Gabriel Sterling

Gabriel Sterling (born 1969 or 1970) is an American politician and elections official from the state of Georgia. He is the chief operating officer (COO) in the office of the Georgia Secretary of State. He previously served on the city council for Sandy Springs, Georgia.

Gabriel Sterling
Sandy Springs City Councillor
In office
2011–2017
Personal details
Born1969 or 1970 (age 50–51)[1]
Sandy Springs, Georgia
Political partyRepublican
Alma materUniversity of Georgia

Sterling graduated from Riverwood International Charter School in Sandy Springs,[2] and the University of Georgia.[1] He began working in Republican Party politics as a volunteer for Mack Mattingly in his unsuccessful 1986 reelection bid to the U.S. Senate.[3] He served as campaign manager for Charlie Norwood in his successful election to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1994.[2] In 1998, Sterling ran for the Georgia House of Representatives in District 43, facing Dorothy Felton in the Republican Party primary election.[3] Sterling lost the election.[4]

Sterling was elected to the Sandy Springs City Council, taking office in 2011. In 2017, he did not run for reelection, and instead ran for the chair's seat on the Fulton County Commission.[5][6] He finished in third place, behind Robb Pitts and Keisha Waites, both members of the Democratic Party.[7]

Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger appointed Sterling the COO of the Secretary of State's office after winning the 2018 election.[8] He became an independent contractor in November 2019, and worked to roll out the use of new voting machines purchased from Dominion Voting Systems for the 2020 Georgia state elections.[9] Sterling publicly debunked President Donald Trump's false allegations of voter fraud after Joe Biden won Georgia in the 2020 United States presidential election, saying they were "all easily, provably false,"[10][11] and warned that statements by Trump and other leading Republicans would result in deaths.[12]

References
  1. Gardner, Amy (December 1, 2020). "'Someone's going to get killed': GOP election official in Georgia blames President Trump for fostering violent threats". The Washington Post. Retrieved January 7, 2021.
  2. "Now famous for rebuking Trump, an election official is a familiar Sandy Springs figure". Reporter Newspapers. December 2, 2020. Retrieved January 6, 2021.
  3. Reid, S.A. (July 16, 1998). "Neophyte challenges Felton". The Atlanta Constitution. p. JH7. Retrieved January 7, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. Eckstein, Sandra (July 22, 1998). "Kenn taking a solid lead for Fulton chairman". The Atlanta Constitution. p. D6. Retrieved January 7, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. "Sandy Springs councilmember announces run for Fulton chairman". Reporter Newspapers. April 6, 2017. Retrieved January 6, 2021.
  6. "Reichel wins Sandy Springs City Council seat". Reporter Newspapers. November 8, 2017. Retrieved January 6, 2021.
  7. Kass, Arielle (November 8, 2017). "Robb Pitts, Keisha Waites face off to lead Fulton County commission". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved January 7, 2021.
  8. "Former Sandy Springs councilmember to be new Georgia secretary of state's COO". Reporter Newspapers. December 28, 2018. Retrieved January 6, 2021.
  9. Niesse, Marc (December 29, 2020). "Georgia elections manager left state job, got $200K per year contract". The Atlanta Journal Constitution. Retrieved January 11, 2021.
  10. Parks, Miles (January 4, 2021). "Georgia Election Official: Don't Let Misinformation 'Suppress Your Own Vote'". NPR. Retrieved January 6, 2021.
  11. LeBlanc, Paul (January 4, 2021). "Georgia election official shoots down Trump's election conspiracy theories". CNN. Retrieved January 11, 2021.
  12. Fowler, Stephen (December 1, 2020). "'Someone's Going To Get Killed': Ga. Official Blasts GOP Silence On Election Threats". NPR. Retrieved January 12, 2021.
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