Another candidate withdraws from Columbus election for seat on city council
Another candidate has withdrawn from the 2026 election for a seat on the Columbus Council.
According to the Muscogee County Elections and Registration Office website, Branson Courtney Derrell Wright withdrew from the race for the citywide District 9 at-large seat on the 10-member council on March 16 — only 10 days after she qualified during the last day of the period to be on the May 19 nonpartisan ballot. The Ledger-Enquirer didn’t reach Wright for comment before publication.
Wright’s withdrawal follows Marquese “Skinny” Averett dropping out of the race for the council’s District 7 seat on March 6. He instead qualified for the Georgia House District 140 seat filled by state Rep. Teddy Reese (D-Columbus). Reese, however, is running for the Georgia Senate District 15 seat filled by state Sen. Ed Harbison (D-Columbus), who announced March 4 he won’t seek reelection after serving for the past 33 years.
So here is the new lineup of candidates for Columbus Council, mayor, Muscogee County School Board and State Court judge:
Columbus mayoral candidates
- Chris Breault
- Jaketra Bryant
- Joanne Cogle
- Isaiah Hugley
- Steve Kelly
- Mark LaJoye
Columbus Council candidates
- Simi Barnes, District 1
- Karen Gaskins, District 1
- Sherrie Aaron, District 3
- Jake Golden IV, District 3
- Zack Lee, District 3
- Charmaine Crabb, District 5 (incumbent)
- Robert Wadkins Jr., District 5
- Laketha Ashe, District 7
- Chiara Richardson, District 7
- Rebecca “Becca” Zajac, District 7
- John Anker, citywide District 9 (incumbent)
- Cathy Cook, citywide District 9
- Rocky Marsh, citywide District 9
- John Van Doorn, citywide District 9
Muscogee County School Board candidates
- Nickie Tillery, District 2 (incumbent)
- Naomi Buckner, District 4 (incumbent)
- Mark Cantrell, District 6 (incumbent)
- Bob Roth, District 6
- Margot Schley, District 8 (incumbent)
- Joshua Smith, District 8
- Sadiyah Abdullah, countywide at-large
- Kia Chambers, countywide at-large (incumbent)
- Kevin Miller, countywide at-large
State Court judge candidate
- Andy Prather (incumbent)
Qualifying fees
- $4,943 for State Court judge
- $1,950 for mayor
- $360 for city councilor
- $360 for school board member
This story was originally published March 23, 2026 at 4:23 PM.
