Election Coverage

Coleman-Stribling wins Solicitor-General’s race

Donna Coleman-Stribling received 54 percent of the vote to become DeKalb’s next Solicitor-General. She defeated Nicole Golden, who received 46 percent of the vote in the hotly-contested race. Both have worked in  the DA’s office. Golden has served as DeKalb’s chief assistant district attorney, while Coleman-Stribling has served as deputy chief district attorney.

District 4  Commissioner Barnes- Sutton in runoff 

Commissioner Sharon Barnes-Sutton will face Steve Bradshaw in a runoff. Bradshaw received 5,253 votes(48.4 percent), while Barnes-Sutton received 4,712 votes (43.4 percent).

Gannon re-elected Commissioner , District 6

Incumbent Kathie Gannon won re-election with 81 percent (17,437 votes), defeating Warren Mosby, who received 19 percent (4,162).Mosby was Gannon’s only challenger.

Sheriff Jeff Mann wins Democratic primary

In his bid for re-election, Sheriff Jeff Mann won the Democratic primary with 56 percent (29,838 votes). Mann was challenged by four opponents in the primary. Mann will face Republican H. Dennis, who received 7,925 votes as the GOP nominee, in the November general election.

Irvin Johnson, Susannah Scott in runoff for tax commissioner

Irvin Johnson, who is serving as DeKalb’s interim tax commissioner, is headed for a runoff with Susannah Scott, an attorney for the top paying job in the county–$242,000 annually. Johnson received 40 percent (20,885 votes) while Scott received 34 percent (17,863 votes).  Former DeKalb Commissioner Stan Watson came in third with 27 percent (14,108 votes).

Days before the election, Johnson filed a lawsuit to stop the primary, saying his name was not listed on the ballot as the incumbent based on a passed in 2008. Under the law, an interim tax commissioner “shall not be designated as the incumbent on the election ballot used to fill such vacancy.”

In January, Johnson, who was the deputy tax commissioner, succeeded Claudia Lawson, who resigned from the top post in December 2015.

Vernon Jones, Rhonda Taylor in runoff for House District 91

Former DeKalb CEO Vernon Jones is headed to a runoff on July 26 with Rhonda Taylor, a legal support consultant, for state House District 91, which covers parts of DeKalb and Rockdale counties. Jones received 49 percent of the vote (2,708)–not the more than 50 percent required to avoid a runoff. Taylor came in second with 26 percent of the vote (1,432 votes). Business owner Charles Hill came in third with 18 percent (1,009) votes in the four-way primary.

The runoff winner will face Republican Carl Anuszcyk in the November general election. Anuszcyk, the only Republican in the race, received 1,009 votes.

Tonya Anderson, Dee Dawkins-Haigler in Senate District 43 runoff

In another hotly-contested state race, former State Rep. Tonya P. Anderson will face State Rep. Dee Dawkins-Haigler in the state Senate District 43 race. Anderson received 46 percent (5,867), while Dawkins-Haigler received 34 percent (4,389 votes) in a three-way race. Toney Collins, a former state representative, received 20 percent (2,485 votes).   The runoff winner will face Republican incumbent JaNice Van Ness in the November general election. VanNess received 3,627 votes as the Republican nominee.

Renitta Shannon unseats Rahn Mayo in House District 84

Renitta Shannon, a medical sales manager, unseated incumbent Rahn Mayo with 53 percent (3,437votes) in the House District 84 race. Shannon campaigned for racial, gender and economic justice, according to her campaign website.

Mayo, who has served since 2009, received 47 percent (2,991) in the race. Mayo sponsored legislation to address home foreclosures, transportation infrastructure funding, driver safety, charter school accountability and expanding access to the HOPE Scholarship, according to his biography on the state’s web site.

Five incumbent legislators defeat opponents

Five incumbent DeKalb legislators defeated their challengers and were re-elected after defeating challengers: State Rep. Tom Taylor, R-Dunwoody; State Rep. Mary Margaret Oliver, D-Decatur; Sen. Fran Millar, R-Atlanta; Rep. Michele Henson, D-Stone Mountain; and Rep. Earnest Coach Williams, D-Avondale Estates.

Three DeKalb judges win re-election against challengers

State Court Judge Dax Lopez defeated former Recorders Court Judge Roderick Bridges. Superior Court Judge Clarence Seeliger defeated Attorney Stephone Johnson; and Superior Court Judge Gail Flake defeated former Recorders Court Judge Angela Brown.