Cobb voters sent a mixed message Tuesday night in the 2024 general elections.
Democrats now hold power in all countywide offices, while Republicans maintain a slender majority on the school board.
The split votes reflect an electorate that has turned a county that switched from Republican dominance since the 1980s to more competitive terrain since 2016.
While Democratic Commission Chairwoman Lisa Cupid easily won a second term, the Cobb Mobility SPLOST she championed went down to a heavy defeat.
Cupid defeated Republican Kay Morgan by getting 55 percent of the vote (full results here). Morgan won a number of East Cobb precincts, but Cupid dominated in her home area around South Cobb and Smyrna.
But the transit tax was soundly rejected across the county (full results here).
The 30-year, one-percent sales tax that would have collected $11 billion to expand transit services across the county.
With all 148 precincts reporting, “No” votes were 62 percent, and “Yes” votes tallied only 37 percent.
In a statement to supporters, Cupid said that she was “deeply honored and grateful to have the trust of Cobb County’s residents to serve as your Chairwoman for another term. My vision remains rooted in service and a commitment to seeing Cobb flourish for everyone, as we work to make our county a more vibrant, inclusive, and thriving place.”
She mentioned the transit tax failure but said that [I] “also know the work for making Cobb a better connected place for all is not done.”
But opponents of the tax were jubilant. Lance Lamberton of the Cobb Taxpayers Association sent out a message Wednesday morning saying that “all the Queen’s horses and all the Queen’s men couldn’t put this turkey back to together again.”
A similar transit tax in Gwinnett also was defeated by voters in a county, that, like Cobb, has shifted from Republican to Democratic political control.
Republicans will hang on to a 4-3 majority on the Cobb Board of Education for two more years.
John Cristadoro, a Republican, defeated Democrat Laura Judge to win the open Post 5 seat in East Cobb, which covers the Walton, Wheeler and Pope attendance zones (separate post coming with reaction on that race).
He received 55 percent of the vote (full results here), winning 21 of 24 precincts.
In January, Cristadoro will succeed David Banks, a four-term Republican who did not seek re-election.
Current GOP board chairman Randy Scamihorn won a third term in Post 1 (North Cobb) with 53 percent of the vote (full results here), and two-term Republican Brad Wheeler held on to Post 7 (West Cobb) with 52 percent of the vote (full results here).
In other Cobb races, Democrats won contested battles for Sheriff and Superior Court Clerk and were unopposed for District Attorney and Tax Commissioner.
The only elected Republican countywide was defeated on Tuesday. State Court Clerk Robin Bishop lost to Democrat Tahnicia Phillips, who got 52 percent of the vote.
Democrats also will keep their majority in the Cobb legislative delegation.
More on legislative and Congressional races are coming in a separate post.
Related:
- East Cobb Votes: Close school board races; transit tax fails
- MORE: Visit the East Cobb News Politics & Elections Page
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