No ‘brownie points’: Democrats gain ground but can’t flip Georgia Senate seat

Today’s newsletter highlights:

An anti-abortion organization targets Georgia’s U.S. Senate race.
State Rep. Gabriel Sanchez discusses Democratic Socialists.
President Donald Trump cancels a meeting with top Democrats.

Republican victory

Credit: Charlotte Kramon/AP

Credit: Charlotte Kramon/AP

A few days before the special election, Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin made clear there would be no moral victory if his party failed to flip a deep-red state Senate seat on Atlanta’s exurban fringe.

On Tuesday, Republicans celebrated after Jason Dickerson’s resounding 23-point win over Democrat Debra Shigley, who lost despite a high-profile push from Martin and other Democratic leaders.

“We didn’t focus on photo ops — we focused on turning out our voters,” said Georgia Republican Party Chair Josh McKoon. “I agree with Martin — you don’t get any points for running a distant second place.”

Dickerson ran a low-key campaign heavy on familiar GOP themes: railing against “woke” policies, attacking transgender rights and tying himself closely to President Donald Trump. He delivered big margins in Cherokee County precincts that offset Shigley’s edge in the bluer parts of north Fulton.

Shigley finished with nearly 39% of the vote — about the same as in the first round, when she was the lone Democrat in a seven-candidate field.

Even after Martin’s warning that there are no “brownie points” for second place, Democrats looked for signs of progress.

Shigley outperformed the party’s 2024 candidate in the district by roughly 10 points. And, as Georgia Democratic Party chair Charlie Bailey noted, her campaign forced Republicans to “mount a full-scale campaign in this runoff and spend big” to defend what should have been a safe seat.

“Republicans having to play defense in a safe district is a sure sign that they’ll continue struggling to defend their toxic agenda all the way through 2026.”

Things to know

Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC

Good morning! Here three things to know for today:

Two candidates running for the open southwest Atlanta City Council District 11 race were disqualified following residency challenges, the AJC’s Riley Bunch reports.
Journalist Mario Guevara said that “life isn’t always fair” after an immigration appeals court closed his case and ordered him removed to his home country of El Salvador last week, the AJC’s Lautaro Grinspan reports.
Local law enforcement agencies and at least two school districts failed to react to repeated warnings that a student was planning a shooting at Apalachee High School in Barrow County, victims’ families said in a series of filings, the AJC’s Jozsef Papp and Jennifer Peebles report.

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.

Campaign watch

Credit: Sarah Peacock for the AJC

One of the nation’s most prominent anti-abortion organizations plans to spend $4.5 million to defeat Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff of Georgia.

Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America said today it will bankroll a digital ad campaign, direct mail and early-vote outreach targeting 1 million voters before Election Day.

Field operations will concentrate in Augusta, Columbus and Savannah as well as parts of north Georgia, with an emphasis on voters who often skip midterm elections.

“Our Georgia team is organized, energized, and America’s premier pro-life field program is ready to make 1 million visits to voters over the next 13 months to expose the truth about Ossoff, stop him from being reelected and flip this seat pro-life again,” said Marjorie Dannenfelser, the group’s president.

Ossoff has long criticized Georgia’s anti-abortion law, which bans most abortions once a doctor can detect fetal cardiac activity. That typically occurs around six weeks of pregnancy and before many know they are pregnant.

He also convened hearings on the law and recently released the results of a survey of obstetricians, who reported delays in care due to ambiguities in the statute.

His top Republican challengers — U.S. Reps. Buddy Carter and Mike Collins, along with former football coach Derek Dooley — each support new abortion restrictions permitted after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022.

The $4.5 million offensive is the latest major investment targeting Ossoff, a prolific fundraiser.

It follows a $5 million ad blitz launched earlier this year by an outside group aligned with the Senate Leadership Fund, the GOP’s chief Senate super PAC.

Rural health care

Credit: Courtesy photo

Many rural hospitals are struggling in Georgia, but a digital health expert told state lawmakers on Tuesday that digital programs offer new options for patients needing specialty care in underserved areas.

“Digital care can extend comprehensive care into our underserved rural areas,” Dr. Matt Lyon, director of the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University’s Center for Digital Health, said at a House study committee on improving access to internal medicine in underserved areas.

The Wellstar Digital Care Network, a collaboration between Wellstar and the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University, allows specialty providers to use digital devices online and communicate with patients through video calls. Fifteen rural hospitals currently participate, with five more joining, Lyon said.

It’s no silver bullet, but he said it’s reduced the number of patient transfers from participating rural hospitals and helped keep revenue in hospitals in underserved communities.

The discussion comes as many rural hospitals grapple with what slashes in health care spending mean for them. A new law signed by President Donald Trump in July cuts health care spending across the country over the next decade by more than $1 trillion. Medicaid spending cuts are expected to further squeeze rural areas, costing about $137 billion, acccording to the health research organization KFF.

Lyon said that when rural hospitals transfer patients to other hospitals, it contributes to a negative cycle, exacerbating the challenges.

“What that does is it leads to a very negative cycle where rural hospitals don’t have as many inpatients, they can’t bill and collect, so they have less revenue coming in,” he said.

Fueling enthusiasm

Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC

After Zohran Mamdani’s surprise victory in the New York City Democratic mayoral primary, state Rep. Gabriel Sanchez of Smyrna said the win is fueling enthusiasm for future Democratic Socialists in Georgia.

“Once you start seeing people really stand up for principles and show that we can have a vision that works for the people of this country, and the people of Georgia, it really is a domino effect,” said Sanchez, Georgia’s only Democratic Socialist lawmaker.

At the local level, another Democratic Socialist — Kelsea Bond — is running in the crowded race for the open District 2 seat on the Atlanta City Council.

Sanchez said the excitement he sees extends beyond just a small base of progressive Democrats, saying “people in general are ready for change.”

But not everyone is convinced that trend will pick up steam in Georgia. Outside of deep-blue districts, University of Georgia political science professor Charles Bullock said it’s unlikely that a candidate campaigning as a Democratic Socialist in a state or local election would make it far in a race.

Listen up

Credit: Kevin Wolf/AP

Today on the “Politically Georgia” podcast host Tia Mitchell is joined by The Washington Post’s Kadia Goba to break down the latest twists in the government funding fight after President Donald Trump canceled talks with Democratic leaders. They’ll also discuss what a shutdown would mean for Georgia, how lawmakers are reacting to rising security concerns after conservative activist Charlie Kirk’s assassination, and why Congress may soon be forced to vote on releasing the Jeffrey Epstein files.

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.

Shutdown countdown

Credit: J. Scott Applewhite/AP

The chances of a government shutdown drastically increased Tuesday when President Donald Trump abruptly canceled a sit-down with the top Democrats in the House and Senate.

Various media outlets reported that Trump’s change of heart came after top Republicans, including House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune, urged him to do so.

Trump’s decision eliminates the chance of Trump striking a deal directly with Democrats as they demand for reversal of health care cuts and an extension of the enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies as part of any government funding legislation.

Congressional leaders also don’t appear to be talking much to each other since lawmakers are in recess this week. Meanwhile, government funding runs out at midnight on Sept. 30.

The Senate is scheduled to return Monday.

In the House, Johnson canceled votes next week — a sign that he is unwilling to consider new proposals ahead of the deadline. But House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries told members of his caucus to return to Washington on Monday anyway.

“Democrats will be in town and prepared to get the job done,” he said in a letter to lawmakers.

Today in Washington

President Donald Trump will receive an intelligence briefing and host a dinner at the White House.
The House and Senate are out this week.

CBC week

Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC

Today marks the launch of the Congressional Black Caucus’ Annual Legislative Conference, a gathering marked by a nonstop schedule of workshops, receptions and flat-out parties.

Six of the seven Democrats in Georgia’s congressional delegation are members who will be recognized during the signature event, Saturday’s Phoenix Awards gala. Throughout the week, they will host panel discussions as part of the conference’s official programming.

U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., and U.S. Rep. Lucy McBath, D-Marietta, are sponsoring separate panels on gun violence. U.S. Rep. Nikema Williams, D-Atlanta, is conducting a session is on supporting Black entrepreneurs.

U.S. Rep. Hank Johnson is hosting a discussion about his efforts to prevent musicians’ lyrics from being used against them in legal cases and another on the impact of President Donald Trump’s administration.

U.S. Rep. Sanford Bishop, D-Albany, will lead a talk on ways to help veterans transitioning to civilian life. He’ll also serve as a co-host of a gospel concert Thursday night.

U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., is not a member of the CBC but is getting in on the action too. He’s joining other members of the delegation in co-hosting a reception for conference attendees.

Shoutout

Credit: Natrice Miller/AJC

Today’s birthday:

State Sen. Rick Williams, R-Milledgeville.

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: Valerie Plesch/The New York Times

“Is there a doctor on board?” a voice over a loudspeaker asked during a recent Delta flight out of Atlanta. U.S. Rep. Rich McCormick said he sprang into action. The Suwanee Republican, an emergency room physician by trade, helped the crew attend to an elderly passenger who had taken ill during the route to south Florida.

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.

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