GOP Cobb Chair Urges 'Transition In Grace' For Nation's Leaders

MARIETTA, GA — Outgoing Cobb County Board Chairman Mike Boyce broke ranks with fellow Republicans Tuesday, urging politicians to respect the election’s outcome and “transition in grace.”

Boyce made his comments at the end of Cobb County’s regular Board of Commissioners meeting after congratulating Democrat Lisa Cupid for winning his job in the Nov. 3 general election.

Noting the huge voter turnout in Cobb County as a “great example of democracy in action,” Boyce added: “I think it’s also important as part of this process that we have a transition in grace, that we acknowledge the voice of the people, we hear them and move on.”

Boyce said he found it “extraordinary that four years ago nobody complained about the results of the election, and yet four years later we have people who question the integrity of the voting process because they lost.

“That doesn’t reflect well of leadership,” Boyce said. “That doesn’t happen in Cobb County. That’s not going to happen in Cobb County as long as I’m the chairman.”

Boyce also said that he hoped his message was heard “loud and clear” by national and state leaders, none of whom he named.

The chairman’s comments came the day after fellow Republicans David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler, both facing runoffs for U.S. Senate, demanded that Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger resign over unspecified voting problems. The comments came two days after President Donald Trump tapped former U.S. Rep. Doug Collins to spearhead GOP efforts to recount the Georgia vote.

Boyce’s comments also came the day before Veterans Day. Boyce himself is a U.S. Marine Corps veteran.

“Tomorrow, I just think it’s a great time to remember, if nothing else, what this country stands for,” Boyce said, “that although veterans fought for freedom and still fight for freedom, we all fight for freedom in our own ways, and the way to do that is to acknowledge the will and voice of the people and to continue, to encourage, what I call this transition in grace.

“So with that,” Boyce concluded, “I adjourn this meeting."

Boyce's comments in their entirety begin at about 1:19:00.