Ex-Republican Geoff Duncan courts Democrats in his home district

Today’s newsletter highlights:

• Georgia farmers are still waiting for some Hurricane Helene relief.
• Airport operators ask lawmakers for help clearing obstructions near runways.
• Emily’s List endorses Tanya Miller for attorney general.

Homecoming

A crowd of Forsyth County Democrats listened as former Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan talked about his campaign for governor on Tuesday. (Greg Bluestein/AJC)

One of the toughest sells for Geoff Duncan’s Democratic bid for governor may come in his own backyard.

For years, Duncan and the Forsyth County Democrats were on opposite sides of virtually every major fight: first, when he was a rank-and-file GOP state lawmaker from Cumming, then as lieutenant governor.

But on Tuesday, he made his first-ever appearance at their meeting as a newly minted member of the Democratic Party. And the reception was warmer — if not exactly jubilant — than you might have expected.

Like at other stops, Duncan didn’t shy away from his political about-face in a crowded library meeting room. He said he was “wrong” to back gun rights expansions, abortion restrictions and other GOP priorities during his Republican career.

But he argued he’s the only Democrat who can forge the coalition needed to win statewide next year.

“We don’t have a choice any more of picking between good and great. It’s good and bad,” he said. “If a Democrat doesn’t win this governor’s race, Donald Trump will be our governor.”

One of the most skeptical questions came from Daniel Blackman, a former Democratic candidate for Public Service Commission, who pressed Duncan on whether he could actually sustain a durable coalition.

Duncan said he’s working to prove his mettle by meeting voters where they’re at, with targeted appeals to “disgusted Republicans” so disillusioned by Trump that they will cross party lines.

Afterward, Blackman credited Duncan for confronting tough questions head-on but said trust will not be rebuilt overnight.

“Some voters aren’t going to simply accept ‘I was wrong’ as a blanket explanation. His record will be dissected by his lifelong Democratic opponents, and he’ll need more than a sound bite to respond,” Blackman said.

Still, Blackman predicted Duncan will likely end up in a head-to-head runoff next year.

“The question is what shape he’s in once he gets there.”

Things to know

This image shows the final 427 to 1 vote in the House on Tuesday to pass a bill to force the Justice Department to publicly release its files on Jeffrey Epstein. (House Television via AP)

Good morning! We’re 54 days away from the start of Georgia’s legislative session. The primary for governor, U.S. Senate and other offices is in 181 days.

Here are three other things to know for today:

• The U.S. House vote to release the Jeffrey Epstein files was nearly unanimous with every member of Georgia’s congressional delegation in favor, Jamie Dupree reports. The Senate later passed the bill by unanimous consent, sending it quickly to President Donald Trump’s desk.
• Former state Rep. Roger Bruce and former Cobb County Board of Education member Jaha Howard are headed to a runoff for a metro Atlanta seat in the State Senate, the AJC’s Maya T. Prabhu reports.
• The DeKalb County Board of Commissioners voted to extend a contract with an ambulance company despite years of criticism of its response times, the AJC’s Asia Simone Burns reports.

Long memories

Marc Benioff is the CEO of the software giant Salesforce. (Jim Wilson/The New York Times)

During the most heated debate over Georgia’s “religious liberty” legislation, Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff was one of the proposal’s loudest critics.

He mobilized other tech executives to fight the legislation in 2016 and threatened to leave Georgia if lawmakers approved it.

Flash forward nearly a decade. Lawmakers passed a similar measure this year with little hint of the same controversy. And Salesforce on Tuesday announced a 250-job expansion in Atlanta, calling the city a “cornerstone” of the firm’s national strategy.

The development drew a pointed response from Georgia GOP Chair Josh McKoon, who as a state senator in 2016 sponsored the legislation.

He praised Salesforce for recognizing the “unmatched value of doing business in the Peach State.”

“But we will not forget when out-of-state CEOs like Marc Benioff attempted to bully our elected leaders into surrendering the core values and constitutional freedoms held by millions of our citizens,” he said.

Bad timing

Georgia farmers waited nearly a year for state and federal officials to work out how they would distribute hundreds of millions of dollars in aid for Hurricane Helene damage. The recently ended government shutdown is making them wait even longer.

Agriculture Commissioner Tyler Harper announced the state had reached an agreement with the U.S. Department of Agriculture on Sept. 30. But the final agreement had not been signed. The next day, the government shut down and would not reopen for more than a month.

“We’ve not been able to have any conversations with USDA about our block grant,” Harper told lawmakers last week just days before President Donald Trump signed a law to reopen the government.

Matthew Agvent, Harper’s spokesperson, said the state has been talking with the federal government “every day since the federal government reopened.”

Harper said his agency is ready to open the application period as soon as the federal government signs off on the funding formula. They’ve even hired more staff to review and approve applications, including a program manager with more than 25 years of experience overseeing USDA programs.

The state set aside $170 million of its own money for low-interest loans for farmers. As of last month, the state has closed on nearly $162 million worth of loans.

Airspace worries

The Dalton Municipal Airport as seen in 2020. (Hyosub Shin/AJC)

When some trees began obstructing the airspace near Dalton Municipal Airport, the property owner offered to let the manager pay to cut them down — for $50,000 per tree.

“Not going to happen,” said Andrew Wiersma, the airport’s manager.

That’s why Wiersma and other public airport officials on Tuesday asked state lawmakers to let the Georgia Department of Transportation clear obstructions near their runways, much like electric utilities do near power lines.

But the problem is more than just trees. Development, including things like wind turbines, cellphone towers and some buildings, can intrude in airspace. A consultant hired by the Georgia Airports Association said Georgia is one of three states that does not have height restrictions for development near airports.

Convincing lawmakers to change that could be difficult. But state Rep. Rick Jasperse, R-Jasper, seemed willing.

“We are a very strong property rights state. We also want to see if there is a way we can make sure we protect our airspace. It’s economic development,” said Jasperse, chair of the House Transportation Committee.

Campaign watch

State Rep. Tanya Miller, D-Atlanta, announced her candidacy for attorney general outside of the state Capitol in August. (Natrice Miller/AJC)

Emily’s List, the pro-abortion rights group that supports Democratic women, is backing state Rep. Tanya Miller’s campaign for attorney general in 2026.

The endorsement, announced today, adds intrigue to what is expected to be a competitive Democratic primary between Miller, the minority caucus chair, and Bob Trammel, a former House Democratic leader who famously lost his seat in 2020 amid a blitz of Republican spending.

Emily’s List President Jessica Mackler lauded Miller as “a civil rights attorney, former prosecutor, state representative, and mom.”

“With the reckless and cruel agenda coming out of Washington, EMILYs List is proud to endorse fighters like Tanya Miller,” she said.

First elected to the House in 2022, Miller was a leading voice opposing Gov. Brian Kemp’s civil litigation reform earlier this year.

Whoever emerges from the Democratic primary will face one of two Republican state senators: Bill Cowsert of Athens or Brian Strickland of McDonough.

Republican Attorney General Chris Carr is not seeking reelection to run for governor.

Listen up

Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger (left) spoke to the AJC's Greg Bluestein about his candidacy for governor during a recent Politically Georgia forum in Atlanta. (Adam Beam/AJC)

Today on the “Politically Georgia” podcast U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn, D-S.C., talks about his new book, “The First Eight,” which explores stories of pioneering Black congressmen who helped shape Reconstruction. Then, you’ll hear an interview with Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, a Republican candidate for governor, recorded during our recent forum.

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.

Deepfake

U.S. Rep. Mike Collins, R-Jackson, is a candidate for the U.S. Senate. (Nathan Posner for the AJC)

The Democratic Party of Georgia released a new video today highlighting conservative criticism that Republican U.S. Rep. Mike Collins is facing after releasing an AI-generated ad purporting to be U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff.

The “Dirtbag Deepfake” ad features pushback from conservative commentators Jenny Beth Martin, Shelley Wynter and Martha Zoller slamming the Republican U.S. Senate candidate from Jackson.

After Collins’ ad, we asked each of Georgia’s leading Senate campaigns if they would “commit to not using deepfakes that misattribute or fabricate words or actions of their opponents to mislead voters.”

Ossoff was the only to agree.

Today in Washington

President Donald Trump met with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia at the White House on Tuesday. (AP)

• President Donald Trump will deliver remarks at the U.S.-Saudi Investment Forum in Washington.
• The House will vote on legislation to reverse some District of Columbia criminal justice policies.
• The Senate will vote on a Trump nomination and on legislation to reverse rules implemented during the Biden administration.

Shoutouts

Transition:

• Gov. Brian Kemp’s term as chair of the Republican Governor’s Association has ended. The new chair is Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte.

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.