U.S. House District 11: Surprise retirement sets off scramble in Atlanta suburbs
Eight Republicans qualified to compete in the primary for Georgia’s 11th Congressional District, a sign of the competitive nature in one of the state’s few open federal seats.
U.S. Rep. Barry Loudermilk, R-Cassville, surprised supporters and constituents when he announced in February he would not seek another term.
The district leans Republican, meaning whoever wins the party primary will be considered the front-runner in the general election. Loudermilk won in 2024 with 67% of the vote.
Still, two Democrats have signed up to run in their party primary and hope to ride a blue wave and flip the seat in November.
In the GOP field, one candidate has bowed out and endorsed a competitor.
Georgia’s 11th Congressional District includes counties in the Atlanta suburbs and exurbs heading west from Interstate 75.
Here are the candidates:
Democrats:
Chris Harden:
A resident of Cherokee County, Harden owns an estate planning and probate law firm with his wife. He also represents children and families as a government-appointed attorney in juvenile courts.
Barry Wolfert:
A Marietta-based realtor, Wolfert said he saw up close the effects of the expiring Affordable Care Act subsidies last year. That is what compelled him to run for Congress, where he initially anticipated a challenge to Loudermilk.
Republicans:
Rob Adkerson:
Adkerson, who lives in Adairsville, formerly served as Loudermilk’s campaign manager and chief of staff. He resigned from that position in February shortly before launching his campaign to succeed Loudermilk in Congress.
He got his political start in the tea party movement within the Republican Party and said he was motivated to run, in part, after seeing how federal regulations impacted his contracting business.
William Brown
Brown does not appear to have a campaign website but in papers filed with the Secretary of State’s office he says he is an attorney from Woodstock. He has more than $37,000 in contributions, according to Federal Election Commission filings.
Lisa Carlquist:
Carlquist suspended her campaign on March 31 and endorsed Adkerson.
John Cowan:
The Rome-based neurosurgeon and business owner finished second to Marjorie Taylor Greene when he ran in Georgia’s 14th District in 2020.
For his current campaign, he is pitching himself as a “conservative outsider.” He loaned his campaign $1.5 million, choosing to mostly self-fund.
John Hobbs:
A machinist by trade, Hobbs said he is one of the few blue-collar workers on the ballot. He said it’s time everyday Americans have a voice in Congress.
Uloma Stacy Ekpete Kama:
Initially a candidate in Georgia’s 3rd District in south metro Atlanta, she later moved to the 11th after Loudermilk’s retirement announcement. She reported to the state that she now lives in Cobb, but her campaign headquarters are in St. Petersburg, Fla.
She also has run for office several times in Florida between 2022 and 2025, and she ran for a congressional seat in Rhode Island in 2023.
Chris Mora:
Mora is the former chairman of the Pickens County Republican Party and also served as the party’s 1st vice chairman in the 11th Congressional District.
The son of an immigrant, he holds a doctorate in naturopathic medicine and is also a pastry chef.
Tricia Pridemore:
Pridemore has been serving on Georgia’s Public Service Commission since 2018, including a stint as its chairwoman. She decided not to run for reelection this year after Democrats flipped two other PSC seats in special elections.
The Marietta resident has raised more than any other candidate in the 11th District race. Pridemore ran unsuccessfully for this same seat in 2014, losing to Loudermilk.
About the Author
Tia Mitchell is the AJC’s Washington Bureau Chief and a co-host of the "Politically Georgia" podcast. She writes about Georgia’s congressional delegation, campaigns, elections and the impact that decisions made in D.C. have on residents of the Peach State.
