DULUTH, Georgia — Jyot Singh, a 27-year-old Democrat from Gwinnett County, has made history in Georgia: on Tuesday, November 3, 2026, voters in House District 97 elected him to the Georgia House of Representatives, making him the first Sikh American and the first person of Indian origin ever elected to the Georgia General Assembly, according to The American Bazaar and Atlanta's 285 South, which both reported the result on Wednesday.
Singh defeated Republican Yassin Moghazy in District 97, a diverse Gwinnett County seat covering parts of Duluth, Norcross, Peachtree Corners and Berkeley Lake, in the suburbs north-east of Atlanta. A national tally of Indian American state-legislative results published by ReportWire on Thursday put Singh's margin at nearly 68 per cent of the vote — about 13,800 votes to about 6,500. The seat was previously held by Democrat Ruwa Romman. Singh is due to take office when the new Georgia legislature convenes on January 11, 2027.
From basement apartments in Norcross to the State Capitol
Singh is the son of working-class Sikh immigrants from India. Raised in Norcross, he grew up in basement apartments and townhouses while his parents worked long hours, began earning at the age of 15 to help support the family, and has spoken about periods in his childhood without adequate healthcare — experiences he says shaped his politics. He is a product of Gwinnett County public schools: he graduated from the Gwinnett School of Mathematics, Science and Technology, then won a full scholarship to Yale University, where he earned a degree in Global Affairs in 2021. In a Ballotpedia candidate questionnaire, he named helping his parents buy a house in Gwinnett and enabling his father to retire among his proudest accomplishments.
Faith runs through the story in his own telling. His bid for office began and concluded at the Guru Nanak Mission Society gurdwara in Norcross, and he frames his public service through the Sikh principles of seva — selfless service — and sarbat da bhala, the well-being of all. 'As Sikhs, our people have fought against tyranny, oppression, and injustice for centuries in order to uplift all communities and for the wellbeing of all,' he said. 'I'll bring that fight to the Georgia State Legislature and fight for House District 97 and everyday Georgians.' He is fluent in English, Punjabi, Hindi and Spanish. On winning, he posted: 'We won!!! Thank you Georgia! I'm honored to be your representative-elect in HD-97.'
A campaign built before November
Singh, a civil rights advocate, political organiser and small-business owner who founded the consulting firm Blue Husky Group, had worked on gubernatorial and legislative campaigns, including as a press secretary, before running himself. In education advocacy he helped secure $1.4 billion for Gwinnett County Public Schools through the renewal of E-SPLOST, the county's special local sales tax for schools. His campaign said it rejected corporate contributions and ran on small-dollar donors and volunteers: it reported raising more than $240,000 during the primary and knocking on more than 8,500 doors. He was endorsed by Indian American Impact, the Asian American Advocacy Fund and U.S. Representatives Ro Khanna of California, Hank Johnson of Georgia and Jonathan Jackson of Illinois.
Georgia has a fast-growing Punjabi and Sikh population in metro Atlanta's suburbs — truckers on the I-85 corridor, small-business owners and new immigrant families in Gwinnett County. District 97 will now be represented in the state capitol by a turbaned Sikh who speaks Punjabi — the first in Georgia history — at a time when state legislatures decide Medicaid, school funding, language access and small-business rules that reach those families directly.
What he says he will fight for
Singh's stated legislative priorities are expanding affordable housing and healthcare, protecting Medicaid and food assistance, supporting immigrant-owned small businesses, improving language accessibility in public services and strengthening public education. 'I know what it's like to grow up without healthcare, and I'll fight to protect and expand the Medicaid coverage and food assistance in Georgia for the families that need it most,' he said. He has also spoken against prejudice and discrimination, presenting diversity as a source of strength.
Part of a Georgia wave — and a national Indian American night
Singh's win came on a night when, as 285 South reported, Democrats elected Keisha Lance Bottoms as the country's first Black female governor, Senator Jon Ossoff won re-election, and Democrats appeared poised to flip the Georgia House of Representatives while narrowing the Republican majority in the State Senate — final chamber control follows certification. Nationally, ReportWire counted at least 30 Indian American wins in state-legislative races. Singh will join that larger story when he is sworn in, but in Gwinnett the milestone is simpler: a Sikh kid from Norcross, as he describes himself, is going to the Capitol in Atlanta.
What happens next
Georgia's results will be certified by county and state officials in the coming days, and the new General Assembly convenes in Atlanta in January, with Singh scheduled to take office on January 11, 2027. His first tests will be the ones he campaigned on — the state budget's treatment of Medicaid, school funding in the state's largest school district's backyard, and whether a first-term member of a possibly flipped chamber can move housing and language-access bills. Awaaz Punjab will follow his first session for its Georgia readers.