5 questions about Georgia’s elections as voters head to the polls
Today’s newsletter highlights:
- Lawmaker’s resignation prompts candidate shuffle.
- Trump administration will partially fund SNAP benefits.
- Parks around Lake Lanier will close during the shutdown.
Voters decide
It’s Election Day across the county. The hype in Georgia isn’t the same as last year’s presidential race, but the stakes are still high as both major political parties seek to claim momentum heading into 2026.
Polls open at 7 a.m. across the state. Here are five questions about today’s elections in Georgia and beyond:
1. Will Georgia voters give Democrats a boost heading into 2026?
The debate among Georgia politicos isn’t about who will win today’s Public Service Commission election. It’s how big the margin of victory will be for the two Democrats on the ballot. Republicans are already downplaying the stakes of a potential loss, noting the special election was paired with dozens of local races in cities across the state where Democrats are stronger. And they point to an effective Democratic message tapping into voter frustration over rising utility bills. Republicans still have a shot at winning the seats if there’s heavy turnout in some exurban areas. Democrats notching their first statewide wins in a non-federal race since 2006 would be an important milestone for the party as it seeks to defend U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff’s seat next year and elect a Democratic governor.
2. Can Andre Dickens make the difference?
Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens is expected to easily win reelection to a second term today. The more interesting race is who will be the next City Council president. Dickens is backing council member Marci Collier Overstreet, who has the support of much of the council and Atlanta’s Black neighborhoods. Newcomer Rohit Malhotra is a policy wonk who is strong with progressives and running an outsider campaign. The outcome will say plenty about Dickens’ clout.
3. Will Sandy Springs voters oust longtime mayor Rusty Paul?
In just 20 years, Sandy Springs has transformed itself into an important business and economic center for metro Atlanta. Now, voters are facing their first contentious battle for mayor. Two City Council members — Andy Bauman and Jody Reichel — are challenging Paul and his narrative about the city. Dontaye Carter, a public-relations executive, is running to the left. Paul is seeking his fourth term, framing himself as a steady hand guiding a fast-growing suburb still defining its identity.
4. What’s the future of Chattahoochee Hills?
The biggest swath of undeveloped land in Fulton County is in Chattahoochee Hills, a nearly 20-year-old city that was designed to protect against urbanization. But with lots of landowners sitting on potentially valuable real estate, there’s pressure building to loosen some of the city’s restrictive zoning laws. Voters will pick a new mayor to replace Tom Reed, who did not seek reelection.
5. Will it be a good night for Democrats overall?
The elections could offer Democrats their biggest test yet of whether they can act like a credible opposition party. Governor’s races in New Jersey and Virginia will reveal how voters are feeling nearly a year into President Donald Trump’s second term. In New York, Democratic Socialist Zohran Mamdani could shake up the party’s establishment. And in California, Democrats appear ready to approve a new congressional map designed to blunt Republican gains elsewhere.
What today won’t settle is the party’s long-running internal debate: whether Democrats should move further left or return to the middle to build the kind of coalitions they’ll need to win nationally. That’s because the candidates on the ballot today span the party’s ideological spectrum — from establishment moderates to insurgent progressives — offering Democrats plenty of data, but no easy conclusions.
Things to know
Good morning! It’s Day 35 of the federal government shutdown, tying the record set during President Donald Trump’s first term for the longest funding lapse in U.S. history. We’ll break the record at midnight if Congress does not act.
Here are three other things to know for today:
- A judge ruled it’s OK for Atlanta to keep their polling places open until 8 p.m. today instead of 7 p.m. But anyone voting after 7 p.m. cannot participate in the Public Service Commission election, the AJC’s Riley Bunch reports.
- State Insurance Commissioner John King expects enrollment in Georgia’s health insurance marketplace to fall as premiums increase significantly after federal subsidies expire, the AJC’s Adam Van Brimmer reports.
- Solid majorities of Georgians across all age groups and both major political political parties support a mandate for parents to have their children vaccinated, the AJC’s Ariel Hart reports.
Turnout test
GOP insiders say early voting numbers project that Democrats hold a roughly 80,000-vote advantage heading into today’s Public Service Commission election. On a typical statewide contest, that edge could be erased. Republicans often dominate Election Day voting by wide margins.
But this time is different. The PSC contests are the only statewide races on the ballot — the sole reason many voters are showing up. And the election coincides with municipal contests in Democratic-heavy cities like Atlanta, where turnout has been stronger.
Outside groups are spending heavily. Democrats are pouring in resources, including a $2.2 million campaign from the Georgia Conservation Voters Action Fund. Republicans are playing defense, with Gov. Brian Kemp’s political network deploying to back the incumbents.
If Democrats flip the seats, they’ll seize on the results as a sign of momentum. If Republicans hold on, it will underscore the GOP’s organizational muscle even in low-visibility elections.
Either way, today is a major test of both parties’ turnout machines.
Campaign watch
Marcus Wiedower’s resignation from the state House last week appears to have disrupted a race for the state Senate.
Doug McKillip and Steven Strickland are both running for state Senate District 46 to replace Sen. Bill Cowsert, a Republican who is running for attorney general. But Strickland has suspended his Senate campaign to run for Wiedower’s old seat.
McKillip is thinking about doing the same thing, telling us “I can accomplish my conservative agenda for Georgia from either side of the building.”
The Republican primary for Senate District 46 is May 19. But the special election for Wiedower’s old seat in House District 121 is Dec. 9, with a runoff on Jan. 6 if needed. The winner would finish Wiedower’s term and would likely run again in the November general election. But it’s generally much easier to win as an incumbent.
McKillip is a former House Democratic leader who famously switched to the Republican party before losing in the 2012 primary.
Strickland is the former chair of the Oconee County Republican Party and a former member of the Oconee County Planning Commission. He’s also a lieutenant in the Georgia State Defense Force.
Democrat Eric Gisler is also running for the seat. He previously challenged Wiedower last year, but lost in the general election.
SNAP decision
The Trump administration said it will partially fund federal food benefits this month after two judges ordered the government to keep the program running. The administration says it only has the money to pay for about half of the cost, so it’s unclear how much recipients will be impacted.
Still, the decision offers a reprieve for the roughly 40 million Americans who rely on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program to buy groceries. And it could end up extending the government shutdown even longer as it minimizes what had become a key pressure point.
The news came shortly after U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., toured an Atlanta grocery store where many customers use SNAP benefits to buy food. The AJC’s Michelle Baruchman was there, reporting that Warnock’s comments show the two sides don’t appear any closer on reaching an agreement.
“If you don’t have the votes, common sense says you have to talk to the people in the other party,” Warnock said.
Listen up
Today on the “Politically Georgia” podcast we’re breaking down the race for seats on the Georgia’s Public Service Commission with former Republican U.S. Rep. Tom Graves. Then AJC City Hall reporter Riley Bunch joins the show to preview Atlanta’s mayoral and City Council races.
You can listen and subscribe to Politically Georgia for free an 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.
Lanier parks close
Roughly 25 parks surrounding Lake Lanier in north Georgia closed over the weekend because of the federal government shutdown.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said Friday that it would require campers to vacate the affected areas. Certain parks with access points to waterways and stand-alone boat ramps would stay open, but restrooms and other facilities at those parks would close. Nine parks that are leased to local entities will stay open.
U.S. Rep. Andrew Clyde, R-Athens, whose district includes much of Lake Lanier, said in a statement obtained by WDUN that the closures are the latest example of the negative effects of the government shutdown.
“My House Republican colleagues and I did our job; we passed a clean, bipartisan continuing resolution to keep the government open,” the Athens Republican wrote. “The pressure is now on Senate Democrats, including Senators Warnock and Ossoff, to abandon their radical demands and vote to reopen the government.”
Today in Washington
- President Donald Trump has no public events scheduled.
- The House is in recess indefinitely.
- The Senate will take another vote on the House-passed government funding bill.
Shoutouts
Today’s birthday:
- Former state Rep. Terry Rogers, now owner of Rogers Strategies.
Awards:
- Congrats to Bill Nigut, who was inducted into the Atlanta Press Club Hall of Fame last night. Nigut covered politics for WSB-TV for 20 years, had a lengthy stint on Georgia Public Broadcasting and was later a co-host of the AJC’s “Politically Georgia” on WABE. He retired earlier this year. Other inductees include TNT’s Ernie Johnson Jr. and publisher Janis Ware.
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
People from age 45 to more than 65 made up the bulk of early voters in today’s races for Atlanta mayor and City Council, the AJC’s Riley Bunch and Phoebe Quinton report.
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.
This story has been updated to reflect the special election for House District 121 is Dec. 9.
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.
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