Former Commissioners Lorraine Cochran-Johnson and Larry Johnson are leading in the race to become DeKalb’s next chief executive officer.

With just over a third of precincts reporting, Cochran-Johnson, the former Super District 7 commissioner, is ahead in the three-way race to succeed a term-limited Michael Thurmond.

Cochran-Johnson, who would be the first African-American woman to hold the job if elected, has not clinched the 50% threshold needed to avoid a runoff.

Johnson, a longtime commissioner for southwest DeKalb’s District 3, is in second place.

District 4 Commissioner Steve Bradshaw is trailing in third.

About the Author

Keep Reading

State Sen. Jason Anavitarte, R—Dallas, speaks about a bill to ban the TikTok app on all state-owned devices on Thursday, February 16, 2023. (Natrice Miller/AJC)

Credit: Natrice Miller/AJC

Featured

Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney — pictured during a hearing Monday, Dec. 15, 2025 — has cleared the way for Georgia's State Election Board to obtain Fulton ballots and other documents from the 2020 election. (Arvin Temkar/AJC)

Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC