Today Georgia Elects A Temporary Congressman(or woman).

Today is election day in the 13th Congressional District. This election was necessitated by the death of sitting Congressman David Scott in April. Our prayers continue to be with the Scott family.

Scott faced a crowded field of Democratic opponents before he passed. In the end, Democratic State Representative Jasime Clark prevailed and will face GOP nominee Jonathan Chavez in the General Election. The winner serves a full two-year term. Scott received over 70% of the vote in 2024, thus barring one of the great political upsets in Georgia history. Rep. Clark will be a member of Congress come January 2027.

Today’s special election will determine who will represent the 13th until Clark is elected in November. Georgia requires a candidate to receive at least 50% plus one vote to win; a runoff seems likely. That sound you hear is Scot yelling, “Runoffs are stupid.”

Here’s where it gets interesting. Neither Jasmine Clark nor Jonathan Chavez is on the ballot today. Here are the candidates:

The winner, then, will serve as a member of Congress for only a short time. Strange but true.

That’s not to say today’s results are meaningless. The winner will cast votes, some of them very important. There may be a lame duck session in late November or December, and with the slim GOP majority, every vote counts.

As I type, turnout is below 2%. Bizzare.

If you live in the 13th Congressional District, get out there and vote! It matters.