Are you tired of the political ads yet? The onslaught will be over in 46 days. And don’t forget: The deadline to register to vote is Oct. 5.
Now, here’s a look at some politics stories you might have missed this week.
1. Money money money
Whether it’s Social Security funding or campaign spending, money was a big focus of political news this week.
- Social Security woes. Social Security beneficiaries will face automatic cuts in 2032 if Congress doesn’t act. Congress knows this. But there’s very little political will to pass the types of fixes that could make the program more financially viable, Tia Mitchell reports.
- Spending blitz. Republican Rick Jackson’s campaign for governor has reserved nearly $76 million in TV advertising ahead of the Nov. 3 election. Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms’ campaign has reserved just $42,000.
- Ossoff’s political bet. Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff has transferred $3.6 million to the Democratic Party of Georgia’s coordinated campaign as he seeks to bolster candidates up and down the ballot.
2. Election drama
We can’t seem to go one week without having a bonanza of election administration news.
- DOJ scrutiny. An email from the Trump administration suggests federal officials could target Cobb, DeKalb and Gwinnett counties with law enforcement actions related to claims of noncitizen voting, Caleb Groves reports.
- Remember redistricting? Georgia House Speaker Jon Burns promised to hold public meetings to hear from voters “in every corner of our state” before a possible redistricting vote later this year. Voters are still waiting, politics columnist Patricia Murphy writes.
- Absentee ballots. The U.S. Supreme Court this week rejected the Trump administration’s plan to put new restrictions on voting by mail in the midterms. Chris Joyner has a refresher on what you need to know about voting by mail in Georgia.
3. Odds and ends
Here’s what else happened this week.
- Dr. Oz visits. Dr. Mehmet Oz, administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, was in Atlanta on Monday to promote a federal program aimed at giving workers more health insurance options, David Wickert reports.
- Data center history. Bottoms and Jackson have clashed repeatedly over data centers as they run for governor. Greg Bluestein reports both of them have a history with the industry.
- Bye for now. U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson canceled two weeks of House votes this month, drawing the ire of some Georgia Democrats, Tia Mitchell reports. They include U.S. Rep. Everton Blair, who was just sworn in to finish the term of the late U.S. Rep. David Scott.
Looking ahead
Thanks for reading our recap of the week’s political news. If you’d like a daily update with all the insider analysis on the state’s politics, subscribe and then sign up for the Politically Georgia newsletter.
As always, you can find the latest politics news from Atlanta, Georgia and the South at AJC Politics and on our mobile app.