A special election is scheduled for Tuesday in Georgia’s 13th Congressional District to fill the vacancy left by Democratic U.S. Representative David Scott, who died in April. The heavily Democratic district plays a significant role in the current balance of power in the House, where Republicans maintain a narrow majority.
Six candidates are on the ballot: four Democrats and two Republicans. Under Georgia law, any candidate who secures a majority of votes will win the seat outright. If no candidate reaches that threshold, the top two vote-getters regardless of party will advance to a runoff election on Aug. 25. The winner will serve the remainder of Scott’s current term, spanning just a few months.
The Democratic candidates include former Gwinnett County School Board Chair Everton Blair, Marcye Scott (daughter of the late congressman), Tony Brown, and Carlos Moore. Republicans Caesar Gonzales and Fayth Park are also competing. Blair was the only candidate to run in the recent Democratic primary for the full-term seat beginning in January 2027, finishing third with approximately 12 percent of the vote.
The 13th District encompasses parts of six counties east and southeast of Atlanta: Clayton, DeKalb, Gwinnett, Henry, Newton, and Rockdale. In the 2024 general election, the district’s voters favored Democrats decisively, with Scott winning reelection at approximately 72 percent and then-Vice President Kamala Harris receiving about 71 percent in the presidential race. As of July 21, roughly 584,000 voters were registered in the district, with about 358,000 casting ballots in the 2024 House general election. Special elections historically draw significantly lower turnout than regularly scheduled general elections.
The Associated Press will declare a winner when it determines no trailing candidate can close the gap with remaining votes. Georgia allows recounts if the margin is 0.5 percent or less, though there is no automatic recount provision.
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