Fulton County District 1 race uncalled as Democrats win Congress

Votes were counted Tuesday, Nov. 3, in the Fulton County Commission District 1 race between Republican incumbent Bridget Thorne and Democratic challenger Maggie Goldman.

The Associated Press had not called the District 1 race as of publication. Nationally, Democrats won control of Congress in what the AP described as a widespread repudiation of President Donald Trump, according to AP's midterm election live updates. Democrats flipped Senate seats in Kansas, Iowa, Texas, Ohio, Maine, North Carolina and South Carolina, the AP reported. They held battleground seats in Georgia and Michigan. In the House, Democrats flipped more than two dozen districts, some in areas Trump won by double digits in 2024, according to the AP.

In Georgia, the AP called the governor's race for Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms, who became the first Black woman elected governor of any state. The AP also called Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff's reelection.

Results are expected to continue posting at fultoncountyga.gov/electionresults. This article will be updated as returns come in.

The district encompasses Johns Creek and parts of Alpharetta and Roswell, according to Appen Media. Voters were required to bring a valid photo ID such as a driver's license, passport or state-issued voter ID card.

The candidates

Thorne, a software designer who lives in Alpharetta's Kimball Farms neighborhood, won the seat in 2022. Goldman, a realtor from The Ridge off Brumbelow, said in her candidate questionnaire that she lost that same race by under 400 votes.

In her Q&A responses, Thorne said she is running for reelection because "that work is not finished." She listed protecting taxpayers, holding the property tax rate, finishing jail renovations and strengthening senior services through a new Alpharetta Health and Human Services facility among her priorities.

Thorne said she voted against Atlanta's 30-year Tax Allocation District extension, ended tax breaks for new data centers, opposed property tax increases and rejected a $2 billion jail proposal. She said she supported a hybrid plan to renovate the Rice Street jail and build a facility for inmates with mental-health and medical needs.

Goldman said she is running on fair taxes, county accountability and election security. She called for a full forensic audit of the county budget and an overhaul of how commercial property appraisals are processed. Goldman said the county is leaving hundreds of millions of dollars uncollected because some commercial appraisals are too low.

On public safety, Goldman said the jail needs 400 more detention officers and 300 other personnel to operate safely. She said the county has not offered competitive salaries to attract qualified applicants.

Record early turnout

Georgia voters broke the state's record for early voting in a midterm election, crossing the 2.5 million mark set four years ago, WABE reported on Oct. 29. The state also set a record for early in-person voting, surpassing the 2.3 million mark from 2022. Early voting in Georgia ran Oct. 13 through Oct. 30.

Over one-third of Georgia's 7.5 million active voters had cast ballots as of the morning of Oct. 30, according to WABE.