Primaries loom in East Cobb commission and school board races Archives

Commissioner Birrell recognized — *Cobb commissioner JoAnn Birrell*

Incumbent Cobb commissioner JoAnn Birrell will have a Republican opponent in the May 19 primaries.

Candidate qualifying ended on Friday for the 2028 elections, and East Cobb voters will have several contested local and state races on their ballots.

Birrell, who represents District 3, is seeking a fifth term, and she will be opposed by Chris Wasserman, a first-time candidate (previous story here).

The only Democrat who qualified for District 3 is Kevin Redmon, a candidate in the 2024 District 2 election, and he will await the primary winner in November.

On the Cobb Board of Education, Republican Post 4 incumbent David Chastain qualified in his quest for a fourth term, and he has no primary opposition.

But there will be a contested primary in the Democratic race for that seat, which includes the Kell, Lassiter and Sprayberry high school attendance zones. Micheal Garza, a former Georgia House candidate and frequent critic of the Cobb County School District, has qualified for Post 4, as has retired educator Susan McCartney.

The general election in Post 4 will determine party control of the school board, which has a 4-3 Republican majority.

Post 6 on the Cobb school board includes some of the Wheeler attendance zone, and Democratic first-term incumbent Nichelle Davis has qualified. But she will have a primary opponent in Jennifer Susko, a former Cobb school counselor who also has been a vocal opponent of school district leadership.

Editor's Note: Whither public comments in an age of rage? — *Jennifer Susko*

No Republicans qualified in Post 6, which primarily includes the Campbell High School attendance zone.

The Post 2 seat also is up for re-election, and Democratic first-term member Becky Sayler qualified without either primary or general election opposition.

All Georgia legislative seats are up for re-election in 2026, and incumbents with East Cobb constituencies have qualified.

Only of those races include a contested primary. Democratic Sen. Michael “Doc” Rhett of District 33 is being challenged by Lisa Anderson; no Republicans qualified.

Democratic State Rep. Mary Frances Williams of District 37 has a primary foe in Graham Bowers; no Republican qualified.

Republican Sen. Kay Kirkpatrick and Democrat Michael Hettig will meet in the general election in District 32.

State Sen. John Albers, a Republican from District 56, has qualified, and in November will face Democrat Patrick Thompson.

State Rep. Solomon Adesanya, a Democrat, is the only candidate in either party to qualify in District 43. In District 44, longtime Republican State Rep. Don Parsons qualified, along with Democrat Danielle Bell.

State Rep. Sharon Cooper, a Republican who represents District 45, has qualified, as has Democrat Michelle Schreiner. Republican State Rep. John Carson has qualified in District 46, as has Democrat Dumont Walker.

At the federal level, Republican U.S. Rep. Barry Loudermilk is retiring in District 11, which includes most of East Cobb.

The GOP primary will have seven candidates, including Robert Adkerson of Bartow County, who is Loudermilk’s chief of staff. Current Georgia Public Service Commission member Tricia Pridemore also has announced her candidacy for District 11, along with John Cowan of of Woodstock, Lisa Anne Carlquist of Cobb, Uloma Stacy Kama of Cobb and William Brown of Woodstock.

The Democratic primary candidates are Chris Harden of Woodstock and Cobb realtor Barry Woolfert.

The other Cobb commission election is in District 1 in North Cobb, where Republican two-term incumbent Keli Gambrill has a primary opponent in Clark Hungerford, chairman of the Development Authority of Cobb County. No Democrats qualified for Post 1; Democrats hold a 3-2 commission majority.

The only countywide office on the ballot is Cobb Solicitor, and Democratic incumbent Makia Metzer has a primary opponent in attorney Christopher Futch. No Republicans qualified.

In non-partisan judicial races, Cobb Superior Court incumbents have qualified without opposition. They include Sonja Brown, Ann Harris and Robert Leonard.

In Cobb State Court, incumbent judges Eric Brewton, Jason Fincher, Bridgette Campbell Glover and Ashley Palmer also qualified without opposition.

In a future post, East Cobb News will summarize the primaries for statewide and federal elections, including governor and U.S. senator.

For more primary and 2026 candidate election information; click here.

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