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SPLC Action Fund Endorses Candidates for County Office Across Georgia

August 06, 2024

ATLANTA — Today, the SPLC Action Fund endorsed candidates for County Commission, County Coroner, County District Attorney, County School Board, County Sheriff and County Tax Commissioner ahead of Georgia’s general elections on Nov. 5, 2024. 

Endorsed candidates include:

  • Lisa Cupid, running for Cobb County Commission Chair, hopes to continue representing Cobb County residents with a focus on integrity, inclusion and innovation. Cupid was elected as Cobb County’s first Black chairwoman in 2020. In this leadership position, she funded the county’s first DEI position, raised the minimum pay and funded the sheriff’s 24-hour mental health services. 
  • LaTonya Gordon, running for Lowndes County Coroner, seeks to bring compassion to the coroner's office. Gordon is a first-time candidate and a registered nurse.
  • Kimberly Griggs, running for Newton County Coroner, plans to bring timeliness to the coroner’s office and serve families in their time of bereavement. Griggs brings nearly three decades of health care and funeral services experience. She is a first-time candidate.
  • Anthony Johnson, running for District Attorney in Muscogee County, is committed to fairness, transparency and justice. Johnson hopes to increase community involvement with the DA’s office. If elected, he plans to initiate a pretrial diversion program to reduce incarceration and refocus accountability courts on treatment and rehabilitation for drug offenses.
  • Andrew Cole, running for Cobb County School Board Post 7, hopes to increase transparency for parents and increase the overall wellbeing of all Cobb County students. Cole is a first-time candidate, son of a lifelong public school teacher and parent of current Cobb County students.
  • Craig Owens, running for Cobb County Sheriff, is committed to truth, trust and transparency. Owens has 30 years of community service experience and was named Sheriff of the Year in 2023. He is seeking re-election as Cobb County Sheriff.
  • Reginald Scandrett, running for Henry County Sheriff, hopes to continue his work in office to reduce recidivism and implement restorative justice initiatives. Reginald is the first Black Sheriff in Henry County and is running for re-election.
  • Denise Mitchell, running for Gwinnett County Tax Commissioner, hopes to continue achieving exceptional fiscal management and helping taxpayers understand resources to save on their taxes. Mitchell has served in the Gwinnett Tax Commissioner’s Office for nearly three decades and was elected as the Gwinnett County Tax Commissioner in 2022. She is seeking re-election as Tax Commissioner. 

“Georgia made history in 2020 and we’re eyeing another historic election with increasingly important implications at the local level,” said Madison Hollon, program manager of political campaigns for the SPLC Action Fund. “Across the state, we’re seeing the emergence of a diverse pool of local candidates who are committed to democracy and taking action on the issues that matter most to their communities. That’s why we’re proud to endorse this slate of candidates — and we look forward to their leadership in county offices to advance the interests of the communities they serve.”

The SPLC Action Fund is focused on lifting up communities of color, particularly in the Deep South, who face systemic oppression, poverty and structural racism. To overcome these injustices, the organization is committed to reimagining the political, economic and social systems that sustain them to create a world where all people can thrive.  In pursuit of this bold agenda, the SPLC Action Fund supports candidates who share its commitment to addressing the deep inequities that plague our nation.