Marietta DJ: Mary Frances Williams wins reelection in 'nasty" primary for 4th term

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Mary Frances Williams wins reelection, overcomes 'extremely nasty' campaign

• By Jack Lindner | jlin...@mdjonline.com

 

 

• Jack Lindner

State Rep. Mary Frances Williams, D-Marietta, smiles as election results come in for the May primaries. 

 

MARIETTA — State Rep. Mary Frances Williams, D-Marietta, won a fourth term after securing the Democratic primary Tuesday, overcoming what she said was an “extremely nasty” round of campaigning.

With 100% of precincts reporting, Williams ended Election Night with 3,777 votes, or approximately 74.5%, while her opponent, Graham Salter Bowers, earned 1,291, or 25.5%.

Results are not final until certified by the Cobb County Board of Elections on May 26. 

No Republican candidate qualified for the primary election in this race. 

 

Williams was first elected to House District 37 in 2018. Her district includes downtown Marietta, the communities of Fair Oaks and Cheatham Hill and parts of east Cobb.

The win comes after a tumultuous campaign trail between the two Democratic candidates, which included online attacks and a residency dispute with the Office of State Administrative Hearings.

“I have nothing to compare it to,” Williams told the Journal. “I’ve been trying not to take it personally, and just remembering that it's just politics.”

 

Williams said she has been on the receiving end of social media attacks from Bowers’ campaign, which she said have included misinformation and false claims.

Several posts from Bowers’ campaign accused Williams of purposefully skipping votes, handing off bills to Republican representatives and “watering them down for shared corporate donors” and dodging accountability.

“Absence is a choice. Skipping votes on civil liberties, accountability and workers’ rights protects power — not people,” one of Bowers’ posts reads. “Sitting out isn’t moderation, it’s surrender.”

 

In late March, Williams filed a residency dispute against Bowers, 26, arguing that he did not meet the required duration of residency in House District 37 to qualify for the seat.

Judge Ronit Walker, with the Office of State Administrative Hearings, however, ruled Bowers, a local IT specialist, did meet the requirements and allowed the campaign to continue.

 

Going into Election Night, Williams said she was glad she ultimately “kept (her) cool in spite of it being nasty.

“My friends and other reps, they look at the texts that are being sent and the comments, and they're all shocked,” Williams said. “It was hard not taking it personally.”

Bowers, too, said he was disappointed the election “couldn't be more cordial,” but that he’s proud of the work he’s done.

“The biggest challenge is always going to be challenging an incumbent of the same party,” Bowers said. “It's awkward. It always is, and it always will be. When it’s Republican (versus) Democrat, it's kind of different, but when they're both the same party, you're fighting over the same voters.”

 

His biggest campaign goal, he said, was to lift up local voices and “empower people on the ground.” Despite the defeat, Bowers is “not going anywhere” and will “continue to give 110% to Marietta.”