WASHINGTON — Kwanza Hall cast his first vote as a member of Congress about an hour after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi swore him into office, epitomizing what is likely to be a whirlwind yet brief tenure.
Hall said he is ready for the challenge and looks forward to casting votes on federal funding to avoid a government shutdown and provide coronavirus relief. Now that voters in Georgia’s 5th Congressional District have representation again, he wants it to count. The seat has been vacant since long-serving and popular U.S. Rep. John Lewis died in July.
“As the immediate successor to Congressman Lewis, I know that he would want us to make sure we bring home something for District 5,” Hall said Thursday. “And I’m going to do my very best to do that in these very challenging times.”
Hall arrived in Washington just two days after his win in Tuesday’s runoff. He will be a member of Congress through Jan. 3, when Nikema Williams is sworn in for a full two-year term.
Pelosi swore Hall in on the House floor Thursday at noon. “Congratulations, you are now a member of the 116th Congress,” she said after administering the oath of office.
U.S. Rep. Sanford Bishop, who became the dean of Georgia’s congressional delegation after Lewis’ death, then introduced Hall to members by reading his biography. And outgoing Congressman Rob Woodall praised Hall for stepping up to fill in the gap for constituents of District 5, campaign through the special election and subsequent runoff.
“I wonder how many of my colleagues would put in the kind of time and effort that we all put in to get reelected to provide a voice just for two years, not even for 12 months, but for the remainder of a cycle,” said Woodall, a Republican from Lawrenceville.
Hall, an Atlanta native, went to college at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology before returning home and starting his career. His father, Leon Hall, was a civil rights activist alongside Lewis and the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.
Hall’s public service began when he won a seat on the Atlanta Board of Education. He then served three terms on the Atlanta City Council before running unsuccessfully for mayor. Hall said he decided to run in the special election to fill the remainder of Lewis’ term out of a sense of duty to the man he considers a friend and hero. He also said a three-week bout with COVID-19 in July, shortly before Lewis died, prompted him to think about what God wanted him to accomplish in life.
In his first floor speech, Hall said God told him: “I have a mission for you. The mission is to run for that office and serve District 5.”
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