Kendrick defeats Johnson in battle to be Augusta mayor

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - In a repeat of the battle they fought four years ago, Steven Kendrick prevailed over incumbent Garnett Johnson in the election for Augusta mayor on Tuesday.

Kendrick won the runoff Tuesday night with 54.3% of the votes (14,651) vs. 45.7% (12,347) for Johnson.

Meanwhile in the race for Augusta Commission District 8, Evett Williams defeated Michael Cioffi. Williams got 52.6% of the votes (2,174), while Cioffi got 47.4% (1,958).

How the mayoral race unfolded

Four years ago, Johnson was an outsider, while Kendrick was part of the system, having served as Richmond County tax commissioner. Johnson prevailed in that runoff.

This time, Kendrick was the outsider and Johnson was the insider.

Kendrick said voters were looking for change in Augusta.

“I just wanna make sure people know there’s an opportunity for change to happen in Augusta. That change exists with Steven Kendrick, and we have an opportunity to make some great strides,” Kendrick said.

He said voters have become more sophisticated in their expectations since the 2022 race.

“Four years ago, we were a candidate that was expected to win, and the people were looking for change, but it doesn’t seem as though many feel like they got that,” Kendrick said.

Kendrick outlined immediate priorities if elected, including an operational audit and a listening tour.

“We wanna do an operational audit right away. We wanna figure out if we got the right people in the right places all the time. We wanna do a listening tour. We wanna go out and hear what people are saying. What do they want in their government? And then we gotta get our financial house in order,” he said.

He said his election would signal a move toward unifying the city.

“I think anybody who wakes up on Wednesday morning with Steven Kendrick as their mayor-elect automatically will, should get a sense of confidence that we’re gonna start to move in the right direction, that we’re gonna finally unify this city and come together,” Kendrick said.

Johnson spoke to supporters Tuesday night at a watch party.

“Competition makes our democracy stronger. Having people that are willing to offer themselves up for these political positions,” he said. “Having them go through the grind of a campaign, having them go through the drudge of just serving, we have done that. And tonight, the voters have spoken.”

While campaigning, Johnson had said progress was evident across the city during his tenure.

“A little over four years ago, I started this campaign focused solely on change. I believe that we have been effective in delivering that and growing Augusta, being actionable and accountable to the taxpayers, and then results driven,” Johnson said.

Johnson pointed to development throughout Augusta as evidence of progress.

“It’s evident throughout all parts of our city, whether it’s downtown, in our south corridor, all parts of Augusta, we’re experiencing an opportunity and a generational change that we haven’t seen in many years,” he said.