Democratic candidates Marcye Scott and former Gwinnett County School Board Chairman Everton Blair Jr. appear to be headed to a runoff to determine who will complete the remainder of late U.S. Rep. David Scott’s term in office.
Blair, who lives in Lilburn, received 36% of the vote, according to unofficial results in Tuesday’s special election. Marcye Scott, an Atlanta resident and the daughter of David Scott, got 48%. There were three other candidates in the race.
The runoff will be held on Aug. 25.
Scott and Blair both spent election night with close friends and family. Scott said she was proud of what she was able to accomplish after moving from helping her dad behind the scenes to being the candidate herself.
“There were times when I was campaigning and I accidentally said my dad’s name,” she said. “This is the space that I really enjoy, and I got a lot of people on board.”
Blair said that over the four weeks until the runoff he will work to build up his name recognition in south metro counties where his support is not as strong.
“I think the reality is many people outside of Gwinnett don’t know me as well as they should,” he said. “And so, I’m just going to make sure that people are introduced to me and know change is on the horizon.”
The runoff winner will spend roughly nine weeks in Washington between now and the end of the term in January. However, he or she will likely cast votes on high profile topics like government funding and whether to continue the war with Iran.
David Scott died on April 22, hours after casting what would be his final votes on the House floor.
Marcye Scott said she decided to run in the special election to finish out his agenda, including earmark requests for the district and funding for a scholarship program for students at historically Black colleges and universities.
Everton Blair campaigned on his experience and told voters that, given the abbreviated term, voters would be better served by selecting a candidate who knows how to work the process.
In the November vote, Democratic State Rep. Jasmine Clark will face Republican Jonathan Chavez, an Air Force veteran, for a full, two-year term in the House. The 13th District, which stretches along the eastern side of metro Atlanta from Lawrenceville to Lovejoy, leans heavily Democrat.
Turnout was extremely light in Tuesday’s vote.
Scott’s support centered in south metro counties like Clayton, Henry, Newton and Rockdale where her father had long served. Local elected officials in these counties flocked to endorse her campaign.
Meanwhile, Blair focused on turnout out voters in his home county. Gwinnett has the most voters out of the six-counties that are part of the 13th District.
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