Thompson, a Shiloh High School graduate and attorney, represented state Senate District 5 for 14 years. Fellow Democrat Sheikh Rahman bested him in last May's primary election.

Thompson said as chairman he would explore the idea of developing a county-run Internet network to provide no- or low-cost service to r esidents and businesses. An d he said he would propose both new de-escalation training for local law enforcement and "new policies to enforce harsh penalties on officers who racially profile our citizens or callously harass minorities."

Thompson also said he would fight to eliminate the use of taxpayer dollars to fund the federal 287(g) program at the Gwinnett County Sheriff’s Office. The controversial program deputizes local law enforcement officers with some of the powers of immigration officials.

“It would be my position that the county should not fund that,” Thompson said.

Gwinnett has long been a Republican stronghold, but recent election returns have shown that any Democratic candidate could have strong prospects in a countywide chairman's race. Two Democrats won seats on the commission in November, the first since the 1980s.

Nash won her last re-election campaign in 2016 by what was then a surprisingly thin margin.