Everton Blair defeated Marcye Scott, daughter of the late Rep. David Scott, in the runoff for Georgia’s 13th Congressional District special election, a race that had drawn national attention as another test case for how voters respond to family succession bids after a member of Congress dies in office.
Background on the Seat
David Scott, who represented the district since 2003, died April 22, triggering the special election to fill the remainder of his term. Marcye Scott and Blair, a former Gwinnett County school board chair, emerged from a five-candidate first round without either clearing a majority, forcing the August 25 runoff. Scott had led the first round with 47% to Blair’s 37%, but Blair overtook her in the runoff.
A Short-Lived Seat
Blair’s win only secures the seat through early January, when the winner of November’s regularly scheduled general election is sworn in for the next full term. Blair had also run in that separate general-election primary but lost to Democratic state Rep. Jasmine Clark, who will face Republican Jonathan Chavez in November for the full term.
Why the Race Drew Attention
The contest was watched partly as a counterpoint to South Carolina’s Senate runoff the same day, where the late Sen. Lindsey Graham’s sister, Darline Graham, won the Republican nomination to succeed him. Marcye Scott’s loss, despite leading the first round and carrying her father’s name recognition, suggests family succession bids aren’t a guaranteed path to a seat even in safely partisan districts.
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