Photos: How Gwinnett Republicans rose to power

Metro Atlanta

How Gwinnett Republicans rose to power

Republicans have dominated Gwinnett County politics for more than a generation. Here’s a look at how they took control of the Board of Commissioners in Georgia’s second-largest county.

1980: Democrats had controlled the County Commission for as long as anyone could remember. But Republican Ronald Reagan (shown here at a March 1980 Cobb County rally) wins Gwinnett County over home-state Democrat Jimmy Carter in the presidential election.

1983: In a special election, Norcross businessman Scott Ferguson becomes the first Republican elected to the County Commission. Democrats still hold a 4-1 edge.

1984: Republicans capture three more seats – including the chairman’s post – giving the party a 4-1 majority. In this file photo, Norcross Mayor Lillian Webb greets well-wishers on Courthouse grounds after announcing for the County Commission race. Webb won, becoming the first woman to hold the county commission's chair office in Gwinnett.

1986: Republican Don Loggins defeats the commission’s last Democrat, Bartow Jenkins (shown above). The GOP has held all five commission seats ever since. Jenkins died in 2008.

1990: Democrats field candidates in both commission seats up for election, but lose both races. They won’t bother to challenge Republicans for every seat again for 20 years. Here, County Commission Chair Lillian Webb is shown at her desk at the Gwinnett Justice and Administration Center in Lawrenceville. By the time this 1992 photo was taken, Webb had held the position for nearly a decade.

2010: Democrats challenge Republicans for two open commission seats, but lose both races. The U.S. Census Bureau confirms Gwinnett has become a minority-majority county – whites are now outnumbered by blacks, Hispanics and other minorities. The minority population has continued to grow, and some political observers say the county eventually will tilt back to the Democrats.

2016: Three Democrats are running against Republican incumbents – the first time in six years the Democrats have fielded a full slate of candidates. Gwinnett County Commissioners Lynette Howard, Glenn Stephens (County Administrator), Chairwoman Charlotte Nash and Tommy Hunter (from left) listen to speakers during a public comment session at the Gwinnett Justice and Administration Center in this March 2016 photo. Nash and Hunter will face Democratic challengers.

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Republicans have dominated Gwinnett County politics for more than a generation. Here’s a look at how they took control of the Board of Commissioners in Georgia’s second-largest county.

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