The 2024 DeKalb County, Georgia Chief Executive Officer election took place on November 5, 2024. Incumbent CEO Michael Thurmond was term-limited and could not run for re-election to a third term. Three county commissioners—Steve Bradshaw, Lorraine Cochran Johnson, and Larry Johnson—ran to succeed him. Because Cochran Johnson and Johnson's terms on the County Commission would have overlapped with the CEO's term, they had to resign their seats upon qualifying.[1]

In the Democratic primary, Cochran Johnson placed first, winning 46 percent of the vote, but because no candidate won a majority, a runoff election took place. Johnson placed second with 34 percent, beating out Bradshaw, who won 19 percent. Cochran Johnson won the runoff in a landslide, receiving 60 percent of the vote to Johnson's 40 percent. She faced no opponent in the general election and won uncontested, becoming the first woman to serve as CEO.[2]

Democratic primary

Candidates

  • Lorraine Cochran Johnson, former County Commissioner
  • Larry Johnson, former County Commissioner[1]
  • Steve Bradshaw, County Commissioner[3]

Debate

2024 Dekalb County, Georgia Chief Executive Officer Democratic primary debate
No. Date Host Moderator Link Democratic Democratic Democratic
Key:
 P  Participant   A  Absent   N  Not invited   I  Invited  W  Withdrawn
Steve Bradshaw Lorraine Cochran Johnson Larry Johnson
1 Apr. 28, 2024 Altanta Press Club
Georgia Public Broadcasting		 Lisa Rayam YouTube P P P

Results

Democratic primary results[4]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Lorraine Cochran Johnson 36,511 46.29%
Democratic Larry Johnson 27,090 34.34%
Democratic Steve Bradshaw 15,276 19.37%
Total votes 78,877 100.00%

Runoff debate

2024 Dekalb County, Georgia Chief Executive Officer Democratic primary runoff debate
No. Date Host Moderator Link Democratic Democratic
Key:
 P  Participant   A  Absent   N  Not invited   I  Invited  W  Withdrawn
Lorraine Cochran Johnson Larry Johnson
1[5] Jun. 9, 2024 Altanta Press Club
Georgia Public Broadcasting		 Karyn Greer YouTube P P

Runoff results

Democratic primary runoff results[6]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Lorraine Cochran Johnson 25,627 59.95%
Democratic Larry Johnson 17,123 40.05%
Total votes 42,750 100.00%

General election

Results

2024 DeKalb County, Georgia Chief Executive Officer election[7]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Lorraine Cochran Johnson 320,572 100.00%
Total votes 320,572 100.00%
Democratic hold

References

  1. 1 2 Gregory, Sara (March 20, 2024). "2 commission seats to stay vacant". Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Atlanta, Georgia. p. A4. Retrieved July 17, 2025.
  2. ↑ Whisenhunt, Dan (June 19, 2024). "Lorraine Cochran-Johnson elected as next DeKalb County CEO". WABE-TV. Atlanta, Georgia. Retrieved July 17, 2025.
  3. ↑ Whisenhunt, Dan (May 18, 2023). "DeKalb Commissioner Steve Bradshaw announces run for DeKalb County CEO". Decaturish. Decatur, Georgia. Retrieved July 17, 2025.
  4. ↑ "Election Summary Report - Closed Primary - DeKalb - May 21, 2024" (PDF). DeKalb County Voter Registration and Elections. May 28, 2024. Retrieved July 9, 2025.
  5. ↑ Sassoon, Alessandro (June 12, 2026). "DeKalb CEO candidates sparred over water and sewage improvements, open records — and 'Cop City'". Atlanta Civic Circle. Retrieved March 25, 2026.
  6. ↑ "Election Summary Report - Closed Primary - DeKalb - June 18, 2024" (PDF). DeKalb County Voter Registration and Elections. June 22, 2024. Retrieved July 9, 2025.
  7. ↑ "Election Summary Report - General Election - DeKalb - November 05, 2024" (PDF). DeKalb County Voter Registration and Elections. November 12, 2024. Retrieved July 9, 2025.
source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2024_DeKalb_County,_Georgia_Chief_Executive_Officer_election