Walker County Commissioner Shannon Whitfield speaks to citizens gathered at the Walker County/LaFayette Public Library. Walker County Commissioner Shannon Whitfield held a public hearing on a proposed tax increase at the Walker County/LaFayette Public Library on August 17, 2017.The races are set for Tuesday in Georgia's delayed statewide and presidential primary elections.
Earlier this year, Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and his office sent mail-in applications to 6.9 million registered voters in the state after the Legislature allowed mail-in voting for all registered voters amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Since then, more than 1.5 million people have voted by mail, and it's expected the state will break a record for mail-in ballots. More than 1.3 million voters requested absentee ballots, but state law requires three weeks of in-person early voting before the June 9 election.
Arguably the premier matchup at the polls Tuesday is the fight for the 53rd District in the state Senate.
Sen. Jeff Mullis, R-Chickamauga, a 20-year veteran lawmaker, has two challengers for his seat: state Rep. Colton Moore, R-Trenton, and political newcomer Todd Noblitt.
Moore announced he was running against Mullis in early March.
Mullis, chairman of the powerful Senate Rules Committee and one of the more seasoned senators in Atlanta, is known as an important ally for lawmakers on both sides of the aisle.
Moore was elected to the House when he was 24 years old in 2018 when he beat incumbent state Rep. John Deffenbaugh, R-Lookout Mountain, 2,184 votes to 1,858.
Moore has said he and Mullis have been at odds since he was first elected.
Noblitt, an insurance agent in Fort Oglethorpe, is running for his first political seat.
Elsewhere at the state level, Deffenbaugh is running again for his House seat in District 1. Republicans Vikki Mills and Mike Cameron also are running for the seat.
Rep. Steve Tarvin, R-Chickamauga, is running unopposed in District 2. Incumbent Rep. Dewayne Hill, R-Ringgold, is being challenged by Republican Jeff Holcomb, who was defeated by Hill in 2016.
Rep. Kasey Carpenter, R-Dalton, is running unopposed in District 4, Rep. Matt Barton, R-Calhoun, is running unopposed in District 5 and Rep. Jason Ridley, R-Chatsworth, is running unopposed in District 6.
Speaker of the House David Ralston, R-Blue Ridge, will run unopposed in the primary but will have a Democratic challenger, Rick Day, in November.
On the local level, one of the more intriguing races is in Walker County, where the commission is moving from a single commissioner to a five-person commission.
Walker County Commissioner Shannon Whitfield is running for commission chairman and will face off against two competitors - Perry Lamb and Matt Harris.
Lamb ran unsuccessfully against Whitfield in 2016 as an independent. He's now running as a Republican. Harris, a LaFayette educator and the coordinator of innovation for Walker County Schools, announced his candidacy for the chairman seat on Jan. 20.
In Catoosa County, three seats are up for election on the commission. Incumbent Chairman Steve Henry will have three challengers, while Jeff Long and Jim Cutler will also have competition at the polls.
Three commissioners in Dade County will have competiton on Tuesday. Commission Chairwoman Lynn Laughter in Whitfield County is being challenged by Mohawk Industries executive Jevin Jensen, and the sole commissioner in Chattooga County, Jason Winters, has three challengers this year.
There are four people running for sheriff in Murray County after Sheriff Gary Langford announced he wouldn't run for reelection. Sole Commissioner Greg Hogan in Murray County faces competition from Howard Ensley.
Voters can find their voting locations and review sample ballots on the state's My Voter Page at www.mvp.sos.ga.gov.
Contact Patrick Filbin at pfilbin@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6476. Follow him on Twitter @PatrickFilbin.
The following is a full list of names for candidates who have filed for office in Catoosa, Chattooga, Dade, Gordon, Murray, Walker and Whitfield counties. These are for contested races only. If a race or candidate does not show up, that likely means the race will be uncontested.
Catoosa County County Commission Chairman - Steve Henry - Greg Gordy - Ray Johnson - Ernest Pursley District 1 - Jeff Long - Ben Scott District 3 - Jim Cutler - Mickey Headrick - Vanita Hullander Coroner - Crystal King - James Spurling Tax Commissioner - Gary Autry - Mike Key Chattooga County Commissioner - Jason Winters - Jimmy Holbrook - Blake Elsberry - Jeff Coley Judge of Probate Court - Derrick Eckroat - Teresa Pope - Gary Woods Board of Education District 5 - Chad Dodd - BJ Montgomery Dade County County Commission Chairman - Ted Rumley - Nathan Wooten District 3 - Robert Goff - Jerry Henegar District 4 - Allan Bradford * - Jeremy Dyer - Randy Stone Board of Education, District 5 - Jayne Griffin - Patrick Hickey - Brooke Wilson Walker County County Commission Chairman - Matt Harris - Perry Lamb - Shannon Whitfield District 1 - John McDonald - Robert Blakemore - James Hill District 2 - Tyrone Davis - William Askew III - Marcus Veazey District 3 - Hakie Lyndel Shropshire - Brian Hart District 4 - Daryl Massey - Mike Nowlin - Alan Painter - Alan Slaven - Robert Stultz Board of Education Post 4 - Lindsay Luann Bradford - Dale Wilson Whitfield County County Commission Chair - Lynn Laughter - Jevin Jensen District 4 - Greg Jones - Daniel Lewallen Magistrate - Rod Weaver - Wallace Johnson Clerk of Superior Court - Babs Bailey - April Plott Murray County Commissioner - Howard Ensley - Greg Hogan Judge of Probate Court - Brett Morrison - John Waters Sheriff - Dekota Boling - Jimmy Davenport - Brian Ingle - Wyle Keith Pritchett Board of Education District 4 - Hunter Phillips - Greg Shoemaker - Greg Spivey Gordon County District 3 - Robert Ballard - R. Bruce Potts Jr. - Norris Sexton Coroner - James Carver - Ken Padgett Board of Education, Post 4 - Rod Brehm - Bobby Hall Board of Education, Post 6 - Christie Fox - Samuel JewellBryon Reeves