Houston Gaines

Gaines was born on January 11, 1995, in Athens, Georgia, according to Wikipedia. His campaign website says he was born and raised in Athens, is an eighth-generation northeast Georgian, and is the grandson of Superior Court Judge Joseph Gaines.[3][4] He graduated summa cum laude from the University of Georgia, where he was student body president; Wikipedia lists a B.A. in political science and economics in 2017.[2][4][5] He worked at Cannon Financial Institute, serving clients in the financial industry, and now works at Carter Engineering, which his legislative biography says he is helping expand.[2][3]

Gaines lost a 2017 special election for Georgia House District 117 to Democrat Deborah Gonzalez, then defeated her in a 2018 rematch and took office in January 2019. He was re-elected in 2020, 2022 and 2024, and his district was renumbered 120 after redistricting.[2][4][5] According to his legislative biography, he was elected Majority Caucus Vice Chairman in 2022 and has served on committees including Ethics, Ways & Means, Appropriations, Insurance, Public Health and Governmental Affairs, as vice chairman of the Higher Education Appropriations subcommittee.[2] The biography lists bills he authored on human trafficking, domestic violence, substance-abuse recovery, paid parental leave for teachers and state employees (2021), and prohibiting local governments from defunding police. His campaign website says more than 20 of his bills have passed.[2][3] In 2023 he carried legislation creating a state oversight commission for district attorneys, which Gov. Brian Kemp signed in May 2023, according to Wikipedia.[4]

Gaines is a member of the Athens Rotary Club and has served on the Envision Athens Steering Committee, the Junior League of Athens Community Advisory Board and the LEAD Athens Alumni Association Board. His campaign website says he lives in Athens with his wife, Gabrielle.[2][3][5] He advanced from the May 19, 2026 Republican primary for the open 10th District seat, defeating Ryan Millsap and Jeff Baker, and did not seek re-election to the state House.[5] He won the November 3, 2026 general election with 53.6% of the vote to Pamela Delancy's 46.4%, according to unofficial results reported by NBC News.[1]