Today’s newsletter highlights:
- Gubernatorial candidate Chris Carr receives sheriff endorsements.
- The Georgia Court of Appeals rules on voting machine security suit.
- Lawmakers express concerns over threats against HBCUs.
Special election day
Credit: J. King Images
Credit: J. King Images
It’s hard to draw sweeping conclusions from a low-turnout special election runoff for a state Senate seat in deep-red District 21. But today’s matchup between Democrat Debra Shigley and Republican Jason Dickerson is an early test for both parties.
Republicans are confident about Dickerson’s chances in the district, where former state Sen. Brandon Beach captured the seat with 70% of the vote in November before stepping down for a post in the Trump administration.
But Democrats see an opening after Shigley captured 40% in the first round of voting, a strong showing in a seven-candidate free-for-all that put her in position to threaten an upset in a district spanning parts of north Fulton and Cherokee counties.
Veteran strategists in both parties say the dynamics clearly favor Dickerson. Still, Democrats have treated the race as a proving ground for grassroots organizing, voter messaging and campaign strategy in the heart of President Donald Trump’s exurban strongholds.
Shigley is campaigning on lowering health care costs, expanding affordable housing and strengthening public schools. Though she doesn’t focus directly on Trump, she casts herself as a voice for Democrats eager to channel their frustration with the president.
Credit: Abbey Cutrer / AJC
Credit: Abbey Cutrer / AJC
She’s enlisted party heavyweights to help make her case, including two-time gubernatorial nominee Stacey Abrams and U.S. Rep. Lucy McBath — both of whom showed Democrats can compete in metro Atlanta’s vote-rich suburbs.
Dickerson, meanwhile, is running a low-key campaign with a familiar playbook. He’s tied himself to Trump and denounced “woke” Democrats while largely avoiding major public events and media interviews.
He’s also loaned himself $750,000, according to a tally by the AJC’s Michelle Baruchman, with outside GOP groups launching their own efforts to guard against an upset that could hand Democrats momentum heading into 2026.
Early voting trends point to an edge for Dickerson, analysts from both parties say. To score a victory, Shigley must pile up votes in Milton and Alpharetta — the district’s bluer pockets — while cutting GOP margins in Ball Ground, Canton and Waleska.
Some Democrats argue even a close loss could energize their base, much like Jon Ossoff’s near-miss in a 2017 special U.S. House race helped pave the way for McBath’s victory the following year.
But Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin, who campaigned for Shigley over the weekend, rejected the idea of a symbolic win.
“There’s no brownie points when you come in second place, and you can’t get anything done when you’re in the minority,” Martin told Baruchman.
“But guess what? Every inch of ground that we win adds up, every race that we flipped adds up. That’s how we start rebuilding our party again, and Debra is an important part of that rebuilding process.”
Things to know
Good morning! Here three things to know for today:
- The state Senate District 21 special election is today. Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
- The upcoming closure of International Paper’s water-intensive mill in Savannah won’t halt a planned $502 million water system expansion, the AJC’s Adam Van Brimmer reports.
- Republicans who support President Donald Trump’s tax and spending bill must also be held responsible for the impact of Medicaid cuts included in the legislation, U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., told the AJC’s Tia Mitchell.
Big guns
Credit: Greg Bluestein/AJC
Credit: Greg Bluestein/AJC
Attorney General Chris Carr rolled out endorsements from 53 current and former county sheriffs this morning, leaning into his tough-on-crime message as he campaigns for governor.
“As Attorney General, Chris Carr doesn’t just talk about public safety. He delivers,” said Coweta County Sheriff Lenn Wood.
Carr has spotlighted his record of cracking down on violent crime and fentanyl abuse as he navigates an increasingly competitive Republican primary to succeed Gov. Brian Kemp.
What was once a two-way contest with Lt. Gov. Burt Jones shifted dramatically with Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger’s recent entry, and Carr is eager to demonstrate momentum.
The law enforcement endorsements mark Carr’s most significant show of support so far — and a counter to the waves of backers Jones announced in the opening weeks of his campaign.
“Their support sends a clear message: I’m the candidate who will get the job done,” Carr said. “As governor, I’ll ensure Georgia remains the toughest state in the nation on crime.”
Voting machines
Credit: Ben Hendren for the AJC
Credit: Ben Hendren for the AJC
The Georgia Court of Appeals upheld the dismissal of a lawsuit by the DeKalb County Republican Party that alleged security vulnerabilities in the state’s voting system.
A unanimous three-judge appeals panel ruled Friday that the DeKalb GOP failed to show it had been injured and therefore lacked standing to sue, the AJC’s Mark Niesse reports.
The 26-page decision stops the Republican lawsuit that said Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger failed to ensure Georgia’s election equipment complied with state law for security standards. The equipment was manufactured by Dominion Voting Systems.
The lawsuit claimed that Georgia’s voting system was made vulnerable by the public disclosure of its code and security features. Raffensperger has said voting computers are safe and that vulnerabilities would be difficult to exploit in a real-world election.
HBCU threats
Credit: Nathan Posner for the AJC
Credit: Nathan Posner for the AJC
U.S. Rep. Nikema Williams, D-Atlanta, wants the FBI to investigate a series of recent threats against historically Black colleges and universities across the country.
Williams and two other members of Congress sent a letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel last week, urging the FBI to investigate the threats and the Department of Justice to prosecute anyone who made them.
“We cannot and will not stand by while students are unable to learn, while institutions are on-edge, and while our communities are not safe,” read the letter.
The threats that the FBI called hoaxes led to temporary lockdowns or canceled classes on college campuses in Georgia and several other states. The false alarms came at a time of heightened concern about security following the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University.
Additionally, a group of state lawmakers is asking Gov. Brian Kemp for a meeting by Oct. 1 to discuss security at Georgia’s HBCU’s following recent threats that included schools in the Atlanta University Center Consortium.
HBCU students also face online harassment and racist intimidation campaigns “that the state has yet to address in any systematic way,” according to the letter.
“The state must show with its actions, not just words, that it takes the safety of HBCU students as seriously as it does every other student in Georgia,” read the letter, which was signed by six alumni of HBCUs, including state Rep. Bryce Berry, D-Atlanta, and the Democratic House leader Carolyn Hugley, D-Columbus.
Listen up
Credit: Jae C. Hong/AP
Credit: Jae C. Hong/AP
Today on the “Politically Georgia” podcast, Greg Bluestein and Patricia Murphy talk with civil and human rights attorney Nora Benavidez about free speech and the First Amendment.
Then the hosts discuss the special election runoff happening today in District 21 between Democrat Deborah Shigley and Republican Jason Dickerson for an open state Senate seat.
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.
Chronic absenteeism
Credit: AJC file photo
Credit: AJC file photo
Georgia and other states across the country have grappled with the rise in chronic absenteeism in schools since the COVID-19 pandemic, but recent data shows signs of progress.
To further that momentum, Darlene Lynch of Georgia Appleseed Center for Law and Justice, a nonprofit focused on supporting underrepresented children, told lawmakers on Monday there’s something else they should do — consider changes to a law aimed at making schools safer.
She said House Bill 268 is contributing to chronic absenteeism — defined as when students miss at least 10% of the school year.
The wide-ranging law includes language that requires schools to collect information about students who miss class, misbehave or have other problematic behavior and share it with the new school when a child transfers.
“Schools around the state are demanding a really wide range of records and evaluations before they’ll admit a child to school,” she told lawmakers at a joint House and Senate study committee meeting on chronic absenteeism.
In some instances, she said, those enrollment delays are causing kids to miss weeks of school.
Lynch pointed to one example where a first grader was denied enrollment until the child’s parent received a risk assessment and psychological evaluation.
Today in Washington
- President Donald Trump is in New York City for the United Nations General Assembly, where he will deliver remarks and meet with heads of state.
- The U.S. House and Senate are out this week.
Kimmel returns
Credit: Jae C. Hong/AP
Credit: Jae C. Hong/AP
After being off the air for roughly a week, ABC late-night host Jimmy Kimmel returns to the airwaves tonight. But some stations owned by Sinclair broadcasting will continue to preempt the show.
ABC parent company Disney took Kimmel off the air roughly a week ago amid an outcry from conservatives over remarks he made following the death of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. The Trump administration, including FCC Chair Brendan Carr, were critical of Kimmel and made statements pressuring ABC to act.
That caused pushback from Democrats who said the White House was undermining the First Amendment.
ABC in a statement said the decision to allow Kimmel’s show to resume came after days of “thoughtful conversations.”
Sinclair, a politically conservative company and ABC’s largest affiliate holder, said it will replace Kimmel’s show with news programming. The company owns television station WGXA in Macon.
Shoutouts
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
Today’s birthdays:
- Former state Rep. J Collins.
- State Rep. John Corbett, R-Lake Park.
- Melita Easters, executive director of Georgia WIN List.
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
President Donald Trump signaled his support for Union Pacific’s proposed $85 billion acquisition of Atlanta-based Norfolk Southern on Friday.
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
