Everton Blair wins Georgia special election to succeed late Rep. David Scott

Democrat Everton Blair, Jr. won a Georgia special election runoff on August 25, 2026, defeating Marcye Scott with 53.95% of the vote to succeed the late Representative David Scott. Blair makes history as the first openly gay member of Congress from Georgia and the first Black, openly gay representative from the South. He will serve a brief term ending in January 2027, as state Representative Jasmine Clark won the regular Democratic primary and is favored to win the full term in November.

Blair special election victory

• ▪In the initial all-party special election on July 28, 2026, Marcye Scott finished first with 46% of the vote, while Everton Blair, Jr. finished second with 37%.
• ▪Everton Blair, Jr. defeated Marcye Scott, the daughter of the late Representative David Scott, in the runoff election with approximately 53.95% of the vote.
• ▪Everton Blair, Jr. won the Georgia special election runoff on August 25, 2026, to represent Georgia's 13th congressional district, succeeding the late Representative David Scott.

Blair education career background

• ▪Everton Blair, Jr., the son of Jamaican immigrants, earned degrees from Harvard University and Stanford University and taught high school math in Atlanta Public Schools.
• ▪Everton Blair, Jr. previously served on the Gwinnett County School Board, where he was elected in 2018 as the youngest and first person of color on the board, later becoming Board Chair.

Historic LGBTQ+ congressional representation

• ▪Everton Blair, Jr. will be the third openly gay Black member of Congress in United States history, following New York Representatives Ritchie Torres and Mondaire Jones.
• ▪The 119th Congress includes 13 openly LGBTQ+ members, consisting of 12 representatives in the House of Representatives and one member in the Senate.
• ▪Everton Blair, Jr. will make history as the first openly gay member of Congress elected from Georgia and the first Black, openly gay member elected from a Southern state.

Brief term until January

• ▪Everton Blair, Jr. will serve a short term in Congress representing Georgia's 13th district, which is scheduled to end in January 2027.
• ▪Georgia State Representative Jasmine Clark won the Democratic primary in May 2026 for the full congressional term and did not run in the special election to avoid resigning from her state house seat.

November general election race

• ▪Georgia's 13th congressional district, which includes Gwinnett, DeKalb, Clayton, Henry, Rockdale, and Newton counties, is a strongly Democratic district.
• ▪Georgia State Representative Jasmine Clark will face Republican Jonathan Chavez in the November 2026 general election for a full term in the U.S. House of Representatives.

House Republican majority impact

• ▪Everton Blair, Jr. and California State Senator Aisha Wahab, who won a special election for California's 14th District, are expected to be sworn in when the House returns from recess.
• ▪The swearing-in of Everton Blair, Jr. and Aisha Wahab will further reduce the narrow Republican majority in the U.S. House of Representatives.

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