# Jaha Howard (GA Senate D-35) — Legislator Fact Sheet · The GA Files > Sen. Jaha Howard (D, Senate District 35 — Smyrna/South Fulton), a pediatric dentist and former Cobb school board member who won a December 2025 special election: his votes, constituent access, and campaign money. *Source: https://thegafiles.com/JahaHoward.html · The GA Files (thegafiles.com)* --- State Level Legislator Fact Sheet · Georgia State Senate · District 35 # Jaha Howard Party Democrat In Office Dec 2025 – present Senate Role Member · Cobb/Fulton Scope of This Review 2026 Jaha Howard, a Smyrna Democrat, represents Senate District 35 — parts of Cobb and Fulton counties including Smyrna, Atlanta and South Fulton. A board-certified pediatric dentist, he owns A+ Pediatric Dentistry of Atlanta and earned a chemistry degree and D.D.S. from Howard University and a master's in oral sciences from the University of Illinois at Chicago. He served four years on the Cobb County Board of Education. He won the December 16, 2025 special-election runoff over Roger Bruce with about 52% after Sen. Jason Esteves resigned to run for governor, and was sworn in December 31. He serves on the Agriculture and Consumer Affairs, Government Oversight, Higher Education, and State and Local Governmental Operations committees. He is the Democratic nominee this November, with no Republican opponent. 1 / 3In his first session Howard voted **NO on the homestead tax-relief and public-camping bills** and **YEA on the bipartisan medical-cannabis expansion**. (Earlier bills predate his tenure.) **Methodology.** Each vote is Sen. Howard's actual position from the official Georgia roll call (legis.ga.gov), transcribed into a verified vote database and cross-checked against the published Yea/Nay totals. The chamber tally and final status (became law / died in House) are noted per bill. 01 ## Property Tax Relief (LHOST) SB 33 · 2026 Session NAY Floor Vote Senate vote (Agree to House Substitute as Amended), 2026 session — 32–21 Status Became law (2026 session) Sen. Howard's Vote Voted **NAY** — against the chamber majority, on a party-line vote. ### Impact on Everyday Georgians Authorizes a local-option homestead sales tax and related homestead relief, letting communities offset rising property-tax bills driven by climbing home values. Supporters framed it as relief for homeowners squeezed by reassessments; critics noted sales taxes are regressive and that any relief depends on each community choosing to adopt it. #### Sources - [LegiScan — SB 33 bill text, history & roll calls](https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/SB33/2026) 02 ## Homelessness Enforcement HB 295 · 2026 Session NAY Floor Vote Senate vote (Agree to House Amendment to Senate Amendment), 2026 session — 34–19 Status Became law (2026 session) Sen. Howard's Vote Voted **NAY** — against the chamber majority, on a party-line vote. ### Impact on Everyday Georgians Restricts unsanctioned public camping and sleeping and presses local governments toward enforcement and state-directed approaches to homelessness. Supporters said it keeps public spaces safe and orderly; homeless-services advocates warned it criminalizes poverty and can push people away from services without adding any housing. #### Sources - [LegiScan — HB 295 bill text, history & roll calls](https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HB295/2026) 03 ## Medical Cannabis Expansion SB 220 · 2026 Session YEA Floor Vote Senate vote (Agree to House Substitute as Amended), 2026 session — 38–14 Status Became law (2026 session) Sen. Howard's Vote Voted **YEA** — with the chamber majority, on a bipartisan vote. ### Impact on Everyday Georgians Expands Georgia's low-THC medical cannabis program — broadening the qualifying conditions and access for registered patients — and passed with bipartisan support. It widened eligibility for Georgians managing chronic and serious illnesses under the state's tightly regulated program. #### Sources - [LegiScan — SB 220 bill text, history & roll calls](https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/SB220/2026) Constituent Access ## Town Halls Public meetings with constituents · since December 2025 Howard's most documented public event in office is a February 2026 news conference in the district on immigration detention. ## Documented Record - On **February 15, 2026** he held a news conference at South Fulton City Hall with Councilmember Helen Willis, announcing a bill to bar state-controlled funds from supporting ICE detention facilities and promoting SB 464, which would bar immigration agents from using biometric identification such as facial recognition in Georgia. “Georgia communities deserve meaningful consultation before any federal detention expansion occurs,” he said. - Some online listings describe a recurring Saturday virtual town hall, but we could not confirm it in his official legislative biography or on his campaign site as of September 2026. This section will be expanded as events are documented. Jaha Howard took office in December 2025; state legislators' constituent-event records are thin and locally reported. Corrections are welcome via the contact link below. ## Sources - [Atlanta News First — Georgia senator, South Fulton councilmember propose legislation to stop ICE detention centers](https://www.atlantanewsfirst.com/2026/02/15/georgia-senator-south-fulton-councilmember-propose-legislation-stop-ice-detention-centers/) - [Georgia General Assembly — Sen. Jaha Howard official biography](https://www.legis.ga.gov/api/document/docs/default-source/bios/howard-jaha-5090.pdf) Campaign Finance ## Campaign Finance Who funds Sen. Howard · 2026 ## Top Contributors Committee filed under Howard, Jaha V. (2026 general election). **$35,847 raised**, $23,369.50 spent, **$13,316.59 cash on hand**. His largest donors include educator, trial-lawyer, optometry and law-firm PACs. | # | Contributor | Total | | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | Democratic Educational Action Network – Georgia (Powder Springs, GA) | $3,300.00 | | 2 | Civil Justice PAC (Atlanta, GA) | $3,000.00 | | 3 | Ida Rose (Mableton, GA) | $1,500.00 | | 4 | Georgia Optometric Association PAC (Atlanta, GA) | $1,500.00 | | 5 | Troutman Pepper Locke LLP Georgia PAC (Atlanta, GA) | $1,500.00 | | 6 | Tharon Johnson (Atlanta, GA) | $1,000.00 | | 7 | Harold Jones (Augusta, GA) | $1,000.00 | | 8 | BevPAC (Atlanta, GA) | $1,000.00 | Source: The GA Files' tally of primary Georgia Ethics Commission (PeachFile) records, cycle-to-date as of September 14, 2026. Donor rows come from the commission's top-contributor summary. Corrections are welcome. ## Sources - [Transparency USA — Georgia campaign finance](https://www.transparencyusa.org/ga) - [Georgia Ethics Commission — official filings](https://media.ethics.ga.gov/search/Campaign/Campaign_ReportLog.aspx) - [OpenSecrets — Georgia state](https://www.opensecrets.org/states/GA) ## Verification Resources - [Georgia General Assembly — Senate roll-call votes](https://www.legis.ga.gov/votes/senate) - [Ballotpedia — Jaha Howard](https://ballotpedia.org/Jaha_Howard) - [Georgia Ethics Commission — PeachFile (2026 campaign finance)](https://peachfile.ethics.ga.gov/) Vote positions are Sen. Howard's actual recorded votes from the official Georgia roll calls (legis.ga.gov), transcribed into a verified vote database and cross-checked against the published Yea/Nay totals. Campaign-finance figures are top reported contributors via Transparency USA; Georgia does not produce OpenSecrets-style sector/industry rollups, and the Georgia Ethics Commission holds the official itemized filings. [← All Legislators](https://thegafiles.com/legislators.html)