Former Cobb County School Board member Jaha V. Howard defeated retired state Rep. Roger Bruce in the Georgia State Senate District 35 runoff election on Dec. 16.
According to unofficial results from the Georgia Secretary of State’s office, Howard received 51.90 percent (3,299 votes) to Bruce’s 48.10 percent (2,993 votes).
The two Democrats were vying to replace former state Sen. Jason Esteves for the district, which covers portions of Cobb and Fulton counties. Esteves resigned from the state Senate in September to focus on his campaign for governor.
Howard, a dentist and Smyrna resident, centered his campaign around supporting small businesses, eliminating obstacles to health care access and reducing energy costs.
Previously, Howard unsuccessfully ran for state school superintendent and a seat on the Cobb County commission.
He also 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, according to Georgia Recorder. 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.
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