Houston Gaines

  1. Home
  2. Wiki
Houston Gaines
Member of the Georgia House of Representatives
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 14, 2019
Preceded byDeborah Gonzalez
Constituency117th district (2019–2023)
120th district (2023–present)
Personal details
Born (1995-01-11) January 11, 1995 (age 30)
Athens, Georgia, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
EducationUniversity of Georgia (BA)

Houston Gaines (born January 11, 1995) is an American politician from Georgia. Gaines has been a Republican member of the Georgia House of Representatives since 2019.

In July 2025, he became the first prominent Republican to enter the race for the open U.S. House of Representatives seat in Georgia's 10th congressional district currently represented by Republican Mike Collins, who is seeking the Republican nomination in the 2026 U.S. Senate election in Georgia.[1][2][3]

Early life

[edit]

On January 11, 1995, Gaines was born in Athens, Georgia. Gaines' grandfather is the late Judge Joseph Gaines. [4][5]

Education

[edit]

In 2017, Gaines earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and Economics from University of Georgia's University of Georgia School of Public and International Affairs and University of Georgia's Terry College of Business. In 2016, Gaines served as the Student Government Association president, until 2017.[6][5]

Career

[edit]

At age 22, Gaines believed himself qualified to run for the state legislature and was defeated by a Democrat candidate in his first statewide election in 2017.[7] On November 6, 2018, Gaines won the election and became a Republican member of Georgia House of Representatives for District 117. Gaines defeated first term state Representative Deborah Gonzalez with 53.55% of the votes.[8][9] On November 3, 2020, as an incumbent, Gaines won the election and continued serving District 117. Gaines defeated Mokah Jasmine Johnson with 56.58% of the votes.[10][11][5]

In 2022, Gaines spoke at the Foothills Jackson graduation ceremony where he congratulated graduates for their hardwork and presented them with "long-stemmed red roses as they exited the stage" a la Bachelorette. [12]

In the 2022 Georgia House of Representatives election he was redistricted to District 120. The 117th district was held by Republican Lauren Daniel.[13]

Awards

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Bluestein, Greg. "Athens lawmaker launches U.S. House bid for open GOP-leaning Georgia seat". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved 22 August 2025.
  2. ^ Raymond, Jonathan (31 July 2025). "Republican state representative announces run for congressional seat being vacated by Collins". 11Alive. Retrieved 22 August 2025.
  3. ^ Bluestein, Greg. "Collins kicks off U.S. Senate bid in Georgia with show of force". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved 22 August 2025.
  4. ^ "Gaines, Houston". ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved April 15, 2021.
  5. ^ a b c "Houston Gaines' Biography". Vote Smart. Retrieved April 14, 2021.
  6. ^ a b "Athens Rep. Houston Gaines named Champion of Recovery". redandblack.com. July 1, 2019. Retrieved April 14, 2021.
  7. ^ "Houston Gaines".
  8. ^ "GA State House 117". ourcampaigns.com. November 6, 2018. Retrieved April 15, 2021.
  9. ^ "BREAKING: Houston Gaines takes back state House District 117, Clarke County finishes reporting". Redandblack.com. 2018-11-06. Retrieved 2020-12-22.
  10. ^ "GA State House 117". ourcampaigns.com. November 3, 2020. Retrieved April 15, 2021.
  11. ^ "Representative Houston Gaines". Legis.ga.gov. Retrieved 2020-12-22.
  12. ^ "The Braselton news. (Jefferson, Ga) 2006-current, June 15, 2022, Image 7".
  13. ^ "Lauren Daniel". Ballotpedia. Retrieved 2024-02-23.
  14. ^ "NINE SPIA ALUMNI NAMED TO THE UGA 40 UNDER 40 CLASS OF 2020". uga.edu. 2020. Retrieved April 15, 2021.
[edit]