U.S. House District 1: Open seat sparks a 14-way battle along Georgia coast
Fourteen candidates are in the race to succeed U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter, who is running for Senate.
The coastal Georgia district is solidly Republican, meaning the winner of the GOP primary will be expected to take it all in November.
Six Republicans qualified to run in Georgia’s 1st Congressional District alongside eight Democrats. Democratic candidates are hoping that voter enthusiasm, especially in Savannah and its suburbs, and concerns about the economy will make candidates more competitive than they have been in the past in this district.
Here are the candidates:
Democrats:
Defonsio Daniels:
Daniels is a former Marine and police officer who has also held leadership posts with the NAACP. He is running on an affordability platform and often pulls on his experience as an advocate for affordable housing.
The Camden County resident ran unsuccessfully for a seat in the Georgia House two years ago.
Joyce Marie Griggs:
Griggs says she retired from the U.S. Army after a decorated career and then later had a career in law. She was disbarred from practicing law at the federal level and in Georgia after courts upheld claims of official misconduct.
Griggs ran for the 1st District seat unsuccessfully in 2000, 2020 and 2022.
Amanda Hollowell:
A long time political organizer for Democratic Party initiatives and connected organizations, the Savannah resident has now launched her first campaign for office.
She was endorsed by Higher Heights for America, a political action committee focused on helping Black women get elected to office.
Michael McCord:
McCord, a longtime Democratic campaign strategist, moved to Savannah to open a consulting firm focused on small businesses.
He describes himself as a blue dog Democrat and a centrist who wants to cater to the middle. He has raised more money than any other Democrat in the race and also lent his campaign $130,000.
Joey Palimeno:
A veterinary technician who lives in Camden County, Palimeno said his campaign is fueled in part by his experiences as the parent of a child with Down syndrome.
He explored launching campaigns for this seat in 2022 and 2024 but withdrew from consideration before the primary.
Sharon Stokes-Williamson:
A Savannah native, Stokes-Williamson has worked in public health for local, state and national government agencies. She is also an educator working as an adjunct professor at the collegiate level.
Her platform is focused heavily on health care and affordability.
Patrick Wilver:
A U.S. Arm veteran, Wilver later launched a property management and contractor business in Savannah.
He is running as a centrist who wants to appeal to people disillusioned by the current two-party system. He launched a walking tour of the district to meet voters.
Randy Zurcher:
Zurcher currently lives in Savannah, but during his time in Arkansas in the late ’90s and early 2000s he served in the Fayetteville City Council and drew headlines for introducing legislation extending workforce protections for gay and lesbian city employees.
Now running for Congress in Georgia, Zurcher has pledged not to accept any campaign donations from corporate interests, super-wealthy donors or AIPAC.
Republicans
Pat Farrell:
A 20-year veteran of the Chatham County Commission, Farrell stepped down from the role to run for Congress. He has tried to position himself as the candidate who would follow most closely in Carter’s footsteps.
Farrell is the owner of a thousand-acre cattle ranch and farm in Jenkins County.
Jim Kingston:
Kingston is considered the front-runner in this race, stemming from the trifecta of name recognition, a sizeable edge in fundraising and an endorsement from President Donald Trump.
His father held this seat for more than 20 years, making his family name ubiquitous in the region. The younger Kingston is an insurance executive who lives in Savannah.
Brian Montgomery:
A retired Army lieutenant colonel and former Army Ranger, he graduated from the prestigious U.S. Military Academy at West Point and served more than 20 years.
Montgomery and his family eventually settled in Savannah. This is his first time running for office.
Krista Penn:
She is a Navy veteran who currently works in the health care industry. This is her first time running for office in Georgia.
Kandiss Taylor:
Known for her hard-right politics and for promoting false conspiracy theories, Taylor was involved in Trump’s attempt to overturn the 2020 election results in Georgia.
The Baxley resident ran unsuccessfully for governor in 2022 on an ultraconservative platform. A public school educator by trade, her campaign slogan is “Jesus, Guns, & Babies.”
Eugene Yu:
Yu is a perennial GOP candidate in Georgia, having run unsuccessfully in the 4th Congressional District in 2024, the 6th District in 2022 and the U.S. Senate in 2020.
He has served in the U.S. Army and worked as a deputy sheriff before launching his own contracting company.
About the Author
Tia Mitchell is the AJC’s Washington Bureau Chief and a co-host of the "Politically Georgia" podcast. She writes about Georgia’s congressional delegation, campaigns, elections and the impact that decisions made in D.C. have on residents of the Peach State.
