MOULTRIE, Ga. — The race to fill the seat of state Sen. Dean Burke got interesting over the three-day qualifying period with three candidates from three different parties throwing their hats into the ring.

Gov. Brian Kemp announced Burke’s resignation Dec. 22 when he announced that Burke would become the chief medical officer of the state’s Department of Community Health. Burke, a Bainbridge physician, has represented Senate District 11 since 2013.

One day later, on Dec. 23, state Rep. Sam Watson of Moultrie announced he would resign to run for Burke’s seat. Watson, a Colquitt County farmer, has represented House District 172 since 2012.

Both House District 172 and Senate District 11 will be filled by a special election to be held Jan. 31.

Only one candidate — Colquitt County Administrator Charles “Chas” Cannon — qualified for the House seat, according to the Georgia Secretary of State’s website.

Watson, a Republican, qualified for the Senate seat on Wednesday.

On Thursday, Mary Weaver-Anderson, a Democrat, qualified, and on Friday, John H. Monds, a Libertarian, did so, the Secretary of State’s website said. Both of them are from Cairo.

Under election rules, all three candidates will face off in the special election.

There is no party primary and general election as there would be in a normal election cycle.

Charles “Chas” Cannon

Cannon announced his qualifying in an email to media just before 5 p.m. Wednesday.

“Effective leadership in government matters, and it is our responsibility to elect another qualified leader to fill Rep. Sam Watson’s seat,” Cannon said. “From growing up and working on the family farm, participating in multiple combat missions overseas, and serving for nearly a decade in local government administration, I believe I can be a strong advocate for the people of Thomas, Cook, and Colquitt counties. It would be an honor and a privilege to serve them in Atlanta.”

Cannon serves as Colquitt County administrator, the chief executive officer of the county government. He is also actively serving as a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army Reserve with duty in Washington, DC in the Legislative Affairs Division.

He graduated in 2001 with a Bachelor of Science degree from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, where he was a member of the Army Football Team. Following graduation, Cannon served as an active duty U.S. Army officer and participated in three operational combat deployments to Iraq. He was also selected to serve as an Army Congressional Fellow in the U.S. Congress, during which time he earned a Master’s of Professional Studies in Legislative Affairs at the George Washington University.

During his military career, Cannon earned a number of awards and decorations to include three Bronze Star Medals, the Combat Action Badge, the U.S. Army Airborne Parachutist Badge, the U.S. Army Air Assault Badge, the Presidential Unit Citation, and the Valorous Unit Award.

Recognized as a High Potential Leader by the University of Georgia Archway Partnership Program, Cannon is also a 2014 graduate of Leadership Colquitt and a 2015 graduate and 2022 Agriculture Program chair of Leadership Georgia. As a fifth-generation land owner and forestry land manager in Colquitt County, he is a member of the Executive Committee of the Georgia Forestry Association and Forest Landowners Association. He is a lifelong hunter and an avid outdoorsman.

Cannon and his wife, Beth have two daughters and are members of First Presbyterian Church of Moultrie, where he has served as both a deacon and an elder.

Sam Watson

Born and raised in southwest Georgia, Watson is a lifelong conservative who is raising his family on the same farm that his grandfather started, according to a press release from Watson’s office. He is an advocate for agriculture, Georgia’s largest industry.

“We have made great strides for Georgia including tax credits benefitting rural hospitals, working to maintain ad valorem tax exemptions for family farms and land owners, delivering election reform and, probably closest to my heart, the unprecedented state funded relief we were able to provide to our farmers and devastated communities after Hurricane Michael,” Watson said. “I have worked hand-in-hand with the Georgia Senate and am prepared to hit the ground running in February. Southwest Georgia deserves to retain this respected seat at the table in Atlanta and I know I can be effective in this role.”

Since 2007, Watson has served as managing partner of Chill C Farms in Moultrie. He is a 2012 graduate of Leadership Georgia, a 2011 graduate of Leadership Colquitt, and a 2009 graduate of the Georgia Agri-Leaders Forum. He serves on the Colquitt County Farm Bureau Board of Directors, is a member of the Colquitt County Cattlemen’s Association and the Colquitt County Young Farmers. He is also vice president of Georgia Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association, member & past president of the UGA Alpha Gamma Rho Fraternity Alumni Board, and a member of the Georgia Agribusiness Council. He has received numerous honors and awards including Georgia Trend’s “Movers and Shakers in Agribusiness” in 2010 and Georgia Chamber of Commerce freshman legislator of the year award in 2014.

Sam and his wife Emily have four girls — teenagers Lily and Lucy as well as 3-year-old twins Riley Moore and Maddie Ruth. The Watsons are members of Moultrie First Baptist Church where they are active in the children’s ministry and Sam Watson serves as a deacon. The Watson family lives in southern Colquitt County on the family farm between Moultrie and Coolidge.

Mary Weaver-Anderson

Weaver-Anderson identifies herself as a small business owner and educator on the Secretary of State’s site, but she has not provided The Moultrie Observer with a biography as other candidates have.

The Observer’s sister newspaper, The Thomasville Times-Enterprise, has scheduled an interview with her for next week. Their article will be available to Observer readers when it’s completed.

John H. Monds

The Libertarian Party of Georgia announced Monds’ candidacy with a press release Friday afternoon.

Monds made history in the 2008 Georgia Public Service Commissioner race when he became the first Libertarian candidate to receive over 1 million votes in Georgia, the release said. He made history again in 2010 when he became the first African-American candidate to appear on the general election ballot for governor in Georgia.

“Most recently, in 2020, Monds sought the Libertarian nomination for president, where the story of his family’s fight for freedom resonated with delegates at state conventions across the nation,” the Libertarian Party’s press release said. Libertarians nominated Jo Jorgensen for president instead, and she received about 1.2% of the votes across the nation.

Monds has been married to Dr. Kathaleena Monds for 23 years. They have four children, Akintunde, Cazembe, Halima, and Malik. Monds earned a degree in business administration from Morehouse College with a concentration in banking and finance

. He has homeschooled his children for the past 20 years, the release said, and two of his students have received their college degrees. Monds has been active in his community through various organizations, including Habitat for Humanity, Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc, and the NAACP. He enjoys classic Volkswagens, gardening, and genealogy.

Monds has been an active member of the Libertarian Party for 17 years.

“I am running for Senate because we can never become complacent in the fight for individual liberty,” Monds said.

He said he was inspired to run by his great-great-grandparents, Columbus and Morning Ferguson, who were slaves on the Ferguson farm in Talbot County. Monds said, “I am running to honor them and all the other freedom fighters.”

“I am running because the voters always deserve more choices on the ballot,” Monds said. “We need elected officials who will rein in big-government intrusion into the lives of Georgians.”