Amy Henson has withdrawn her candidacy from the Republican Primary race for Union County Board of Education District 4, making School Board District 2 the only contested county-level election.
Henson qualified the week of March 2 alongside Jonathan “Jon” Cook for the seat currently held by Board Member Jason McCarter, who is not seeking re-election. After qualifying, Henson decided to throw her support behind Cook, elevating him as the sole candidate for District 4.
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“We have mutual beliefs and visions for our school board and desire to see our district continue to move forward,” Henson told the newspaper about Cook. “I never planned to run against someone that I would vote for myself, but you must qualify to know who the other candidates are.
“I wish Mr. Cook well as he serves my district and school system and know he has my vote.”
Cook is now running unopposed in both the May 19 Republican Primary and in the Nov. 3 General Election, as no Democratic candidates qualified for School Board this year. Barring unlikely circumstances, Cook is all set to start his four-year term in January 2027.
“First, I would like to thank Mrs. Amy Henson for her support and vote,” Cook said over the weekend. “As a native and lifelong resident of District 4, I care deeply about our community and our schools.
“As a member of the school board, I would continue to prioritize the needs of Union County Schools’ students and maintain responsible, transparent stewardship of the Union County taxpayers’ dollars entrusted to our school system.
“I believe these priorities reflect what most voters expect from their school board representatives. Thank you for your support as I look forward to serving our students and our community.”
As this is a mid-term election year, only three local seats are up for grabs in 2026, all of them on the Union County Board of Education, specifically Districts 2, 4 and 5 that are held right now by Tony Hunter, Jason McCarter and Patrick White, respectively.
Incumbent White was the lone qualifier for the District 5 seat, giving him a solid hold on the Suches-based School Board post for at least another four years. And with Cook now the only candidate for District 4, that leaves District 2 as the single race to be decided.
Without Democratic opposition in November, whoever wins the District 2 Republican Primary in May will have a clear path to 2027, with General Election results to be effectively known this spring.
Four candidates qualified for District 2, including multi-term Incumbent Hunter, who is facing challenges from fellow qualifiers Holly Jones, Naveela Philbeck and John Davis. See inside this week’s edition of the North Georgia News for profiles on all four candidates.
For a full breakdown of local, state and federal qualifying candidates, visit https://sos.ga.gov/candidate-qualifying-elected-office.
The deadline to register to vote on May 19 is April 20, and the deadline to register for the Nov. 3 election is Oct. 5.
