| Jones, Martin head to runoff in U.S. Senate primary race
From staff reports
DeKalb CEO Vernon Jones and attorney and former Georgia legislator Jim Martin are headed to a runoff in pursuit of Republican Senator Saxby Chambliss’ senate seat.
As of press time late Tuesday night, Jones had received 40 percent of the vote and Martin 35 percent of the vote with 79 precincts reporting
The runoff is scheduled Aug. 5 and the winner of that election will face off against Chambliss.
Jones is currently ending his second term as CEO of DeKalb County. Prior to his election as CEO, he served eight years in the Georgia General Assembly as a state representative from DeKalb County. He completed an executive program at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government.
Martin, an attorney and a resident of Atlanta, served 18 years in the Georgia legislature, where he championed health-care issues. He led the Georgia Department of Human Resources under both a Democratic and a Republican governor. In 2006, he ran as the Democratic nominee for lieutenant governor on a ticket that ultimately failed.
Dale Cardwell, a former television investigative reporter who resigned his job to seek public office, garnered 15 percent of votes cast as of press time.
Bringing up the rear in this primary race were Franklin Randolph “Rand” Knight Jr., an Atlanta resident and director of sales for an ecology company, and Josh Lanier, a writer from Statesboro and a Viet Nam veteran. In other races of particular interest to DeKalb residents, it appeared at press time that 5th District Congressman John Lewis and 13th District Congressman David Scott, both of whom represent small portions of DeKalb County, would keep their seats.
Lewis was challenged by Markel Hutchins, a consultant and minister, and by “Able” Mable Thomas, a former state representative and Atlanta City Council member. Scott was challenged by former state Sen. Donzella James in the primary and faces Republican Deborah Honeycutt in November. Most of DeKalb County is in the 4th U.S. Congressional District, where incumbent Hank Johnson won without opposition.
Incumbent Sheriff Thomas Brown won re-election by more than 80 percent of the vote, and incumbent Clerk of the Superior Court Linda Carter kept her seat, garnering more than 86 percent of the vote, according to election returns at approximately midnight Tuesday.
For final numbers and results of DeKalb districts in Georgia House and Senate races, visit www.championnewspaper.com or see the July 24 issue of The Champion.
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