A Georgia judge Tuesday ruled in favor of four Catoosa County candidates who didn’t qualify to appear on a GOP primary ballot under new county party rules.
The Catoosa County Republican Party is qualifying candidates for the May primary this week.
The four candidates rejected include three incumbents — Larry Black, chair of the County Commission; Vanita Hullander, the District 3 commissioner, representing a north central portion of the county; and Jeff Long, who represents District 1, the western portion of the county. Also affected was Steven Henry, a former commission chair seeking to return to office.
The ruling came from Superior Court Judge Don W. Thompson of the Lookout Mountain Judicial Circuit, which is comprised of Dade, Catoosa, Walker and Chattooga counties in northwest Georgia.
“The order essentially said, for right now, Mrs. Hullander, Mr. Long, Mr. Henry and Mr. Black will be permitted to qualify,” Hullander’s attorney, Alan Norton, said by phone. “There will be another hearing, and it has to be set within 30 days.”