The all-Republican slate of public office holders in East Cobb is no more. Three Democratic candidates defeated Republican incumbents in the November elections, as Cobb’s changing political demographics reached even the strongest GOP part of the county.
All three races were extremely close in what’s being called part of a Democratic “Blue Wave” that galvanized party voters, especially in metro Atlanta.
For the first time in a long time, Democratic candidates contested every office on this year’s ballot for East Cobb voters. All of the Democrats were females, and most were running for office for the first time.
After winning last year’s bruising 6th Congressional District special election over Jon Ossoff, Republican incumbent Karen Handel was unseated by Marietta Democrat Lucy McBath, a high-profile gun-control candidate.
Handel won most of the East Cobb precincts, but McBath prevailed in north DeKalb precincts and won north Fulton by a nose.
After indicating she would ask for a recount, Handel conceded the following day after falling fewer than 3,000 votes short.
McBath will be the first Democrat to hold that seat since former House Speaker Newt Gingrich was first elected to Congress in 1978. She also will serve in the majority, as Democrats nationwide picked up enough seats to take control of the House.
A recount took place for the State House District 37 seat held by Republican Sam Teasley. But Democrat Mary Frances Williams was declared the winner for the seat that includes some of East Cobb.
The Cobb legislative delegation also will be majority Democratic as several other seats in the county switched from GOP control.
In Cobb Board of Education elections, Democrat Charisse Davis, who lives in the Campbell High School area, upset Republican incumbent Scott Sweeney to win Post 6, which mostly includes the Walton and Wheeler attendance zones.
Republicans had held a 6-1 majority on the school board, but their edge will be 4-3 in January. David Chastain, a Republican who represents Kell and Sprayberry, won election to a second term.
Even some Republican incumbents who won had close calls in Cobb. Commissioner JoAnn Birrell was re-elected for a third term in District 3, which includes most of Northeast Cobb. But liberal Democrat Caroline Holko ran strong, as Birrell got only 52 percent of the vote.
Veteran State Rep. Sharon Cooper won by a similar margin to retain State House seat 43 in East Cobb. The chairwoman of the House Health and Human Services Committee, Cooper, first elected in 1996, was challenged by first-time candidate Lucia Wakeman.
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