Georgia Runoff Will Fill David Scott's House Seat for the Final Months of His Term

Two Democrats compete for a short term

Voters in Georgia's 13th Congressional District will choose between former Gwinnett County school board chair Everton Blair and Marcye Scott, daughter of the late Representative David Scott, in an August 25 special-election runoff.

David Scott died April 22 after representing the district for more than two decades. Five candidates competed July 28, but no one cleared the majority required to win outright. Marcye Scott received about 46% and Blair about 38%, according to the Associated Press.

Because both finalists are Democrats in a strongly Democratic district, the runoff will add a Democratic member to the House and further narrow the Republican majority once the winner is sworn in.

The ballot answers only who finishes this term

The winner will serve from certification and swearing-in through the end of the current Congress in early January. Neither Blair nor Scott is running for the next full term in this district.

Blair competed in the Democratic primary for the full term but finished third. State Representative Jasmine Clark won that nomination, meaning voters will see a different contest for the term beginning in January 2027.

The unusual sequence can confuse voters because a special election and a regular election concern the same district during the same calendar year. The August runoff fills a vacancy; the November election selects the next Congress.

How the count and a possible recount work

AP says polls close at 7 p.m. Eastern, although voters already in line may cast ballots. The news organization will declare a winner only when it determines the trailing candidate cannot close the gap.

Georgia does not automatically recount this race. A losing candidate may request a recount when the margin is no more than one-half of one percentage point, according to AP's election guidance.

Turnout in short-term special elections is often lower than in general elections, which makes official county totals and certification more reliable than assumptions based on the district's partisan history.

Limits and what to watch

The winner will serve only the remainder of David Scott's term; the runoff does not choose the representative for the full term beginning in January 2027.

The next development to watch is certified runoff results, any recount request within Georgia's threshold and the seating of the winner.