Former Cobb school board member heads to Georgia Senate
Voters selected a former Cobb County school board member in a special election runoff election Tuesday to fill the unexpired term of former state Sen. Jason Esteves, who resigned earlier this year to focus on his run for governor.
Jaha Howard of Smyrna defeated former state Rep. Roger Bruce with 52% of the vote, according to unofficial results from the secretary of state’s office. An Atlanta resident, Bruce retired from the state House earlier this year after serving for 22 years.
Esteves, Howard and Bruce are all Democrats.
“God gets all the glory,” Howard told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution after his apparent win. “The people want something different. I’m just thankful that He’s using what we’re bringing to make it happen.”
Senate District 35, which covers portions of Cobb and Fulton counties, is heavily Democratic. Howard, who is a pediatric dentist, received the most votes in both counties, according to unofficial results.
Howard also received the most votes in a six-way special election last month, but no candidate received a majority of the vote, requiring Tuesday’s runoff.
Bruce had the support of several prominent Democrats, including former Gov. Roy Barnes, Esteves and a handful of current senators.
Still, Howard said he expects he will be welcomed at the Capitol.
“We do politics differently,” Howard said. “I don’t do politics the way everybody else does it, so I’m ready to get the work done. I don’t care if you supported me, if you if you tried to destroy me, it doesn’t matter. We’ve got work to do, and I’m ready to work with whoever is ready to get the work done.”
Howard first sought a Senate seat 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 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.
“Home base came through,” he said. “I just appreciate it. My home roots are real and they know we’re going to fight for them.”
Howard will be sworn in the coming weeks and will join his Senate colleagues when the legislative session gavels in on Jan. 12.
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.
