atlanta — An elected leader in Georgia’s Fulton County, who drew national attention after the 2020 election when President Donald Trump claimed without evidence that voter fraud there cost him victory in Georgia, has announced she is running to be the state’s top election official.
Fulton County Commissioner Dana Barrett planned to hold a news conference Thursday morning to launch her campaign for secretary of state. She joins a Democratic primary field that already includes the former Fulton County state court Judge Penny Brown Reynoldswho had a short career in reality television, as well as Adrian Consoneri Jr. and Cam T. Ashling.
Barrett, who was elected to the Fulton Board of Commissioners in 2022, was an outspoken part of the Democratic majority that last year refused to vote to approve two Republican candidates for the county elections board, saying their past actions made them unsuitable. Ultimately, the judge found the Board of Commissioners In civil contempt A fine of $10,000 per day was imposed until the candidates were appointed, despite the ruling Currently waiting Pending appeal.
Speaking during a Board of Commissioners meeting in August, Barrett asserted that “elections are under attack in this country.”
“I ran for this seat, in large part, because I wanted to be in a place where I stand up for the integrity of our elections, and I stand by that commitment today,” she said at the time, arguing that a judge could not order her and her colleagues to vote a certain way.
Current Minister of Foreign Affairs Brad RaffenspergerHe is a Republican running for governor this year. Republican Gabriel Sterling, who served as one of Raffensperger’s top deputies, is running to replace him. Both Raffensperger and Sterling gained national notoriety — and the ire of Trump and his supporters — when they did so He defended the results of the presidential elections in Georgia In 2020 after Trump called Raffensperger and urged him to help “Find” sounds needed to overturn Democratic President Joe Biden’s narrow victory in the state.
Rounding out the Republican primary are State Rep. Tim Fleming, Vernon Jones, Kelvin King, and Vernon Jones. Fleming chaired a legislative study committee that was looking into how the state conducted its elections. Jones is a former Democratic state representative who switched parties and defended Trump and his claims of a stolen election. The king is married to Janelle Kingmember of The majority supported by Trump In the state elections board.