Alex Atwood
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J. Alexander "Alex" Atwood is a Republican and the chief magistrate of Glynn County, Georgia. He ran for the position unopposed and won in the general election on November 8, 2016. Atwood was sworn in to office on December 19, 2016.[1]
Atwood is a former member of the Georgia House of Representatives, representing District 179 from 2011 to 2016. He had served as a magistrate on the Glynn County court prior to his election to the state house.
Biography
Atwood earned his B.S. in criminal justice from Georgia State University, his M.A. in international relations from Webster College, and his J.D. from the John Marshall School of Law. His professional experience includes working as a magistrate judge and attorney in Glynn County, the CEO and general counsel for Alpha Protective Services Inc., and chief of legal training at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center.[2]
He was a colonel in the United States Marine Corps Reserve for 34 years. Atwood and his wife, Cynthia, have three children.[2]
Elections
2016
Georgia held elections for local judicial offices—some of which are partisan, others of which are nonpartisan—in 2016. On May 24, 2016, regions across the state held primaries for the partisan races and general elections for the nonpartisan races. Runoff races for both the partisan primaries and the nonpartisan general elections were held on July 26, 2016. The general election for partisan races took place on November 8, 2016. The filing deadline for candidates who wished to run in this election was March 11, 2016.[3]
General election
Alex Atwood ran unopposed in the general election for the Glynn County chief magistrate judge.
| Glynn County Magistrate Court, Chief Judge General Election, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican |  Alex Atwood (unopposed) |
100.00% | 26,384 | |
| Total Votes | 26,384 | |||
| Source: Glynn County election results, "2016 General Election," accessed November 9, 2016 | ||||
Primary election
Alex Atwood ran unopposed in the Republican primary election for the Glynn County chief magistrate judge.
| Glynn County Magistrate Court, Chief Judge Republican Primary Election, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Alex Atwood (unopposed) |
100.00% | 6,619 |
| Total Votes | 6,619 | |
| Source: Georgia Election Results, "General Primary and Nonpartisan General Election May 24, 2016," June 10, 2016 | ||
Selection method
- See also: Partisan elections
Judges of the Georgia Magistrate Courts are either elected or appointed to terms of varying lengths.[4] The elections for this court type are contested and may be partisan or nonpartisan. To serve on this court, a judge must be a county resident for at least one year, be 25 years of age, and have a high school diploma or equivalent.[5]
2014
Elections for the Georgia House of Representatives took place in 2014. A primary election took place on May 20, 2014, with runoff elections taking place where necessary on July 22, 2014. The general election was held on November 4, 2014. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was March 7, 2014. Incumbent James A. "Alex" Atwood was unopposed in the Republican primary and was unchallenged in the general election.[6][7][8]
2012
Atwood ran in the 2012 election for Georgia House of Representatives District 179. Atwood ran unopposed in the Republican primary on July 31, 2012. He was unopposed in the general election, which took place on November 6, 2012.[9][10]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Alex Atwood Incumbent |
100% | 16,098 | |
| Total Votes | 16,098 | |||
2010
Atwood defeated Audrey Stewart (D) in the November 2 general election.[11]
| Georgia House of Representatives, District 179 (2010) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | Percent | ||
| Alex Atwood (R)
|
7,544 | 61.4% | ||
| Audrey Stewart (D) | 4,744 | 38.6% | ||
Atwood came in second in the July 20 primary.[12]
| Georgia House of Representatives, District 179 - Republican Primary (2010) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | Percent | ||
| Shaw McVeigh
|
1,841 | 34.2% | ||
| Alex Atwood
|
1,523 | 28.3% | ||
| Cap Fendig | 1,360 | 25.3% | ||
| Bill Keim | 657 | 12.2% | ||
He faced Shaw McVeigh in a primary runoff held August 10, winning 2,115-2,012.[13]
| Georgia House of Representatives, District 179 - Republican Primary Runoff (2010) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | Percent | ||
| Alex Atwood
|
2,115 | 51.2% | ||
| Shaw McVeigh | 2,012 | 48.8% | ||
Committee assignments
2015 legislative session
At the beginning of the 2015 legislative session, Atwood served on the following committees:
| Georgia committee assignments, 2015 |
|---|
| • Appropriations |
| • Insurance |
| • Judiciary - Non-Civil |
| • Juvenile Justice |
2013-2014
At the beginning of the 2013 legislative session, Atwood served on the following committees:
| Georgia committee assignments, 2013 |
|---|
| • Juvenile Justice, Vice Chair |
| • Appropriations |
| • Insurance |
| • Judiciary - Non-Civil |
| • Public Safety and Homeland Security |
2011-2012
In the 2011-2012 legislative session, Atwood served on the following committees:
| Georgia committee assignments, 2011 |
|---|
| • Information and Audits |
| • Insurance |
| • Judiciary - Non-Civil |
Issues
Presidential preference
2012
Alex Atwood endorsed Mitt Romney in the 2012 presidential election.[14]
Sponsored legislation
The following table lists bills this person sponsored as a legislator, according to BillTrack50 and sorted by action history. Bills are sorted by the date of their last action. The following list may not be comprehensive. To see all bills this legislator sponsored, click on the legislator's name in the title of the table.
Campaign finance summary
Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.
Scorecards
A scorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.
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Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states. To contribute to the list of Georgia scorecards, email suggestions to editor@ballotpedia.org.
2015
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2015, click [show]. |
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In 2015, the Georgia State Legislature was in session from January 12 through April 2.
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2014
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2014, click [show]. |
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In 2014, the Georgia State Legislature was in session from January 13 through March 21.
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2013
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2013, click [show]. |
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In 2013, the Georgia State Legislature was in session from January 13 through March 21.
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2012
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2012, click [show]. |
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In 2012, the Georgia State Legislature was in session from January 9 through March 29.
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External links
- Profile from Open States
- Campaign contributions: 2012, 2010
Footnotes
- ↑ The Islander, "Taking Their Oaths," January 3, 2017
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Vote Smart, "Alex Atwood's Biography," accessed February 9, 2017
- ↑ Georgia Secretary of State, "Current and Past Election Results," accessed July 30, 2017
- ↑ New Georgia Encyclopedia, "Judicial Branch: Overview," June 5, 2014
- ↑ American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial Selection: Georgia; Limited Jurisdiction Courts," archived October 2, 2014
- ↑ Georgia Secretary of State, "Official candidate list," accessed March 10, 2014
- ↑ Georgia Secretary of State, "Official primary election results," accessed May 28, 2014
- ↑ Georgia Secretary of State, "Official general election results," accessed November 13, 2014
- ↑ Georgia Secretary of State Elections Division, "Candidate List," accessed May 29, 2012
- ↑ Georgia Elections Division, "2012 Election Results" accessed November 16, 2012
- ↑ Georgia Secretary of State, "Official 2010 Election results," accessed April 16, 2014
- ↑ Georgia Secretary of State, "Official 2010 Primary election results," accessed April 16, 2014
- ↑ Georgia Secretary of State, "August 10, 2010 State Representative primary runoff results
- ↑ The American Presidency Project, "Mitt Romney Announces Support of Georgia Elected Officials and Leaders," October 27, 2011
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Jerry Keen |
Georgia House District 179 2011–2016 |
Succeeded by Don Hogan (R) |
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