House District 22 Recount Yields No Change in Results

By Kristal Dixon

A request for a recount from candidate who missed entering into the House District 22 runoff by a mere two votes has resulted in no change in the vote tally.

The recount performed in the district, made up of portions of Cherokee, north Fulton and Forsyth counties, produced the exact same results from the Jan. 7 special election to fill the seat.

Jeff Duncan, the candidate who came in third place, made the request last Friday. Now that the results provided no change, Duncan said he is ready to move on.

"I would have loved to have won more votes, but that’s the nature of a special election," he said, characterizing the race as "unusual" as it took place over a holiday season and had four candidates.

The special election results put businessman Sam Moore in the lead. Moore garnered 924, or 37.98 percent, of the vote while 576 votes, or 23.67 percent, went to Meagan Biello, a teacher at Creekview High School. 

Duncan came in third place with 574 votes, or 23.59 percent, and while Nate Cochran rounded out the race with 359 votes, or 14.76 percent, respectively, according to the Secretary of State.

A runoff between Biello and Moore is set to take place on Tuesday, Feb. 4. 

Duncan said he will not make any endorsement in the runoff, but added he plans to remain active in Cherokee County politics. He noted he has a vested interest to see Cherokee County prosper in the future. 

"I’m concerned what kind of leadership we’ll end up in the county from a District 22 standpoint," he added. "I don’t know if it’s reflective of the majority of those in the county."

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