MARIETTA — The dust has settled, and the winners of the runoff elections have been crowned. So why did the elections shake out the way they did?
Political experts in Cobb pointed to a variety of factors, including name recognition, endorsements and a strong ground game, as the reason some candidates succeed while others did not.
Some pundits predicted the results of the race for a seat on the Cobb Board of Education, but were surprised by how one-sided the election was as Susan Thayer defeated incumbent Tim Stultz by a significant margin; Thayer received 3,030 votes, or 70 percent, while Stultz took home only 1,271, or 30 percent.
“We thought all along she would win,” said Tana Page, executive director of the Georgia teacher’s organization Educators First. “We were rather surprised at the margin … that she won by.”
Page added the results show voters overwhelmingly want new representation.
“She is a fresh face on the board, and I think that was what the public wanted and what educators probably wanted,” she said. “We were ready for a change. We did not think Mr. Stultz … was open to hearing a lot of the concerns that are faced by educators.”
Anthony-Scott Hobbs, former chairman of the Cobb GOP, said the school board race was decided by financial issues.
“Let’s be honest, Tim didn’t have any money. None. I can only imagine that Thayer was able … to get out some direct marketing campaigns, some direct mail, what have you,” he said. “But I think once again, what it comes down to that kind of a vote spread, it all boils to down to how the campaign is run.”
via The Marietta Daily Journal – Area experts weigh in on Cobb state runoff results.
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