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Kwanza Hall

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Kwanza Hall
Official portrait, 2020
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Georgia's 5th district
In office
December 3, 2020 – January 3, 2021
Preceded byJohn Lewis
Succeeded byNikema Williams
Member of the Atlanta City Council
from the 2nd district
In office
2005–2017
Preceded byDebi Starnes[1]
Succeeded byAmir Farokhi[2]
Personal details
Born (1971-05-01) May 1, 1971 (age 53)
Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
EducationMassachusetts Institute of Technology
WebsiteCampaign website
Kwanza Hall's voice
Kwanza Hall speaks on businesses and issues affecting his district
Recorded December 17, 2020

Kwanza Hall (born May 1, 1971)[3] is an American politician and businessman who briefly served as a member of the United States House of Representatives for Georgia's 5th congressional district. He previously served as a member of the Atlanta City Council for the 2nd district. He was first elected in 2005 and re-elected in 2009. He represented the neighborhoods of Atlantic Station, Castleberry Hill, Downtown, Home Park, Inman Park, the Marietta Artery, Sweet Auburn and the Martin Luther King Historic District, Midtown, Poncey-Highland, and the Old Fourth Ward.[4][5] He opted to not run for re-election in 2017, and was a candidate in the 2017 Atlanta mayoral election.

In the runoff for mayor, he endorsed Keisha Lance Bottoms. In 2018, he was hired as senior political advisor in her administration, violating a city charter provision that bars elected city officials employment for one year after leaving office, followed by the position of director of development for Procter Creek for Invest Atlanta, which also came under scrutiny.[6] He chose to run for Georgia's 5th congressional district in the 2020 special election, following the death of incumbent congressman John Lewis. He finished first in the first round of voting on September 29, but did not receive a majority, and thus the race was decided in a runoff against Robert Michael Franklin on December 1, which Hall won by nearly nine points. Hall was sworn in two days later and served the final month of Lewis's term; Nikema Williams had been chosen by the Georgia Democratic Party to run in the general election in Lewis's stead.

Early life and education

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Born and raised in Atlanta, Hall graduated from Benjamin E. Mays High School.[7] Hall attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he studied political science, but withdrew during his senior year.[4][5][8][9]

Early career

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Before holding elected office, Hall worked in the Fulton County government and served as vice president of technology for GoodWorks International, a human rights and public service consulting firm co-chaired by Andrew Young. He then became the director of business development for MACTEC Engineering and Consulting, Inc.[4][5][10]

In 2002, Hall was elected to the Atlanta Board of Education, where he served for three years prior to his election to the Atlanta City Council.[11] During his time on the Atlanta Board of Education, Hall worked toward closing the achievement gap and contributed to reforms that improved the performance of Atlanta Public Schools on statewide tests.[8]

Hall represented District 2 on the Atlanta City Council, a post he was elected to in 2005. He was re-elected in 2009 and again in 2013. Among the most notable of the initiatives he has been involved in during his tenure is the Atlanta Beltline project.[12] Hall has also focused strongly on community improvement including land use, historical preservation, and sustainable development of in-town neighborhoods.[13]

2017 Atlanta mayoral election

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Main article: 2017 Atlanta mayoral election

Hall filed to run in the 2017 Atlanta mayoral election in January 2017. During the campaign, Hall focused on public safety, transportation, and affordable housing.[14] Hall placed seventh in a field of 12 candidates.[15]

U.S. House of Representatives

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Election

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2020 Georgia's 5th district special election

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Main article: 2020 Georgia's 5th congressional district special election

After the death of incumbent Congressman John Lewis, Hall announced his candidacy for the September 2020 special election to succeed him.[16][17][18] Hall placed first in the September 29, 2020, general election. As no candidate earned 50 percent of votes cast, Hall and the second-place finisher, Robert Michael Franklin Jr., advanced to a December runoff election.[19][20] He won the runoff election on December 1, 2020.[21]

After Congress

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Hall ran for Lieutenant Governor of Georgia in 2022, and placed first in the Democratic primary, but lost the primary runoff to Charlie Bailey.[22] On November 4, 2022, Hall endorsed Republican Governor Brian Kemp for re-election, joining 2 other Democrats in crossing party lines.[23]

Personal life

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Hall is divorced and lives in the Martin Luther King Historic District.[4][5]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Our Campaigns - Atlanta City Council - District 02 Race - Nov 08, 2005". www.ourcampaigns.com. Archived from the original on July 17, 2022. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
  2. ^ "Our Campaigns - Atlanta City Council - District 02 Race - Nov 05, 2013". www.ourcampaigns.com. Archived from the original on August 15, 2021. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
  3. ^ "Biographical Directory of the U.S. Congress - Retro Member details". bioguideretro.congress.gov. Archived from the original on December 11, 2020. Retrieved December 3, 2020.
  4. ^ a b c d "Atlanta City Council Bio". Atlanta City Council. Archived from the original on August 14, 2009. Retrieved July 30, 2009.
  5. ^ a b c d "Meet Kwanza Hall". Hall for Council. Archived from the original on August 24, 2010. Retrieved July 30, 2009.
  6. ^ Klepal, Dan; Deere, Stephen. "Former council member's $137k City Hall job violated Atlanta charter". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Archived from the original on December 3, 2020. Retrieved January 24, 2021.
  7. ^ "Kwanza Hall applauds Atlanta's support of Black thought and success". Rolling Out. February 8, 2019. Archived from the original on August 9, 2020. Retrieved August 7, 2020.
  8. ^ a b "Honorable Kwanza Hall". Operation Hope. Archived from the original on October 4, 2006. Retrieved July 30, 2009.
  9. ^ "Growing up as a Black male in Atlanta has challenges. Here's what it's like". www.bizjournals.com. Archived from the original on November 17, 2020. Retrieved August 7, 2020.
  10. ^ "Kwanza Hall raises the most money of all Atlanta mayoral candidates". Rolling Out. April 12, 2017. Archived from the original on November 17, 2020. Retrieved August 7, 2020.
  11. ^ "Kwanza Hall". www.blackmensdossier.com. Archived from the original on January 18, 2021. Retrieved August 7, 2020.
  12. ^ "Five Questions With...Kwanza Hall". A Is For Atlanta. April 15, 2009. Retrieved July 30, 2009. [dead link‍]
  13. ^ Wheatley, Thomas (June 11, 2009). "Poncey-Highland Master Plan community meeting scheduled". Creative Loafing. Archived from the original on June 15, 2009. Retrieved July 30, 2009.
  14. ^ "Kwanza Hall for Mayor". Archived from the original on April 30, 2010. Retrieved July 31, 2009.
  15. ^ Stafford, Leon; Journal-Constitution, The Atlanta. "Atlanta mayoral race: Get to know the candidates". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Archived from the original on December 7, 2020. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
  16. ^ Bluestein, Greg; Journal-Constitution, The Atlanta. "Several prominent Democrats line up to succeed John Lewis in Congress". AJC. Archived from the original on August 4, 2020. Retrieved August 7, 2020.
  17. ^ "Here's who qualified to run in the special election to fill John Lewis' seat". 11Alive.com. July 31, 2020. Archived from the original on July 17, 2022. Retrieved August 7, 2020.
  18. ^ "7 seek to follow Lewis in House, but long-term prospects dim". AP NEWS. July 31, 2020. Archived from the original on August 3, 2020. Retrieved August 7, 2020.
  19. ^ "Live Georgia Special Election Results: Fifth Congressional District". The New York Times. September 29, 2020. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on September 29, 2020. Retrieved September 30, 2020.
  20. ^ "Hall, Franklin head to runoff for rest of John Lewis' term". Associated Press. September 29, 2020. Archived from the original on October 2, 2020. Retrieved September 30, 2020.
  21. ^ "Hall wins runoff to briefly fill seat of late Rep John Lewis". AP NEWS. December 1, 2020. Archived from the original on December 1, 2020. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
  22. ^ "Former Atlanta City Councilmember Kwanza Hall Announces Run for Lieutenant Governor". March 7, 2022.
  23. ^ Bluestein, Greg. "Democrat Hall endorses Brian Kemp and Burt Jones in surprise move". Political Insider (The Atlanta Journal-Constitution). Retrieved January 6, 2024.
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U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Georgia's 5th congressional district
2020–2021 		Succeeded by
U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial)
Preceded byas Former US Representative Order of precedence of the United States
as Former US Representative 		Succeeded byas Former US Representative
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