Democrat Montrell Besley unseated incumbent Joe Graham, R-Lookout Valley, to represent the southwestern corner of Hamilton County on the County Commission on Thursday, leaving the commission with at least one more Democratic member.
Besley defeated Graham by 608 votes.
“I am overwhelmed by the results and all the people who actually came out and really made their voice be heard,” Besley said by phone Thursday night. “Today was the hard work, but tomorrow is the harder work. It is time to work.”
(Hamilton County primary and general election results for Aug. 6, 2026)
This was the second time Besley challenged Graham for the commission seat. In 2022, when Graham was elected to represent District 11, he beat Besley by 20 votes.