Greg Bluestein

Qualifying week sets the stage for a turbulent Georgia 2026 campaign Democrats see their deepest bench in years as Republicans battle for dominance in pivotal statewide races.

Democrats, accustomed to scrambling for viable contenders in major races, entered this election cycle with crowded primaries and a deep bench of candidates. The party is feeling the broadest slate of legislative candidates in at least 30 years. #gapol
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5 things to watch for on Crossover Day in the Georgia Legislature Bills must cross over from one chamber to the other by the end of the day to have the best chance of becoming law this year.

It’s Crossover Day in the Georgia Legislature, where the big story isn’t always what passes but what doesn’t.

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Undecided is a bipartisan trend here. Nearly 40% of likely Democratic voters say they haven’t made up their minds. Among those who have, Keisha Lance Bottoms leads with 35%, followed by Geoff Duncan at 13%. #gapol

Nearly 40% of likely Republican voters are also undecided about the race for governor. Lt. Gov. Burt Jones and billionaire Rick Jackson are neck-and-neck. Raffensperger is at 11% and Carr trails in single digits.

Some 40% of likely GOP voters are still undecided in the Senate race. Among those who have made up their minds, U.S. Rep. Mike Collins holds a hefty lead. U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter and Derek Dooley are battling for the second runoff spot. #gapol



Some findings from the Emerson College Polling/Nexstar Media poll: Jon Ossoff leads all three of his potential GOP rivals in hypothetical matchups — though the race is tightest against U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter. #gapol

Jason Esteves jolts Democratic race for governor with first major ad buy The former state senator has launched a seven-figure ad campaign promising to stand up to President Donald Trump.

The top Republican candidates for governor are flooding the airwaves with tens of millions of dollars in ads ahead of the May primary. But Democrats have largely stayed on the sidelines. Jason Esteves changed that today. #gapol

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Rick Jackson promises to ‘unwind’ his company’s state contracts if elected Republican Rick Jackson's lucrative health care contracts with the state have come under fire now that he is running for governor in Georgia.

Subsidiaries of Rick Jackson’s Alpharetta-based company have received more than $1 billion in payments by state agencies since 2020, according to an @ajc review. Jackson says if he is elected, those business dealings will all stop. #gapol
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In race to replace Greene, Trump’s endorsement faces crowded test President Trump endorsed a candidate in the race, but a crowded, all-party ballot keeps the outcome uncertain.

The race to succeed U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene is many things at once: a test of President Donald Trump’s power in one of Georgia’s deepest-red corners, an identity check for local Republicans and a rare opening for Democrats. #gapol

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Provocative film executive enters Georgia House race with $4M pledge Atlanta film executive Ryan Millsap is challenging GOP front-runner Houston Gaines to succeed U.S. Rep. Mike Collins in Congress.

Republican Ryan Millsap entered the race for an open U.S. House seat in northeast Georgia on Wednesday, pledging to spend up to $4 million of his own fortune and bring what he called a “titanium backbone” to support President Donald Trump.

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Rick Jackson looks to AI to give his campaign a country-music boost The billionaire health care executive used the technology to create a 4-minute biographical music video to share his story with voters.

A month ago, billionaire Rick Jackson entered the race for Georgia governor. The contest hasn’t looked the same since. Now Jackson is signaling again that he intends to rewrite the campaign playbook. #gapol

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Georgia qualifying week opens with friction, fanfare and a wartime warning Georgia candidates make it official as they qualify to run for elected office.

It was planned as a celebratory campaign kickoff — a filing-day ritual with cheering supporters and a nod to the long race ahead. Instead, U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff marked the filing of his reelection bid on a far heavier note.

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Atlanta advances as finalist for 2028 Democratic convention After losing the 2024 bid to Chicago, city leaders get another chance to showcase Georgia’s battleground status.

Atlanta is back in the hunt for one of the Democratic Party’s biggest prizes. #gapol
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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.

Every two years, would-be governors, senators, lawmakers, political newcomers and hopeless hopefuls snake through the second floor of the Capitol, taking a very public step toward power. This biennial parade begins again today … #gapol

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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