Dave Cooper

Dave Cooper is the Democratic candidate for the Georgia State Senate, District 50, where he faces Republican incumbent Bo Hatchett in the November 3, 2026 general election.[1][2] A retired U.S. Army master sergeant, he said in a Ballotpedia survey that he has worked in public service at several levels of government, including retiring from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.[3]

Cooper graduated from La Salle High School and, according to Ballotpedia, earned a graduate degree from California State University, Hayward in 1993; he served in the U.S. Army Reserve from 1983 to 2010.[1] In a Ballotpedia survey, he described his career as public service in a small city, two urban counties and state highway and parks work, followed by retirement from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, where he worked on toxic industrial waste cleanup.[3] He also said he founded an international humanitarian nonprofit and holds a political science B.S. and a Master's in Public Administration.[3]

Cooper was the Democratic candidate for Georgia House of Representatives District 8 in 2020, losing the general election to Stan Gunter, 82.0% to 18.0%.[1] He was unopposed in the 2026 Democratic primary for Senate District 50 and received 4,638 votes.[1] He said his focus is on honest elections, the rule of law and constitutional rights, and on legislation to lower food and household costs, create tax fairness and expand Medicaid, and he named election integrity, good governance, clean energy, environmental protection and women's health as policy interests.[3]

Researched from the cited sources on 2026-10-21. Not yet independently fact-checked.