Ups, Downs and In-betweens
Vying for a Seat: Since former State Sen. Brandon Beach became U.S. Treasurer in May, seven people are now vying for his District 21 seat, which covers parts of Cherokee and north Fulton County. A special election will be held on August 26, with a runoff, if needed, on September 23. As of press time, one Democrat – Debra Shigley – and six Republicans had put their hat in the ring: Lance Calvert, Jason Dickerson, Stephanie Donegan, Brice Futch, Steve West and Brian Will.
AG Race Heats Up: Another race being closely watched is for attorney general, now that current AG Chris Carr is running for governor in 2026. In a much less crowded race so far, only two Republicans – Brian Strickland and Bill Cowsert – have announced their campaign as of press time.
The only Democratic candidate in the race so far is former state House Minority Leader Bob Trammell, who is from Luthersville, southwest of Atlanta.
Strickland, who has served in the state Senate since 2018 and currently chairs its Judiciary Committee, helped pass Georgia’s strict abortion law, legislation targeting human trafficking and the right for Georgians to carry firearms without a permit. Strickland also served in the Georgia State House from 2013 to 2017. He represents Morgan County and sections of Henry, Walton and Newton counties.
Cowsert, the former Senate majority leader first elected to the Senate in 2006, currently chairs the Senate committee investigating Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis. He sponsored a bill this year to expand that committee’s scope to examine groups affiliated with former gubernatorial candidate Stacy Abrams and pledges to address immigration, sex and drug trafficking, and sanctuary cities. Cowsert represents parts of Athens-Clarke, Oconee, Walton, Barrow and Gwinnett counties.
Trammell, a lawyer, was elected to the Georgia House of Representatives in 2015, serving portions of Troup, Coweta and Meriwether counties southwest of Atlanta, and became the minority leader in 2017. He lost his reelection bid in 2020.
PSC Primary Results: The Democratic primary election led to a runoff in July. In the initial primary, former Atlanta City Councilwoman and former state Rep. Keisha Sean Waites received 46% of the vote for District 3, making her the top vote-getter but coming just shy of the 50% required to be declared the winner. She faced Peter Hubbard, a green-energy advocate and founder of the nonprofit Georgia Center for Energy Solutions, in the July 15 runoff.
Hubbard had received 33% of the vote in the initial primary, but won the runoff with a strong showing in the Metro Atlanta counties of Fulton and DeKalb. Although PSC commissioners are elected to represent particular districts and must live in that district, elections for each seat are statewide. Due to a lawsuit that challenged statewide voting for the PSC, no elections have been held for the board since 2022.
Hubbard will face incumbent Republican Commissioner Fitz Johnson in the November general election. Johnson was appointed by Gov. Kemp in 2021 and ran unopposed in the GOP primary.
Turnout was low in both the primary and the runoff. Only around 200,000 people voted in the primary election, representing about 3% of Georgia’s active voters; about 100,000 voted in the July runoff. 
Conservation Win: Okefenokee mining plans halted. Photo credit: Frank Fortune
Protecting the Okefenokee: In a big win for environmentalists, the controversial plan to mine next to Georgia’s Okefenokee Swamp – the largest blackwater wetland in North America and one of the largest intact freshwater ecosystems in the world – has been halted.
The Conservation Fund, which specializes in acquiring at-risk lands for environmental conservation, spent close to $60 million to buy 7,800 acres of land adjacent to the swamp from Twin Pines Minerals LLC, which had first applied to the state of Georgia to mine the area for titanium dioxide in 2019.
The Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge – which was nominated by the U.S. Department of the Interior for UNESCO World Heritage Site status in 2024 in recognition of its natural significance and biodiversity – includes more than 350,000 acres of wilderness that is home to more than 600 plant species and 400 vertebrate animal species. More than 800,000 people visit the Okefenokee every year, spending more than $91 million in Ware, Charlton and Clinch counties.
