Today’s newsletter highlights:
- Andre Dickens’ new ad raises eyebrows in governor’s race.
- Jon Ossoff reports more than $21 million in campaign cash.
- Development authority meets for first time since Hyundai raid.
She’s back
Credit: Angelina Katsanis/AP
Credit: Angelina Katsanis/AP
As Georgia Democrats regroup for next year’s midterms, Vice President Kamala Harris is urging them to look back — starting with her own campaign’s misfires.
She’ll bring her new book, “107 Days,” to Atlanta on Wednesday at a sold-out Tabernacle event. The memoir argues that her compressed 2024 campaign never had enough time to defeat President Donald Trump, and it doesn’t shy away from the internal tensions that defined it.
In the book, Harris calls President Joe Biden’s decision to seek another term “recklessness,” writing that he resisted her help until after his disastrous debate in Atlanta. She also describes the delicate balance of showing loyalty to Biden while mounting a campaign of her own.
For many Democrats, it’s an uncomfortable rehash of an election that still stings, reopening old wounds in a party split over who’s to blame for Trump’s comeback.
But so far, the book tour has played less as a reckoning than a reunion — and a reminder that Harris is keeping her political network alive as she eyes another possible presidential run.
Things to know
Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC
Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC
Good morning! It’s day eight of the federal government shutdown. The Federal Aviation Administration reported staffing issues at several airports, including its air traffic control centers in Atlanta.
Here are three other things to know for today:
- Georgia has ended its attempt to recoup hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal fees from a group of Georgia residents who filed multiple unsuccessful lawsuits over Rivian’s planned electric vehicle factory, the AJC’s Zachary Hansen reports.
- The Trump administration canceled an annual survey tracking communities struggling to get enough food, complicating a rural Georgia community’s efforts to combat hunger, the AJC’s Caleb Groves reports.
- Chattahoochee Hills City Councilman Richard “Richie” Schmidt, who is running for mayor, is under investigation for threatening a city contractor by saying he would “tear her feet off,” the AJC’s Reed Williams reports.
War zone?
Credit: Jenni Girtman for the AJC
Credit: Jenni Girtman for the AJC
Former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms’ record is back in the spotlight as she runs for governor — and this time her successor is the one turning up the glare.
Mayor Andre Dickens released a new 30-second ad flashing the words “war zone” as he describes inheriting a city in a “dark place.”
“We got straight to it. We achieved the third-largest crime drop in America,” Dickens said in the ad.
Dickens never mentions Bottoms by name, but he’s citing an pandemic-era increase in gun violence and violent crime during her term that wasn’t unique to Atlanta.
Dickens’ campaign didn’t comment on the message, though the mayor has previously praised Bottoms’ leadership.
Bottoms’ campaign said in a statement she “brought steady leadership” during a time of unrest while attracting new jobs and preserving affordable housing.
“Atlantans strongly supported Keisha’s leadership,” said Bottoms spokeswoman Cynthia Davis, “which is why she left office with a 57% approval rating, according to the AJC, and is the clear Democratic frontrunner for governor.”
Big money
Credit: Sarah Peacock for the AJC
Credit: Sarah Peacock for the AJC
U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff reported this morning he’s sitting on more than $21 million in campaign cash, underscoring the financial gulf between the Democrat and his Republican challengers.
GOP hopefuls Derek Dooley and U.S. Rep. Mike Collins both touted their own strong starts — each raising nearly $2 million in the latest quarter — as signs they can go the distance in what’s shaping up as one of the nation’s most expensive Senate races.
Dooley, a former football coach who collected about $1.8 million in less than two months, struck an optimistic tone at a stop in Savannah on Tuesday.
“We’re really excited about what our first quarter numbers were, and we’re certainly going to keep working,” he said. “But the most important thing for me is getting out with the voters and the people of Georgia.”
Collins, who represents Georgia’s 10th Congressional District, slightly outraised him with $1.9 million and was quick to declare himself the GOP candidate to beat.
“It just shows that we have a clear message,” he told us on Tuesday in Forsyth County. “We are the front-runner and we know that we can beat Jon Ossoff in November 2026.”
Hyundai update
Credit: Courtesy photo
Credit: Courtesy photo
The public authority overseeing development of the Hyundai Metaplant will have its first meeting today since the Trump administration raided the project and detained more than 400 workers.
But don’t expect the immigration raid, and the resulting tension with South Korea, to get much attention. There’s nothing on the agenda about it, and the president and CEO of the Savannah Economic Development Authority says he doesn’t plan to bring it up.
“This is way, way, way out of our jurisdiction,” Trip Tollison said. “This is a federal issue. We don’t plan on talking about it.”
The authority negotiated property tax savings that make up the largest individual piece of the incentive package Hyundai received to locate the factory in Georgia.
The meeting will still have plenty of heavy hitters. Chris Susock, Hyundai Motor North America’s chief manufacturing officer who is in charge of the Bryan County site, will give an update about hiring and discuss the company’s recent announcement about hybrid vehicles.
He’ll also introduce Tony Heo, the new president and CEO of the Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America. He’s replaced Oscar Kwon, who retired at the end of August.
Getting along
Credit: AJC
Credit: AJC
Democrats and Republicans aren’t in a good place right now, blaming each other for shutting down the government and putting hundreds of thousands of federal employees out of work. But in Georgia’s congressional delegation, at least two elected officials are still willing to cross party lines to work with each other
U.S. Reps. Rick Allen, R-Augusta, and Lucy McBath, D-Marietta, have joined forces to introduce legislation aimed at combatting step therapy — the insurance company practice requiring patients to try cheaper medications before they’ll pay for the treatment doctors have prescribed.
“Georgians expect us to solve problems. Congresswoman McBath and I found common ground because this is about results, not headlines,” Allen said.
Gov. Brian Kemp signed a state law in 2019 offering some exceptions to step therapy. But Allen and McBath’s bill would offer exceptions to people who get their health insurance through their employers.
“This is about making life better for the folks back home who are counting on us in Washington to do right by them,” McBath said.
Pay threat
Tens of thousands of federal workers in Georgia are going without pay during the federal government shutdown. Now, the Trump administration is warning they might not get that money back when the government reopens.
“There are some people that don’t deserve to be taken care of, and we’ll take care of them in a different way,” Trump said on Tuesday.
Trump signed a law back in 2019 to ensure federal workers get back pay during any federal funding lapse. But the Office of Management and Budget said that decision is up to Congress — suggesting the government could withhold the lost wages.
The threat could prompt more federal workers to apply for unemployment benefits. These benefits, which cover a portion of a person’s salary, aren’t funded by federal appropriations, so they are not frozen during the government shutdown.
Workers have to repay those benefits if they receive back pay when the shutdown ends.
“The Georgia Department of Labor is committed to supporting every worker affected by the federal government shutdown,” Georgia Labor Commissioner Bárbara Rivera Holmes said.
Show goes on
Credit: File photo
Credit: File photo
Not even a federal government shutdown can stop Smokey Bear.
Artwork depicting the iconic symbol of America’s fire prevention campaign is on display today at the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. But the exhibit was threatened after the government shutdown last week left no one available to staff it.
State forestry officials came to the rescue. The Southern Group of State Foresters, a nonprofit representing southern state forestry agencies, quickly deployed its fire prevention education teams to staff the event. State workers from Georgia, Florida, South Carolina and Mississippi will be on hand today.
Chelsea Ealum, the group’s communications director, compared these teams to the fire crews ready to deploy at a moment’s notice.
“They are already fully equipped to talk about the fire prevention messaging and Smokey Bear,” she said.
Listen up
Credit: Nam Y. Huh/AP
Credit: Nam Y. Huh/AP
Today on “Politically Georgia” we break down Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker’s fiery speech at the Democrats’ annual Carter-Lewis dinner and discuss early fundraising totals in the U.S. Senate race.
You can listen and subscribe to Politically Georgia for free a 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 receive an intelligence briefing and participate in a roundtable on anti-fascist groups.
- The House is not in session this week.
- The Senate will vote again on legislation that would end the government shutdown and also advance more Trump nominations.
Ambassador Walker
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
The U.S. Senate voted along party lines on Tuesday to confirm a bloc of over 100 Trump administration nominees, including former University of Georgia football star Herschel Walker.
That means Georgia’s two U.S. senators — Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock —voted against him. Warnock defeated Walker in 2022.
Walker will likely be sworn in quickly and immediately assume duties as ambassador to the Bahamas. Bill White, the leader of the failed Buckhead cityhood movement, was also confirmed as ambassador to Belgium as part of that same group.
Shoutouts
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
Today’s birthdays:
- State Rep. Marcus Wiedower, R-Watkinsville.
Transition:
- Veteran journalist Mark Niesse has left The Atlanta Journal-Constitution after nearly 13 years. An expert in elections and voting, Niesse’s career has spanned stints at The Associated Press in Honolulu, Atlanta and Montgomery, Alabama; as well as a newspaper in Santiago, Chile. He will focus on freelance reporting and writing from Atlanta.
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: Tia Mitchell/AJC
Credit: Tia Mitchell/AJC
With tours of the U.S. Capitol canceled during the government shutdown, U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock personally escorted students from Vidalia Heritage Academy on Tuesday to view the building.
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.
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