DeKalb County Commissioner Lee May will not run for Congress so he can focus on the county’s deficit.

May, a Democrat, announced several months ago that he was considering running against U.S. Rep. Hank Johnson, a Democrat who is running for a third term this year.

On Monday, May told the AJC that he decided not to enter the race and finish the remaining two years of his commission term.

“We have so many things going on in DeKalb County, especially the budget shortfall of $84 million” said May, the commission’s deputy presiding officer. “As much as I want to make that leap forward, there is so much left undone.”

DeKalb Commissioner Connie Stokes officially announced her bid against Johnson on Saturday. Former DeKalb CEO Vernon Jones joined the race last month. Both are Democrats.

Business consultant Liz Carter and retired naval officer Larry Gause are running on the Republican ticket.

About the Author

Featured

Fulton DA Fani Willis (center) with Nathan J. Wade (right), the special prosecutor she hired to manage the Trump case and had a romantic relationship with, at a news conference announcing charges against President-elect Donald Trump and others in Atlanta, Aug. 14, 2023. Georgia’s Supreme Court on Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2025, upheld an appeals court's decision to disqualify Willis from the election interference case against Trump and his allies. (Kenny Holston/New York Times)

Credit: NYT