Today’s newsletter highlights:
- The Trump administration extends the “Georgia Pathways” program.
- The State Election Board clashes over scheduling.
- State Sen.-elect Jason Dickerson explains what his election means.
Governor’s race
Credit: AJC file photos
Credit: AJC file photos
An emerging trend in the governor’s race is that nearly every ideological lane is covered — from MAGA to mainstream to business outsider to centrist to anti-Donald Trump firebrand.
And if state Rep. Ruwa Romman of Duluth enters as expected, she’s likely to plant her flag on the Democratic party’s populist left.
But name recognition matters, and former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms will test that truism as much as any other candidate.
Her campaign released a poll Thursday from left-leaning Public Policy Polling that underscores her early edge.
The survey of 620 likely Democratic primary voters found Bottoms leading the field with 38% support — more than all other named candidates combined.
Former DeKalb CEO Michael Thurmond registered 12%, former Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan 9%, and former state Sen. Jason Esteves 4%. Other candidates were within the poll’s margin of error. And more than a third of voters remain undecided.
Internal polls should always be viewed with caution, even from established outfits like PPP, which has had high marks in pollster ratings.
But the numbers track with conventional wisdom that Bottoms starts with an edge thanks to her high-profile term as mayor of Georgia’s capital, her stint as a CNN commentator and her role in President Joe Biden’s administration.
Things to know
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
Good morning! Here are three things to know for today:
- State Rep. Emory Dunahoo, R-Gillsville, said he will not run for reelection next year, attributing his decision to health concerns, the AJC’s Michelle Baruchman reports.
- A proposal passed by the U.S. House would reverse President Donald Trump’s actions to restore names to Georgia bases once tied to confederate figures, the AJC’s Tia Mitchell and Jeremy Redmon report.
- Democratic U.S. Sens. Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock wrote a letter to the Trump administration’s top immigration officials Tuesday inquiring about the conditions in detention facilities in the state and about plans to prevent future fatalities, the AJC’s Lautaro Grinspan reports.
Want to share your questions, analysis or thoughts on Georgia politics? Get involved with our coverage by calling 770-810-5297 or emailing us at politicallygeorgia@ajc.com. We’d love to hear from you.
‘Pathways’ extended
Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC
Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC
The Trump administration has just given Georgia a year’s extension on Pathways to Coverage, Gov. Brian Kemp’s Medicaid program for low income people who work or perform specified activities at least 80 hours a month, the AJC’s Ariel Hart reports.
The federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services also approved Georgia’s plan to add a new category to the eligible low income adults: Parents or legal guardians caring for children up to five years old.
Originally approved as a five-year pilot program to end in October 2025, Pathways now has federal approval through December 31, 2026.
Kemp’s office had argued that Pathways deserves more years because the Biden administration delayed its launch after the first Trump administration approved it.
A Kemp spokesperson said in a statement they’re grateful for the approval, “which supports our innovative, Georgia-centric approach to providing healthcare coverage to thousands of hardworking Georgians.”
Now more than two years in operation, the Pathways program has 9,175 enrollees as of last month. Before it launched, the Kemp administration said it expected up to 100,000 enrollees.
Kemp aides expect a solid increase from adding the parents caring for young children. Critics say the same problem of navigating the bureaucracy may still tamp down those numbers.
Pathways is now a national model, since Trump’s new tax and spending law mandates some Medicaid work requirements for many states.
Dysfunction junction
Credit: Abbey Cutrer/AJC
Credit: Abbey Cutrer/AJC
An argument among the State Election Board deteriorated Wednesday when the board’s executive director challenged its chair to “be a man” and relinquish power over meeting schedules, the AJC’s Mark Niesse reports.
The spat was the latest display of infighting among a board that has become a magnet for controversy by trying to pass new election rules and seeking the U.S. Department of Justice’s help to further investigate the 2020 election.
The board’s three-member Republican majority clashed again with its Republican chair, John Fervier, who last year criticized the board’s behavior.
“The chairman is unwilling to do the will of the majority,” said Executive Director James Mills, who was hired by the majority earlier this year. “You can be a man and accept that, or you can deny it, but that’s the truth.”
Fervier took offense.
“I don’t need you to sit up here and question my manhood,” said Fervier, a Gov. Kemp appointee. “Are you ready to move on, or do you want to keep beating this dead horse?”
The squabble focused on whether Fervier would bend to the majority’s demand that he agree to the meeting times that they set. Fervier said he would work with the majority but wants to review notices before posting them online.
Both Republicans and Democrats called the board “dysfunctional” during a House study committee last month. That committee is considering changes to the State Election Board that could be brought up during next year’s legislative session.
Victory lap
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
After his victory Tuesday night, state Sen.-elect Jason Dickerson said he is looking forward to getting to work.
“Conservatives in District 21 sent a strong message that woke liberal ideology has no place here, and it showed that Christian conservative values are still the bedrock of our community, state and nation,” he told The AJC’s Michelle Baruchman.
Dickerson was elected to fill a seat vacated by former Sen. Brandon Beach, who took a job in the Trump administration. He won with nearly 62% of the vote, compared to Beach’s 70% last year.
Democrats took note of the difference.
“Spending nearly $1 million of your own money just to underperform is a far cry from a mandate,” said state Sen. Elena Parent, chair of the Senate Democratic caucus.
“Republicans are in for a rude awakening next year when their far-right extremist platform crashes, and they fail once again to fix our affordability crisis.”
Debra Shigley, Dickerson’s Democratic opponent in the runoff, finished with nearly 39% of the vote.
Georgia tourism
A state Senate committee wants to make Georgia the No. 1 state for tourism. To do that, industry experts told lawmakers Wednesday that the state should spend more on brand marketing.
Michael Owens, the president and CEO of the Tourism Leadership Council, presented a chart to a Senate study committee that showed Georgia spends less on brand marketing than all other southeastern states.
“It’s not that you don’t take care of tourism, you do it in many, many different ways. But when talking about comparing what a brand is spending against our competitor brand, we continue to be dead last,” Owens told lawmakers gathered at the Savannah Convention Center.
The state budgeted about $11.8 million for the Department of Economic Development for tourism in the 2025 fiscal year.
Legislators pointed to an existing $5 nightly hotel fee that funds transportation projects as a potential model for generating tourism revenue.
State Sen. Frank Ginn, R-Danielsville, said he’d like to know if spending just one of those dollars on marketing could attract enough additional visitors to generate tax revenue that would compensate for the transportation funding loss.
Despite Georgia not spending as much as other southeastern states on tourism, it’s still broken state tourism records in recent years. The number of domestic and international visitors increased by 5 million in 2023, reaching a record-breaking 171 million. That year, the state also maintained its No. 5 market share ranking among all states for its fourth year in a row, according to a news release.
Listen up
Credit: Jason Getz/AJC
Credit: Jason Getz/AJC
Today on the “Politically Georgia” podcast Greg Bluestein and Patricia Murphy talk to former state Rep. Mesha Mainor about her run for state school superintendent.
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.
Today in Washington
- President Donald Trump will meet at the White House with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif of Pakistan.
- The House and Senate are out this week.
Two’s company
Credit: AJC file photos
Credit: AJC file photos
Several Democrats have lined up to challenge U.S. Rep. David Scott, D-Atlanta, in next year’s primary. Two of them ended up meeting for the first time while attending an event during the Congressional Black Caucus’ convention week in Washington.
Dr. Heavenly Kimes, a dentist by trade who is best known as one of the stars of Bravo’s “Married to Medicine,” said it was her first time attending the conference. She said she was enjoying the opportunity to meet political insiders as she campaigns for Georgia’s 13th District.
“They’ve come to me, and they’ve been so supportive,” Kimes said. She and another candidate in the race — former Gwinnett County Board of Education Chair Everton Blair — both attended a reception Wednesday night hosted by the LGBTQ+ Victory Fund.
Victory Fund endorsed Blair, who is hoping to become Georgia’s first openly gay member of Congress. The group will also be fundraising on his behalf.
Shoutouts
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: Natrice Miller/AJC
Credit: Natrice Miller/AJC
Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger scheduled a special election for the state Senate District 35 seat for Nov. 18. Democrat Jason Esteves resigned to focus on his run for governor. If necessary, a runoff will be held on Dec. 16 for the district that covers parts of Atlanta and Cobb County.
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.
AJC reporter Caleb Groves contributed to this report.
About the Authors
The Latest
Featured
