A special election is coming up in parts of Fulton and Cobb counties, where four Democrats, one Republican and an independent are hoping to win an open seat in the state Senate. Ross Williams/Georgia Recorder
Four Democrats, a Republican and an independent have all thrown their hats into the ring to represent a metro Atlanta district in the state Senate.
Senate District 35, which includes parts of Cobb and Fulton counties, was vacated after former Sen. Jason Esteves, an Atlanta Democrat, stepped down to focus on his run for governor.
Gov. Brian Kemp set the election for Nov. 18 – just two weeks after voters statewide will head to the polls for a pair of Georgia Public Service Commission races.
The district was drawn to favor a Democrat, and the party establishment has coalesced behind former state Rep. Roger Bruce. Bruce formally announced his candidacy Tuesday at the law offices of former Gov. Roy Barnes, the last Democrat to occupy Georgia’s governor’s mansion.
Bruce, who was first elected to the House in 2003 and served until retiring in 2024, touted Barnes’ endorsement along with support from a slew of other Democratic leaders. Bruce said he was inspired to return to politics in large part because of the political climate coming from Washington.
“I just feel like I can either sit around and hope that it goes away or I can become the hope that people are looking for and go out there and do my part to make sure the state does not go down the path of Washington DC,” he said in a phone call. “I’ve got a granddaughter that’s three years old. I kept thinking about what kind of world am I going to leave for her?”
But Bruce is not the only former elected Democrat eyeing the open seat.
Former Cobb County School Board member Jaha Howard qualified to run Tuesday. Howard is a dentist by profession and served on the school board between 2019 and 2022.
He ran unsuccessfully for state Senate in 2017 and has also been a candidate for state school superintendent and county commissioner.
Fulton County consultant and former Atlanta journalist Erica-Denise Solomon and John Daryl Williams of Cobb County qualified to run for the seat Wednesday.
In a statement, Solomon pledged to prioritize legislation including to boost affordable housing, education and infrastructure.
“Throughout my career, I have told the stories of communities that are too often overlooked or misrepresented,” she said. “This campaign is about honoring our story, protecting our history, and building the future our families deserve.”
Republican Joshua Tolbert, a professional engineer from Cobb County, is the only Republican candidate seeking election in the seat. No GOP candidate attempted to compete for the seat last year.
Corenza Morris, a business owner and Georgia Army National Guard veteran, qualified to run as an independent, pledging on his campaign website to prioritize improving the economy and reducing crime.
Attempts to reach the other candidates for comment by phone or email were not immediately successful Wednesday, which was the final day of qualifying for the special election.
The election is set for Nov. 18 with a runoff scheduled for Dec. 16 if no candidate wins the majority of the vote. Early voting begins Oct. 27, and the last day to register to vote in this election is Oct. 20.
Some local officials have expressed worry that turnout could be lowered because the special election dates come alongside the statewide election for the Georgia Public Service Commission.
The Cobb County Board of Elections and Registration requested the date for the special election be moved to coincide with the PSC election, but Kemp in a Sept. 26 letter denied the request, arguing that doing so would shorten the time for candidates to campaign.
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