The ballot for the May 24 primaries — while packed with many names of past and present office holders — will also feature some noticeable absences.
Missing from the Republican primary ballots will be the names of Lynn Westmoreland and Matt Ramsey, while on Democratic ballots, the names of Virgil Fludd and Ronnie Mabra will be prominent by their absence. All are incumbents, some of whom have held elective posts for many years. All have decided against another race for re-election.
Qualifying came with the Friday announcement, the last day of qualifying, by Rep. Virgil Fludd that he would be resigning after 14 years in the Georgia House.
Three candidates, all Democrats, were quick to qualify for the District 64 seat. Those included retired U.S. Navy officer and adjunct professor Derrick Jackson, project coordinator Kathy Adams and retired U.S. State Department employee Terry Williamson.
Qualifiers for Rep. Matt Ramsey’s District 72 state House seat were attorney James Clifton, Realtor Josh Bonner and attorney Lisa Inagawa, all Republicans, all of whom live in Fayette County.
Notably absent from that list is former Peachtree City Mayor Harold Logsdon, who was the first to announce in February that he intended to replace Ramsey. Logsdon did not qualify to run by the deadline last Friday.
Mabra’s District 63 seat in the state House will be up for grabs with his decision not to seek re-election.
Qualifiers for the seat, all Democrats, include retiree Debra Bazemore, real estate agent Jasmine Bowles, attorney Kelli Hooper, retiree Kenneth Kincaid and paralegal Linda Pritchett.
Qualifiers for House District 71 seat were Republican incumbent David Stover and Democratic challenger and software engineer Cynthia C. Bennett.
Republicans qualifying for Lynn Westmoreland’s District 3 Congressional seat were educator Arnall “Rod” Thomas, small business owner Chip Flanegan, dentist and West Point Mayor Drew Ferguson, businessman Jim Pace, state Sen. Mike Crane, business owner Richard Mix and retired Master Sergeant Samuel Anders. The lone Democrat qualifying for the office was pastor Tamarkus Cook.
Fayette County voters will also see a host of names in multiple races when they go to the voting booth on May 24.
Candidates for Superior Court Judge Mack Crawford’s seat include Crawford and attorney Catherine Sanderson.
Candidates for Superior Court Judge Tommy Hankinson’s seat include Hankinson and current Fayette County District Attorney Scott Ballard.
Ballard, a Fayette resident, is giving up what many observers would consider to be an electorally safe position as incumbent DA to make the run against Hankinson, who lives in Upson County, the southern-most part of the four-county Griffin Judicial Circuit.
Both superior court races mark the relative rarity in this judicial circuit of an incumbent judge facing an electoral challenge. The last such was more than a decade ago, involving sitting Judge Johnnie Caldwell, an Upson native, and local attorney John Mrosek, who lost in 2000 and 2004 to the incumbent.
The judgeship races are officially nonpartisan, and the winners in May will not face a general election in November.
Candidates for district attorney, all Republicans, includes attorney Cindy Manning, Assistant District Attorney Ben Coker and attorney Rudjard M. Hayes.
Candidates for the District 1 county commission seat include incumbent David Barlow, former commissioner and attorney Eric Maxwell, both Republicans, and Democrat and AVPride Executive Director Pam Reid.
District 2 candidates, all Republicans, include incumbent Randy Ognio, former commissioner and design engineer Lee Hearn and self-employed marketer Maggie Laton.
Candidates for the new at-large commission seat are all Republicans and include incumbent Chuck Oddo along with former Peachtree City Mayor Don Haddix, former Commissioner Allen McCarty, former Fayetteville Mayor and sales representative Greg Clifton and accountant Emory McHugh, III.
Candidates for sheriff include Republican incumbent Barry Babb and Republican challenger and Fayetteville Police detective Christopher Stevers.
Candidates for coroner include retiree Robbie G. Waits and funeral director W. Bee Huddleston, both Republicans.
Tax Commissioner candidates Republican Chief Deputy Tax Commissioner Kristie King and Democrat management consultant Rasheed “B.J.” Dawodu.
The Board of Education qualifiers for District 1 include incumbent Republican Barry Marchman and part-time billing coordinator and Democrat Melissa Lohr.
District 3 candidates include incumbent Republican Marion Key, Republican financial advisor Scott Hollowell and Democrat military retiree Angela Kelly Stowman.
The BOE at-large qualifiers were Democratic homemaker Ching Ching Yap, Republican property manager Sue Stopford, Republican Sharon Girolami and Republican software consultant Brian Anderson.
