Everton Blair – Son Of Jamaican Immigrants – Elected To Congress From Georgia

By NAN Staff Writer, NewsAmericas Now

News Americas, ATLANTA, GA, Weds. Aug. 26, 2026: Dr. Everton Blair, Jr., the son of Jamaican immigrants and a Harvard graduate, won a stunning upset Tuesday night, defeating Marcye Scott 53% to 47% in a run-off for Georgia’s 13th Congressional District to become the first openly gay Black person elected to represent Georgia in the US Congress and the first from a Southern state as well as the first Jamaican American.

Blair will serve out the remainder of the term of the late Rep. David Scott, who died in April at 80 after more than two decades in office. Scott’s daughter, Marcye, had entered the race hoping to continue her father’s legacy; Blair’s win came as a genuine comeback, having trailed her 46% to 38% in the initial special election just a month earlier, before rallying to win the runoff outright.

Everton Blair, son of Jamaican immigrants, becomes the first openly gay Black person elected to Congress from Georgia.

A story rooted in Jamaican faith and hard work

Born and raised in Gwinnett County, Blair describes himself as “a proud son of Jamaican immigrants who built their lives on faith, hard work, and community.” His parents are computer scientist Everton Blair Sr., originally from Kingston, Jamaica, and pediatrician/medical professional Fiona Anderson. They are Jamaican immigrants who settled in Gwinnett County, Georgia.

In his own words, newly elected Dr. Blair, Jr. framed his historic win in Georgia’s 13th Congressional District around the same immigrant story that shaped him.

“My family came to this country from Jamaica and worked hard to achieve the American Dream right here in Georgia’s 13th,” Blair said. “Today, that dream is now impossible for many.”

ISSUES

He pointed to corporate ownership squeezing out family homeownership, good-paying jobs pushed over an hour’s commute away, data centers straining local utilities and water, and healthcare costs climbing regardless of zip code. “Over time, corporations have quietly taken over the very pillars that once made our communities a place of hope and economic opportunity,” he said.

A former high school math teacher in Atlanta Public Schools, he made history in 2018 as the first person of color and youngest-ever member elected to the Gwinnett County School Board, later becoming Board Chair by unanimous vote across party lines, guiding one of Georgia’s largest public school systems through the COVID-19 pandemic. He previously worked on President Obama’s White House Initiative on Educational Excellence and holds degrees from Harvard and Stanford.

Blair’s win narrows the Republican majority in the House to 218-214, with one independent and two remaining vacancies. His time in Washington may be brief: State Rep. Jasmine Clark, who defeated Blair in the separate Democratic primary for the seat’s full two-year term, is heavily favored to win November’s general election in the deep-blue district, where Scott won re-election in 2024 with roughly 72% of the vote.

Still, Blair will join Congresswoman Yvette Clarke as the other Jamaican American representatives in Congress now.

ABOUT THE DISTRICT

Georgia’s 13th Congressional District is a majority-Black, entirely suburban district in Metro Atlanta. Roughly two-thirds of residents are Black, with most families living in working and middle-class suburban communities.

Despite the district’s growth and economic activity, Black residents continue to face persistent economic barriers. Black unemployment has consistently remained higher than white unemployment over the last ten and twenty years. Economic downturns have hit Black workers hardest, with sharper job losses and slower recoveries following recessions and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Blair says he will enact a policy agenda directly focused on improving outcomes for Black Georgians in economic opportunity, affordable housing, education, health care, and wealth creation.

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