Attorney. Educator. Strategist. Former county commissioner. Now the Democratic nominee at the center of one of Georgia’s most closely watched local elections.
TL;DR:
Mo Ivory is the Democratic nominee for Chair of the Fulton County Board of Commissioners. A former District 4 commissioner, she resigned her seat in March 2026 to run for chair, then unseated incumbent Robb Pitts in the June 16 Democratic runoff with roughly 66% of the vote. She campaigns on government transparency, accountability, conditions at the Fulton County Jail, court funding, and healthcare access. She faces Republican Eric Tatum in the general election on November 3, 2026.
Who Is Mo Ivory?
Mo Ivory is the Democratic nominee for Chair of the Fulton County Board of Commissioners, the body that governs Georgia’s largest county and its more than one million residents.
An attorney, law professor, media personality, and political strategist, Ivory was elected to represent District 4 on the Fulton County Board of Commissioners in 2024. She resigned that seat on March 6, 2026 to mount a countywide campaign for chair. In the May 19 Democratic primary she finished first in a three-way race, then defeated incumbent Chair Robb Pitts in the June 16 runoff with roughly 66% of the vote.
She now faces Republican candidate Eric Tatum, also an attorney, in the general election on November 3, 2026.
At a Glance
| Current status | Democratic nominee, Chair of the Fulton County Board of Commissioners |
| Previous office | Commissioner, Fulton County District 4 (2024 to March 2026) |
| Profession | Attorney, law professor, media personality, political strategist |
| Primary result | First place, May 19, 2026, with roughly 40% of the vote |
| Runoff result | Won June 16, 2026 with roughly 66%, defeating Chair Robb Pitts |
| Notable endorsement | Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens |
| General election | November 3, 2026, against Republican Eric Tatum |
| Stated priorities | Transparency, accountability, jail conditions, court funding, healthcare access, election protection |
Why This Race Drew Statewide Attention
Robb Pitts had been a fixture of metro Atlanta politics for roughly four decades. He served about two decades on Atlanta City Council, including as council president, then served as a Fulton commissioner from 2003 to 2014 before becoming board chair in 2017.
Defeating him required Ivory to give up something first. In March 2026 she resigned her District 4 seat to run countywide, forgoing a secure position for an uncertain one. Her resignation also triggered a special election to fill District 4, scheduled for the same November ballot.
The primary result surprised many observers. Ivory finished first with about 40% of the vote to Pitts’s 35%, with Commissioner Marvin Arrington Jr. taking 25%. Because no candidate cleared a majority, the race went to a June 16 runoff. Analysts credited Ivory’s showing in part to strong turnout among Black women voters across Georgia.
The runoff was decisive rather than close. Ivory took roughly two thirds of the vote.
“The voters of Fulton County have made something clear throughout this campaign: they want accountability, they want results.” — Mo Ivory, at the June 1 Atlanta Press Club runoff debate
What Mo Ivory Says She Will Do
Ivory has run on a compact set of county-government priorities rather than broad themes. Speaking to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution after her runoff win, she summarized her agenda as a commitment to “fix the jail, fund the courts, build hospitals and protect elections.”
Expanded, her stated platform covers:
- Government transparency. Making county decisions and spending more visible to residents.
- Accountability. Measuring county performance against outcomes rather than intentions.
- Fulton County Jail conditions. Ivory has described her goal as a more fair and humane jail and court system. Conditions at the jail have been the subject of sustained scrutiny.
- Court funding and efficiency. Addressing case backlogs through adequate funding for the court system.
- Healthcare access. Ivory has specifically raised hospital capacity in South Fulton.
- Election administration. Protecting county election infrastructure.
- County services and community collaboration. Improving day-to-day responsiveness across departments.
The June 1 debate was contentious. Ivory criticized Pitts’s record, including votes she characterized as siding with north Fulton Republican commissioners against spending measures. Pitts defended his tenure and questioned her experience. Property taxes, healthcare in South Fulton, and the jail dominated the exchange.
What the Fulton County Chair Actually Does
The chair presides over a seven-member Board of Commissioners elected to four-year terms. Six members represent districts; the chair is elected countywide. The board sets the county budget, oversees county departments, and shapes policy on public safety, health services, elections administration, transportation, and economic development.
For more than one million residents, that makes it one of the most consequential local offices in Georgia. It is also structurally similar to the role held by Oz Nesbitt, CEO and Chairman for Rockdale County, who spoke with this magazine about the difference between holding office and delivering for residents.
The November Election
The general election is November 3, 2026. Ivory faces Republican Eric Tatum, an attorney.
Fulton County voters will also decide the special election for the vacant District 4 seat Ivory left, alongside several other board seats. Three sitting commissioners either lost their primaries or ran for other offices, so the board will look substantially different in 2027 regardless of the chair’s race.
Whoever wins inherits a set of problems that predate them: the jail, court backlogs, healthcare capacity in South Fulton, and a property tax debate that has divided the board for years.
Black Women and Georgia’s Political Map
For many readers, Ivory’s candidacy registers as part of a longer arc.
Georgia has repeatedly been the place where Black women’s political leadership became visible nationally. Shirley Franklin became Atlanta’s first Black woman mayor. Keisha Lance Bottoms built a legacy of courage and service in the same office. Stacey Abrams reshaped what a statewide campaign could look like. And Kamala Harris’s path to the national ticket ran through Georgia’s electorate.
County government is less visible than any of those races and arguably touches daily life more directly. Budgets, jails, clinics, and elections are administered at this level. That is the context in which the influence of Black women in politics and activism is worth reading alongside this race.
The pattern extends beyond Fulton. In neighboring Rockdale County, Janie Jones serves as Vice Chair of the Board of Education, part of a wider shift in who holds local decision-making power across metro Atlanta.
Leadership Built Before the Campaign
Ivory’s résumé crosses law, higher education, media, and political strategy. She has worked alongside elected officials, students, community organizations, and business leaders, and has built a public profile through media work rather than a single institutional track.
That breadth cuts both ways in a campaign. It gave her fluency across constituencies and a public voice. It also gave Pitts an argument about depth of governing experience, which he pressed in the debate.
What is not in dispute is that she chose a harder path than she needed to. Resigning a seat to challenge an incumbent with a four-decade record is a decision about when to pivot and when to push through that most officeholders decline to make.
Cover Conversation
At Real Women Atlanta Magazine, we believe every woman’s story has the power to inspire.
This month we spotlight Mo Ivory, not as an endorsement, but because her candidacy opens a broader conversation about leadership, civic engagement, and who shapes Georgia’s future. Readers will decide for themselves in November.
What is already clear is that decisions made in county government shape neighborhoods for a generation, and that more of those decisions are being made by Black women than at any point in Georgia’s history.
Editor’s Note
Real Women Atlanta Magazine celebrates women whose journeys inspire leadership, service, and community impact. This feature is presented as a profile of Mo Ivory’s record and candidacy during the 2026 election season. It is not an endorsement of any candidate. Republican nominee Eric Tatum is also on the November 3 ballot for this office. Election details and results reflect reporting available as of publication.
Written by Charmaine E. Moss, Publisher of Real Women Atlanta Magazine.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Mo Ivory?
Mo Ivory is an attorney, law professor, and former Fulton County commissioner who is the Democratic nominee for Chair of the Fulton County Board of Commissioners in Georgia.
Did Mo Ivory win the election?
Mo Ivory won the Democratic primary runoff on June 16, 2026, taking roughly 66% of the vote and defeating incumbent Chair Robb Pitts. She has not yet won the office. The general election is November 3, 2026.
Who did Mo Ivory run against?
In the Democratic primary Ivory ran against incumbent Chair Robb Pitts and Commissioner Marvin Arrington Jr. She defeated Pitts in the June 16 runoff. In the November 3, 2026 general election she faces Republican Eric Tatum.
Was Mo Ivory a Fulton County commissioner?
Yes. Ivory was elected to represent District 4 on the Fulton County Board of Commissioners in 2024 and resigned the seat on March 6, 2026 in order to run for chair. Her resignation triggered a special election for District 4 on the November ballot.
What is Mo Ivory’s platform?
Ivory campaigns on government transparency, accountability, improving conditions at the Fulton County Jail, funding the court system, expanding healthcare access including hospital capacity in South Fulton, and protecting election administration.
When is the Fulton County Commission chair election?
The general election for Chair of the Fulton County Board of Commissioners is November 3, 2026.
What does the Fulton County Commission chair do?
The chair leads a seven-member Board of Commissioners elected to four-year terms. The board sets the county budget and oversees departments covering public safety, health services, elections, transportation, and economic development for more than one million residents.
Who endorsed Mo Ivory?
Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens endorsed Ivory in the Democratic runoff. Commissioner Marvin Arrington Jr., who finished third in the primary, endorsed Robb Pitts.
