Liberty County’s general primary races brought some surprises and set the stage for the Nov. 3 general election. Two closely-watched Democratic races – U.S. House District 1 and Board of Commissioners District 1 – are headed for a June 16 runoff. The winners will advance to the Nov. 3 general election.
Early voting in the general runoff starts no later than June 8.
You can see all of Liberty County’s unofficial results from The Current GA’s election night results here. Keep in mind: all numbers are unofficial until the county and the Georgia Secretary of State certifies them.
We refer to precincts by name, which are as they appear on the Secretary of State’s election returns website and are more recognizable to voters. Here’s a quick recap of where things stand.
U.S. House District 1 (Runoff)
In the crowded Democratic primary field, Joyce Griggs and Amanda Hollowell are headed to a runoff. Griggs led the pack in every Liberty County precinct, with Hollowell in second place except for Allenhurst, the Performing Arts Center, and Lewis Frasier, where Hollowell was edged by Sharon Stokes Williamson. Michael McCord, who spent a lot of time in Liberty County around Midway Mayor Malcom Williams’ mayoral and State Rep. Al Williams’ Georgia House campaigns, scored in the double digits in every precinct. Critics say they were turned off by McCord’s constant social media bickering. If elected, Hollowell says she will reintroduce the John Lewis Voting Rights Act. Griggs, who has run for this seat three times before, says she got a boost from first-time voters who feel left out of the American dream. The winner will face Jim Kingston, the Republicans’ overwhelming favorite in all Liberty County precincts.
House District 168
Voters chose Al Williams almost 2 to 1 over challenger Sabrina Newby in the Democratic primary, Williams took 61.54% or 3,727 votes to Newby’s 38.46% or 2,329 votes. Newby said she is pleased with how she did and will be back in 2028; Williams urged supporters to stand up for civil rights ahead of the June 17 special session on redrawing voting district maps. Newby’s strongest precinct showing was in Gum Branch, where she took 53.67% or 241 votes to Williams’ 46.33% or 208 votes. Kevin Remillard, the lone Republican in the primary, will face Williams in the general election; his strongest precinct showing was the Performing Arts Center with 596 of his 1,997 countywide total.
House District 167
In the Democratic primary, Nathaniel Hicks, Jr.’s 9 votes beat Laurie Johnson’s 2, all of which were cast at the Performing Arts Center precinct. Hicks will face incumbent Republican Buddy DeLoach in the Nov. 3 general election, whose 100% showing in Liberty County consisted of 2 votes. However, the Georgia Secretary of State’s website did not show where those 2 votes were cast as of publication Wednesday. Liberty County Elections and Registration’s Statement of Votes Cast does account for the votes, which appear as dashes on the state website. District 167 consists of Long and McIntosh Counties, plus parts of Wayne, Glynn, and Liberty.
School Board Chair
Voters brought back incumbent Verdell Jones as chair, with Kisya Burnett a distant second. But Jones, whose early voting totals put her ahead, barely missed a runoff with Burnett, locking in 51.95% with 4,381 votes – about a 165-vote margin. Georgia candidates must win 50 percent plus one vote to avoid a runoff. Burnett, a vocal social media critic of the School Board, was not seated at the April 18 NAACP Liberty Branch candidate forum; NAACP president Lisa Thomas said Burnett had missed a deadline. But Burnett (19.72% with 1,663 votes), former superintendent Franklin Perry (14.75% with ), and paraprofessional Tim King (13.58%) split the remaining vote about equally. About 63% of Jones’ overall total came from early voting.
School Board District 4
Terry Cook beat Charlene Lewis Rocker by a 2 to 1 margin. Cook won 63.65% or 604 votes versus Rocker’s 35.35% or 305 votes. Rocker edged Cook by 4 votes at the Performing Arts Center precinct.
School Board District 5
Incumbent Chante Baker Martin returns to the Board of Education, having run unopposed. Her strongest precinct showing was 385 votes in Allenhurst of 1,381 votes cast districtwide.
School Board District 6
Richard D. Hayes took 58.92% or 832 votes to beat Teresa Wiser’s 410.08% or 580 votes. Hayes led Wiser by a similar margin in all 5 precincts.
Board of Commissioners District 1 (Runoff)
Longtime incumbent Commissioner Marion Stevens will face a runoff with former Walthourville mayor and Liberty Consolidated Planning Commission vice-chair Larry Baker. Baker was the favorite at the LCCA, Allenhurst and Lewis Frasier precincts, and ran neck-and-neck with Stevens at the Performing Arts Center. Stevens was the voters’ pick in Hinesville (with 16 of 29 total votes cast) and Riceboro (43.91% or 155 votes of 353 cast, with an early voter turnout edge). Former Midway councilman Stanley Brown was a distant third in all precincts, winning a single vote in Hinesville and no more than 25.57% at the Liberty County Community Complex. Stevens, along with his wife, faces two charges of felony child abuse; both have pleaded not guilty and are presumed innocent unless proven otherwise in a court of law. Stevens has touted his support for infrastructure improvements and the county’s new fire and EMS stations. Baker, who has been quietly rebuilding his political brand after losing a December 2023 runoff to Walthourville Mayor Sarah B. Hayes, presided over Walthourville’s post-Covid financial crisis. The winner will face Republican Joseph “Michael” Cook, whose strongest support was at Midway’s Liberty County Community Complex.
Board of Commissioners District 2
Incumbent Commissioner Justin Frasier returns to office uncontested by either party. Frasier drew 972 votes, most of which were cast at Lyman Hall Elementary.
Board of Commissioners District 3
In another squeaker, incumbent Connie Thrift beat challenger Janelle Johns by a 14-vote margin overall, with 51.05% of 621 total ballots cast. Only 3 votes separated Thrift and Johns at the Gum Branch precinct, and 11 at Liberty College and Career Academy. A single vote was cast at Memorial Drive East. As in the House District 167 race, the Secretary of State’s website shows dashes in place of the vote count for that precinct, which the Liberty County Elections and Registration Office has accounted for. Thrift will face Republican challenger Greg Lachowsky, whose support came almost entirely from 168 votes at the Gum Branch precinct; he took another 34 votes at Liberty College and Career Academy.
This article appears in 2026 Elections: Candidate lists, news.
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