Former Cobb school board member Jaha Howard appeared to have won the runoff election in the Democratic primary for Cobb County District 2 commissioner in unofficial returns Tuesday night.
Turnout in the runoff election was low, with just nearly 2,400 votes cast.
The District 2 seat currently held by Commissioner Jerica Richardson was up for grabs this year after Richardson launched a bid for Congress against U.S. Rep. Lucy McBath in the newly drawn 6th district. Richardson lost in the May primary while five Democrats vied for her commission seat.
Credit: Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Credit: Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Howard and political newcomer Taniesha Whorton received the most votes in May but neither received over 50%, prompting a runoff election. Howard beat Whorton by a three-to-one margin.
“This is a big win and all glory belongs to God,” Howard said. “I believe voters are ready for an even better Cobb County and I’m ready to thrive together.”
Pamela Reardon, the sole Republican currently in the race, is set to face Howard in November.
The District 2 race could be upended by an ongoing lawsuit brought by Alicia Adams, a candidate who was disqualified from running because she does not live in the district under the current county map — a map that has been hotly contested as unconstitutional since the county commission passed it.
If a judge with the Cobb Superior Court throws out the map before the November election, it is unclear how the ruling could impact the ongoing election cycle. Some legal experts say the election could be thrown out and redone if the map is deemed unconstitutional.
The next hearing in the lawsuit is scheduled for Thursday morning in Cobb Superior Court.
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