Election results are in from Fulton County Tuesday.
Incumbent sheriff Ted Jackson beat challenger Richard Lankford, a former sheriff who left office more than 20 years ago. The winner in the runoff will face Republican Ben Cowart in November.
With 100 percent of precincts reporting, Jackson had 55 percent of the vote to Lankford’s 45 percent.
Jackson, the former FBI chief agent in Atlanta, last defeated Lankford in 2012. Lankford, who was convicted in 1990 of tax evasion and extortion after becoming a target of the FBI – the conviction was later overturned – also ran for the office in 1996.
Jackson, who became sheriff in 2009, said he had worked hard to get the county jail out from a federal consent decree. He touted pre-literacy, counseling and canine cellmate programs he started to help give inmates opportunities while they are in the jail.
Keith Gammage bested Clint Rucker in the solicitor general race, with two thirds of the vote.
Gammage is the chief assistant solicitor general in Clayton County while Rucker, the chief senior assistant district attorney in the Fulton County DA’s office, was the co-lead prosecutor in the Atlanta Public Schools trial and prosecuted courthouse shooter Brian Nichols.
And in two races to become a Superior Court judge, Belinda Edwards beat Sterling Eaves and Eric Dunaway defeated Gary Alembik. Edwards had 58 percent of the vote. Dunaway had 56 percent.
Elections and registration director Richard Barron said a little before 5 p.m. that there were no issues at the polls.
About the Author
