Two candidates vying to replace former state Sen. Jason Esteves to represent a metro Atlanta Senate seat are headed to a runoff election next month after neither candidate managed to secure more than 50% of the vote in a six-way special election held Tuesday. Esteves, an Atlanta Democrat, resigned from the state Senate in September […]
Two Democrats are headed to a runoff election next month to replace former state Sen. Jason Esteves in a metro Atlanta district that spans Cobb and Fulton counties. Ross Williams/Georgia Recorder
Two candidates vying to replace former state Sen. Jason Esteves to represent a metro Atlanta Senate seat are headed to a runoff election next month after neither candidate managed to secure more than 50% of the vote in a six-way special election held Tuesday.
Esteves, an Atlanta Democrat, resigned from the state Senate in September to focus on his campaign for governor.
Former Cobb County School Board member Jaha Howard and retired state Rep. Roger Bruce will be advancing to the runoff after receiving 33% and 25% of the vote, respectively, according to unofficial results from the secretary of state’s office. Senate District 35 includes portions of Cobb and Fulton counties.
Over 5,000 voters showed up to cast their ballot for Howard, a dentist and Smyrna resident who centered his campaign around supporting small businesses, eliminating obstacles to health care access and reducing energy costs.
Howard has also been a candidate for state school superintendent, and ran for a seat on the Cobb County commission earlier this year, finishing second in the Democratic primary.
He previously ran for state Senate in 2017, but came under fire after sexist and homophobic comments he posted on Facebook between 2011 and 2014 were unearthed. He later apologized for the comments, and eventually lost that race to attorney Jen Jordan.
In this year’s race, he received an endorsement from state Sen. RaShaun Kemp, one of the two openly gay lawmakers in the chamber.
Howard did not immediately respond to multiple requests for comment Wednesday.
Ahead of the special election, much of the Democratic establishment coalesced behind Bruce, who was first sworn in as a state representative in 2003 and served for 22 years, until his retirement in 2024. Bruce said earlier that he was inspired to return to politics because of the political climate in Washington.
In an interview Wednesday, Bruce said his tenure at the state Capitol proves he has a record as an effective legislator, and helped drum up enthusiasm among his former constituents in Fulton County. However, he acknowledged that his campaign has work to do ahead of the runoff.
“I was known in Fulton County for the work that l’ve done, and we won overwhelmingly in Fulton County,” said Bruce, whose House district has spanned portions of Fulton, Douglas and Cobb counties during his time as a representative. “I was not as known in Cobb County.”
“Now we’ve just got to spend more time making sure people get to know my history,” he added.
Other candidates in the race included Democrats Erica-Denise Solomon and John Williams, Republican Josh Tolbert, and Corenza Morris, who ran as an independent.
Howard and Bruce will face off again during a runoff election held on Dec. 16. Early voting for the runoff will begin on Dec. 1.
Early voting for the special election partially overlapped with statewide races for the Public Service Commission, prompting the Cobb County Board of Elections and Registration to request that the date be moved to coincide with the PSC election. However, Gov. Brian Kemp denied the request in a Sept. 26 letter, arguing that changing the date would shorten the time for candidates to campaign. Critics of Kemp’s decision saw the move as a strategy to avoid boosting turnout in a left-leaning area.
Two Democrats running for the commission ending up winning in a landslide this month, thanks in part to coinciding local races in metro Atlanta.
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