Today’s newsletter highlights:
- School voucher program has lots of money left.
- Mike Collins nabs key endorsements from state GOP lawmakers.
- U.S. Senate confirms new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention leader.
Greene won’t run
Credit: Natrice Miller/AJC
Credit: Natrice Miller/AJC
In a 624-word blunt message, U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene ruled out a 2026 run for governor, left open the possibility of a future statewide bid and torched the “good ‘ole boy system” that she blames for endangering Republican control of Georgia.
Her decision is a major boost for Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, clearing the way for him to consolidate support in the pro-Donald Trump lane of the GOP primary for governor.
Greene had been the biggest obstacle of Jones earning Trump’s coveted endorsement — and now it could be only a matter of time until the president weighs in.
Still, Greene made clear she won’t be quietly watching from the sidelines. She railed against the “men only” Republican power structure dominated by “hunting clubs and country club” kingmakers, and ripped into “out of state consulting leeches” who profit from losing campaigns.
“And believe me, if none of it appeals to me, there is a lot of women who agree with me,” she wrote.
Greene has already taken aim at Attorney General Chris Carr, whose campaign promises to appeal to more traditional conservatives.
But her social media post is also a warning shot at Jones. Even from the sidelines, Greene can make life difficult for whoever emerges as the GOP nominee.
Still, that didn’t tamp down the rejoicing in some GOP quarters. A statewide Greene candidacy would have given Democrats an easy way to brand the entire GOP ticket as the party of MTG.
Don’t be surprised if they still try.
Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff invokes her name nearly as often as Trump’s as part of his 2026 reelection bid. And both former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms and state Sen. Jason Esteves, leading Democratic candidates for governor, have already raised campaign cash by warning about the prospect of her candidacy.
Things to know
Credit: Abbey Cutrer/AJC
Credit: Abbey Cutrer/AJC
Good morning! Here are three things to know for today:
- The State Election Board says Lyft violated a Georgia election law by offering discounted rides to the polls, the AJC’s Mark Niesse reports. Lyft won’t be fined or prosecuted. But the board will send them a letter.
- A federal appeals court appeared skeptical of a Georgia law aimed at limiting churches, nonprofits and individuals from paying bail for cash-strapped defendants, the AJC’s Rosie Manins reports.
- Childhood vaccination rates have dropped in Georgia and across the U.S., raising concerns as students prepare to return to school next week, the AJC’s Martha Dalton and Ariel Hart report.
Voucher update
State lawmakers disagreed on how much money to set aside for Georgia’s school voucher program this year. The House wanted to spend $41 million while the Senate wanted to spend $141 million (the Senate won).
State officials have approved nearly 8,600 families through two rounds of applications for a total of about $55 million. That leaves a whopping $86 million left.
But there are still two more applications round yet to come. One opens in September and the other opens in December.
“We budgeted so that no parent whose child is eligible for this scholarship would get turned away due to funding,” said Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Blake Tillery, R-Vidalia. “The amended budget process allows us to reallocate any funds not used. That’s just prudent budgeting.”
Gov. Brian Kemp has already ordered state agencies not to request spending increases in next year’s budget. Any leftover funding in the school voucher program could give lawmakers some flexibility — and prompt plenty of fights over how to spend it.
“I’ve already had people asking me to allocate any that’s left over to another place, so we’ll have discussions about that,” said House Appropriations Committee Chair Matt Hatchett, R-Dublin.
Senate 2026
Credit: AJC, courtesy photo
Credit: AJC, courtesy photo
Gov. Brian Kemp’s warning to donors to rally behind former college football coach Derek Dooley’s impending U.S. Senate campaign has already taken a bite out of his GOP rivals’ fundraising efforts.
But U.S. Rep. Mike Collins’ campaign is proving that not everyone is falling in line.
Several prominent Republicans are openly bucking Kemp to support the second-term congressman’s bid, including Senate Majority Leader Jason Anavitarte, House Majority Whip James Burchett and former U.S. Rep. Max Burns, now a member of the Georgia Senate.
(Side note: Burns defeated Dooley’s mother, Barbara, in a 2002 GOP primary for his east Georgia seat.)
CDC’s new leader
Credit: J. Scott Applewhite/AP
Credit: J. Scott Applewhite/AP
The U.S. Senate confirmed Susan Monarez to lead the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as the agency weathers tumultuous spending cuts from the Trump administration.
A career government researcher, Monarez was Trump’s second choice for the job. His first choice — Dr. David Weldon, a former Florida congressman — was withdrawn following concerns about his skepticism over vaccines.
Since Trump took office in January, hundreds of CDC workers have lost their jobs as part of his Department of Government Efficiency initiative. U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., has made opposition to those cuts a key part of his 2026 reelection campaign.
Ossoff said he voted against Monarez because, after meeting with her, he “lacked sufficient confidence in her independence and that she would fight for the CDC and its core mission: public health.”
However, Ossoff still congratulated Monarez on her confirmation and said he sincerely hopes “her tenure at CDC will be a success.”
“I nevertheless stand ready to work with her to support the CDC, its vital mission and the CDC’s workforce,” he said.
Voting rights
Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC
Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC
Republicans who control the Texas Legislature have convened a special session to redraw the state’s congressional districts ahead of the 2026 midterms. On Tuesday, U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock introduced legislation aiming to stop them.
The Atlanta Democrat is the chief sponsor of the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Act, named for the former Georgia congressman and late civil rights leader. It seeks to restore and strengthen a law that required states with a history of voting rights violations to get approval from the federal government before making changes to their election laws.
In a news conference on Capitol Hill, Warnock attempted to tie Texas’ redistricting efforts to the recently passed federal tax and spending law that cuts spending for Medicaid, the government-funded health insurance program.
“The very people who just passed Legislation that will cause just about everybody’s health care premiums to go up … are now busy trying to make sure that those Americans do not have the ability to fire them,” Warnock said.
The bill is unlikely to pass as Republicans hold majorities in both houses of Congress. But Warnock said the issue is too important to wait until after the 2026 elections, when Democrats hope to win majorities in Washington.
“We’re not about to wait until the next election to try to pass voting rights,” he said. “We need to pass voting rights right now.”
Listen up
Today on the “Politically Georgia” podcast AJC education reporter Cassidy Alexander joins host Tia Mitchell to discuss how President Donald Trump’s new tax and spending law could reshape education policy across the state.
You can listen and subscribe to the show for free at Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
Have a question or comment for the show? Email us at politicallygeorgia@ajc.com or give us a call at 770-810-5297 and you could be featured on a future episode.
Fighting back
Credit: Darron Cummings/AP
Credit: Darron Cummings/AP
Planned Parenthood, the nation’s largest abortion provider, can continue to receive taxpayer funding amid its lawsuit challenging a new law that aims to cut off its federal spending.
President Donald Trump’s new tax and spending law ends Medicaid payments for one year to abortion providers that received at least $800,000 in federal funding in 2023. Planned Parenthood has sued to block those cuts.
On Monday, a federal judge ruled Medicaid must continue to reimburse Planned Parenthood while the lawsuit is pending.
It’s not the only lawsuit challenging the cuts. On Tuesday, 22 mostly Democratic-led states also sued the Trump administration. The plaintiffs, which include California, Connecticut and New York argued that the provision in the new law is unclear about which groups it applies to and also violates the First Amendment.
Today in Washington
- President Donald Trump will speak from the White House about health technology.
- The House is out until Sept. 2.
- The Senate will vote to confirm more Trump nominees.
- The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee will debate legislation that would ban members of Congress from trading individual stocks.
- Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell will discuss interest rates at a news conference.
Shoutouts
Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC
Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC
Today’s birthday:
- U.S. Rep. Nikema Williams, D-Atlanta.
Want a birthday shoutout in the Politically Georgia newsletter? There’s a form for that. Click here to submit the shoutouts. It’s not just birthdays. We’re also interested in new jobs, engagements, birth announcements, etc.
Before you go
Credit: Screenshot
Credit: Screenshot
U.S. Rep. Mike Collins’ Senate campaign posted a video on social media that misspelled the word “Georgia.” A Collins’ spokesperson said the video was made by a fan and not the campaign. “They meant well, and it’s a nice video,” the spokesman said.
That’ll do it for us today. As always, you can send your best scoops, gossip and insider info to greg.bluestein@ajc.com, tia.mitchell@ajc.com, patricia.murphy@ajc.com and adam.beam@ajc.com.
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