Donald Trump’s endorsement looms large over Georgia’s US Senate race
Today’s newsletter highlights:
- An audit raises concerns about dental care for Georgia children.
- Chris Carr backs Florida’s appeal of “Alligator Alcatraz” ruling.
- David Clark wants to raise the homestead exemption for people over 60.
Endorsement race
Gov. Brian Kemp went public with his expected endorsement of Republican U.S. Senate candidate Derek Dooley, appearing with the former coach over the weekend before Georgia’s home football opener.
Now the three-way race to take on incumbent Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff enters its next phase: the battle for President Donald Trump’s blessing.
Dooley and his two main rivals — U.S. Reps. Buddy Carter and Mike Collins — are fiercely competing for Trump’s nod. And no one is underestimating his influence. Carter’s campaign made that crystal clear in response to Kemp’s support of Dooley.
“There’s only one endorsement that matters in Georgia — and with all due respect, it ain’t this one,” said Harley Adsit, a Carter aide.
And while Kemp’s endorsement packs a potent punch — he talked Insurance Commissioner John King out of the race a few weeks ago — there’s a reason the governor has twice traveled to Washington and burned up the phone lines trying to secure Trump’s backing for Dooley.
Kemp said he’s had “great conversations” with the president, but emphasized that Dooley must earn Trump’s endorsement the same way he earned his own support.
“I mean, I didn’t go in there the first day we talked about this and say, ‘Hey, I’m going to support Derek,’” Kemp said. “We had some long, very pointed conversations about the work it’s going to take, how hard this is going to be.”
That’s the expectation for Trump, too. Senior Republicans don’t anticipate him weighing in imminently. Advisers are watching closely, though — especially with the next round of fundraising reports due in October.
Things to know
Good morning! We’re 63 days away from municipal elections in Georgia. One of the most interesting races is the race for Atlanta City Council president, described by the AJC’s Riley Bunch as pitting a political insider versus an outsider.
Here are three other things to know for today:
- Leadership committees associated with Gov. Brian Kemp and Lt. Gov. Burt Jones raised more than $2.2 million combined during the legislative session, the AJC’s David Wickert reports.
- Republican lawmakers are reconsidering Georgia’s program that automatically registers people to vote when they get their driver’s licenses, the AJC’s Mark Niesse reports.
- First Liberty executive Brant Frost V was elected to a Coweta GOP post after a tense two-hour meeting — just weeks after his family’s company collapsed in what regulators call a Ponzi scheme, the AJC’s Greg Bluestein and Kelly Yamanouchi report.
Dental health
When a state audit found that many children in the Georgia’s Medicaid program weren’t using their dental benefits, the Department of Community Health started analyzing its data to find out why.
Four years later, the agency has halted this assessment. But the problem has gotten worse, according to a follow-up audit released last month.
In 2020, just 33% of children on Georgia’s Medicaid received dental services. Last year, it fell to 28%.
“DCH has not taken steps to identify the cause for this trend and has not developed a strategy to address this problem,” auditors wrote.
Responding to the audit, department officials said they had created an interagency team “to identify root causes of low dental utilization rates and to develop a strategic plan to increase utilization.” This team was scheduled to begin meeting in August.
Since that initial audit in 2021, the state Legislature passed House Bill 872, which offered forgivable loans to dental students who agreed to practice in underserved rural areas. But auditors noted there’s no evidence DCH has taken action to increase the number of dental providers.
State officials said they plan to work with the State Office of Rural Health to recruit dental providers to practice in underserved areas.
‘Alligator Alcatraz’
Chris Carr didn’t receive President Donald Trump’s endorsement in Georgia’s race for governor. But that doesn’t mean the Republican attorney general can stop wooing the president’s base — especially in a competitive GOP primary.
Carr was one of 22 Republican attorneys general to sign on to a legal brief last week backing Florida’s attempt to keep the doors open of its immigration detention facility known as “Alligator Alcatraz.”
A judge ordered Florida officials to close the facility because they did not follow the National Environmental Policy Act when they built it. Carr and his fellow Republican attorneys general argue that law doesn’t apply to state governments.
Florida spent more than $200 million to build the facility believing the federal government would pay them back. But Carr says “the mere anticipation of federal funds” doesn’t mean Florida can be sued.
“By this logic, a single federal court can stop any state from building a school, a park or a jail, and it’s a dangerous precedent to set,” Carr said.
Clark’s call
Republican state Rep. David Clark unveiled a proposal today in his bid for lieutenant governor to raise the state’s homestead exemption to $500,000 once homeowners turn 60.
Clark, a Republican from Buford, framed his “Seniors Security Act” as a way to help older Georgians stay in their homes as property values climb. It’s also aimed at getting his campaign attention in an crowded GOP field that includes state Sens. Steve Gooch, John F. Kennedy and Blake Tillery.
The proposal would mark a dramatic shift. Right now, most Georgia homeowners see a $2,000 statewide exemption off their assessed value, with limited larger breaks for seniors, disabled veterans and surviving spouses.
That means it’s likely to face opposition from local governments that rely heavily on property taxes to fund schools and services. Clark said it’s time to stop “using our senior citizens as a piggy bank.”
“These are people who have paid taxes their whole lives, paid to educate their kids and then their grandkids through property taxes and who do not deserve to lose their homes in their golden years,” he said.
Recess is over
Members of Congress are headed back to Capitol Hill today, marking the end of the summer recess and the beginning of a sprint toward averting a possible government shutdown.
Democrats are even less eager to negotiate with Republicans to avoid a shutdown than they were before the recess, given President Donald Trump’s promise to dispatch the National Guard to more Democratic-led cities to combat crime. They’re also upset with Trump’s recent decision to cancel $5 billion in foreign aid that Congress had already approved.
Funding federal agencies beyond the Sept. 30 deadline isn’t the only big issue on lawmakers’ desks.
- A bipartisan duo in the House believe they have enough support to force a vote on a measure to release files related to the investigation of accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, who killed himself in jail in 2019.
- U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is scheduled to testify before a Senate committee this week amid concerns about safety at the Atlanta-based U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention following a deadly attack.
- Democrats plan to use the Senate confirmation process for Stephen Miran to the Federal Reserve to air their concerns about Trump’s attempt to remove Georgia native Lisa Cook, the first Black woman appointed to the board of governors.
Listen up
Today on the “Politically Georgia” podcast Republican strategist Brian Robinson and Democratic strategist Tharon Johnson join the show to break down Georgia’s 2026 races.
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 is scheduled to make an announcement from the Oval Office.
- The House and Senate convene for evening votes.
Feeling the pressure
The growing number of Democrats signing up to run in Georgia’s 13th Congressional District said they will stay in the race even if 12-term incumbent U.S. Rep. David Scott runs for reelection.
But they are making the case that he shouldn’t, pointing to concerns about his health and age that have plagued the 80-year-old Scott in recent years.
Tia Mitchell spent time with Scott at his annual health fair last month, an event that helped build his name recognition and goodwill among voters.
But she also spoke to two of his chief rivals, state Rep. Jasmine Clark, D-Lilburn, and former Gwinnett County Board of Education Chair Everton Blair, who represent the younger generation of Democrats asking veterans like Scott to step aside.
Shoutouts
Belated birthdays:
- State Sen. Bill Cowsert, R-Athens (was Monday).
- State Rep. Lynn Smith, R-Newnan (was Saturday).
- Cindy England, wife of former state Rep. Terry England (was Saturday).
Milestone:
- Happy anniversary to Greg and Sheryl Bluestein.
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
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention employees have been told to return to the office by Sept. 15, roughly five weeks after a gunman fired hundreds of rounds at the agency’s headquarters in DeKalb 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.
About the Authors
Greg Bluestein is the Atlanta Journal Constitution's chief political reporter. He is also an author, TV analyst and co-host of the Politically Georgia podcast.
Tia Mitchell is the AJC’s Washington Bureau Chief and a co-host of the "Politically Georgia" podcast. She writes about Georgia’s congressional delegation, campaigns, elections and the impact that decisions made in D.C. have on residents of the Peach State.
Patricia Murphy is the AJC's senior political columnist. She was previously a nationally syndicated columnist for CQ Roll Call, national political reporter for the Daily Beast and Politics Daily, and wrote for The Washington Post and Garden & Gun. She graduated from Vanderbilt and holds a master’s degree in journalism from Columbia University.
