Lucy McBath defeated Karen Handel in an extremely tight race to represent Georgia's 6th District in the U.S. Congress that appeared as though it was headed to a recount on Wednesday. Handel conceded on Thursday morning. The district had been Republican-controlled since 1979, and Democrat McBath — a former flight attendant turned gun reform activist — is the first challenger to flip it blue.
McBath joined the movement against gun violence after her 17-year-old son Jordan was gunned down in 2012 by a white man for playing loud music in his car. She is a national spokesperson for Everytown and Moms Demand Action, and founded an education organization called Champions in the Making Legacy Foundation. McBath wants to expand Medicaid in Georgia and has been critical of Republican tax cuts for corporations and the rich.
While McBath first campaigned for Georgia State Rep. in a suburban Atlanta district, she decided to run for Congress in the aftermath of the Parkland shooting. "This [campaign] has been my therapy," McBath told Refinery29 earlier this year. "This has been the best therapy in the world for me because it makes me feel like Jordan didn't die in vain, because we can change the culture that he died under."
Handel, who ran the most expensive House race in history when she defeated Jon Ossoff in the district's special election last year, has an A rating from the NRA's Political Victory fund. She has voted for Republican tax reform, and has said, "It is a myth that tax reform only benefits the rich."