Marcye Scott, daughter of the late Rep. David Scott, D-Ga., and former Gwinnett County school board chair Everton Blair Jr. will advance to an Aug. 25 runoff election to fill the remainder of the late congressman's term in Georgia's 13th Congressional District. Neither candidate secured the 50% majority required to win the seat outright in Tuesday's special election.
According to the Associated Press, Scott garnered 47.5% of the vote, while Blair received 36.1% when the race was called. Republican Caesar Gonzales trailed in third place with 8.5% of the vote.
The winner of the special election runoff will serve the final weeks of Rep. Scott's term, following his death in April at age 80. The winner of the November general election will then serve the next full two-year term beginning in January. A separate primary for the full term was held in May.
Democratic state Rep. Jasmine Clark won the regular primary in May for the full term and is slated to face Republican Jonathan Chavez in November. Blair, who was the only special election candidate to also compete in the May primary, finished third in that race with approximately 12% of the vote.
Georgia law allows for a special election to be won outright if a candidate receives more than 50% of the vote; otherwise, the top two candidates proceed to a runoff. Six candidates initially appeared on the special election ballot, though one Democrat was disqualified after his qualifying fee check bounced.
Marcye Scott announced her candidacy to complete her father's term shortly after his death, emphasizing her two decades of work alongside him on campaign operations, fundraising, constituent outreach, and community engagement. She stated her intention to finish unfinished projects and federal funding requests.
Blair, a former high school math teacher, served on the Gwinnett County Board of Education starting in 2018 and was elected board chairman in 2021. His campaign has highlighted his background in education policy and his prior elected service.
The 13th Congressional District, a heavily Democratic area in metro Atlanta, includes parts of Clayton, DeKalb, Gwinnett, Henry, and Newton counties, as well as all of Rockdale County. David Scott had carried the district with approximately 72% of the vote in 2024, and Kamala Harris received about 71% in the presidential race that same year.
The addition of a new Democratic representative to the narrowly divided House would shift the balance slightly. Republicans currently hold 218 seats, with 212 Democrats and four vacancies. Once the winner of the Georgia special election is sworn in, Democrats would hold 213 seats, compared with a 219-member Republican-aligned bloc.