Gonzalez Ready To Run If Court Rules For District Attorney Race

Athens attorney Deborah Gonzalez said last week she is ready to seek election as district attorney in November pending the outcome on her suit against Gov. Brian Kemp and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to force the state to hold that election.

Gonzalez told Oconee County Democrats, meeting virtually last Thursday evening, that U.S. District Court Judge Mark Cohen in Atlanta has scheduled a hearing on her motion for a preliminary injunction against Kemp and Raffensperger for 10 a.m. on this coming Thursday via Zoom.

Gonzales she had not yet been informed if the public will have access to the virtual session.

Gonzalez, who represented parts of Oconee County in the Georgia House of Representatives in 2018, had declared her intent to run as a Democrat in the party primary for district attorney originally scheduled for May 19 to replace retiring District Attorney Ken Mauldin.

When Mauldin unexpectedly resigned at the end of February, Gonzalez declared her intent to run in a special election in November to replace Mauldin.

That special election was dependent on Gov. Kemp appointing a district attorney by May 3 to fill out Mauldin's term, but Kemp still has not made an appointment.

Gonzalez and four other citizens filed a federal lawsuit on May 18 to force Kemp and Raffensberger to hold an election on Nov. 3 for district attorney for the Western Judicial Circuit made up of Oconee and Clarke counties.

For more on the story, with a video of the Democratic Party meeting, please go to Oconee County Observations.