ATLANTA - Voters in eight North Georgia counties will decide selected races for county commission, school boards and other local offices this fall. The contests include incumbents seeking reelection, open seats and candidates running unopposed in Cobb, DeKalb, Fulton, Gwinnett, Forsyth, Hall, Cherokee and Paulding counties.
Cobb County
County Commission District 1
- Keli Gambrill (R): The incumbent is unopposed on the consolidated ballot. She was first elected in 2018 and is serving her second term.
County Commission District 3
- JoAnn K. Birrell (R): The incumbent is seeking another term. She has served four terms on the commission.
- Kevin Redmon (D): Redmon works in software sales and is challenging Birrell.
Board of Education Post 2
- Becky Sayler (D): The incumbent is unopposed. She has served on the board since 2023 and is a certified teacher.
Board of Education Post 4
- David Chastain (R): The three-term incumbent represents northeast Cobb on the school board.
- Micheal Garza (D): Garza is a small-business owner, PTA leader and public school advocate challenging Chastain.
Board of Education Post 6
- Nichelle A. Davis (D): The incumbent is unopposed. Davis is a former Cobb County teacher and works for an education-focused nonprofit.
Solicitor General
- Makia Metzger (D): The incumbent is a career prosecutor and the first Black woman elected to the office.
County surveyor and soil and water conservation district supervisor
- Chris Evans (R): The incumbent county surveyor is unopposed on the consolidated ballot. He is a professional land surveyor.
- John I. Lloyd, Brad A. Whitfield and Frank Wigington: The three candidates are seeking two seats as Cobb County Soil and Water Conservation District supervisors. The consolidated ballot does not list party affiliations.
DeKalb County
County Commission District 2
- Michelle Long Spears (D): The incumbent is seeking another term as county commissioner.
- Ben Pepper (R): Pepper is self-employed and making his first bid for the commission seat.
County Commission District 3
- Keyanna Jones Moore (D): Moore works as an environmental policy aide and has a background in community organizing.
- Andrea Bass Smith (R): Smith is a business owner making her first run for public office.
County Commission District 7
- LaDena Bolton (D): The incumbent is a lifelong DeKalb resident with a background in analytical and forensic chemistry. She holds a doctorate from Clark Atlanta University. No Republican opponent is listed.
Fulton County
County Commission Chair
- Mo Ivory (D): A lawyer, educator and Georgia State University law professor, Ivory previously served as a Fulton County commissioner.
- Eric J. Tatum (R): Tatum is an attorney and law school graduate who works in family law.
County Commission District 1
- Bridget Thorne (R): The incumbent is seeking reelection. She is a software designer and has served as commissioner since 2023.
- Maggie Goldman (D): Goldman is a realtor and former chair of the Fulton County Continuum of Care Board. She is challenging Thorne in a rematch of their 2022 race.
County Commission District 3
- Paul Burton (R): Burton is a retired business executive, Gulf War veteran and longtime Sandy Springs resident.
- Jodi Merriday (D): Merriday is Atlanta’s neighborhood ombudsman and a former Atlanta Public Schools ombudsman. Her background includes more than 30 years in education and government.
County Commission District 4 special election
- Natalie Hall (NP): Hall is a former Fulton County commissioner seeking to return to the board.
- Rohit Malhotra (D): Malhotra leads the Center for Civic Innovation, a nonprofit focused on civic engagement. He also ran for Atlanta City Council president in 2025.
- Karen Rene (NP): Rene is a former East Point City Council member.
- Aaron A. Sampson Jr. (D): Sampson is an attorney and former nonprofit chief executive. He led the Atlanta ToolBank, a nonprofit serving other community organizations.
County Commission District 5
- Tiffany A. Henyard (R): Henyard is the Republican candidate for the seat.
- Helen Zenobia Willis (D): Willis is a former South Fulton City Council member and one of the city’s founding leaders. She is also a payroll tax accountant.
- Mark Baker and Lynn King (write-in candidates): Fulton County certified both as write-in candidates for the District 5 contest.
Soil and Water Conservation District Supervisor
- Zane Placie, Walter S. Rekuc Jr. and Jason Ulseth: All three are listed for the county conservation district supervisor contest. Rekuc and Ulseth are incumbents. Rekuc works as a construction project manager for Fulton County Public Works.
Gwinnett County
County Commission District 2
- Ben Ku (D): The incumbent is a software consultant who joined the commission in 2018.
- Rodolfo Ochoa (R): Ochoa is a local business owner making his first run for public office.
County Commission District 4
- Matthew Holtkamp (R): The incumbent founded a Gwinnett-based heating, ventilation and plumbing company.
- Benjamin L. Culberson (D): Culberson is challenging Holtkamp. He has worked as a community organizer and nonprofit consultant and was a student leader at Georgia Gwinnett College.
Forsyth County
County Commission District 1
- Adam Rodes (R): Rodes is a local businessman whose campaign has focused on county spending and growth. He works in mortgage lending.
- Vincent Wright (D): Wright is the Democratic candidate. He served 28 years in the U.S. Air Force and later worked as an information technology program manager.
County Commission District 3
- Todd Levent (R): The incumbent is seeking reelection. He has served as District 3 commissioner since 2011 and previously worked in law enforcement.
- Shuchita Patel (D): Patel is challenging Levent. She is a finance professional and controller.
Board of Education District 1
- Brittany Amos (R): Amos is a small-business owner and school volunteer.
- John V. Holder III (D): Holder is an intensive care unit nurse and father of six.
Board of Education District 5
- Mike Valdes (R): The incumbent school board member is seeking reelection. He chairs the board and works in construction, engineering and inspections management.
- Vishal Srivastava (D): Srivastava is challenging Valdes. He is a data and analytics professional with 25 years of experience.
County offices
- William A. Finch (R): The incumbent solicitor general is unopposed on the consolidated ballot.
- Wesley Hall (NP): Hall is the incumbent soil and water conservation district supervisor and is unopposed.
- David D. Hicks (R): Hicks is the only listed candidate in the special election for the unexpired county tax commissioner term. He previously served 18 years as chief deputy tax commissioner.
Hall County
County Commission District 1
- Mark Turner (R): Turner is the Republican nominee; no opponent is listed on the county’s consolidated ballot.
County Commission District 3
- Tyler Crawford (R): Crawford won the Republican runoff and is the only candidate listed for the seat. He has a business management degree and works in manufacturing.
Board of Education at-large
- Joe Anglin (R): Anglin is a former Flowery Branch City Council member.
- Susan Martin Taylor (D): Taylor is the Democratic candidate for the at-large seat.
Board of Education Post 1
- Debra Jones Smith (R): The incumbent is unopposed on the county’s consolidated ballot.
Board of Education Post 2
- Brian G. Sloan (R): The incumbent is seeking another term.
- Lorrie Jo Moore (D): Moore is challenging Sloan for the Post 2 seat.
Countywide legal offices
- Lee Darragh (R): The incumbent district attorney for the Northeastern Judicial Circuit is unopposed on the county ballot.
- Inez Grant (R): The incumbent solicitor general is unopposed on the county ballot.
Cherokee County
County Commission District 4
- Corey Ragsdale (R): The incumbent commissioner was first elected in 2019 and is a lifelong Cherokee County resident.
- Steven Rogers (D): Rogers is challenging Ragsdale. He has a 20-year background in information technology and cybersecurity.
Board of Education District 4
- Robert Rechsteiner (R): The incumbent school board member is seeking reelection. He is also known as former professional wrestler Rick Steiner.
Board of Education District 3
- Chance Beam (R): Beam is a Woodstock business owner who was appointed to the school board in 2025.
Board of Education District 5
- Erin Ragsdale (R): The incumbent is seeking reelection. She is a teacher and speech-language pathologist.
Paulding County
County Commission Post 2
- Jeff Cole (R): Cole won the Republican primary for the open seat and is unopposed in November.
County Commission Post 3
- Virginia Galloway (R): The incumbent is seeking another term.
- Taurus Madric-Morris (D): Madric-Morris is a small-business owner challenging Galloway.
County Commission Post 4
- Dean Schneider (R): The incumbent is unopposed on the consolidated ballot.
Board of Education District 2
- Nick Chester (R): The incumbent is seeking reelection.
- Rhonda L. Williams (D): Williams is challenging Chester for the district seat.
Board of Education District 5
- Jeff Byrd (R): Byrd is the only listed candidate for the district seat.
Board of Education District 6
- Tara Buzzelli (R): Buzzelli is the Republican candidate for the district seat.
- Matthew Ardis (D): Ardis is the Democratic candidate challenging Buzzelli.
Countywide legal offices
- Luana Nolen (R): The incumbent solicitor general is unopposed.
- Robert S. Lane (R): Lane is the only listed candidate for district attorney in the Paulding Judicial Circuit.
ALL CANDIDATE LISTS
- 2026 Georgia midterm elections: Major race candidates
- 2026 Georgia midterm elections: Congressional candidates
- 2026 Georgia midterm elections: Georgia State Senate candidates
- 2026 Georgia midterm elections: Candidates in 4 statewide races
- Georgia 2026 midterm elections: House of Representatives candidates
- 2026 Georgia midterm elections: Candidates in North Georgia county races