Cynthia McKinney will not be on the ballot this fall in the DeKalb County-based congressional district she once represented.

McKinney had been trying to collect signatures to run as a Green Party candidate against U.S. Rep. Hank Johnson, a DeKalb County Democrat, in the 4th District, but a spokesman for the Secretary of State's office confirmed Friday that McKinney did not submit any signatures by the Aug. 7 deadline.

The missed deadline was first reported by Patch.com.

McKinney still could mount a write-in campaign but her name will not appear on the ballot. She would have had to get 18,859 petition signatures to make the ballot.

McKinney served in Congress as a Democrat for six terms. Johnson defeated her in a 2006 Democratic runoff after McKinney's well publicized run-in with a Capitol police officer. McKinney was an outspoken anti-war voice and once questioned whether the George W. Bush administration knew about the 9/11 attacks in advance.

After her loss McKinney moved to San Francisco and joined the Green Party, running for president on that ticket in 2008 and garnering less than 1 percent of the vote nationwide.

McKinney's congressional campaign account showed no contributions or spending through June aside from a personal loan of $900.

Johnson defeated two challengers in a July 31 Democratic primary. He will face Republican J. Chris Vaughn, a minister from Conyers, in November.

About the Author

Keep Reading

For years, civil rights groups and historians have criticized Stone Mountain Park's approach to memorializing the Civil War and Confederate history, including the world’s largest Confederate monument. (File/AJC)

Credit: File Photo

Featured

The city of Brookhaven's mayor and City Council last week decided to remove the colored panes of glass from the dome of Brookhaven's new City Centre after residents objected to the brightness of the colors, seen here Friday, June 27, 2025. (Reed Williams/AJC)

Credit: Reed Williams/AJC