Candidates in crowded race for metro Atlanta district are now battling for an open seat in Congress

A race for Georgia’s 13th Congressional District started with a crowded field of candidates who had hoped to unseat a longtime lawmaker, but after the late U.S. Rep. David Scott’s death in April, the seat is open for the first time since 2002.

Beating Scott would have been an uphill battle for any of the six candidates hoping to be the district’s second-ever representative. But the longtime lawmaker’s death last month has scrambled the race and left the seat wide open for one of these candidates, who would initially have settled for a second-place finish and a spot in a runoff. 

Before Scott’s death, candidates vying for his seat, which included two state lawmakers, two dentists, a preacher and a former local school board chair, called for fresh leadership for the district. Now, they are battling for a clear frontrunner position, with some candidates sharpening attacks on one another by scrutinizing voting history and political campaign contributions.

The district was created after the 2000 census to be reliably Democratic, said University of Georgia political scientist Charles Bullock, and Scott was the first person ever elected to represent the new district. Bullock said the district outline looked like a “dead cat on the expressway” because of its gerrymandered shape when it was first drawn. While still a safe seat for Democrats, the 13th Congressional District has changed significantly since its creation, and it now includes the southern parts of Clayton and Henry counties, as well as Gwinnett County, a fast-growing area north of Atlanta.

The Democratic primary will be held on May 19, with early voting already underway. A runoff will be held in June if needed, and the Democratic nominee will face Jonathan James Chavez, a radiology director and the sole Republican who qualified, in the November general election.

A special election will also be held to fill the remainder of Scott’s term on July 28. 

The candidates jockeying for a full term took a break from campaigning after Scott’s death but are back on the campaign trail in earnest as voters head to the polls for early voting. Here’s a look at where they stand on some of the biggest issues in the race. 

Rising cost of living

Candidates discussed in interviews their plans for handling the rising cost of living, environmental concerns and the country’s role in global conflicts. Concerns about affordability and the financial squeeze residents are experiencing were the top issues for candidates, who offered differing proposals to address constituent concerns.

Housing affordability was a top issue for state Rep. Jasmine Clark, a microbiologist and Emory University professor running for the seat, who said the “American dream of homeownership” is being taken away by institutional investors and that constituents feel “boxed out” from building wealth. She said she supports a proposal backed by U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock that would limit the number of homes investors can own.

State Sen. Emanuel Jones, a car dealership owner and 22-year veteran of the Georgia Senate, said that he would use federal earmarks to target specific projects that promote economic development and pledged to work with local officials to try to expand MARTA into the district. He said that doing so would increase constituents’ employment opportunities.

Jeffree Fauntleroy, a faith leader and former law enforcement official, said he wants to find ways to bring down the cost of living for young families who may spend between $7,000 and $13,000 a year just on childcare.

“That’s the price of some in-state college tuitions. That’s just ridiculous,” Fauntleroy said.

Healthcare

While every candidate supports expanded access to healthcare, some candidates are calling for incremental changes, such as restoring expired Affordable Care Act subsidies, while others are advocating for a total system overhaul.

While nearly every candidate called for universal healthcare coverage, Dr. Heavenly Kimes, a dentist and reality TV star, and former Gwinnett County School Board chair Everton Blair pitched it as a priority. Kimes said “it’s not like we don’t have the money. It’s what we choose to do with it.”

“There should not be a situation where people have to make the terrible choice of purchasing their food rather than getting their prescription drugs,” Kimes said. “This is the United States of America, and we’re one of the richest countries in the world.”

Blair made a similar argument, saying that there’s “money to give ICE billions of dollars to terrorize innocent communities, and yet we don’t have universal healthcare or universal pre-K.”

Jones is in favor of universal healthcare, saying in an interview that “America is an outlier in some of the most developed countries in the world in providing universal healthcare.” But he said he is more focused on restoring the recently expired health insurance subsidies, which he argued is achievable even in a divided government if Democrats win back the House.

“I sincerely believe, by Democrats taking control of Congress, that we can get those subsidies back on the table, and that we can get people the additional resources they need so they can afford the Affordable Care Act,” Jones said.

Dr. Joe Lester, another a dentist running for the district, wasn’t as open to universal healthcare but said he believes the main issue is the commercialization of medicine, driven by health insurance companies that prioritize profits over their customers’ health. He supports subsidizing health insurance costs but does not support the enhanced pandemic-era tax credit that he argued went directly to insurance companies. 

“Health care should be a system where everybody gets the services that they need, but we have to make sure that we have some accountability for the money that we spend and making sure that we get the biggest bang for our buck,” Lester said.

Environment

Another recurring theme in the race is concern about the environmental impacts of development, specifically regarding energy-intensive data center proposals and the recent BioLab fire in Rockdale County. Blair was particularly blunt about why he says data centers are appearing in Ellenwood and Rockdale County.

“They know that they can come to low-income Black and brown communities and take advantage of the fact that oftentimes we’re not … as well politically organized,” Blair said.

Fauntleroy called for an immediate federal pause on data center construction “until regulations are established to protect our civil rights and the environment,” while Clark said that data center growth should come with community input to ensure resources are used responsibly.

“No one really wants data centers, but everyone wants access to AI, and so we have to reconcile that in some way,” Clark said.

International conflict

The ongoing war in Iran and military aid to Israel have become a domestic issue as the candidates in Georgia’s 13th Congressional District link war spending to local poverty. 

Blair said the country is spending billions on “a war of choice in Iran when we don’t have universal pre-K.” Fauntleroy criticized the influence of lobby money on foreign policy, saying that “Israel is just utilizing our funds… and they’re just bombing indiscriminately, and we’re backing them because of so much AIPAC money,” referring to the lobbying group American Israel Public Affairs Committee. 

Kimes also said that the billions being spent in the war could be spent to address issues in the district. Pentagon officials told a congressional panel last week that the war had already cost about $25 billion. 

“You give me (that money), we can solve a lot of problems,” Kimes said.

Jones, an Army veteran, also said this was a “war of choice” and that he feared a regional escalation.

“You’re dealing with a country that’s got a much longer history than 250 years. They’re going to fight to the last man and woman over there,” Jones said.

Immigration

On immigration, candidates all stood strong against the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown. Kimes and Clark have both called for the total dismantling of ICE.

“ICE is younger than some of the shoes in my closet,” Clark said. “They failed – and I mean a big fat ‘F’ – on just basic rights and treating people with dignity and humanity.”

Lester advocated for a pathway to citizenship for immigrants already in the country.

 “We need our borders to be secure, but we also need humility too,” Lester said.