Longtime Marietta Mayor Steve “Thunder” Tumlin was narrowly returned to office on Tuesday in an election that was closer than expected. 
Tumlin, who has been mayor for 16 years, defeated first-time candidate Sam Foster by fewer than 100 votes (updated results are here) 6,762 to 6,675.
Foster is a 24-year-old recent Kennesaw State graduate who won seven of the city’s 13 precincts, some by large margins.
But Tumlin overcame a late deficit when the final votes were cast to claim 50.32 percent to 49.68.
Several East Cobb precincts are in the City of Marietta, including 4B, which Tumlin barely won, and 6B, which Foster won easily.
Voters in East Cobb did not have a contested city council race, as incumbents Andre Sims (Ward 6) and Joseph Goldstein (Ward 7) were re-elected without opposition.
Ward 7 Marietta Board of Education incumbent Holly Berens was re-elected without opposition, while the new Ward 6 member is Christina Rogers. She defeated Tony Viola with nearly 57 percent of the vote (results here).
The races were officially non-partisan, but Tumlin, a former Republican legislator, received open support from GOP organizations. Foster, who’s involved with the A Better Cobb advocacy group, outraised Tumlin and was supported by Democratic State Rep. Gabe Sanchez, a Democratic Socialist who scored a major Georgia House upset last year.
In the Georgia Public Service Commission special elections, both Republican incumbents were defeated.
Alicia Johnson downed Tim Echols and Peter Hubbard beat Fitz Johnson, both around 62 percent of the vote, and will serve out the last year of the remaining terms (results here).
The PSC regulates utility rates in Georgia, and they will be the first Democrats to serve on the board since 2006. Those seats are both up in 2026, and Echols and Johnson have said they will seek their old offices.
Related:
- East Cobb Republican activist Pam Reardon dies
- Democratic activist announces candidacy for Cobb commissioner
- Cobb Elections Board members to get major stipend increases
- ‘Community Coffee and Protest’ group gathering in East Cobb
- At Charlie Kirk vigil, a call for ‘sharing the light’
- MORE: Visit the East Cobb News Politics & Elections Page
Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!
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!
