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The special election to fill the remainder of the late Rep. David Scott’s (D-Ga.) term in the House is headed to a runoff, according to Decision Desk HQ.
None of the five candidates jostling for the vacant seat scored more than 50 percent of the vote, pushing the top two finishers, Scott’s daughter Marcye Scott and Gwinnett County School Board chair Everton Blair II, to a runoff scheduled for next month. Scott garnered 48.01 percent of the vote to Blair’s 35.59 percent.
Scott and Blair, who ran in the primary for a full term, were two of three Democrats on the ballot, alongside former judge Carlos Moore. Two Republicans are also running: Caesar Gonzales and Fayth Park. A fourth Democrat, Tony Brown, appeared on the ballot but has been disqualified.
David Scott, who served in Congress for more than two decades and made history as the first Black chair of the House Agriculture Committee, passed away in April, leaving a vacancy in the Peach State’s 13th Congressional District.
Marcye Scott told The Atlanta Journal Constitution at the time that she was considering a political bid before her father’s passing and saw the special election as a way to carry on his legacy.
The district, a blue stronghold that David Scott had easily defended since he won it in 2022, covers portions of six counties in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The winner of the Aug 25 runoff will represent the seat through the end of 2026.
If Marcye Scott wins, it wouldn’t be the first time a family member has taken the reins after a lawmaker’s passing.
Rep. Adelita Grijalva (D-Ariz.) won a special election last fall to represent Arizona’s 7th Congressional District, which was previously represented by her late father, former Rep. Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.).
In South Carolina, Darline Graham Nordone was appointed by the governor to succeed her late brother, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), after his passing this month — marking the first time a sibling has been sworn in to replace a senator who died in office.
Meanwhile, Georgia voters will vote this fall on who will serve a full term in the seat, starting next year. Democratic state Rep. Jasmine Clark won her party’s primary, all but assuring she’ll best Republican Jonathan Chavez in the general.
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