U.S. House District 13: A suddenly wide-open race in metro Atlanta
U.S. Rep. David Scott’s death on April 22 has turned the race for Georgia’s 13th Congressional District into a wide-open contest.
Scott, who was 80, had fallen out of favor with Democratic Party leaders recently over concerns about his age and health. They ousted him as ranking member of the House Agriculture Committee in 2024.
In recent years, Scott avoided community events and did not participate in debate or door-to-door campaigning. He attracted a bevy of younger primary challengers, highlighting a debate within the party over its future.
Six Democrats are running, and Scott’s death has shifted the focus of the race. Instead of criticizing an incumbent, the candidates now must focus more on themselves — and one another.
The 13th District is heavily Democratic; Scott won reelection in 2024 with about 72% of the vote. It stretches around the perimeter of Atlanta’s suburbs from Gwinnett down to DeKalb, Rockdale, Newton, Henry and Clayton counties.
With so many candidates in the race, it’s likely to be decided by a runoff on June 16. The winner will face Republican Jonathan James Chavez in November.
Here’s a look at the candidates.
Democrats
Everton Blair Jr.
Blair made history in 2018 when, at 26, he was the youngest person ever elected to the Gwinnett County School Board. He would later become the first Black person and first openly LGBTQ+ person to be chair of Georgia’s largest school district.
He did not run for reelection in 2022, instead opting to briefly run for state schools superintendent. He withdrew from that race to complete a doctorate program in education leadership at Harvard.
His tenure at the Gwinnett School Board was marked by the coronavirus pandemic, including a fierce backlash over mask requirements for students and staff.
Jasmine Clark
Clark was elected to the state Legislature in 2018 when she flipped a Lilburn seat that had previously been held by a Republican.
A microbiologist at Emory University’s School of Nursing, Clark became one of the Democratic Party’s leading voices on coronavirus restrictions during the pandemic.
In the state Legislature, she opposed abortion restrictions and helped lead protests of Georgia’s short-lived attempt to block approval of a new advanced placement course in African American studies.
On the campaign trail, she has led the field in fundraising by surpassing the $1 million mark.
Emanuel Jones
Jones was elected to the state Senate in 2004. A DeKalb County businessman, he is president of Legacy Automotive Group, which includes Legacy Ford of McDonough and New Legacy Real Estate.
In the Senate, Jones spent a stint as chair of the Georgia Legislative Black Caucus. In 2024, he led a legislative committee studying safe gun storage shortly after the deadly shooting at Apalachee High School.
Heavenly Kimes
Kimes is a dentist in Duluth, but she is better known for starring in “Married to Medicine,” one of Bravo’s top-rated reality shows.
The show chronicles the lives of several women in Atlanta’s medical community. Kimes’ campaign has been a story arc in the show’s latest season, which featured some of her castmates questioning her sincerity.
But Kimes insists she’s in the race to win.
A former police officer from New Jersey, Fauntleroy said he moved to Gwinnett County in 2016. He became a pastor at the House of Hope Church in Decatur. He has pledged to fight for universal healthcare.
Joe Lester
Lester says he grew up on a sharecropper’s farm in Blue Springs, just outside Hawkinsville. He graduated from Fort Valley State University and has worked as a dentist in Conyers. He has pledged to protect Social Security and Medicare.
Republican
Jonathan Chavez
A 23-year veteran of the Air Force, Chavez says he was deployed to Iraq where he earned a commendation medal. He graduated from the University of New Mexico School of Medicine and is director of radiology at Piedmont Rockdale.
Chavez challenged Scott in 2024, but he lost after getting 28% of the vote.
About the Authors
Tia Mitchell is the AJC’s Washington Bureau Chief and a co-host of the "Politically Georgia" podcast. She writes about Georgia’s congressional delegation, campaigns, elections and the impact that decisions made in D.C. have on residents of the Peach State.
