With candidate qualifying for the general primary elections officially closed Friday afternoon, an astonishing 36 candidates have registered to run for 11 county positions.
Races for sheriff, county chairman and District 3 commissioner drew the most candidates with six, six and seven respectively. Only four races will be uncontested in the general primary.
The unusually high number of candidates to qualify is a marked change from the number of candidates who qualified to run for the same county positions in 2004 - only 19.
A total of 19 Republicans and 17 Democrats have qualified for county offices this year compared to the 14 Republicans and the five Democrats who qualified in 2004.
Final lists for county, General Assembly and U.S. House of Representatives races in the July 15, 2008 General Primary are as follows:
Newton County Chairman
Emmett Denby - Democrat
Ed Hutter - Republican
Kathryn Morgan - Democrat
Susette Monk - Republican
Incumbent Aaron Varner - Republican
Hubert White - Democrat
Newton County Sheriff
Ezell Brown - Democrat
Stacey Cotton - Republican
Christopher Cowan - Republican
Gwen Hightower - Democrat
Martin Roberts - Republican
Bill Watterson - Republican
Board of Commissioners District 1
Incumbent Mort Ewing - Republican
Mark Patrick - Democrat
Willie Smith - Democrat
Ann Wilson - Republican
Board of Commissioners District 3
Jimmy Clark - Democrat
Andre Cooper - Democrat
Matthew Eason - Republican
Victor Etefia - Democrat
Keith Mitcham - Republican
Nancy Schulz - Democrat
Gabrial White - Democrat
Board of Commissioners District 5
Tim Fleming - Republican
John Travis - Republican
Randy Vinson - Democrat
Board of Education District 2
Incumbent Rickie Corley - Republican
Don Gresham - Republican
Eddie Johnson - Democrat
Board of Education District 4
Incumbent Almond Turner - Democrat
Newton County Tax Commissioner
Nicholas Day - Democrat
Incumbent Barbara Dingler - Republican
Doris Strickland - Republican
Newton County Probate Judge
Incumbent Henry Baker - Democrat
Newton County Clerk of Superior Court
Incumbent Linda Hays - Republican
Newton County Coroner
Tommy Davis - Republican
Alcovy Circuit District Attorney
Incumbent Ken Wynne - Republican
State Senator, District 17
Rudy Cox - Democrat
Mike Crotts - Republican
Incumbent John Douglas - Republican
State Representative, District 95
Toney Collins - Democrat
Erick Hunt - Republican
George Wilson - Democrat
State Representative, District 110
Incumbent John Lunsford - Republican
State Representative, District 112
Incumbent Doug Holt - Republican
U.S. Representative, District 7
Doug Heckman - Democrat
Incumbent John Linder - Republican
U.S. Representative, District 8
Rick Goddard - Republican
Incumbent Jim Marshall - Democrat
Robert Nowak - Democrat
