Howard attended the University of Georgia, where he was captain of the tennis team and president of Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity.

The metro Atlanta attorney targeted rural voters, with a campaign that reimaged the candidate with humor, stressing his "Southernness" with the slogan "Pierre is French for Bubba".

[2] In that race he defeated State Senator Joe Kennedy in the Democratic primary then subsequently beat Republican nominee Matt Towery.

Howard focused on critical issues concerning Georgia families throughout his political career (i.e. graduated licenses and zero tolerance for drinking and driving for teens).

[4] However, prior to the primary election, after having raised over $1 million in campaign contributions, Howard abruptly exited the race, due to "family concerns".