The May ballot may look a little on the light side for some in Paulding County, but November will definitely come with some choices for voters to decide on local and state races for the midterm elections.
GOP and Democratic candidates will face some challengers in primary ballots, but thus far it is limited to just a few GOP races and a state senate Democratic primary later this spring.
Here’s a rundown of how the ballots are shaping up for later this spring and the forthcoming midterm elections.
Local races
The County Commission Post 2 race so far features a GOP trio of David Dial, Jeff Cole and Wendell Purvis all seeking to fill the seat held by Sandy Kaecher and covers the western half of Paulding, including areas like the Airport, Braswell, Yorkville and the Hwy. 278 corridor to the west.
Virginia Galloway had no GOP challenger as of time of writing on Thursday for the Post 3 seat, but she will face a Democratic challenger in the forthcoming November midterms. Taurus Morris is thus far the only democrat on the ballot for the May primary, and if it remains that way through noon on Friday he’ll be the challenger later this year.
The Post 3 seat covers the southeastern half of the county toward the Metro Atlanta area.
Over in Post 4, a traditional challenge in the May primary is ahead and could decide the race for November as well.
Incumbent Commissioner Dean Schneider looks to hold his seat against Jeff Richards in the upcoming primary later this spring. Both qualified on the Republican ballot.
School board seats are also up on the ballot for the forthcoming midterm primaries.
Local attorney Nick Chester will seek to keep his seat in a primary challenge after he qualified on Thursday to stay on the school board in District 2. He’ll face contractor Michael Shane Miller for the seat in the May vote on the GOP ticket.
The winner will have a Democratic challenger in the race in November. Rhonda Louise Williams will cruise through May and into the race later this year as the only qualified candidate on the Democratic ballot as of close of business on Thursday.
In the District 5 race, Jeff Byrd is running as a challenger in the race on the GOP ballot without any opposition heading into the final day of qualifying on Friday.
The District 6 race will also look to head straight to November as well, a Democratic and Republican challenger on each ticket as of Thursday had no competition for May. Matthew Ardis qualified for the Democratic ticket on Wednesday, and Tara Buzzelli qualified on Monday on the GOP ballot.
Currently, Judge Mason Rountree remains the only candidate to continue on the bench for the Paulding County Judicial Circuit seat up for a new term as well. He qualified on Monday to retain the seat.
State level
The five State House and two State Senate seats that cover Paulding County are no matter what happens by Friday at noon will be contested this year. Mostly in November based on the current updates provided by the Secretary of State’s office.
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16th District State House
State Rep. Trey Kelley doesn’t have a primary challenger as of time of writing, but does have someone willing to take him on in November. The longtime 16th District incumbent will face Democratic challenger Diana Spangler if no other candidate qualifies by Friday at noon for the State House race.
Kelley, a longtime State House member from Cedartown, is an attorney in his day job. Spangler from Paulding County is an interpreter and educational advocate.
17th District State House
State Rep. Martin Momtahan is looking to retain his seat without a primary candidate running against him this election season. The 17th district incumbent qualified on Monday, but thus far his competition will come later this year.
He’s got a November challenger running thus far unopposed. Acworth IT professional Tamyko Green is on the ballot as the only Democrat in the race after qualifying on Monday.
18th District State House
The West Georgia district encompassing a portion of Paulding County has a primary race for the GOP, and then a general election to determine who will represent the area along I-20 in a new term.
Bremen-based attorney and farmer Tyler Paul Smith is facing a challenger in the 18th District GOP Primary on the May ballot. He’s facing Buchanan Republican business owner Frank Phillips in a primary challenge in the district that includes portions of Carroll County and all of Haralson County as well.
But the contest won’t be wrapped up in May as it will in other places.
Pat Rhudy will face the winner of the primary in November. The Census Bureau field rep from Carroll County is the only Democrat on the ballot as of Thursday evening.
19th District State House
State Rep. Joseph Gullett will face an election later this year, but so far won’t have a primary challenge. Gullett, who is seeking a new term as the sole GOP candidate on the ballot, qualified on Monday to retain the seat.
The race will go to November no matter what happens as qualifying closes out.
Paulding County educator Cynthia Starke-Jones qualified on Tuesday to run for the state house seat covering most of Paulding’s eastern half. She is the only Democrat on the primary ballot in May as of time of writing on Thursday.
40th District State House
The Douglas County Republican is thus far the only GOP candidate on the ballot for the May primary. She’s qualified to retain her seat on Monday.
Elisa Yvette Lassiter also qualified to get into the race on Monday as a challenger for the general election in November.
She’s a Paulding-based grants administrator, and the only Democrat on the ballot.
30th District State Senate
Carrollton’s Tim Bearden hopes to retain his seat in the 30th District that spans three western counties in the state. He’s been under the Gold Dome for a while, having served his first term in office as far back as 2005 as a State Representative. The Carrollton-based government affairs manager has no challenger for the Republican ticket.
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Legal researcher Wanda Cooper of Carroll County hopes to unseat Bearden in November. She qualified as the lone Democrat on the ballot as of Wednesday.
The 30th District includes all of Haralson County, the northern portion of Carroll County and a southern portion of Paulding County – mainly focused around the I-20 corridor.
31st District State Senate
State Sen. Jason Anaivtarte doesn’t have a primary challenger in the GOP either at this point, but he will face someone in November.
Two Democrats have qualified for the State Senate seat that covers most of Paulding County and Polk County.
Paulding’s Alec Miller and Josh Plancher are both on the Democratic ballot for the May primary. Miller is a corporate trainer, and Plancher works as a salesperson.
The winner of that contest – if no others get on the ballot – will face Anavitarte in the general election later this year.
Anavitarte is in his latest term in office serving as the Republican Senate Majority Leader.
The district covers the majority of Paulding County and all of Polk County.
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