Everton Blair defeats late Rep. David Scott’s daughter in Georgia special election

The former school board chairman overcame an eight-point first-round deficit to win the runoff for Georgia’s 13th Congressional District.

Former Gwinnett County School Board Chairman Everton Blair has won the special election to fill the remainder of the late Rep. David Scott’s term in Georgia’s 13th Congressional District. Blair defeated Marcye Scott, the late congressman’s daughter, in a runoff that saw Blair overcome an eight-point deficit from the first round.

NBC News projected Blair as the winner, with preliminary results showing him leading Scott 53% to 47% with most of the expected vote counted. The result represents a significant turnaround from the first round of voting in July, when Scott led Blair 46% to 38%. The special election was triggered by the death of David Scott, who died April 22 at age 80 after more than two decades representing the Atlanta-area district. Scott, a Democrat, made history during his congressional career as the first Black chairman of the House Agriculture Committee.

His daughter entered the special election seeking to extend her father’s political legacy. During the campaign, Marcye Scott argued that she would continue the work her father had begun on behalf of the district. Blair, however, successfully closed the gap and emerged from the runoff with the victory.

A former Gwinnett County School Board chairman, Blair campaigned on a progressive platform that included support for Medicare for All, universal childcare and a tax on households earning more than $50 million. The victory places Blair in Congress at a moment when the House majority remains extremely narrow. Once Blair and California Democrat Aisha Wahab, who recently won another special election, are sworn in, Republicans’ House majority is expected to stand at 218-214, alongside one independent and two vacancies.

However, Blair’s time in Washington could be brief. Georgia’s 13th District is considered deeply Democratic, and the November election is already set to determine who serves the next full term. State Rep. Jasmine Clark won the Democratic primary for the regular November election and is considered the heavy favorite to capture the seat. Clark did not participate in the special election, while Blair ran in the regular primary but lost to her.

Blair’s win gives him a short-term opportunity to represent the Atlanta-area constituency in Washington while setting up another election in November that will determine who holds the seat for the next full congressional term.