she is running now, after working as a lobbyist for 30 years at the State Capitol, because “I’ve become increasingly frustrated by the lack of movement on issues that matter.”
She has received endorsements and backing from the AFL-CIO, Georgia Sierra Club, Planned Parenthood Southeast and Georgia WINS, which supports Democratic candidates.
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Since winning a special election in 2011, State Rep. John Carson has had few tests to his incumbency in the District 46 Georgia House seat that covers some of Northeast Cobb and southern Cherokee.
The Republican Carson was unopposed in the May primary, and hasn’t had a Democratic challenger since 2012. In the general election, he faces first-time candidate Karín Sandiford, who was the only Democrat to qualify.
Carson is a CPA and commercial banker with SunTrust Bank. Sandiford, a native of Brazil, has a background corporate leadership and is a managing partner of Latam Innovation LLC, a technology consulting firm.
Carson was the chief sponsor of a new hands-free driving law that took effect in Georgia this summer.
This year he also voted to reduce corporate and personal income tax rates and supports the elimination of corporate taxes. He is opposed to any extension of Obamacare in Georgia, saying it will add $500 million a year to the state budget and “will kill jobs, destroy our healthcare system, and hurt our families.”
He also is a sponsor of state legislation in 2018 that will increase private school tuition tax credits. Currently there is a $58 million cap on what the state can provide.
HB 217, which passed the legislature and was signed by Gov. Nathan Deal, will raise the cap to $100 million a year.
Like many Democrats running in nearby East Cobb legislative races, Sandiford supports expanding Medicaid in Georgia. She also is in favor of making technical colleges tuition-free for Georgia residents. Sandiford is against campus carry laws.
Her other priorities include work- and career-related matters. She advocates a pay inquiry law that would prohibit employers from asking job candidates about past income.
Sandiford, a single mother to four children, also wants to offer companies a tax incentive with Work From Home programs, saying technology “offers us the capabilities and conveniences to work from home, so family time, or your personal time, should never be robbed because of traffic.”
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East Cobb’s longest serving legislator has some rare general election competition this year. Republican Don Parsons was first elected to serve the District 44 Georgia House seat in 1994.
His Democratic opponent is Chinita Allen, who like many in her party campaigning for legislative seats in East Cobb, is a first-time candidate.
She is a teacher at Chalker Elementary School and is the mother of children in the Lassiter High School cluster. Parsons worked for many years for BellSouth and is a consultant in the telecommunications field.
Allen did not have a primary opponent. Parsons easily defeated Homer Crothers in the Republican primary in May.
Allen’s focus is on economic development, education, health and civil rights.
She supports increased education spending for K-12. The Georgia Science Teachers Association’s District 3 Science Director (which includes Cobb, Marietta and Douglas schools) and the Georgia STEM Laureate, Allen wants the state to establish more “science, STEM and career pathways.”
Parsons supports expanding 5G wireless technology across the state. He also has supportedcutting personal and business income tax rates, additional funding for public K-12 education in Georgia and a proposed constitutional amendment on the November general election ballot for victims’ rights.
More recently, he has cited the addition of 700,000 new private sector jobs, the preservation of HOPE Scholarships and full funding of K-12 education under Republican leadership in state government since 2010.
“We can’t go back!” he said earlier this week.
Allen has stressed her grassroots campaign against a better-financed opponent and has noted that she’s among 191 women in both parties running for state office in Georgia (and several others in East Cobb as well).
“We need women running and winning at every level,” she said recently. “What we have seen is the result of the absence of more women in elected office.”
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An East Cobb legislator who’s had little opposition in recent years is like his fellow incumbents in the area. Republican Matt Dollar, who has held the District 45 Georgia House seat since 2003, is facing a Democrat who’s a first-time candidate.
She’s Essence Johnson, a human resources and management professional. Dollar is a real estate broker who graduated from Pope High School. They were unopposed in the May primaries. District 45 is mostly in East Cobb and includes some of Sandy Springs.
Johnson has identified three priorities in her campaign: education, health care and economic development. She supports expanding the HOPE Scholarship program, full funding for Quality Basic Education and increased funding for pre-K and technical college programs.
Her health care objectives include an expansion of state Medicaid and greater insurance provider choice. Medicaid expansion, she says, would bring billions of federal funding to Georgia that would help those with lesser incomes: “Health care should not be wealth care.”
Johnson, whose husband is a small business owner, also has said she will push for access to capital, tax incentives, and technical support for entrepreneurs.
Dollar also cites education in his platform, along with economic growth and tax issues.
He has supported full funding of QBE, which happened for the first time in the 2018 legislative session. He also has worked to increase funding for school safety initiatives.
On taxes, Dollar voted for cuts to the state personal and business tax rates this year, and says that “I have never, and will never, vote for a tax increase.”
Dollar has not had any Democratic opposition since 2010. He has high ratings from the National Rifle Association, the American Conservative Union and the Georgia Chamber of Commerce.
Johnson was inspired to run for office after participating in the Women’s March in Atlanta in Jan. 2017. She has been endorsed by Georgia’s WIN List, which supports pro-choice Democratic women candidates.
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One of the most powerful leaders in the state legislature is being challenged by a first-time candidate in the District 43 Georgia House race.
State Rep. Sharon Cooper (pictured at left), a Republican who is the chairwoman of the House Health and Human Services Committee, has held the East Cobb-based seat since 1997, and has had little opposition in recent years.
Her opponent is Democrat Luisa Wakeman (right), a nurse who also has a background in the financial services industry.
Wakeman was unopposed in the primary; Cooper’s only Republican opponent disqualified for owing back taxes right before the primary.
A retired nurse and former nursing educator whose late husband was a physician, Cooper has long based her platform around health care issues. More recently, Cooper has pointed to efforts to make it easier for first-responders to to administer Naloxone to those suffering from opioid overdoses.
She also has cited her work to address hospital and trauma-care needs in rural parts of the state, and her advocacy with the Cobb Elder Abuse Task Force. Cooper sponsored a bill that was passed in 2018 that allows local communities to create task forces to investigate allegations of elder abuse among at-risk seniors.
Wakeman supports expansion of Medicaid in Georgia and has been critical of what she said is Georgia’s “unwillingness to address their 300,000-person coverage gap through previous legislation” that has reduced the network of insurance providers.
Wakeman also wants full funding for public schools in Georgia and is in favor of ballot initiatives that would address special education needs and teacher compensation.
Cooper has said that while the current funding formula for public education in Georgia needs to be changed, “we must make certain that any change in the school funding formula reduces, not raises, the amount Cobb is required to give.”
In 2016, Cooper voted in favor of HB 757, the so-called Religious Liberty bill, that would strengthen legal protections for those who oppose same-sex marriage. That bill was vetoed by Gov. Nathan Deal, and since then Cooper has said a federal solution may be the best option.
Wakeman, the mother of a daughter in the LGBT community, said such laws are discriminatory. She also opposes campus carry laws.
Her other main campaign issue is advocating changes to state financial priorities. Wakeman said recent changes in the federal tax code could mean Georgians may have to pay $3.6 billion in state taxes over the next five years.
Cooper hasn’t had general election opposition since 2010, when she won with nearly 67 percent of the vote.
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This is the week for East Cobb advance voting, and you’ll have more than one place to cast your ballot in person before the Nov. 6 election day.
As we noted last week, Cobb Elections is opening additional venues for advance voting due to high turnout.
In addition to the usual location at the East Cobb Government Service Center (above, 4400 Lower Roswell Road), you’ll also be able to vote at Noonday Baptist Church (4120 Canton Road), and the East Cobb Senior Center (3332 Sandy Plains Road).
Advance voting hours are Monday-Friday from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. There will be no voting on Saturday, Nov. 4.
According to Cobb Elections, more than 26,000 people voted early in person, and more than 16,000 absentee ballots have been received. Those numbers don’t include those who voted yesterday.
We’re continuing our coverage of East Cobb races with our voters guide. It includes previews of all races in the community, from Congress to Cobb Commission to Cobb school board and Georgia State Senate.
In the coming week, we’ll have profiles of candidates running for the Georgia House and take a look at state and local ballot issues.
Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!
The District 32 Georgia State Senate race is a rematch from last year’s special election.
Kay Kirkpatrick (pictured at left), a Republican retired orthopedic surgeon who won that election to succeed Judson Hill, is once again facing family law attorney Chrstine Triebsch, a Democrat (pictured at right).
Kirkpatrick won a runoff against Triebsch by 57-43 percent for the seat that covers most of East Cobb and some of Sandy Springs.
Neither of them faced primary opposition in May. They were part of a candidates forum in early October sponsored by the League of Women Voters of Cobb-Marietta.
They discussed health care, taxes, public safety and other issues on a panel with candidates in other Cobb senate races.
Triebsch said that in the Republican-dominated Georgia state government, “we need a two-party system.” She said her platform is comprised of “common sense and compassion” and fresh approaches for jobs, health care, education and the environment.”
Kirkpatrick said her objective has been to “bring a voice of reason to state government” and has focused on improving health insurance options, public safety and services for military veterans.
At the League of Women Voters forum, they differed on tax issues. Kirkpatrick voted for a state tax cut for individuals and businesses and said “I would like to look for more savings [in places such as state agencies] and cut taxes further.
Triebsch said that before cutting taxes, new sources of revenue must be found. She’s also against eliminating the state income tax.
On health care issues, Triebsch supports expanding Medicaid in Georgia and preserving the Affordable Health Care Act, or Obamacare.
A member of the Senate Health and Human Services Committee, Kirkpatrick said she hears more from constituents about health insurance issues than just about anything else, especially the costs of premiums on the individual market.
“There’s a lot we can do to rein in the big carriers,” she said.
As for Medicaid expansion, Kirkpatrick said a problem bigger than expansion is that “we have to fix a system that is broken.”
On education matters, Triebsch advocates a new funding formula to replace the Quality Basic Education Act, which is more than 30 years old. She opposes vouchers for private schools.
School choice, she said, “is not a choice if the choice is not a public school.”
Triebsch says she supports better pay for teachers and efforts to reduce class size.
Kirkpatrick said she wants to “support teachers in a different way” with funding also being directed to address social issues, including more support for counselors. She also is stressing school safety and has been appointed to a special Senate study committee on the subject.
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A year after the most expensive U.S. House race in American history was waged in the Georgia 6th Congressional District, the seat could be closely contested again.
U.S. Rep. Karen Handel (left), a Roswell Republican, fended off Democrat Jon Ossoff in a special election despite being outspent in a race that raised more than $30 million.
This year, she’s being opposed by first-time candidate Lucy McBath (right), a nationally known gun-control advocate.
The 6th Congressional District, which includes most of East Cobb, North Fulton and north and central DeKalb, has been in Republican hands since former House Speaker Newt Gingrich first won in 1978.
But Handel, a former Georgia Secretary of State, won only after Ossoff, a political novice, barely avoided a runoff following a “jungle primary” in which she finished second. In the runoff, she got some of her strongest margins in East Cobb and was actively supported by commissioners Bob Ott and JoAnn Birrell.
Handel was unopposed in the Republican primary in May. McBath earned the Democratic nomination in a runoff.
A poll released Tuesday shows Handel with a four-point lead, which is within the margin of error.
The National Republican Campaign Committee has purchased $1.4 million in Atlanta TV air time for pro-Handel commercials that began this week.
President Donald Trump won the 6th District with just 51 percent of the vote in 2016. Since succeeding former Rep. Tom Price, Handel has touted her vote for Trump’s tax cuts, but she opposes his steel and aluminum tariffs. (The 6th District includes the U.S. headquarters of Mercedes-Benz.)
McBath is a former Delta Air Lines flight attendant who lives in East Cobb. Her son, a Marietta High School graduate, was shot and killed in 2012 in Florida by an angry motorist for playing loud car music at a gas station.
Since then, she’s been an outspoken advocate for gun-control and other traditional liberal positions.
She wants to preserve the Affordable Health Care Act (referred to as “Obamacare”) with some changes, as well as expand Medicaid in Georgia. McBath has been critical of what she calls the “Trump-Handel Tax Scam” and supports citizenship for the “Dreamers,” the children of undocumented immigrants who have grown up in the United States.
Handel has advocated “repealing and replacing” Obamacare with a market-based alternative, as well as building a wall along the southern border of the U.S. to prevent illegal immigration.
McBath has been endorsed by EMILY’s list, a political action committee that supports pro-choice Democrats. Handel has the endorsement of the Susan B. Anthony List, which supports pro-life candidates.
During the campaign, Handel has raised questions of McBath’s East Cobb residency pertaining to her claiming homestead exemptions.
McBath noted that Handel, a former Georgia Secretary of State and candidate for the U.S. Senate and Georgia Governor, is only now running for re-election for the first time and that the incumbent “will do or say anything” to remain in power.
McBath made those remarks Tuesday in a debate with Handel that was conducted by the Atlanta Press Club. The video below is about a half an hour, and includes a heated exchange about gun-control, background checks for arms purchases and the National Rifle Association.
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Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!
From L-R: Republican incumbent JoAnn Birrell; Democratic challenger Caroline Holko
The District 3 Cobb Board of Commissioners race gives voters a distinct choice.
Republican commissioner JoAnn Birrell, first elected in 2010, is a conservative from Northeast Cobb who has cited her votes against tax increases, her work to improve blighted properties in the Canton Road corridor and her push to build Mabry Park.
Democrat Caroline Holko, a first-time candidate, is an admitted “progressive” liberal who favors expanding transit options in Cobb, has been critical of the county’s Atlanta Braves stadium deal and supports more hours for services like libraries.
Birrell, a former lobbyist and consultant, said she brings “a wealth of knowledge and experience to the table.”
Holko, whose family moved to Cobb from New Orleans and who home-schools her children, said “it’s time to do things differently.”
District 3 includes much of Northeast Cobb and portions of the city of Marietta and the area around Kennesaw State University.
Birrell and Holko met recently at a forum sponsored by the League of Women Voters of Cobb-Marietta, and discussed the above issues and others. Joseph Pond, who ran against Birrell in the 2014 Republican primary, and who is running as an independent write-in candidate, was not invited.
Birrell, who supported the Braves stadium financing in 2013, said she understands why people are still upset by that vote, “but I can’t say I regret the decision.”
“I would like to see the entire contract laid bare to the public so we don’t get surprises like this,” she said.
Birrell responded that the Braves-Cobb contract “is an open record” and includes a provision for disputes like this one that go to mediation.
Pond, an East Cobb resident who has clashed with the county over his backyard chickens, is a plumber and organizer of the Backyard Chickens Alliance.
He thinks commissioner seats should be non-partisan and wants to reduce county building code that’s now around 1,400 pages long. Pond also is critical of “corporate welfare,” specifically tax breaks for companies that move to Cobb.
At the League of Women Voters forum, Birrell and Holko supported the acquisition of more green space.
Holko is an unabashed supporter of more transit options. Birrell said that “we need to look at everything,” especially with a county transit study being completed by the end of the year that “will give input to where transit is needed,” followed by a referendum.
Birrell supports the creation of a special tax district to fund Cobb Police operations, similar to what is done for fire and emergency services. Holko said she supports better salaries for public safety employees.
Holko also said she is in favor of opening libraries seven days a week, as recently was begun at regional libraries, and she prefers a neighborhood branch concept to a regional branch concept.
Birrell said the regional library concept “has been around for a long time.” She also said she wouldn’t support closing smaller branches that aren’t close to a regional library.
Holko said she’s proud to be a liberal Democrat, and that “one thing I would be on the board is [provide] a little bit of balance.”
Birrell touted her record of keeping taxes low while preserving “our quality of life . . . If you’re asking for someone who can get things done, my record speaks for itself. I do get results.”
Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!
We’ve been getting some inquiries about Cobb advance voting details, and when people will be able to do that in East Cobb, since there were some long lines last week.
This week, you can vote at the Cobb Elections office (736 Whitlock Ave.) and also the Jim Miller Park Event Center (2245 Callaway Road), from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday-Friday.
Those venues also will be open this coming Saturday, Oct. 27, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Some lines at the Cobb Elections office last week were reported to be more than three hours long.
According to Cobb Elections, the unofficial early voting totals have topped 20,000. That includes absentee ballots, but the number is higher since absentee ballots from Saturday have not been added.
Next Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., you’ll be able to vote at the following locations in East Cobb:
East Cobb Government Service Center (4400 Lower Roswell Road);
Noonday Baptist Church (4120 Canton Road);
East Cobb Senior Center (3332 Sandy Plains Road).
There will be no advance voting on Saturday, Nov. 3, or Monday, Nov. 6.
Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!
Our East Cobb election previews that begin next week will provide key information on candidates, races, ballot questions, voting details and more.
For the first time in a long time, local ballots are competitive from top to bottom, with the Nov. 6 general elections being contested at the federal, state and local levels.
On Monday, we will take a look at the key local races you’ll be voting on, starting with the District 3 Cobb Board of Commissioners candidates.
The previews will continue with Cobb Board of Education races for Post 4 and Post 6, as well as races for State Senate District 32, and State House Districts 37, 43, 44, 45 and 46.
The U.S. House District 6 race, statewide races, including governor and other constitutional officers, and state and local ballot issues also will be previewed.
You can follow our coverage here, or more conveniently, by checking the East Cobb Elections Guide. This page will have all of those previews, voting information and more, and will be continuously updated with election-night results on Nov. 6.
Disclaimer:East Cobb News does not endorse candidates or take a position on ballot issues.
In addition, East Cobb News editor and publisher Wendy Parker does not vote in local elections and local ballot issues she covers.
In 2018, that will include 6th District Congress, 43rd District State House and Cobb Sunday Brunch Alcohol Sales.
Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!
Sweeney ran strong in most East Cobb precincts where he lives, but Davis got most of her votes in the Smyrna and Vinings area that is her home.
None of them won on Tuesday, but they did make entrenched Republican incumbents, some of whom see little competition, campaign more than usual.
Holko also said she is in favor of opening libraries seven days a week, 
