Morning, y’all! Having grown up in Maryland, I believe — nay, know — our state flag is objectively the most beautiful state flag in the union.
Don’t worry, I feel a similar way about Georgia’s “I secured my vote” stickers. They are perfection. Wear yours with pride.
Let’s get to it.
IT’S ELECTION DAY
Today’s the day to vote in the Republican or Democratic (or nonpartisan) primary elections. Voters will choose their party’s nominee for governor, the U.S. Senate, state legislators and members of Congress. Local and nonpartisan races round out the ballot.
Polls open at 7 a.m. and close at 7 p.m. More practical info here, like what to bring
Some big things to watch:
🗳️ Will it be Jackson or Jones? Lt. Gov. Burt Jones seemed to have the GOP nomination for Georgia governor locked up until billionaire Rick Jackson barged in with millions to spend and a goal of being “Trump’s favorite governor.” President Donald Trump, for his part, has repeatedly endorsed Jones.
🗳️ That Ossoff guy: Republicans will decide their challenger for U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff’s seat in November. He’ll be a tough one to beat, and the GOP electorate hasn’t sifted out a clear favorite. U.S. Reps. Mike Collins and Buddy Carter are banking on courting the MAGA crowd, but former football coach Derek Dooley has gained some traction from a Burt Jones endorsement and his “political outsider” position.
🗳️ The Trump of it all: Republican leaders outside of Georgia will be watching to see how well Trump-aligned candidates do. That will let them know whether the president’s stamp of approval still carries as much weight or whether his polarizing presidency has alienated some GOP voters. More on how that will play out in Georgia’s Senate race
🗳️ Dems hope anger translates to votes: In the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court decision that gutted key parts of the Voting Rights Act, Dems hope voters will put their protest on the ballot. Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jason Esteves said the GOP-led Georgia Legislature’s redistricting special session is already driving turnout.
🗳️ People really care: The voting booth really is the hottest place to be in GA. Georgia voters shattered in-person primary turnout records on the very first day of early voting. More than 1 million ballots were cast before Election Day. That’s a 19% increase over the 2022 primary’s pre-Election Day period. More data from early voting trends
🔎 READ MORE: Follow live Election Day updates here
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NEW DEAL SHOWS GA’S DEFENSE AND DATA GROWTH
A new $125 million facility is coming to Bibb County near Macon. Is it a new data center? A fancy defense contractor facility?
No, but it does build stuff for those two specific industries.
- Unified Legacy, a metal fabrication and manufacturing firm, says its new facility will employ 500 people over the next several years.
- It shows how Georgia’s nation-leading industrial sectors — especially data centers and aerospace projects — are leading to additional investment.
- Georgia’s aerospace sector, which dovetails (ha) with the defense sector, is the state’s biggest industry after agriculture.
🔎 READ MORE: Details on the new project
FOR BEING NONPARTISAN, SUPREME COURT ELECTIONS SURE ARE PARTISAN
State Supreme Court elections aren’t supposed to be partisan, the same way U.S. Supreme Court judges aren’t supposed to be partisan. Since we all have two neurons to rub together, we know “supposed to” doesn’t hold water, and these appointments are often deeply political.
The question is, where’s the line? And who draws it?
- The Georgia Judicial Qualifications Commission, which investigates and prosecutes allegations of judicial misconduct, says two left-leaning plaintiff attorneys trying to unseat Republican-appointed justices on the Georgia Supreme Court violated judicial conduct rules when they publicly endorsed one another and promised to protect reproductive rights.
- The two judges, Jen Jordan and Miracle Rankin, say the commission itself is partisan and is trying to curb their free speech rights.
- The commission is made up of two Trump-appointed judges and one Biden-appointed judge, showing just how quickly the appearance of partisanship can be attached to these positions.
- This has led to more debate about whether some of the state’s laws on judicial conduct are improperly vague.
🔎 READ MORE: This isn’t the first time the JQC has stepped into controversy
MUST-KNOW POLITICS AND BUSINESS
🏬 26th Street Partners, the Atlanta-based retail landlord that just bought Krog Street Market, has now snapped up $17.3 million in retail space in the Virginia-Highland neighborhood. The area is known for its historic buildings and longtime retail tenants. 26th Street Partners already owns Plaza on Ponce, home of the Majestic Diner and Plaza Theatre, and Morningside Village.
💰 Democratic leaders secured $20 million in TV advertising slots backing Ossoff’s reelection bid. They’re also hoping the GOP primary for Ossoff’s challenger will go to a runoff.
🏗️ Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens loves his TADs — the tax allocation districts he’s relied upon to secure financing for larger projects. He just unveiled a plan to renew six of Atlanta’s eight TADs for the next three decades to leverage property tax growth for new developments for historically underserved communities.
ARE BRIGHT SWIMSUITS REALLY BETTER?
You may have seen a viral (and very convincing) chart purporting to show how different bathing suits look when fully submerged underwater. The result is enough to send parents rushing for a neon orange or pink suit to keep their children highly visible in case of danger.
Does it work? Yes and no, according to a pediatric medical expert at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta.
- “It seems logical that you would want to put your kids in bright swimsuits in general, but it’s not any of my top five or six tips” for water safety, says Sarah Gard Lazarus, DO.
- Her number one tip? Supervision, supervision, supervision. After that, it’s situational awareness, swim lessons and life jackets.
🏊 READ MORE: Drowning is the leading cause of death for children 1 to 4 years old. How to help prevent it
Now that we’re all suited up, plan your next super safe water adventure at metro Atlanta’s coolest pools, splash pads and water parks.
NEWS BITES
C’mon, you’ll get to see so many people sweating in silly outfits!
Meet the AJC’s new Falcons beat writer
Be nice to the new guy, folks.
Braves Country Fest headliners Cody Johnson, Ella Langley win 9 ACM Awards
This is a broadcast of the “Just Because Ella Langley’s Bangs Look Incredible Doesn’t Mean They’ll Look Incredible On You” emergency alert system.
An encyclical is essentially a Roman Catholic one-sheet from the Pope. I know that’s not the main point here, but the rest of it is disquieting on a cellular level, so have a fun fact instead!
ON THIS DATE
May 19, 1975
Ford: Goals of founders valid. Goals set by America’s founding fathers 200 years ago are as valid and noble as ever and need only a “renewed sense of national purpose and a strengthening of our national will” for achievement, President Ford has told graduates of the University of Pennsylvania. “The United States of America that evolved from the uneasy disputations and heated debates here in Philadelphia has now before it a chance to write a new declaration of interdependence, among ourselves and with all peoples.”
Fifty years later, we once again ponder the purpose and future of our democracy. Big birthdays tend to have that effect.
ONE MORE THING
A fun fact about me is I hate water parks. So soggy. So musty. So ... feet. Eeeuugh.
Thanks for reading to the very bottom of A.M. ATL. Questions, comments, ideas? Contact us at AMATL@ajc.com.
Until next time.
About the Author
AJ Willingham is an National Emmy, NABJ and Webby award-winning journalist who loves talking culture, religion, sports, social justice, infrastructure and the arts. She lives in beautiful Smyrna-Mableton and went to Syracuse University.
