GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — A stay-at-home mom with no political background just unseated one of the longest-serving members of the Gwinnett County school board.
[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]
Chelsea Hutchings, a mother of five, defeated two-term incumbent Steve Knudsen in the nonpartisan District 2 race by 367 votes. Her 50.69% share of roughly 26,800 ballots was just enough to avoid a recount.
She had never run for office, and she signed up on the first day she could.
“I’m not a political person,” Hutchings said. “The whole campaign thing, getting your name out there, that was all brand new to me.”
Her advocacy started at home. Her youngest son, who is 7, has Down syndrome, and his experience in the district pushed her toward systemic change.
“I became an advocate because my own son is in a system that wasn’t built for him,” she said. “And he is not the only kid that it wasn’t built for.”
TRENDING STORIES:
That fight took her to the state Capitol for three years before she ever ran, alongside stints as a substitute teacher and on a local inclusion task force. She sees it all as one effort.
“I am trying to be in every phase of life as possible, every area of change as possible, because they’re all connected,” Hutchings said.
Knudsen, first elected in 2018, had served longer than anyone else currently on the board.
Hutchings will start early next year, just as incoming Superintendent Dr. Alexandra Estrella begins a two-year term in July.
“I really felt like she’ll be somebody who wants to listen to families,” Hutchings said.
Hutchings said the result belonged to more than her campaign.
“I’m going to be an advocate for all of us and the district,” Hutchings said. “It just felt like it was a win for everybody.”
[SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
©2026 Cox Media Group
