Atlanta DSA Voter Guide
June 2026 Primary Runoff Election
Table of Contents
Mathewos Samson - State House, District 58 4
Insurance and Fire Safety Commissioner 5
U.S. House of Representatives 7
Introduction
Thank you for using our voter guide for Georgia's 2026 primary runoff elections! This guide focuses on Democratic primaries in the Metro-Atlanta area, and includes select nonpartisan elections. Throughout this guide are compiled responses from our 2026 Candidate Survey, which was sent to candidates running in key elections in the Metro area.
Key Voter Information
We recommend voting early and making a plan to vote. You can use mvp.sos.ga.gov to find your polling place, see what elections you're voting in, preview your ballot, and confirm that your voting address and information are up-to-date.
Runoff Election Dates
June 8 – Runoff early voting begins
June 12 – Runoff early voting ends
June 16 – Runoff Election Day; vote at your assigned precinct
Methodology
This voter guide is built from a survey constructed by Atlanta DSA’s Electoral Committee, sent to candidates running in the metro-Atlanta area at all stages of government. The Republican Party is deeply hostile toward the working class, so we have prioritized contacting candidates running in Democratic Primaries and nonpartisan elections. In total, 67 candidates responded to our survey. We have only included candidates in contested races in the runoff elections in this voter guide.
The survey asked 10 questions focused on issues ranging from the minimum wage to climate change to trans rights. Candidates were given the option of answering “yes,” ”no,” or simply not answering.
This voter guide is distinct from our endorsement process and is merely intended to aid progressive voters in making their selections. Our only endorsed candidate in the runoff, Mathewos Samson, is featured ahead of all other races.
Issue Guide
Our survey included the following ten survey questions:
✊ Do you support raising the minimum wage to $20/hr for all workers, indexed to inflation? | 🛠️ Do you support the provisions of the PRO Act, including repealing so-called “right-to-work laws”, allowing for collective bargaining agreements, and prohibiting employers from taking adverse actions against employees participating in protected activities like whistleblowing? | |
🏥 Do you support creating a single-payer health care system that is free at the point of service and inclusive of a person's unconditional right to an abortion? | 🌍 Do you support a Green New Deal to provide a jobs guarantee, full employment, and the achievement of 100% carbon-neutral energy by 2035 at the latest? |
🕊️ Do you support abolishing ICE as well as repealing Georgia’s HB 1105, which mandates local law enforcement to enter into 287(g) contracts deputizing local law enforcement to enforce federal immigration law? | 🏘️ Do you support corporate landlord divestment and regulation by limiting the number of properties a corporation can own, as well as ending the statewide ban on rent control? | |
🗳️ Do you support the right to vote for people currently in prison? | 💵 Do you commit to rejecting donations from pro-Israel lobby groups, special interest groups, for-profit corporations including education service providers (charter schools), and rejecting any political endorsement from police unions? | |
🇵🇸 Do you support the BDS movement to end US support for Israel’s oppression of the Palestinian people and pressure Israel to comply with international law? | 🏳️⚧️ Do you commit to protecting transgender people’s access to gender-affirming healthcare and protecting their rights in schools, housing, public places and ensuring their safety in our justice system? |
Endorsed Candidates
Mathewos Samson - State House District 58
This year, Atlanta DSA is proud to endorse State House candidate Mathewos Samson. We have not made any other endorsements in the June 16 primary runoff.
Mathewos is a community organizer, democratic socialist, and lifelong Atlantan running for State House in District 58 (Southwest & Central Atlanta). Mathewos grew up in Old Fourth Ward and was raised by a family of immigrants who taught him to fight for his community and stand up against injustice. Now, he's running to win affordable housing, Medicare For All, and an economy that works for the working class and not just the billionaires.
Working families are struggling to make ends meet, while the rich keep getting richer. The GOP is pushing a racist, extremist agenda, and the corporate Democratic establishment enables them every step of the way. That’s why Mathewos is running: to challenge the status quo and bring the working class into the halls of power. As a democratic socialist candidate, Mathewos is refusing money from corporations or their PACs, running a grassroots campaign of, by, and for working people. Sign up today to contribute or volunteer with the campaign at SamsonForGeorgia.com!
Our other endorsed candidate Gabriel Sanchez won his State House District 42 contest in the first-round, and is heading to the general election with no primary runoff.
Statewide Offices
Lt. Governor
The Lieutenant Governor presides over the State Senate, as well as becoming governor in the event of a vacancy. No candidates for Lieutenant Governor responded to our survey. The runoff candidates are State Senator Josh McLaurin and former State Senator Nabilah Parkes. While they are both claiming a progressive mantle, McLaurin has a stronger record in the legislature and has consolidated support from both mainstream and progressive Democrats as well as organized labor.
Secretary of State
The Secretary of State presides over elections and most professional licensing. The candidates are current Fulton County Commissioner Dana Barrett and former Fulton County State Court Judge Penny Brown Reynolds. Brown Reynolds, who left office in 2009, briefly hosted a reality television show entitled Family Court with Judge Penny.
Insurance and Fire Safety Commissioner
Candidate | $20 Wage | Labor | M4A | GND | ICE | Housing | Voting | Donations | BDS | Trans Rights |
DeAndre Mathis | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | – | – | – |
Keisha Sean Waites | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
The Commissioner of Insurance presides over the Department of Insurance, which handles insurance regulation. They are also designated by law as the Safety Fire Commissioner, who has enforcement powers and duties, including regulatory authority, relating to fire safety. This office is deserving of particular scrutiny, as two of the last four commissioners are currently in federal prison for fraud. Waites has sought seven other offices in the last ten years and resigned from both offices she won election to in order to seek other offices. Furthermore, she was fined by the State Ethics Commission for failing to file required campaign finance reports regarding her successful Atlanta City Council campaign, and shortly before departing office she sent a “constituent newsletter” to further her campaign for Clerk of Superior Court. In an email to Atlanta DSA, DeAndre Mathis emphasized the importance of fighting “corporate greed”. Mathis further stated, “my top priority is ending ‘modern-day redlining’ the unfair use of ZIP codes and credit scores to set your insurance rates.”
Labor Commissioner
Candidate | $20 Wage | Labor | M4A | GND | ICE | Housing | Voting | Donations | BDS | Trans Rights |
Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | |
Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
The Commissioner of Labor presides over the Department of Labor, which has substantial enforcement power and handles unemployment claims. This office came under heavy scrutiny during the COVID-19 pandemic, when then-Commissioner Mark Butler failed to process unemployment claims. Michelle Sanchez has a record of involvement in progressive Atlanta-area campaigns like the 2016 Georgia for Bernie campaign and the Stop Cop City movement and has worked at progressive organizations such as Poder Latinx. Sanchez has been endorsed by former first-round candidate Brett Hulme.
U.S. House of Representatives
Congressional District 7
Candidate | $20 Wage | Labor | M4A | GND | ICE | Housing | Voting | Donations | BDS | Trans Rights |
– | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | |
Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
The winner of this primary will face current U.S. Representative Richard McCormick in the general election.
Georgia Legislature
Senate District 7 Primary
Candidate | $20 Wage | Labor | M4A | GND | ICE | Housing | Voting | Donations | BDS | Trans Rights |
– | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | |
Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
Senate District 7 Special Election
Senate District 7 also has a simultaneous special election on the ballot for the remainder of former Sen. Nabilah Parkes’s term. Because the special election is nonpartisan, it will be at the bottom of your ballot. The candidates in the special election are Republican Aizaz Shahbaz Shaikh and Democrat Adrienne White; White, who is running only in the special election, did not receive a chance to respond to our survey. The winner of this seat will represent the district during the redistricting special session beginning June 17; it is crucial to ensure a Republican is not elected who would likely vote for a partisan gerrymander.
Senate District 10
Candidate | $20 Wage | Labor | M4A | GND | ICE | Housing | Voting | Donations | BDS | Trans Rights |
– | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | |
– | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
Neither candidate in this runoff responded to our survey. Former DeKalb County Commissioner Larry Johnson has a centrist record and makes virtually no policy commitments on his website. Gabrielle Rogers, who has not previously held elected office, describes a commitment to mainstream Democratic policies on her website.
Senate District 14
Candidate | $20 Wage | Labor | M4A | GND | ICE | Housing | Voting | Donations | BDS | Trans Rights |
– | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | |
– | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
Neither candidate in this runoff responded to our survey. In campaign mailers, former State Board of Transportation member Kevin Abel has emphasized his family history (fleeing Nazi Germany and then leaving apartheid South Africa), his record in the Jewish community, and his support for expanding healthcare by expanding Medicaid and repealing the state abortion ban. Nathalie Kanani, who would be the first Latina in the Georgia Senate, has pointed to her background as a personal injury attorney and former prosecutor, her support for maternal care, and her commitment to addressing affordability with “practical solutions”.
House District 58
Atlanta DSA has endorsed Mathewos Samson for this open seat. Mathewos Samson is a community organizer, Democratic Socialist, and lifelong Atlantan running for State House District 58 to win affordable housing, universal healthcare, and an economy that works for the working class.
House District 62
Candidate | $20 Wage | Labor | M4A | GND | ICE | Housing | Voting | Donations | BDS | Trans Rights |
– | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | |
Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
Kenn Collier is endorsed by progressive groups like the Working Families Party. However, he has also benefited from over $700,000 in spending by American Future, a front group for sports gambling companies seeking legalization. In a public statement, Collier correctly noted this spending is outside of his control, but his position on the underlying issue is unclear.
House District 68
Candidate | $20 Wage | Labor | M4A | GND | ICE | Housing | Voting | Donations | BDS | Trans Rights |
– | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | |
– | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
This is a newly open seat following incumbent Representative Derrick Jackson's decision to run for Governor. Former South Fulton city councilman Mark Baker generally has a progressive record, but he has also repeatedly sought various offices in recent years. While Baker has apparently claimed to be endorsed by former candidates Courtney Heard and Jonathan Bonner, both Heard and Bonner have clarified that this is false. (Bonner has not endorsed either candidate.)
House District 94
Candidate | $20 Wage | Labor | M4A | GND | ICE | Housing | Voting | Donations | BDS | Trans Rights |
– | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | |
Venola Mason (inc.) | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
This is a rematch of the April 7 special election runoff to succeed indicted former Rep. Karen Bennett, which was won by Venola Mason, who is an education consultant. Her opponent, former Snellville mayor Kelly Kautz, describes a commitment to expanding health insurance coverage, stopping the school-to-prison pipeline, and making housing more affordable by limiting corporate ownership and expanding voucher programs. As mayor, Kautz was involved in a legal dispute with the Republican-majority city council over her authority, which she ultimately won. Mason’s stated policy priorities are to support students and educators, reduce the cost of living, and expand access to healthcare.
House District 117
Candidate | $20 Wage | Labor | M4A | GND | ICE | Housing | Voting | Donations | BDS | Trans Rights |
Mary Ann Santos (inc.) | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
– | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
This race has seen extensive spending by the pro-sports gambling group American Future, which has spent at least $700,000 to support Smith and oppose incumbent legislator Santos as of June 2.
County Elections
DeKalb County Commission, District 3
Candidate | $20 Wage | Labor | M4A | GND | ICE | Housing | Voting | Donations | BDS | Trans Rights |
Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | |
Nicole Massiah (inc.) | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
Keyanna Jones Moore has a strong history as a community organizer and progressive activist. Notably, she has been active in advocacy campaigns aligned with Atlanta DSA, including her involvement in the Stop Cop City movement and anti-data center activism. She served as a senior environmental policy aide to Commissioner Ted Terry and has been endorsed by the Working Families Party and Georgia Conservation Voters. Her opponent, incumbent Nicole Massiah, is closely aligned with the Atlanta political establishment.
DeKalb County Board of Education, District 4
Candidate | $20 Wage | Labor | M4A | GND | ICE | Housing | Voting | Donations | BDS | Trans Rights |
Y | Y | – | Y | Y | Y | Y | – | – | Y | |
– | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
Fulton County Commission Chairperson
Candidate | $20 Wage | Labor | M4A | GND | ICE | Housing | Voting | Donations | BDS | Trans Rights |
– | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | |
Robb Pitts (inc.) | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | – | N | – | Y |
The Fulton County Commission is unusual in that it governs very little unincorporated territory, with almost all of Fulton being covered by city governments. As such, most of the Commission’s power lies in appointments and intergovernmental agreements. Atlanta DSA held a forum for Commission Chair candidates during the first round of the primary, the full video of which is available on YouTube.
County Commission chair Robb Pitts, who is seeking a third term and has a long record of government service, has consistently opposed building a new county jail in favor of reforms to ensure that fewer people are detained pretrial. At our forum, he clearly committed to supporting county-level transit funding and continuing to support the Board of Assessors’ audit of luxury commercial properties. He has been endorsed by Commissioner Marvin Arrington Jr., who placed third in the May primary.
Mo Ivory declined to provide clear answers to multiple questions at our forum regarding crucial policy issues in Fulton County, even attacking one questioner personally. She was recently endorsed by Atlanta mayor Andre Dickens, who is currently seeking the county’s approval for extending Atlanta’s tax allocation districts, which funnel public tax dollars to private development. Furthermore, she has supported building a new jail with expanded capacity, which advocates warn would not solve the overcrowding crisis, instead reproducing it down the line.
While Republican attempts to interfere with elections in Fulton County have been a major topic in the race, we believe both candidates have demonstrated a strong commitment to fighting this interference.
Fulton County Commission, District 3
Candidate | $20 Wage | Labor | M4A | GND | ICE | Housing | Voting | Donations | BDS | Trans Rights |
– | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | |
– | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
Neither candidate in this race responded to our survey. Lee Morris served as a Republican on the Fulton County Commission for eight years before losing to Democrat Dana Barrett in 2022. Merriday’s campaign has focused heavily on positioning herself as the “true Democrat” in the race and attempting to tie Morris to Donald Trump, while Morris has emphasized progressive elements of his record supporting reproductive rights, voter rights, and fair taxation of luxury properties and developers, as well as his support for property tax relief to homeowners. (Merriday also supports lowering property taxes.)
Former candidates Kiddada Grey and Reed Stillson have endorsed Merriday, while Kimberly Bean has endorsed Morris. Stillson responded yes to all ten of our questions.
Fulton County Commission, District 5
Candidate | $20 Wage | Labor | M4A | GND | ICE | Housing | Voting | Donations | BDS | Trans Rights |
Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | – | Y | Y | |
– | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
While it is not clear where either candidate in this race stands on the county jail issue, Willis has notably been endorsed by county sheriff Pat Labat, who has mismanaged the existing jail and has been the most vocal advocate of building a new jail.
For further information or feedback, contact electoral@atldsa.org.