Tony Kozycki

According to his Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey, Kozycki grew up in LaGrange, Georgia, the son of a mother who completed U.S. Army airborne training, became a lawyer and served as lead public defender for Troup County State Court.[2] He played baseball at the United States Naval Academy and graduated in 2008.[2] He served in the U.S. Navy from 2004 to 2017 as a naval aviator, flying the F/A-18 Super Hornet with VFA-41; he says he completed three combat deployments across Iraq, Afghanistan, and Syria and spent three years as the sole U.S. Navy officer embedded with the Royal Australian Air Force.[2]

Kozycki earned a law degree from Georgia State University College of Law in 2021, graduating summa cum laude by his account, and attended the Harvard Kennedy School.[2] He says he started a law firm with his wife and mother practicing immigration and criminal defense.[2] He describes taking the case of Godfrey Wade, a Georgia Army veteran facing deportation, in 2025 and deciding to run after asking Rep. McCormick for help.[2]

Kozycki won the Democratic primary runoff on June 16, 2026, defeating Case Norton, a union camera technician, 67.7% to 32.3%; he faced Republican incumbent Rich McCormick in November.[2][4] He says he lives in the 7th District with his wife and two children and coaches youth sports.[2] During the campaign, he emphasized immigration reform, lowering the cost of living, and government accountability.[2] He received 43.8% of the vote to Rich McCormick's 56.2%, according to unofficial results reported by NBC News.[1]