El-Mahdi E. Holly is a Democratic member of the Georgia House of Representatives serving District 116, which includes portions of DeKalb and Henry counties, covering parts of Hampton, Locust Grove, McDonough, Stockbridge, Jonesboro, and Jenkinsburg. Elected in 2018, he made history as the first person of color and first Democrat to win the historically Republican district. He previously represented District 111. Notable achievements include sponsoring or co-sponsoring over 206 pieces of legislation, founding the Georgia Africa Legislative Caucus to support minority business growth via HR 349, passing a law against worker misclassification, securing authorities for his counties, and receiving "Legislator of the Year" awards from the Georgia Council on Developmental Disabilities and the Georgia Legislative Black Caucus . He chairs the bipartisan Henry County Legislative Delegation and serves on the executive committee of the Georgia Legislative Black Caucus, plus caucuses like Working Families, Bipartisan Criminal Justice, and Georgia-Japan.

Education and Political Experience

Raised in Georgia by a Christian minister/businessman father and college professor mother, Holly has lived in Henry County since 2003 and is a member of Tabernacle of Praise Church in McDonough, employed by the Henry County Board of Education at Eagles Landing Middle School. He earned a Bachelor of Arts from Morehouse College and a Master of Public Administration from the University of West Georgia, specializing in strategic planning and management of public service organizations. Awarded the National Youth Service Award by President Bill Clinton for mentoring teens, his career includes community organizing for nonprofits on social justice, interfaith networks, job training, and anti-sex trafficking efforts; serving over five years as a senior law clerk and criminal warrant officer; acting as regional political field director managing 26 Georgia counties for the Democratic Party of Georgia; and as at-large corporate engagement director for the Morehouse College Atlanta Alumni Association. He has served in the Georgia House since January 2019.