“Senator! Senator!” chanted supporters of Jaha Howard late Tuesday evening after local media declared him the winner of the Georgia Senate District 35 special election runoff matchup.
Howard, a dentist and former Cobb County School Board member, defeated veteran lawmaker Roger Bruce by just 236 votes, according to unofficial results listed on the secretary of state’s website after all precincts reported. The 44-year-old from Smyrna received 3,229 votes (51.9%) to Bruce’s 2,993 (48.1%).
Howard’s win appears to be on solid footing despite the close margin. State law allows candidates to request a recount only if the margin of victory in an election is less than or equal to 0.5%.
The winning candidate was visibly emotional Tuesday night after the race was called. He wept during a long embrace of his wife, Vanessa, after watching the returns come in during an election night watch party in Smyrna.
“We don’t do anything without God’s blessing,” Howard told his supporters during his victory speech. “None of this election made sense unless you look at it from a spiritual point of view. We just want to give God all the honor, all the glory, all the pieces of the puzzle that he brought together, all the full-circle moments.”
The win means Howard will fill the remainder of state Sen. Jason Esteves’ term, which ends in a year. Esteves vacated his seat earlier this year to focus on his run for governor.
The senator-elect will be inaugurated in the Georgia General Assembly in January and participate in a pivotal 40-day legislative session, which begins on Jan. 12. He’ll represent the interests of nearly 200,000 people living in Senate District 35, 70% of whom are Black.
The district’s population includes parts of southwest Atlanta and surrounding Fulton County communities, like South Fulton, in addition to parts of Cobb County, such as Mableton and Smyrna.
Bruce could not be reached for comment.
Howard campaigned on improving affordability, putting a moratorium on data center construction, and restricting private equity firms from buying up single-family homes in Georgia. During his election night speech, he framed his victory as a win for everyday voters over establishment politicians.
The Georgia Senate Dems shared a post Tuesday night congratulating Howard on Instagram.
“The people have something to say,” Howard said. “They’re tired of everything being top-down from the big wigs of the party. … We’re listening, and we’re gonna bring that to the state Senate.”
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