U.S. House, Georgia 8th Congressional District · Election November 3, 2026 · Updated
Who should I vote for in Georgia's 8th Congressional District?
Austin Scott has the strongest record in Georgia's 8th Congressional District. Austin Scott scores 69 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, ahead of Kelly Esti at 47, as of October 9, 2026. Austin Scott's highest marks are relevant experience and command of the job. Every score comes from public records on character, qualifications and performance, the same way for every party.
Democratic
Kelly Esti
47 / 100
Public evidence on 8 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 50
- Qualifications
- 45
- Performance
- NR
Republican · incumbent
Strongest record
Austin Scott
69 / 100
Public evidence on 13 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 50
- Qualifications
- 85
- Performance
- 69
The good, the bad and the unresolved
The record
The notable facts of each candidate's public life, each tied to a source and confirmed to be this person. Unresolved matters are labeled with where they stand and do not move a score.
Kelly Esti
- On the record2026-06-19
Lives in Hapeville, outside the 8th District he is seeking to represent; federal law does not require House members to live in their district.
Austin Scott
- Mark against2025-08-13
Filed an Aug. 2025 periodic transaction report listing his wife's IRA stock sales from July 2024 onward, past the STOCK Act's 45-day deadline; Business Insider reported late spouse trades in 2021.
Sources: House Clerk periodic transaction report, Filing ID 20030902, Business Insider, Sept. 2021, NOTUS, Aug. 19, 2025
- On the record2026-04-14
Publicly criticized President Trump in April 2026, saying a post threatening Iran's civilization and an AI image showing Trump as Jesus were "not okay."
- On the record2023-10
Ran for the House Republican speaker nomination in October 2023 and lost the conference vote; the AJC described the bid as unexpected.
- On the record2023-12-01
Voted Yea on expelling Rep. George Santos while Speaker Johnson, Leader Scalise and Whip Emmer voted Nay; the expulsion passed.
- On the record2021-01-06
Signed the December 2020 Texas v. Pennsylvania House amicus brief, then voted Nay on the House objections to Arizona's and Pennsylvania's certified electoral votes on Jan. 6 and 7, 2021.
Sources: Texas v. Pennsylvania, House amicus brief, Dec. 2020, House Clerk Roll Call 10, Jan. 6, 2021, House Clerk Roll Call 11, Jan. 7, 2021
- Credit2026-04-18
Sponsored H.R. 8322, extending title VII authorities of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act through April 30, 2026; it was signed into law April 18, 2026.
- Credit2018-06-15
Sponsored the Veterans Cemetery Benefit Correction Act, H.R. 4910, signed into law June 15, 2018.
Who they are
Character
Integrity
Tells the truth, keeps their word, and takes no private gain from public office.
Kelly Esti. Campaign reports are on file with the FEC through June 30, 2026, and a House candidate financial disclosure was filed Aug. 15, 2025. No FEC administrative fine found.
Sources: FEC candidate page, House Clerk candidate financial disclosure, Filing ID 10072223, FEC administrative fines search
Austin Scott. Periodic transaction reports for his wife's IRA were filed past the 45-day STOCK Act deadline, including an Aug. 2025 report of 2024 to 2025 sales; he acknowledged the late reporting to NOTUS, and Business Insider reported late spouse filings in 2021. Annual disclosures are on file.
Sources: House Clerk periodic transaction report, Filing ID 20030902, Business Insider, Sept. 2021, House Clerk annual financial disclosure, Filing ID 10078163, NOTUS, Aug. 19, 2025
Courage
Takes a stand that costs them something, including telling their own side no.
Kelly Esti. No public record found.
Austin Scott. Voted Nay on the January 2021 objections to Arizona and Pennsylvania electors when GOP leaders McCarthy and Scalise voted Yea; voted for the 2023 Santos expulsion and against the March 2024 spending package, both against leadership.
Sources: House Clerk Roll Call 10, Jan. 6, 2021, House Clerk Roll Call 691, Dec. 1, 2023, House Clerk Roll Call 102, March 22, 2024
Accountability
Owns mistakes, answers hard questions, and works in the open.
Kelly Esti. No public record found.
Austin Scott. No public record found.
Temperament and judgment
Steady under pressure, decides on evidence, and treats opponents and staff with respect.
Kelly Esti. Served in the Navy from 1999 to 2002, then worked as an analyst and small business finance officer and sat on local zoning and charter school boards. No formal conduct finding found.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Kelly Esti, Campaign site, About
Austin Scott. Served in the Georgia House from 1997 to 2010 and in Congress since 2011. No censure, reprimand or House Ethics Committee matter found.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Austin Scott, House Committee on Ethics site search for Austin Scott
Fidelity to the oath
Uses power inside its limits: accepts certified results, obeys court rulings, follows the rules of the office.
Kelly Esti. Served in the Navy from 1999 to 2002 as a nuclear-trained sailor. No official finding of misconduct found.
Source: Ballotpedia, Kelly Esti
Austin Scott. Signed the December 2020 Texas v. Pennsylvania House amicus brief but voted Nay on both January 2021 objections to certified electors. No misuse-of-office finding found.
Sources: Texas v. Pennsylvania, House amicus brief, Dec. 2020, House Clerk Roll Call 10, Jan. 6, 2021, House Clerk Roll Call 11, Jan. 7, 2021
What they bring
Qualifications
Relevant experience
Has done work that prepares them for this specific office.
Kelly Esti. Analyst whose career includes financial firms and Delta Air Lines, co-owner and finance officer of an embroidery business, and a former member of Hapeville and Fulton County zoning boards. Has not held elected office.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Kelly Esti, Campaign site, About
Austin Scott. In the U.S. House since January 2011, seeking a ninth term; served in the Georgia House from 1997 to 2010; ran an insurance brokerage for nearly 20 years.
Command of the job
Knows the issues and knows what the office can and cannot do.
Kelly Esti. Publishes priority pages on veterans, education, utilities, health care, infrastructure and workers in general terms.
Source: Campaign site
Austin Scott. Vice chair of the Agriculture Committee, chairs its General Farm Commodities, Risk Management, and Credit Subcommittee and the Intelligence Committee National Intelligence Enterprise Subcommittee.
Source: GovTrack, committee membership
Communication
Explains plainly, persuades, and listens.
Kelly Esti. Completed Ballotpedia's 2026 Candidate Connection survey and publishes plain-language priority pages.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Kelly Esti, Campaign site
Austin Scott. Offers a newsletter, publishes regular columns and issue pages on his office site. Has not completed Ballotpedia's 2026 survey.
Sources: House office site, home page, Ballotpedia, Austin Scott
Roots in the constituency
Lives there, knows the people, and is funded by them.
Kelly Esti. Lives in Hapeville, outside the 8th District, per the AJC; his FEC candidate record lists a Hapeville address. All $2,500 of his itemized individual contributions came from Georgia.
Sources: AJC, race preview, updated June 19, 2026, FEC contribution totals by state
Austin Scott. Lives in Tifton and represented Tift County in the Georgia House from 1997. FEC by-state totals show about 70 percent of itemized individual contributions from Georgia.
Sources: AJC, race preview, updated June 19, 2026, Ballotpedia, Austin Scott, FEC contribution totals by state
Management
Can build and run an organization.
Kelly Esti. Campaign reports are on file with the FEC through June 30, 2026. No FEC administrative fine found.
Sources: FEC candidate page, FEC administrative fines search
Austin Scott. Campaign reports are on file with the FEC through June 30, 2026. No FEC administrative fine against his committee found.
Sources: FEC candidate page, FEC administrative fines search
What they deliver
Performance
Results
Turns ideas into outcomes.
Kelly Esti. No public record found.
Austin Scott. Legislative Effectiveness Score of 0.181 in the 118th Congress against a benchmark of 1.481, below expectations. Raised to 2 under E14: his H.R. 8322, extending FISA title VII authorities, was signed April 18, 2026.
Sources: Center for Effective Lawmaking House dataset, 93rd to 118th Congress, GovTrack, H.R. 8322 (119th Congress)
Showing up
Does the basic work of the job.
Kelly Esti. No public record found.
Austin Scott. Missed 165 of 9,214 roll call votes, 1.8 percent, from January 2011 to September 2026.
Source: GovTrack, missed votes
Constituent service
Solves problems for the people they represent.
Kelly Esti. No public record found.
Austin Scott. Lists district offices in Tifton and Warner Robins and offers help with federal agencies. No published casework totals found.
Sources: House office site, office locations, House office site, home page
Coalition building
Wins support beyond their own faction.
Kelly Esti. No public record found.
Austin Scott. Lugar Center Bipartisan Index score of 0.14034 in the latest posted House scores (118th Congress, 2023), ranked 102 of 436, in the top quarter.
Source: Lugar Center and McCourt School Bipartisan Index, House Scores
Stewardship of public money
Treats tax dollars as someone else's money.
Kelly Esti. No public record found.
Austin Scott. No public record found.
How to read this
Each criterion is scored 0 to 4 against the written rubric in the Ballot Standard. NR means no record: there is no reliable public evidence either way, so the criterion is left out and never counts against the candidate. A total is published when at least 8 of 15 criteria have evidence.
A sitting officeholder has a longer public record than a first-time candidate, so the two totals rest on different amounts of evidence. Read the count of criteria beside each score. Low marks require an official finding or a primary record. Allegations and opinion are not used.
No policy position is scored. Evidence checked October 9, 2026. Campaigns and readers can send a correction with a public source to tpg@thepoliticalgroup.com.
Questions
Who should I vote for in Georgia's 8th Congressional District?
Austin Scott has the strongest record in Georgia's 8th Congressional District. Austin Scott scores 69 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, ahead of Kelly Esti at 47, as of October 9, 2026. Austin Scott's highest marks are relevant experience and command of the job. Every score comes from public records on character, qualifications and performance, the same way for every party.
Who is running in Georgia's 8th Congressional District in 2026?
Kelly Esti (Democratic), Austin Scott (Republican, incumbent). The general election is November 3, 2026.
Is Kelly Esti a good candidate for Congress?
Kelly Esti scores 47 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, with public evidence on 8 of 15 criteria: character 50 of 100, qualifications 45 of 100, performance no record. The standard measures character, qualifications and performance, not policy positions.
Is Austin Scott a good candidate for Congress?
Austin Scott scores 69 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, with public evidence on 13 of 15 criteria: character 50 of 100, qualifications 85 of 100, performance 69 of 100. The standard measures character, qualifications and performance, not policy positions.
How is the strongest record decided?
The candidate with the highest Ballot Standard score has the strongest record. Each of 15 criteria on character, qualifications and performance is scored 0 to 4 from public records and established reporting, the same way for every party. No policy position is scored, and unresolved accusations never move a score.
More on this race: every Georgia race scored, the trailing candidate's path to victory, and the Georgia 2026 election guide. Independent scorecard by The Political Group, not affiliated with any candidate or party.