Democrats head to runoff election in Gwinnett state House race
Two Democrats will face a runoff election for a state House district in Gwinnett County next month.
Marqus Cole, a director at an energy and environmental nonprofit, pulled in 39% of the vote Tuesday, falling short of the 50%-plus-one majority needed to win outright.
Cole will face entrepreneur and Democratic activist Akbar Ali, who got 32% of the vote, in a runoff election Dec. 2.
Republican Jamie Parker finished third in the Democratic-leaning district with 29% of the vote and did not qualify for the runoff.
The seat was vacated by former Democratic state Rep. Shelly Hutchinson, who resigned this summer to care for a family member with serious health issues. She faced no Democratic opposition last year for reelection and won with 59% of the vote in 2022.
The winner next month will complete the remainder of Hutchinson’s term and would be positioned to run for a full two-year term next November.
Cole was endorsed by state Sen. Nikki Merritt and Gwinnett Solicitor General Lisamarie Bristol. He raised about $4,200 in campaign donations.
He also worked as a legal aid attorney, helping people access state benefits like food stamps and Medicaid, and leaned on his decades of experience working in the state Capitol to make his pitch to voters.
“I’m someone that’s done this work for a long time,” he told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Ali, a graphic designer from Lawrenceville, had the backing of Hutchinson, several state lawmakers and local elected officials in addition to former Gov. Roy Barnes and House Democratic Whip Sam Park. David Hogg, the young gun control activist who briefly served as vice chair of the Democratic National Committee, campaigned for Ali over the weekend.
“I grew up in the generation where we had gun drills and there’s always threats and something of that sort on our minds,” Ali said in an interview with the AJC.
Ali, 21, also served as the first vice chair of the Gwinnett Democrats, the youngest elected to that position.
Both Ali and Cole are running on expanding Medicaid and increasing the supply of housing in the district. Cole said he sees bipartisan opportunity to make sure landlords are accountable in the community.
“Whether it’s the grass growing too long or cars piling up on other lawns or just not being responsive to the people living there, those are not just eyesores and blights in the community; they’re not being good neighbors,” he said.
Ali said he would support measures to restrict overreach of homeowners associations, like enacting extremely high fines.
About the Author
Michelle Baruchman covers the Georgia House of Representatives and statewide issues. She is a politics news and enterprise reporter covering statewide political stories.
