Local News

Final results: Bradshaw wins DeKalb Commission race vs. Sutton

By Mark Niesse
July 27, 2016

10:55 p.m. update (corrected at 1:05 a.m.)

The results are in for DeKalb County races:

9:40 p.m. update

Steve Bradshaw has overwhelmingly defeated DeKalb Commissioner Sharon Barnes Sutton.

With all precincts reporting, Bradshaw won 75 percent of votes cast.

9:30 p.m. update

DeKalb County Commission candidate Steve Bradshaw held a commanding lead over Commissioner Sharon Barnes Sutton with 21 of 38 precincts reporting.

Bradshaw remained ahead by a 4-to-1 margin as votes were still being counted.

In other races:

8:50 p.m. update

With about one-third of precincts reporting, Steve Bradshaw had opened up a large lead over DeKalb Commissioner Sharon Barnes Sutton.

Bradshaw was outpacing Sutton by a 4-to-1 margin with 12 of 38 precincts reporting, according to results posted on the the Georgia Secretary of State’s website.

In the race for DeKalb tax commissioner, current Tax Commissioner Irvin Johnson held a lead over contract attorney Susannah Scott.

8:30 p.m. update

Very early results are starting to trickle in from a handful of precincts.

The Georgia Secretary of State's website lists six precincts reporting out of 192 across DeKalb County. In DeKalb Commission District 4, where Steve Bradshaw is challenging Commissioner Sharon Barnes Sutton, only one precinct out of 38 had reported results.

With so few votes cast, it’s difficult to tell whether any candidates have an edge.

Besides races DeKalb Commission and tax commissioner, we’ll also be watching four races for the Georgia General Assembly.

In Democratic primaries, Vernon Jones and Rhonda Taylor are facing off for House District 91, and Tonya Anderson and Dee Dawkins-Haigler are competing for Senate District 43.

In Republican primaries, Alan Cole faces Meagan Hanson for House District 80, and Jim Duffie is running against Lane Flynn for House District 81.

The winners of the legislative primary races all face opponents in November.

Please return to AJC.com for updates.

7:05 p.m. update

Precincts are now closed in Tuesday’s runoff after a day of light turnout.

Election officials had estimated that turnout could be lower than 5 percent. The May primary election had about 19 percent turnout.

Voters who did go to the polls could have a large impact on the county’s governance.

The key races to watch tonight are between Commissioner Sharon Barnes Sutton and challenger Steve Bradshaw for DeKalb Commission, and the contest between Tax Commissioner Irvin Johnson and contract attorney Susannah Scott for the tax office job.

Election results usually start coming in after 8 p.m.

Please return to ajc.com for updates.

Original report

Finalists for DeKalb County government leadership positions are being elected today, with runoffs for county commissioner, tax commissioner and the Georgia General Assembly.

DeKalb voters can cast ballots from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at polling places across the county.

In a Stone Mountain-area election, Commissioner Sharon Barnes Sutton is being challenged by Steve Bradshaw, a business development manager and Army veteran. The winner will represent about 150,000 people in Avondale, Clarkston, Pine Lake, Stone Mountain, part of Tucker and surrounding areas.

The only race on every ballot in DeKalb is for county tax commissioner.

Tax Commissioner Irvin Johnson faces contract attorney Susannah Scott. The candidates are on Democratic ballots twice — once in a special election to fill the remaining months of the current four-year term, and again in the Democratic primary election for the term beginning Jan. 1.

There are four runoffs for the Georgia General Assembly. The winner of each will face an opponent in the November general election.

On Democratic ballots in south DeKalb and parts of Rockdale County, voters will decide between Vernon Jones and Rhonda Taylor for state House District 91, and between Tonya Anderson and Dee Dawkins-Haigler for state Senate District 43.

On Republican ballots in Brookhaven, Alan Cole faces Meagan Hanson for state House District 80. In a race for state House District 81, which covers Chamblee, Doraville and part of Tucker, Republican voters will choose between Jim Duffie and Lane Flynn.

Please return to AJC.com for Election Night results.

About the Author

Mark Niesse is an enterprise reporter and covers elections and Georgia government for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and is considered an expert on elections and voting. Before joining the AJC, he worked for The Associated Press in Atlanta, Honolulu and Montgomery, Alabama. He also reported for The Daily Report and The Santiago Times in Chile.

More Stories