Greg Bluestein

Georgia’s 2026 battlefield takes shape as election qualifying begins The election year tradition begins Monday at the state Capitol as incumbents, challengers and first-time candidates make it official.

It’s one of the most peculiar rituals in Georgia politics. Every two years, would-be governors, lawmakers, political newcomers and hopeless hopefuls snake through the second floor of the Capitol, taking a very public step toward power. #gapol

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Democratic lawmaker quits race for Georgia governor Romman said she decided to withdraw after learning well-financed outside groups were lining up behind another candidate and that grassroots networks were mobilities elsewhere.

Democratic state Rep. Ruwa Romman dropped out of the race for governor Thursday and pivoted to an open Gwinnett-based state Senate seat, conceding in an interview she saw no path forward in a crowded field. #gapol
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They were expelled from the Georgia Legislature. Now they’re honored. At a Capitol ceremony highlighting the “Original 33 Memorial Act,” state Rep. Carl Gilliard and other lawmakers commemorated the first Black legislators in Georgia history.

In 1868, 33 Black men were elected to Georgia’s General Assembly in the violent aftermath of the Civil War. Within months, white lawmakers expelled them.

On Wednesday, their successors publicly honored them.

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State Election Board chair dismisses calls for Fulton County takeover State Election Board Chairman John Fervier dismisses calls for a state takeover of Fulton County's election operations as "political theater" in an exclusive interview.

“There’s just a lot of political theater.”
State Election Board Chair John Fervier opposed calls for a state takeover of Fulton County’s elections after the FBI seized the county’s 2020 election records in a Politically Georgia podcast interview. #gapol

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During Black History Month, I honor these four leaders who ordered my steps Four Black Georgia political leaders shaped the leadership philosophy and path of former Republican Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan, who is now running for governor as a Democrat.

Former Republican Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan, now a Democratic candidate for gov, writes about how Stacey Abrams helped improve a rural healthcare initiative:
“Abrams taught me a valuable lesson that day: Leadership is more about listening than talking.”

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Andre Dickens defends Gavin Newsom’s SAT remark as ‘moment of vulnerability’ Newsom, the governor of California, said "I'm like you" when mentioning his 960 SAT score. Dickens said the comment was not an attack on anyone.

Inside the packed Rialto Center for the Arts, Newsom’s line landed. Newsom was interrupted by laughter several times. But online it detonated. www.ajc.com/politics/202...

Two liberal challengers test Georgia’s entrenched Supreme Court A pair of conservative justices on Georgia's Supreme Court are facing reelection challenges from liberal lawyers.

Two prominent left-leaning attorneys launched bids Tuesday to unseat sitting members of the Georgia Supreme Court, arguing the state’s highest bench must do more to safeguard constitutional rights and remain independent from political influence.

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Why Rick Jackson says he’ll be Trump’s ‘favorite governor’

Republican Rick Jackson says if elected governor of Georgia, he'll be like President Donald Trump but with a Southern tone.

In Georgia, Gavin Newsom urges Democrats to fight ‘fire with fire’ The California governor used his Atlanta book tour stop to highlight his push for Democrats to punch back against the Trump administration.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom didn’t come to Atlanta last night to play the “when they go low, we go high” greatest hits. He came to deliver a different message: Democrats must fight ‘fire with fire’

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With Kemp at his side, Dooley struggles in Georgia’s U.S. Senate race Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp is betting a political novice can overcome a slow start to win the GOP primary and defeat Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff.

With Kemp at his side, Dooley struggles to gain traction in Georgia’s U.S. Senate race
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Success!

Biggest boast? Shrewdest move? Highlights from Trump’s Georgia visit. The president's visit to Rome on Thursday was a place to see and been seen for Georgia's 2026 Republican candidates.

Biggest boast? Shrewdest move? Likeliest future candidate? Highlights from Trump’s Georgia visit. www.ajc.com/politics/202...

ROME — President Donald Trump returned to Georgia on Thursday for the first time since reclaiming the White House, revisiting the grievance that has defined his relationship with the state for much of the decade: his 2020 defeat.
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Trump’s visit will test his grip on Georgia Republicans The president's stop in Rome comes amid tensions from last month's FBI raid on a Fulton County election warehouse and several high-profile primary races.

Trump’s visit lands at a combustible moment for Georgia Republicans, as he encourages a state takeover of Fulton County’s elections and GOP contenders wage bruising fights that have become litmus tests over loyalty to the president and his agenda.
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Georgia bars First Liberty exec from selling securities, seeks criminal probe In an emergency order, Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger’s office accuses Brant Frost V of selling unregistered securities and misleading investors.

Georgia’s top securities official has barred a key executive of the collapsed First Liberty Building & Loan from the industry and referred his case to a DA for prosecution, escalating the state’s investigation into the politically connected firm.

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If you see my daughters at the Georgia Capitol today, please please please don’t embarrass them #gapol

Why Rick Jackson says he’ll be Trump’s ‘favorite governor’ Republican Rick Jackson says if elected governor of Georgia, he'll be like President Donald Trump but with a Southern tone.

“I saw government in action in a way I hadn’t before. And then I started looking at the rest of my life.” Why Rick Jackson says he’ll be Trump’s ‘favorite governor’ www.ajc.com/politics/202...

6 questions about Donald Trump’s return to Georgia Trump will visit Rome on Thursday to talk about his economic agenda. But the president rarely sticks to the script.

Does he unload on Marjorie Taylor Greene? Does he jolt the governor’s race? Does he tip the scales on the Senate contest? Six questions about Donald Trump’s return to Georgia www.ajc.com/politics/202...

A bipartisan warning on Fulton: Don’t relitigate 2020 election Two former Georgia leaders — Democratic Gov. Roy Barnes and Republican U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss — warn that elections raid in Fulton County could backfire.

As Republicans weigh whether to move toward a state takeover of Fulton County’s elections, two former Georgia powerbrokers from opposite parties issued a joint warning: Don’t relitigate 2020 — and don’t bend the law to do it.
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Trump to tout his economic agenda in northwest Georgia visit Thursday

Why President Trump is headed to northwest Georgia on Thursday www.ajc.com/politics/202...

Read the annotated FBI affidavit used to seize Fulton ballots

AJC readers can now go through the annotated FBI affidavit used to seize Fulton County ballots on January 28.

Democrats’ Debate: ‘Abolish ICE,’ or ‘Abolish Trump’s ICE’?

Three Illinois Senate candidates, who aren’t split by major ideological or policy differences, now offer a window into how Democrats could approach dismantling President Trump’s immigration enforcement structure if they win back full control in Washington.

www.nytimes.com/2026/02/14/u...

California Gov. Gavin Newsom is headlining a fundraiser for former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms’ bid for governor next weekend while he’s in Atlanta for his book tour. #gapol

Derek Dooley urges Congress to give NCAA the power to enforce its rules The former college football coach says if he is elected to the U.S. Senate he will "educate everybody" about the issue.

If you’ve been following Republican U.S. Senate candidate Derek Dooley then you know the former football coach can’t resist a deep dive on college athletics. At a campaign event last night he explained his fixation with his old gig.

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U.S. Sen. Warnock moves to block ICE detention warehouses in Georgia Sen. Raphael Warnock filed an amendment to the DHS funding bill that would prohibit federal funds from being used to buy warehouses for immigrant detention in Georgia.

U.S. Sen. Warnock moves to block ICE detention warehouses in Georgia:

“The people of Georgia want secure borders; they do not want massive immigration detention centers in their backyards.”
www.ajc.com/news/2026/02...

How Georgia’s unlimited money machine is powering the governor’s race An anti-tax group’s $526,000 donation highlights how "leadership committees" are fueling a financial arms race — and drawing new legal challenges.

An anti-tax group’s $526,000 donation highlights how ‘leadership committees’ are fueling a financial arms race — and drawing new legal challenges. www.ajc.com/politics/202...

Fani Willis says Trump attorney fee requests would eat entire budget Fulton County DA Fani Willis says she shouldn't have to pay nearly $17 million in legal fees to President Trump and his allies after her prosecution against them fell flat.

Fulton DA Fani Willis says she shouldn’t have to pay nearly $17 million in legal fees to President Trump and his allies after her prosecution against them fell flat, in a filing that also attacked a new Georgia law allowing them to bill for the costs.

www.ajc.com/news/2026/02...

After ICE shootings, Georgia mulls stiffer penalties for obstructing police A bill in the state Legislature would make it a felony to obstruct law enforcement operations with a vehicle.

After Renee Good’s death, Republicans in Georgia are working to make it a felony to use a vehicle to obstruct police operations.

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Victims and politics collide as Raffensperger spotlights First Liberty fallout Corruption emerges as a campaign theme in Georgia's Republican race for governor.

In a suddenly crowded Republican race for governor, Raffensperger is leaning into his office’s ongoing probe into First Liberty — while pushing back against a legislative effort that could strip his office of the authority to keep it going.

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Why the FBI search warrant affidavit for Fulton’s 2020 ballots matters A federal judge ordered the unsealing of the search warrant affidavit used by the FBI to seize troves of Fulton County's 2020 election records. Here's why it matters.

A federal judge ordered the unsealing of the search warrant affidavit used by the FBI to seize troves of Fulton County's 2020 election records. Here's why it matters. www.ajc.com/politics/202...