Fulton County Commission race: Outgoing chairman backs Republican incumbent
Fulton County District 1 Commission race heats up
Outgoing Fulton County Chairman Robb Pitts endorsed Republican incumbent Bridget Thorne over Democratic challenger Maggie Goldman in the District 1 commission race.
FULTON COUNTY, Ga - A high-stakes Fulton County Commission race has gained national attention after the outgoing Democratic chairman endorsed the Republican incumbent over her Democratic challenger.
Fulton County Commission race
What we know:
Incumbent District 1 Commissioner Bridget Thorne is defending her seat against Democratic challenger and community organizer Maggie Goldman, who lost the previous election cycle by only 400 votes. District 1 encompasses Sandy Springs, Johns Creek, Alpharetta and Roswell.
The competitive race made headlines after longtime Fulton County Chairman Robb Pitts, a Democrat, publicly endorsed Thorne over Goldman. Thorne noted that while she did not request the endorsement, she and Pitts built a strong working relationship over the past four years.
"I am really honored that he would endorse me," Thorne said. "I didn't ask for the endorsement, but we have become good friends throughout this past four years. We didn't start out that way, we had to build that relationship and that mutual understanding."
Both candidates are campaigning on platforms centered around keeping commercial and property taxes low. However, campaign tactics and political ideology remain major friction points. Thorne argued that Goldman cannot build bipartisan coalitions, while Goldman accused Thorne of putting national MAGA politics ahead of local county needs.
Election security debate
What they're saying:
Goldman criticized Thorne's post-2020 election actions, arguing that Thorne's promotion of election conspiracy theories makes her a threat to democratic integrity.
"She has made a further record for herself as an election denier," Goldman said. "Voters across the country believe that she is a threat to democracy and that she can not be trusted to protect our elections because of her advancing Donald Trump's election conspiracy for the last six years."
Thorne rejected the election denier label, citing her nine years of experience as a former precinct manager.
"I am not an election denier," Thorne said. "I am actually a former precinct manager with nine years experience and I take an oath. I take an oath that I will report anything that interrupts our elections and that is exactly what I did in 2020."
Goldman emphasized that her campaign strategy relies on building coalitions with moderate, traditional Republicans who reject Trump.
"That's why I've been able to build coalitions that include so many Republicans and independents," Goldman said. "We call them 'normies,' people who are Republicans that don't support Trump. I have built relationships with a lot of those that have publicly and privately denounced Trump."
District 1 election outcome
What we don't know:
Election officials have not announced voter turnout projections for District 1 ahead of the upcoming midterm election.
The Source: The information in this story was gathered from candidate debates, public campaign statements, and reporting by FOX 5 reporter Aungelique Proctor.