State House District 52 Candidate Withdraws From Race

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SANDY SPRINGS, GA -- A "game-changing" phone call received Thursday evening has propelled the candidate who qualified this week to run for the Georgia House District 52 seat to withdraw her name from contention.

Karen Beavor, the CEO of the Georgia Center for Nonprofits, initially qualified as a Republican candidate to fill the seat, but told Patch Friday morning that she has had a change of heart.

"I received a tremendously positive, but game changing phone call last night and, as a result, I've decided not to run at this time," she said in a emailed statement.

Beavor was the only candidate to submit her name during the two-day qualifying period. The Georgia Republican Party reopened qualifying for the May 24 primary due to the incumbent, State Rep. Joe Wilkinson, opting not to run for re-election.

Her decision isn't stopping Beavor from taking aim at the current two candidates in the race, Deborah Silcox and former City Councilman Graham McDonald.

Beavor said both candidates "seem to be running for Sandy Springs mayor." Specifically, she notes McDonald's campaign website is Sandy Springs-centered, and criticized his desire to bring Sandy Springs solutions to the state legislature.

"The district contains areas that are certainly affluent but also areas where people are struggling, many schools have serious education issues, there is a growing diverse population, and the district will face increasing infrastructure pressure as population density continues to dramatically increase," she said. "These issues, among others, impact everyone who lives there and Sandy Springs style isn't necessarily what is good for the district as a whole."

Silcox stated she's never had a chance to meet Beavor, but wishes her well in her future endeavors.

"We have hundreds of supporters and signs located in private lawns cross the district, and are running a district wide campaign," she added.

McDonald told Patch he's running in the race because "strong leadership" is needed in the Georgia house for both Atlanta and Sandy Springs. When he talks about "Sandy Springs solutions," McDonald states he's referring to those actions that have made the city a "leader in innovation and privatization both nationally and worldwide."

"We work with the private sector to get better results for the taxpayer," he added. "We have led on regional solutions in transportation and policing, which are helping to get traffic moving and keeping our families and businesses safer. Not only will common sense, Sandy Springs solutions do great things for the district, I want to bring them to bear on issues affecting the entire state."

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