How Georgia Democrats knocked off two Republicans in statewide races

Today’s newsletter highlights:

• Multiple metro Atlanta incumbents are headed to runoff races.
• Atlanta Public Schools braces for feedback on school closure plan.
• The government shutdown breaks a record.

Blue wave

Public Service Commission candidate Peter Hubbard gets a hug from Brionté McCorkle of Georgia Conservation Voters on election night in Atlanta. (Ben Gray for the AJC)

Democrats were widely expected to defeat two Republican incumbents on the Georgia Public Service Commission. And the scale of their victories on Tuesday is sending an unmistakable message.

Peter Hubbard and Alicia Johnson carved a bright-blue path through metro Atlanta — far outperforming Vice President Kamala Harris’ numbers from a year ago. The Democrats topped 90% in Clayton and DeKalb counties, where Harris registered in the 80s in 2024.

At the same time, they narrowed GOP margins in exurban counties that Republicans typically dominate. In Forsyth County, where President Donald Trump won 67% of the vote last year, the Republican share slid by roughly 10 points.

Trump won Paulding County — long a bedrock of Republican strength — with 62% in 2024. On Tuesday, the vote was nearly evenly split.

And in Columbia County, an east Georgia suburb where Republicans routinely clear 60%, the Democratic candidates finished ahead.

Does that automatically translate into the 2026 map, when Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff and every statewide office are on the ballot? Of course not. Don’t expect a nearly 26-point landslide either way in a high-turnout midterm.

But Republicans say the shift is a warning. Courtney Kramer, a GOP strategist, said the results show her party needs to overhaul their grassroots strategy to meet voters where they are, particularly on cost-of-living concerns.

“This election is a wake up call to every conservative Republican in Georgia. Democrats are emboldened and coming for our statewide seats,” she said.

“Unless something drastically changes, Georgia has the unfortunate potential to actually flip blue in 2026.”

Things to know

U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (in red), R-Rome, was a guest on "The View" on Tuesday. (ABC)

Good morning! It’s Day 36 of the federal government shutdown, now the longest federal funding lapse in U.S. history.

Here are three other things to know for today:

• A new AJC poll shows Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms and Republican Burt Jones are early favorites in their respective primaries for governor. But the race is still dominated by undecided voters, Greg Bluestein reports.
• Voters will get their first glimpse of many candidates for governor tonight at the AJC’s Politically Georgia forum. Six candidates are scheduled to participate. We’ll have a full roundup in tomorrow morning’s newsletter.
• Co-hosts of “The View” marveled at U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s political evolution on Tuesday as the Rome Republican continued to criticize her party’s leaders during the government shutdown, Tia Mitchell reports.

Election roundup

Mayor Andre Dickens is a happy man after being elected to a second term on Tuesday. (Arvin Temkar/AJC)

Voters had their say across multiple local government contests on Tuesday. You can find full statewide results at the AJC’s website.

Here’s a roundup of the results:

• Atlanta mayor. Andre Dickens cruised to a second term. Now, he just has to convince local school board members to give up a chunk of their expected property tax revenue.
• Atlanta City Council president. Council member Marci Collier Overstreet appeared to defeat progressive nonprofit leader Rohit Malhotra. Overstreet had the backing of Dickens, whose easy reelection race freed him up to campaign for her.
• Atlanta City Council. All 12 incumbents won, while two open seats appeared headed for runoffs.
• Atlanta Public Schools. Three races appear headed to runoffs as District 4 incumbent Jennifer McDonald was the only candidate to win a majority of votes in her race.
• Brunswick mayor. Cosby Johnson easily won a second term, defeating former City Commissioner Vincent Williams. Voters also approved a homestead property tax exemption, The Current reported.
• Chattahoochee Hills mayor. City Council member Camille Lowe trounced fellow Council member Richard “Richie” Schmidt. Were voters turned off by a recorded phone call of Schmidt threatening to harm a city contractor?
• Marietta mayor: Incumbent Steve “Thunder” Tumlin, 78, who has led the city since 2010, was poised to win a razor-thin victory over 24-year-old challenger Sam Foster, who had called for generational change.
• Newnan mayor. Longtime incumbent Keith Brady was ousted from office by James Shepherd, who told the Newnan Times-Herald he won by engaging Black residents and others often overlooked by local leaders.
• Roswell mayor. Incumbent Mayor Kurt Wilson will face former state Rep. Mary Robichaux in a runoff. The race has hinged on the removal of several trees at the historic Mimosa Hall and Gardens that prompted a public outcry.
• Sandy Springs mayor. Longtime Mayor Rusty Paul appears headed to a runoff with progressive challenger Dontaye Carter. It’s a rematch from 2021, when Paul defeated Carter in a one-on-one race. This year, Paul and Carter topped two other City Council members in a four-way race, but neither won a majority.
• South Fulton mayor. City Council member Carmalitha L. Gumbs is headed to a runoff with former Council member Mark Baker. But the big news is incumbent mayor khalid “Kobi Kamu, who faced criticism for his public spending, finished a distant sixth.
• Stone Mountain mayor. The City Council had tried to remove Mayor Beverly Jones from office after she assumed control of the city’s bank accounts. Voters did it for them as Jelani Linder, a former member of the local planning commission, won with 58% of the vote.

House race undecided

Marqus Cole (left) and Akbar Ali are candidates in Georgia House District 106. (Courtesy photos)

Akbar Ali looked to be the favorite to replace former state Rep. Shelly Hutchinson in House District 106. But it appears he’ll have to engineer a comeback victory in a runoff election as he trails fellow Democrat Marcus Cole.

Ali, first vice chair of the Gwinnett County Democratic Party, had some big-name endorsements, including Hutchinson, former Gov. Roy Barnes and a host of state and local elected officials from the county.

But it wasn’t enough to slow down Cole, chair of the nonprofit Gwinnett Coalition. Cole was not a complete unknown to voters, as he mounted a strong but unsuccessful challenge to Gwinnett County Commissioner Jasper Watkins III last year. Republican Jamie Parker, a real estate agent, was in third place.

Ali is just 21 years old. If he wins, he would be among the youngest state lawmakers in the country.

School closures

Leaders of Atlanta Public Schools are weighing cost cutting measures. (AJC file photo)

Atlanta Public Schools officials are bracing for pushback tonight as they host the first of two public hearings on a plan to close or merge eight schools.

School districts across Georgia — and the country — have been searching for ways to cut costs amid a budget crunch fueled in part by declining enrollment.

Enrollment in APS elementary schools has fallen 12.9% since the 2015-16 school year. Birth rates fell by 13% from 2012 to 2023, so the problem is not likely to fix itself.

The APS plan would save up to $25 million per year while reducing the district’s capacity by 5,200 seats. But don’t expect those numbers to win over parents.

Nothing stirs emotions quite like closing public education institutions, especially elementary schools. Fulton County closed an elementary school in Sandy Springs earlier this year despite fierce pushback from parents. The uproar fueled a spirited race for mayor.

Listen up

Today on the “Politically Georgia” podcast we’re breaking down new poll results of Georgia’s top 2026 races. Former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms is the early front-runner in the Democratic primary for governor, while Lt. Gov. Burt Jones leads a crowded Republican field.

In the U.S. Senate race, U.S. Reps. Buddy Carter and Mike Collins are competing for President Donald Trump-aligned voters, while Democratic incumbent U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff remains well positioned heading into 2026.

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.

Shutdown record

A message was projected on the U.S. Department of Agriculture building in Washington after the Trump administration said it would only partially fund a federal food aid program during the shutdown. (John McDonnell/AP)

The federal government shutdown is now the the longest in U.S. history at 36 days.

A bipartisan group of U.S senators is working on a way out. But nothing has been put on the table yet. Meanwhile Senate Democrats, including Georgia’s U.S. Sens. Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock, voted a 14th time to filibuster the House-passed government funding bill.

While President Donald Trump used social media to again encourage Senate Republicans to nuke the filibuster to overcome Democrats’ opposition, that is unlikely to happen.

Republicans lost in major races across the country in Tuesday’s off-year elections. Trump blamed the defeats, in part, on the shutdown. Could that cause some GOP lawmakers to rethink their strategy?

Today in Washington

• President Donald Trump is meeting with U.S. Senate Republicans over breakfast. He will then fly to Miami to speak at the America Business Forum conference.
• The House is on an indefinite recess.
• The Senate will vote on more of Trump’s nominations.
• The Supreme Court will take up a case challenging the legality of Trump’s tariffs.

Correction

The special election for House District 121 is Dec. 9, with a runoff on Jan. 6 if necessary.

Shoutouts

State Rep. James Burchett, R-Waycross, has much to celebrate today. (Natrice Miller/AJC)

Today’s birthday:

• State House Majority Caucus Whip James Burchett, R-Waycross.

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.