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The Carter name is back in Georgia politics for the first time since the '70s. Jason Carter, grandson of Jimmy Carter, was elected to the State Senate for a suburban Atlanta seat in a special election to fill the seat vacated when David Edelman was appointed US ambassador to Singapore. Carter, a 34-year-old lawyer, captured 65.6% of the vote. His nearest rival, also a Democrat, won 22.9% of the vote, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

The former president donated to his grandson's campaign and campaigned door-to-door with him. "Jason’s hard-working, well-qualified and has a lot of young people’s support,” the 84-year-old told the New York Times at his grandson's victory party last night. “You know, I got started 48 years ago in a special election for the Georgia State Senate.” (Read more Georgia stories.)