Retired lawmaker, dentist face off in Georgia Senate special election runoff
A former member of the Cobb County Board of Education and a retired Georgia lawmaker go head-to-head in a runoff next week after being the two top vote-getters in last month’s six-way special Senate election.
Jaha Howard, the former school board member and a Democrat from Smyrna, received the most votes, according to results from the secretary of state’s office. Howard faces former state Rep. Roger Bruce, a 22-year House veteran who retired at the beginning of the year. A runoff is required when no candidate receives more than 50% of the vote.
The two are vying to replace Jason Esteves, also a Democrat, who resigned from the Georgia Senate earlier this year to focus on his campaign for governor. The district, which covers portions of Cobb and Fulton counties, is heavily Democratic.
Bruce has said one reason he decided to run is because he believes the time between Esteves’ resignation and the special election wasn’t enough for voters to vet a candidate and “pick someone long term.”
“Me running will give you that time, and then you still have somebody there that knows the process while you’re taking the time that you need to vet these candidates and make sure you get the right person there long term,” Bruce said at a recent meet-and-greet in Smyrna.
If elected, he said he likely wouldn’t seek another term in 2026.
Howard, a Smyrna resident and pediatric dentist, first ran for state Senate in 2017, also to fill the unfinished term of a senator who resigned to run for governor. He lost in a runoff. Since then, he’s served one term on the Cobb school board. He’s also unsuccessfully run for state school superintendent and county commission.
After experiencing those losses, Howard said he’d also thought he’d “semi-retired” from public office. But when he learned of the opportunity to fulfill Esteves’ unexpired term, he looked at the district and said it maps the story of his life.
Howard grew up in Southwest Atlanta, went to Benjamin E. Mays High School, serves as a deacon and Bible study teacher at his church in South Fulton, and lives and works in Smyrna. He said he saw it as an opportunity to provide constituents with something different instead of a recently-retired 22-year veteran, even if several high-profile Democrats endorsed Bruce before Howard threw his hat in the ring.
“We need a change in direction of Democrats,” Howard said. “We need some new, bold leadership. I see folks get behind someone I respect in Roger Bruce, but the timing does not seem right for his brand of leadership.”
State Rep. Mekyah McQueen, a first-term Smyrna Democrat who serves the district previously represented by Bruce, said she is in the unique position of knowing both candidates personally. McQueen said she went to high school with Howard and has known Bruce most of her life.
She said she knows what it’s like to join the General Assembly without any prior state experience, and while she typically leans toward fresh voices, she was supporting Bruce.
“I really think the smartest thing for us to do is to make sure that we have someone with the experience and longevity and the relationships that I now know are needed to reduce as much harm as possible for the shenanigans that are coming (from a Republican-controlled Legislature),” she said. “And so while I’m always for fresh voices and fresh perspectives, I think in this particular case, the wisdom needs to be the loudest voice in the room.”
State Sen. RaShaun Kemp, an Atlanta Democrat, said he supports Howard because he thinks Georgians desire and deserve to have a new voice in the Senate. Kemp also unsuccessfully challenged Bruce for his 2022 House reelection.
“We see folks talking about affordability and having somebody that is a small-business owner that is from the medical community, when we have so many issues with health care, I think it’s so important to have someone like him as a part of our caucus and that can speak to those issues,” Kemp said.
Early voting in the Senate District 35 special election started Monday and goes through Friday. Election Day is Tuesday.
About the Author
Maya T. Prabhu covers the Georgia Senate and statewide issues as a government reporter for The AJC. Born in Queens, New York, and raised in northern Virginia, Maya attended Spelman College and then the University of Maryland for a master's degree. She writes about social issues, the criminal justice system and legislative politics.
