The final boss of "historic" candidates just won a special election in Georgia. But the reaction of Americans shows there is really nothing "special" about it.
The election to replace Democrat Rep. David Scott (GA-13) and to serve out the rest of his term was just won by Everton Blair, who is being hailed as the "first black openly gay man to win a Congressional election in the South."
That's quite an asterisk in the Congressional record books.
Former Gwinnett County School Board Chairman Everton Blair has won the special election to serve the rest of Rep. David Scott’s term in Georgia’s 13th District, NBC News projects, defeating the late congressman’s daughter.
Blair’s victory is an upset, as he trailed Marcye Scott during the first round of voting last month 46% to 38%. The two advanced from a crowded all-party special primary election in July after no candidate got a majority of the vote.
In Tuesday’s runoff, Blair led 53% to 47% with 92% of the expected vote tallied.
Blair supported a series of progressive policies, including a tax on households making over $50 million, “Medicare for All,” universal childcare and massive federal investments in clean energy synonymous with the Green New Deal push.
The Human Rights Campaign, which routinely pushes LGBTQIA+ issues, heralded the news on social media: "Everton Blair Jr. wins the special election runoff for Georgia’s 13th Congressional District, which means he will be the first Black openly gay member of Congress from the South. Congratulations to Everton Blair Jr. and his team on a successful campaign."
BREAKING: Everton Blair Jr. wins the special election runoff for Georgia’s 13th Congressional District, which means he will be the first Black openly gay member of Congress from the South.
— Human Rights Campaign Rapid Response (@HRC) August 26, 2026
Congratulations to Everton Blair Jr. and his team on a successful campaign.
Now, as you can see by the meager engagement, this is not really impressing anyone. We have a transgender member of Congress. We have had gay Senators and House members. We have had a black president. A black vice president (maybe). A black first lady (maybe). Black Supreme Court Justices.
Are we finally at the end of "historic" candidates?
Americans have identity politics fatigue. The legacy media’s celebration of these alleged “milestones” has always been curiously selective anyway.
READ MORE: With Darline Graham's Runoff Victory, the South Carolina Senate Race Is Set
Tim Scott became the first black Republican senator from the South since Reconstruction and the first black senator ever popularly elected from the South. Mia Love became the first black Republican woman elected to Congress. Nikki Haley became South Carolina's first female governor and its first Indian-American governor.
Those were certainly “historic,” too. Yet for some reason the Cultural Marxists never get excited about breaking those perceived barriers.
That's because the identity politics surrounding these milestones was never entirely about representation. It was also about politics. A black conservative who rejects race-baiting can quickly discover that his race suddenly isn't the most interesting thing about him.
An openly gay Republican can make history and find that his sexuality is treated as a footnote because he isn't advancing the socialist agenda.
Democrat Everton Blair, a former Gwinnett County School Board chair, will win the special runoff election for Georgia's 13th District, CNN's Decision Desk projects, defeating late Rep. David Scott's daughter, Marcye Scott. Follow live updates. https://t.co/YACaM5kj0M pic.twitter.com/Z8QxS3Q5He
— CNN (@CNN) August 26, 2026
Identity politics is getting increasingly irrelevant because Americans have much bigger problems than whether Congress has finally checked another demographic box.
The national debt has topped $40 trillion. Americans are dealing with housing affordability, stubbornly high government spending, immigration, crime, healthcare costs, failing schools and a federal bureaucracy that seems capable of spending enormous amounts of money without producing commensurate results.
Meanwhile, Congress itself remains deeply unpopular. Americans routinely tell pollsters they have little confidence in the institution responsible for addressing many of these problems.
And that suggests voters aren't sitting around wondering whether Congress has achieved the correct demographic composition. They're wondering whether Congress can do its job.
Forget for a moment that Blair is black. Forget that he is gay. Forget that he is the first black openly gay congressman elected from the South. What does he actually intend to do?
Blair campaigned on Medicare for All, universal child care, massive federal clean-energy investments and higher taxes on households worth more than $50 million.
This is all a disaster. It doesn’t matter if Blair sleeps with men or not.
There is something patronizing about the assumption that every minority politician must arrive in Washington carrying the symbolic weight of an entire demographic group.
Blair is an individual who won an election. His constituents hired him to represent Georgia's 13th Congressional District, not to serve as a museum exhibit demonstrating America's demographic progress.
America has demonstrated that "progress" over and over again. And it has resulted in disaster just as often.
At some point, continually announcing every new demographic checkbox checked like it’s some kind of breakthrough starts proving the opposite of what its advocates presumably intend.
If these things are normal, then treat them as normal. The schtick is wearing thin.
It also lets politicians off far too easily. Identity is an extraordinarily cheap political credential because it requires no accomplishment.
You don't have to balance a budget, fix a school system, reduce crime, win a war, or make government function efficiently.
You simply have to be the first person possessing Characteristics A, B, and C to occupy Office D.
Competence is considerably harder. And competence is what Washington desperately needs.
So, I’m declaring this the end of “historic” candidates. Henceforth, it no longer matters.
The legacy media can stop pretending like it does.
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