Georgia Congressional Candidate Everton Blair Challenges Old Guard Norms [Video]

Everton Blair is a Georgia native, educator, and community leader running to represent Georgia’s 13th Congressional District. He has dedicated his career to expanding opportunity, ensuring fair representation, and delivering results for working families. Blair, class of Harvard 2013, Stanford 2016 and Harvard Grad School 2025, is  the first person of color, and the fiirst openly gay person elected to the Gwinettt County Board of Education. He is also the youngest-ever member of that auspicious body, where he served as county chairman and board representative.

As Georgia’s Democratic Party works fervently to challenge the Trump administration and reach voters after its bruising losses in 2024, Blair is looking to oust State Rep. David Scott who has held the seat for 22 years after a lengthy sting in the Georgia Assembly.

“When somebody’s served in elected office for over 50 years, there comes a time where you have to ask when you’re actually ready to prepare the next generation of leadership,” Blair said in an interview with “ABC News.”

Blair’s life and career reflects the values of resilience, inclusion, and justice that he has championed throughout his career.

“I’m running because District 13, my home turf, deserves better leadership. And I think we learned a very important lesson in November and we need to respond immediately to the chaos of this administration with stronger, more competent and forceful leadership,” Blair told ABC News in an interview

With a vision centered on fighting for working families, protecting civil rights, and leading proactively, Blair’s candidacy represents both the urgency of this moment and the promise of a more representative future for Georgia and the country overall.

Blair worked with partner organizations and state directors at The Education Trust in Washington, DC to build out the advocacy and strategy around ESSER spending and post-pandemic educational equity, highlighting bright spots across the country as districts expand their efforts to accelerate student learning.

A graduate of  the Gwinnett County school district – the largest and most diverse in Georgia, was a key player in guiding through the school district through the pandemic, a historic superintendent transition, reaccreditation, redistricting and budget expansion, amid highly divisive partisan politics.

Blair began his career as the founding AP Calculus teacher at KIPP Atlanta Collegiate High School, later served as fellow in President Obama’s White House Initiative on Educational Excellence and worked as a program director at the Broad Academy, UnboundEd and New American Leaders. He graduated from Harvard College with a bachelor’s degree in applied mathematics and from Stanford University with a master’s degree in policy, organizations and leadership.