Everton Blair sworn in as Georgia’s first openly gay congressman
Georgia's first openly gay congressman sworn in
Everton Blair Jr. has been sworn in to represent Georgia’s 13th Congressional District. Blair becomes the first openly gay member of Congress from Georgia and the second-youngest current member of the House.
ATLANTA - Everton Blair Jr. has officially been sworn in as the newest member of Congress, making history as Georgia’s first openly gay member of the U.S. House.
What we know:
The newly elected Democrat will represent Georgia’s 13th Congressional District through the end of the year, completing the term of the late Rep. David Scott.
Blair, 34, is also the second-youngest member currently serving in the House.
PREVIOUS STORIES
- Everton Blair wins Georgia's 13th District runoff
- Georgia voters decide David Scott's successor in runoff Tuesday
Blair outlines priorities on House floor
In his inaugural speech, Blair said affordability and protecting the district’s representation would be among his top priorities during his brief time in Washington.
"My mandate here is clear. I will do everything in my capacity to make life more affordable for hardworking Americans in Georgia’s 13th Congressional District," Blair said.
He also pledged to work to preserve the district’s current majority-Black representation.
"I’ll also do everything in my capacity to make sure that that district maintains its representation and retains the majority Black representation that it currently has," Blair said.
Rep. Everton Blair Jr. sworn in & Rick Jackson builds gubernatorial coalition
Host Russ Spencer, Brian Robinson, and Theron Johnson break down Mike Collins' response to campaign staff controversies, a "Men for Keisha" rally featuring major Democratic figures, and the debate standoff in the Georgia governor's race. The panel also debates Senator Raphael Warnock's call for a moratorium on data centers—including OpenAI's $20 billion project in Effingham County—and a Supreme Court ruling on White House ballroom construction.
Special election win
Blair won last week’s special election, defeating Scott’s daughter for the seat.
His time in Congress will be short, however. Blair is serving only the remainder of Scott’s term, which runs through the end of the year.
Before joining Congress, Blair served as chairman of the Gwinnett County school board.