Chairman of the House Committee on Agriculture Rep. David Scott, D-Ga., speaks during a hearing with Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack in 2021. Scott died in April, and the race to replace him for the rest of this year has just advanced to a runoff. File Photo by Sarah Silbiger/UPI | License Photo
July 29 (UPI) — Two Democrats in Georgia have advanced to a runoff election to replace the late Rep. David Scott for the remainder of this year.
Marcye Scott, daughter of the late congressman, and Everton Blair II had the most votes in the primary, but neither got more than half of the votes, meaning they must meet in a runoff.
Marcye Scott had 47% of the votes, and Blair, a former school board chair in Gwinnett County, had 37%. About 80% of the votes have been counted.
Voters in Georgia’s 13th Congressional District will vote in November for the candidate to replace Scott for the next term. Jasmine Clark, a state legislator, won that primary. She will face Republican Jonathan Chavez. Marcye Scott and Blair also ran in that primary.
The district includes portions of six counties south and east of Atlanta: Clayton, Henry, Rockdale, Newton, Dekalb and Gwinnett.
David Scott, who died April 22 at 80, was a 12-term lawmaker who was first elected in 2002. He was known in Washington, D.C., as a centrist who advocated for farmers, historically Black colleges and universities, and community programs. He often hosted job fairs and health events in his district, which helped him maintain strong voter support.
The other three candidates in the special election were: Democrat Carlos Moore, and two Republicans, Caesar Gonzales and Fayth Park.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt speaks during a press briefing in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House on Thursday. Photo by Samuel Corum/UPI | License Photo
