Marcye Scott, daughter of the late Representative David Scott, and former Gwinnett County school board chair Everton Blair advanced to a runoff on Tuesday for the special election to fill the remainder of the late congressman's term.
Neither candidate achieved the 50% threshold needed for an outright win. Scott led with 47.5 percent of the vote, while Blair followed with 36.1 percent, based on 85 percent of the expected ballots counted. Republican Caesar Gonzales trailed in third place with 8.5 percent.
The runoff, scheduled for August 25, will decide who serves the final weeks of the late congressman's term in the heavily Democratic 13th Congressional District. It does not affect the election for the full two-year term, which voters already selected in the May primary and will be decided in November.
In the May primary for the full term, Democratic state representative Jasmine Clark secured roughly 56 percent of the vote and will face Republican Jonathan Chavez in the November general election. Blair, who also ran in the primary, finished third with about 12 percent.
All six candidates appeared on the same special‑election ballot. Democrat Tony Brown was disqualified after a qualifying fee check bounced, and votes for him would not be counted. The remaining field included Scott, Blair, attorney Carlos Moore, and Republican Fayth Park.
Marcye Scott highlighted her long partnership with her father, emphasizing her role in campaign operations, fundraising, and community outreach. She said she is running to finish the federal projects and funding requests her father began before his death in April.
Everton Blair, a former high‑school math teacher and former Gwinnett County school board chairman, has a background in education policy. His academic credentials include a doctorate from Harvard and a master’s from Stanford, and he has emphasized his experience in public education as a key qualification.
The outcome of the runoff could shift the balance in a closely divided House, where Republicans hold 218 seats, Democrats 212, and four vacancies remain. Once the Georgia winner is sworn in, the Democratic count would rise to 213 against a 219‑member Republican‑aligned bloc.
The 13th District spans parts of Clayton, DeKalb, Gwinnett, Henry, and Newton counties, as well as all of Rockdale County. In 2024, the district voted approximately 72 percent for the incumbent and about 71 percent for the Democratic presidential candidate, underscoring its strong Democratic leanings.
