ATLANTA – Democrat Joe Martin and Republican Richard Woods have taken an early lead in their party primaries to become Georgia’s top schools official.
Unofficial returns Tuesday show the longtime Atlanta school board member leading former Georgia State University administrator Beth Farokhi and high school teacher Brian Westlake with 53.5 percent of the vote and 11 percent of the ballots counted.
On the Republican side, Irwin County schools administrator Woods leads Bartow County schools administrator John Barge with 51 percent of the vote.
The race transformed when former superintendent Kathy Cox resigned in May.
Gov. Sonny Perdue appointed Brad Bryant to finish out her term, but he had to abandon his independent bid for the full four-year term when he couldn’t get enough signatures to get his name on the ballot.