2016 DeKalb County, Georgia Chief Executive Officer election
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The 2016 DeKalb County, Georgia Chief Executive Officer election took place on November 8, 2016. Incumbent CEO Burrell Ellis was indicted for perjury and attempted theft by extortion in 2013 and was suspended from office by Governor Nathan Deal on July 16, 2013, who appointed County Commissioner Lee May as interim CEO.[1] Burrell was term-limited and could not seek another term, and May declined to run in the 2016 election.[2]
 | ||||||||||||||||
November 8, 2016
| ||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||
Former Labor Commissioner Mike Thurmond won the Democratic primary over former State Senator Connie Stokes and perennial candidate Joe Bembry in a landslide, receiving 72 percent of the vote. In the general election, he was opposed by retired businessman Jack Lovelace, the Republican nominee. Thurmond defeated Lovelace, 80–20 percent, and won his first term as CEO.
Democratic primary
Candidates
- Mike Thurmond, former interim Superintendent of the DeKalb County School District, former Georgia Commissioner of Labor, 2010 Democratic nominee for the U.S. Senate[3]
- Connie Stokes, former State Senator, 2014 Democratic nominee for Lieutenant Governor[4]
- Joe Bembry, perennial candidate[5]
Declined
- Lee May, interim CEO, former County Commissioner[2]
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Mike Thurmond | 39,639 | 71.82% | |
| Democratic | Connie Stokes | 14,180 | 25.69% | |
| Democratic | Joe Bembry | 1,370 | 2.48% | |
| Total votes | 55,189 | 100.00% | ||
Republican primary
Candidates
- Jack Lovelace, retired businessman[5]
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Jack Lovelace | 7,568 | 100.00% | |
| Total votes | 7,568 | 100.00% | ||
General election
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Mike Thurmond | 241,773 | 79.85% | |
| Republican | Jack Lovelace | 60,621 | 20.02% | |
| Write-in | 402 | 0.13% | ||
| Total votes | 302,796 | 100.00% | ||
| Democratic hold | ||||