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AP Decision Notes: What to expect in Georgia’s special congressional runoff
Voters in Georgia’s 13th Congressional District will decide Tuesday between two Democrats—Everton Blair and Marcye Scott—to fill the remainder of the late Rep. David Scott’s term. The winner will serve only a few months, as neither is running for the full term in November.
Georgia’s 13th District Heads to Runoff to Fill Late Rep. David Scott’s Seat
Voters in Georgia’s 13th Congressional District, east and southeast of Atlanta, will head to the polls Tuesday for a special election runoff to choose a successor to the late Democratic U.S. Rep. David Scott, who died April 22 at age 80. The winner will serve out the remaining months of Scott’s term, but the contest between two Democrats is expected to further narrow the already thin Republican majority in the U.S. House.
The two finalists are former Gwinnett County School Board Chair Everton Blair and Marcye Scott, daughter of the late congressman. They emerged as the top two vote-getters among five candidates in the July 28 all-party special election, with Scott capturing about 46% of the vote and Blair about 38%. Since neither candidate is running for the next full term, which begins Jan. 3, 2027, the runoff winner will serve only a short stint in Congress.
Blair was the only candidate in the special election who also sought the full-term seat. He placed third in the May 19 Democratic primary with about 12% of the vote. State Rep. Jasmine Clark won that primary with 56% and will face Republican Jonathan Chavez in November for the full term. Chavez, who ran unopposed for the GOP nomination, challenged David Scott in the 2024 general election and received about 28% of the vote.
Clark did not file for the special election, a decision tied to state rules: Georgia’s constitution bars state officeholders from seeking a different office if its start date is more than 30 days before the end of their current term. Entering the special race would have required Clark to resign her state legislative seat just as Republican Gov. Brian Kemp was calling for a special session to redraw congressional boundaries ahead of the 2028 elections. Although the special session did convene, Republican leaders ultimately declined to take up redistricting.
The District and the Candidates
The 13th District includes parts of six heavily Democratic counties—Clayton, DeKalb, Gwinnett, Henry, Newton and Rockdale. Gwinnett County’s portion of the district holds the largest share of the electorate, about 46% of the 2024 general-election voters. Blair’s strongest showing in the July special election came in Gwinnett, his home base, where he garnered 56% of the vote. Marcye Scott, who lives outside the district in Fulton County as her father did, carried the other five counties, with her highest totals coming in DeKalb, Clayton and Henry.
The late Rep. David Scott had represented the district since 2003. In recent years, he faced questions about his age and health. At the time of his death, he was seeking a 13th term and contended with a tough primary challenge from Clark and others. Scott won his 2024 reelection with about 72% of the vote, and the district’s strong Democratic tilt is reflected in the 2024 presidential results: then-Vice President Kamala Harris received about 71% of the vote there, while Donald Trump took about 28%, with his best county-level performance coming in Gwinnett at about 35%.
Voting and Results Timeline
Polls close at 7 p.m. ET on Tuesday. Any registered voter in the 13th District may participate in the runoff, and Georgia does not register voters by party. As of the Friday before the election, about 585,000 voters were registered in the district.
Turnout in the July 28 special election was modest—about 20,510 votes were cast, with roughly 47% of those coming from early in-person or mail ballots. As of Friday, about 5,200 ballots had already been cast for Tuesday’s runoff, with the largest share coming from Gwinnett County, followed by Clayton and Rockdale.
The six counties all tend to release most or all of their early and mail vote results in the first update of the night, typically before in-person Election Day totals. In July, the first results were reported at 7:05 p.m. ET, five minutes after polls closed, and the final update came at 10:05 p.m. ET with about 99.9% of votes counted.
The Associated Press does not make projections and will declare a winner only when it determines no scenario exists for a trailing candidate to close the gap. If a race remains undecided, the AP will continue to report newsworthy developments, such as candidate concessions, while making clear no winner has been declared. Georgia does not have an automatic recount provision, but a losing candidate may request a recount if the margin is 0.5% or less of the total vote. The AP may still call a race subject to a recount if the lead is too large to be overtaken. Tuesday marks 70 days until the 2026 midterm elections.
Framing: Headline emphasizes what to expect, focusing on process and logistics. — measured, informative
Facts Included:
Special election runoff Tuesday to replace late Democratic U.S. Rep. David Scott, who died April 22.
Finalists Everton Blair and Marcye Scott, top two from July 28 special election: Scott 46%, Blair 38%.
Winner serves remaining months of Scott's term; neither running for full term starting Jan. 3, 2027.
Blair also ran for full-term seat, placed third in May 19 primary with 12%; Jasmine Clark won primary with 56% and faces Jonathan Chavez in November; Chavez had 28% in 2024.
Clark did not file for special election due to potential conflict with state Legislature and redrawing; GOP leaders did not take up redistricting.
Congressman Scott faced questions on age and health; died at 80, facing 13th term challenge.
District includes six Democratic counties; Gwinnett has 46% of voters.
Blair scored 56% in Gwinnett; Scott carried other five counties, highest in DeKalb, Clayton, Henry.
David Scott won 2024 with 72% of vote; Harris 71%, Trump 28% in district.
Polls close 7 p.m. ET.
About 585,000 registered voters; no party registration.
20,510 votes in first election; 47% early/mail; 5,200 ballots already cast as of Friday.
Counties release early results first; first result at 7:05 p.m., last at 10:05 p.m.
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Claim
Confidence
Status
ClaimA special election runoff will be held Tuesday to replace the late Democratic U.S. Rep. David Scott, who died April 22, in Georgia's 13th Congressional District.
ClaimThe contest in the special election runoff is between two Democrats, which will further reduce an already thin Republican majority in the U.S. House.
ClaimDoing so would have required Jasmine Clark to resign from her seat in the state Legislature just as Republican Gov. Brian Kemp was calling for a special session to redraw the state's congressional boundaries in time for the 2028 elections.
ClaimThe state constitution bars state officeholders from seeking a different office with a start date more than 30 days before the end of the officeholder's current term.
ClaimGeorgia's 13th Congressional District is east and southeast of Atlanta and includes parts of six heavily Democratic counties: Clayton, DeKalb, Gwinnett, Henry, Newton and Rockdale.
ClaimMarcye Scott, who lives outside the district in Fulton County as her father did, carried the other five counties in the district in the July 28 special election.
ClaimIn the 2024 presidential election, Democratic then-Vice President Kamala Harris received about 71% of the vote in the district, compared with about 28% for Republican Donald Trump.
ClaimAs of the Friday before the election, about 5,200 ballots had already been cast in Tuesday's election, with by far the largest share coming from Gwinnett County, followed by Clayton and Rockdale counties.
ClaimAll six counties in the 13th Congressional District tend to release most or all of their results from early in-person and mail voting in the first vote update of the night, usually before any in-person Election Day results are released.
ClaimThe AP does not make projections and will declare a winner only when it's determined there is no scenario that would allow a trailing candidate to close the gap.
ClaimIf a race has not been called, the AP will continue to cover any newsworthy developments, such as candidate concessions or declarations of victory, while making clear it has not yet declared a winner.
ClaimThere is no automatic recount provision in Georgia, but a losing candidate may request a recount if the margin is less than or equal to 0.5% of the total vote.
ClaimThe AP may declare a winner in a race that is subject to a recount if it can determine the lead is too large for a recount or legal challenge to change the outcome.