Jamaica-linked Everton Blair headed to US House of Representatives

Another person of Jamaican heritage is headed to the United States House of Representatives.

Everton Blair won a special run-off election in Georgia on Tuesday night to serve out the remainder of the term of the previous representative, the late David Scott.

Blair, a Democrat, will join Yvette Clarke, who is also of Jamaican descent, in the House.

With more than 95 per cent of the votes counted, Blair received 53 per cent of those cast to defeat his opponent, Marcye Scott, the daughter of David Scott.

He will represent Georgia’s 13th Congressional District for the remainder of the term, which ends in January next year.

The seat has been vacant since Scott’s death in April.

Governor Brian Kemp called an all-party special election, which was held on July 28.

In that election, Marcye Scott finished first with 46 per cent of the vote, but with no candidate topping 50 per cent, a run-off election was held on Tuesday between Scott and Blair.

Blair, running as a progressive, drew support from Georgia Representative Lucy McBath and Our Revolution, the group founded by Bernie Sanders. An openly gay man, he also received support from the LGBTQ+ Victory Fund.

The grandson and son of Jamaican immigrants, Blair worked as a mathematics teacher before becoming the first Black person elected to the Gwinnett County Board of Education in 2018.

Blair is expected to be sworn in when the US House returns from recess next week.

David Scott had represented the district since winning the seat in 2003. He was 80 when he died earlier this year.

Blair will not be running for the 13th Congressional District seat in the November 3 midterm elections, but has not ruled out looking at another race to run in.

His mother was born in England to Jamaican parents, while his father hails from Clarendon and attended St Jago High School. Blair also did a stint of schooling at The University of the West Indies.

Everton said he was running for Congress because the district deserves leadership that listens, shows up and delivers.

“Too many families are working harder but getting less, squeezed by rising costs, ageing infrastructure, and leaders who’ve grown disconnected from the people they serve,” he has said.

According to his bio, what makes Blair different is not a title, but his track record. The bio states that he has led where others have talked, governed where others have postured, and built consensus where division once stood.

“While some candidates bring résumés from state capitols or television studios, Everton brings proven, local, system-level leadership right here at home, along with a forward-looking plan to translate that experience into real results for every family in the 13th,” the bio reads.

Speaking with The Gleaner on Wednesday, Blair vowed to hold the Republican majority in the House of Representatives accountable as he seeks an end to the war with Iran, a repeal of the administration’s tariffs, and to stand up to the current administration.

“We need to be on the offensive and put the GOP (Republican Party) on the defensive. We need more folks who are not afraid to take on the administration,” he said.

editorial@gleanerjm.com