Bryson Wins Bartow Magistrate Court Judge Race

CARTERSVILLE, GA -- Voters in Bartow County have spoken, and it appears Brandon Bryson will become the next chief magistrate court judge.

As of 10 p.m. Tuesday, unofficial results on the Georgia Secretary of State Office's Election Division Show Bryson leading challenger Bobby Wilson with 65 percent, or 2,666 votes.

Wilson received 35 percent, or 1,409 votes.

Bryson and Wilson were the top two candidates to receive the most votes in the May 24 primary election, which included a total of five candidates.

When reached by phone Tuesday evening, Bryson said he was couldn't be more "pleased" with the outcome.

Bryson said he had countless family and friends who all pitched in to help him run the campaign. How did they do it? Well, according to the candidate, the key tactic was to stay on message and communicate how important having experience is "when it comes to dealing with matters that affect people's lives."

He also commended Wilson for running an equally hard-fought campaign.

"Hats off to everyone who made this possible," Bryson said.

For his part, Wilson expressed disappointment in Tuesday's results.

"It looks like we’ve come up short, and I congratulate Brandon on a good race," he added.

With that said, Wilson also said he was "ashamed" at the shockingly low turnout of voters in Tuesday's election. He said it was "disgusting" how the county spends money to make it easier for citizens to vote, but those residents don't "take advantage of that."

When asked he plans to remain involved in local politics, Wilson, a former Emerson City Council member and Bartow County Board of Elections member, said he has not made a decision on his future in the endeavor.

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