How Michael Thurmond’s DeKalb roots will help in Democratic governor’s race

Just as the race for U.S. Senate is coming into clearer focus, the governor’s race got a jolt as well.

As we reported this morning, former DeKalb County chief executive Michael Thurmond is joining the Democratic race for Georgia’s top job.

The development came as former Republican Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan formally announced in an AJC opinion essay that he was switching parties — and again floated the possibility he could seek office as a Democrat.

The moves raise the prospect that no clear Democratic front-runner will emerge anytime soon as each major contender fights to define their lane.

Former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms and state Sen. Jason Esteves are already leading contenders, but longtime Democrats aren’t counting Thurmond out.

He has a long record in DeKalb County, the state’s most important Democratic stronghold, and a proven ability to win votes outside metro Atlanta.

Thurmond was elected labor commissioner in 1998 and won reelection twice. But he lost a U.S. Senate race in 2010 to then Republican incumbent Johnny Isakson.

In an interview, Thurmond made clear he’ll lean on that decades-long experience.

“It’s a fascinating political landscape,” he said. “But my role and opportunity here is not about promises, but performance.”

Things to know

Credit: Thomas Beaumont/AP

Credit: Thomas Beaumont/AP

Good morning! We’re 12 days away from the start of the candidate qualifying period for municipal elections. AJC City Hall reporter Riley Bunch has the latest on who is running in Atlanta.

Here are three other things to know for today:

Dunkin’ on Duncan

Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC

Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC

Former Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan’s opinion essay this week wasn’t the first time he announced he was leaving the GOP. But it was the first time he formalized why he was switching to the Democratic Party.

The news drew sharp backlash from both sides of the aisle. Democrats questioned how they could trust a longtime GOP leader who once backed legislation to restrict abortion rights, expand firearms access and promote other conservative priorities.

“He helped pass the same laws he now opposes,” said state Rep. Ruwa Romman, a Duluth Democrat. “He could have expressed these thoughts for years now.”

And Republicans heaped scorn on Duncan, who was formally “exiled” from the state GOP after denouncing Donald Trump and endorsing President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.

One of the most blistering responses came from Duncan’s successor, Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, now a GOP candidate for governor.

“Duncan is like a mediocre male athlete who switches genders hoping he can now medal for his new team,” said Jones, long one of Duncan’s most outspoken critics.

Opening drive

Credit: Courtesy photo

Credit: Courtesy photo

Gov. Brian Kemp is wasting no time putting his political machine behind former college football coach Derek Dooley’s U.S. Senate bid.

The governor’s federal PAC, Hardworking Americans, is already deploying low-dollar fundraising efforts and at least $100,000 worth of text messages to boost Dooley’s campaign.

“There’s only one Republican with the playbook to get the job done and win: Derek Dooley,” said Jefferson Thomas, the group’s executive director. “Hardworking Americans is all-in to help Derek win the primary and general, and bring some common sense back to Georgia’s Senate seat.”

Kemp earlier dispatched two of his top advisers to lay the groundwork for Dooley’s campaign, and urged his top donors to withhold support for his two main GOP rivals: U.S. Reps. Buddy Carter of St. Simons Island and Mike Collins of Jackson.

Carr vs. Johnson

Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC

Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC

Savannah Mayor Van Johnson isn’t running for governor (at least, not yet.) But you might not know that based on the attention he’s getting from a top Republican contender in the race.

Attorney General Chris Carr has picked a fight with Johnson over what he calls the city’s “public safety crisis.” The latest attack came this week when Carr urged a judge to nullify a Savannah ordinance requiring gun owners to lock their vehicles when leaving firearms in them.

Carr argues state law forbids local governments from regulating possession and transportation of guns, something the courts have enforced before. In 2007, a state appeals court cited the same state law when it blocked a Coweta County ban of people carrying guns on county-owned property or recreational facilities.

Johnson says the ordinance aims to address “the deadly impact of illegal and stolen firearms.”

“Rather than using his constitutional authority to assist in protecting our communities, he has chosen instead to take adversarial positions against the very citizens he is sworn to defend,” Johnson said.

Carr, for his part, has said the ordinance is blaming “policies instead of confronting criminals.”

Emory lawsuit

Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC

Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC

Emory University’s treatment of pro-Palestinian protesters last year prompted a federal investigation and a pledge by the school earlier this year to update its nondiscrimination policies.

But a Muslim medical student sued the university this week, accusing officials of suspending her for criticizing Emory’s treatment of pro-Palestinian voices.

In a 2024 “Democracy Now!” interview, Umaymah Mohammad criticized the university for firing a physician who supported Palestinians on social media while taking no action against a professor who volunteered as a medic in the Israeli military.

Mohammad did not mention the Emory employees by name. But the school accused her of violating its code of conduct, which requires students to “be courteous, respectful and considerate of others” in all communications.

Emory officials declined to comment on the lawsuit.

Mohammad is represented by the Georgia chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations and attorney Jonathan Wallace.

“Disguising this repression as a matter of ‘professionalism’ or ‘conduct’ is a moral failure — one that stains not only Emory, but the entire U.S. healthcare and education system,” Mohammad said in a news release.

Farm labor

Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC

Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC

U.S. Rep. Mike Collins posted a plea for workers at the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on a government recruitment website that said “We need YOU to get them out.”

But President Donald Trump said at least some of the people who have been deported have been let back in the country so farmers can have workers to keep the nation’s $1.5 trillion agriculture industry humming.

“We’re sending them back, and then they’re schooling, they’re learning, they’re coming in, they’re coming in legally. We have a lot of that going on,” Trump said on CNBC’s “Squawk Box” during a Tuesday interview. “We can’t let our farmers not have anybody.”

Trump’s aggressive push to deport people living in the country illegally has delighted his base of supporters. But it’s also prompted worries among some farmers who rely on migrants for their labor.

Trump said “people that live in the inner city are not doing that work,” adding that “these people do it naturally” — an apparent reference to the millions of immigrants from south of the U.S. border.

Listen up

Today on the “Politically Georgia” podcast former state lawmaker Alisha Thomas Searcy joins the show to talk about leading the new Center for Strong Public Schools Action Fund and its mission to support public education and like-minded Democrats in the 2026 campaigns.

Also, Katharine Pichardo, CEO of the Latino Victory Fund, discusses her group’s endorsement of state Sen. Jason Esteves, D-Atlanta, in the Democratic primary for Georgia governor.

You can listen and subscribe to Politically Georgia 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.

Sanctuary cities

Georgia is no longer on the Trump administration’s list of sanctuary jurisdictions that could face lawsuits for their immigration policies.

The U.S. Department of Justice released a list of state and local governments in May that it accused of adopting policies aimed at protecting immigrants living in the country illegally. That initial list included the Georgia cities of Atlanta and Athens along with the counties of Athens-Clarke, DeKalb, Douglas and Fulton.

The list confused many in Georgia, especially since state law bans sanctuary policies. The new list has only 13 states, four counties and 18 cities.

Trump today

President Donald Trump is scheduled to give a speech at the White House.

Shoutouts

Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC

Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC

Recognitions

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: Jason Getz/AJC

Credit: Jason Getz/AJC

Derek Dooley may be the son of legendary University of Georgia football coach Vince Dooley, but he believes former Alabama coach Nick Saban, his one-time boss, is the “greatest football coach of all time now.”

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.