By Dorie Turner
The Associated Press
ATLANTA — Georgia Democrats are mounting a battle for the state schools superintendent’s chair after Republican incumbent Kathy Cox withdrew from the election suddenly this week, leaving her party in the lurch after the filing deadline for primary elections had passed.
Cox’s sudden departure from the race means Democrats have the most recognizable candidate — Joe Martin, who was on the Atlanta school board for 20 years and has run for the state’s top education job twice, narrowly losing to former superintendent Linda Schrenko in the 1990s. Schrenko was elected in 1994, and the GOP has held the superintendent’s office since.
“Kathy Cox getting out has really left the Republicans in a bind,” said Emory University political science professor Merle Black. “That’s certainly an opportunity for Democrats to compete and perhaps return to power.”