Ossoff pledges not to use deepfake campaign videos, while Collins digs in
Today’s newsletter highlights:
- Marjorie Taylor Greene splits with Trump on worker visas.
- Abortion banner is expected to fly over Georgia football game.
- Georgia Tech honors Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter.
AI attacks
The deepfake video of Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff produced by Republican U.S. Rep. Mike Collins’ campaign has rippled through the 2026 Senate race — and it likely won’t be the last AI stunt we see this cycle.
We asked each of Georgia’s leading U.S. 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 one to flat-out say yes.
“The only reason a candidate would need to use a deepfake to make up an opponent’s words and manipulate a video to deceive Georgians is if they didn’t think they could win on their own. Georgians don’t take well to people who lie to them,” a campaign aide said.
Republican Derek Dooley’s campaign mocked Collins for “shooting himself in the foot” with the attack, saying it will take a political outsider to beat Ossoff — “not AI video distractions.”
“If you want a preview of what a general election against Senator Ossoff will be like with Collins as the Republican nominee, this is it,” said Dooley aide Connor Whitney.
U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter didn’t respond. Collins, meanwhile, leaned in.
“We’re very pleased our ad got people talking about Jon Ossoff failing Georgians by shutting down the government,” the campaign said in a statement, “and we’ll continue to use all methods permissible under the law to expose the deep fake notion that Ossoff is anything other than a far-left lackey for Chuck Schumer.”
Friday news quiz
Good morning! We’re only 59 days away from the start of Georgia’s legislative session. Lawmakers are busy finishing up their study committee work before they return to Atlanta. Speaking of study, how well did you follow the news this week? Find out by taking our quiz. You’ll find the answers at the end of this newsletter
Georgia voters have never elected a woman to be governor or lieutenant governor. But voters of what state recently elected a woman raised in Georgia to their state’s No. 2 job?
- A) New Jersey
- B) Virginia
- C) Pennsylvania
- D) Wisconsin
U.S. Rep. Austin Scott, R-Tifton, voted to reopen the government this week. But he had strong reservations about the law that restored federal funding. Why?
- A) The law only funds the government through Jan. 30. He wanted it to last longer.
- B) The law did not extend health insurance subsidies set to expire this year.
- C) A provision of the bill allows some senators to sue the federal government.
- D) He didn’t like that the law included lengthy funding commitments for various federal programs.
DeKalb County commissioners are poised to renew a contract for a company that runs its ambulance service. Why are some people concerned about it?
- A) The company paid a $1.3 million penalty last year for substandard performance.
- B) The CEO of the company is the brother-in-law of the commission chair.
- C) The new contract calls for county residents to pay a $5 monthly fee for the service.
- D) The commission did not follow the rules for the bidding process.
State lawmakers studying the impacts of social media on students held a hearing this week. What was unusual about this hearing?
- A) The committee chair used her daughter’s Instagram account to demonstrate how easy it is to avoid parental controls.
- B) Lawmakers agreed to lock their phones in pouches for the duration of the hearing.
- C) Lawmakers competed to see who had the most negative comments on their social media pages.
- D) The committee took public testimony via Facebook comments.
Hate crime
A North Carolina man is facing up to five years in prison for mailing a postcard to Georgia’s only Jewish lawmaker declaring “GASTHEJEWS.”
Ariel E. Collazo Ramos was convicted of mailing threatening communications with a hate crime enhancement earlier this month. His sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 8.
State Rep. Esther Panitch, D-Sandy Springs, received the postcard on the same day Gov. Brian Kemp signed a law adding an antisemitism definition to Georgia’s hate crime statute. Panitch was a co-sponsor of the legislation and had advocated for its passage.
The postcard, which was also mailed to Rabbi Elizabeth Bahar of Temple Beth Israel, referenced Zyklon B, the chemical used by the Nazis to murder Jews during the Holocaust. Prosecutors noted both Bahar and Panitch had relatives who were murdered using this chemical.
The case was investigated by the FBI and prosecuted by U.S. Attorney William “Will” R. Keyes. Panitch thanked them in a social media post.
“They understood that this wasn’t free speech — it was a true threat designed to terrorize and silence Jewish women for our advocacy,” Panitch posted on X.
Prosecutors say Ramos operated Patriot Candle Company, selling candles, postcards and other products depicting antisemitic and white nationalist themes.
Help wanted
President Donald Trump is using Georgia’s Hyundai plant as an example of why the country should keep its H-1B visa program — setting off yet another public split with U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Rome.
The program lets skilled foreign workers into the country, raising fears from MAGA that it reduces the number of high-paying jobs for Americans.
In an interview with Fox News’ Laura Ingraham, Trump suggested his administration’s immigration raid on the Georgia plant was counterproductive. He said South Korean workers were in the country to teach American workers how to make batteries, which he noted is a dangerous and complicated job.
“You’re going to need that,” Trump said.
Greene on Thursday introduced a bill to “aggressively” phase out the H-1B program. She said it “has been displacing American workers for decades.”
“If we want the next generation to have the American Dream, we must stop replacing them and start investing in them,” she said.
Greene insists she is still Trump’s ally. But the president this week said he believed Greene has “lost her way.”
Deadline day
We’re watching two deadlines today involving the 2020 presidential election.
First, we should find out who is replacing Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis in the 2020 election interference case involving President Donald Trump. Pete Skandalakis, head of the Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council of Georgia, could appoint a prosecutor from elsewhere in the state, a private attorney, a staff member from the council — or even himself.
Second, today is the last day for Fulton County Board of Registration and Elections to produce numerous records related to the 2020 election. The U.S. Justice Department asked for those records two weeks ago, but so far the county has ignored the request.
It’s unclear what the government’s next step will be.
“We trust that the Department of Justice inquiry will compel the production of these documents and answer long held questions,” the Georgia Republican Party said in a news release.
Abortion banner
Georgia football fans looking to the sky on Saturday to celebrate a touchdown might see a reminder that abortion pills are available by mail.
Mayday Health, an abortion education nonprofit, says it will fly a banner over the Georgia-Texas football game in Athens highlighting options for pregnant women.
“If you are pregnant and do not want to be, you have options,” the banner reads. “Abortion pills are safe, FDA-approved, and available by mail nationwide.”
Georgia and Texas have some of the most restrictive abortion laws in the country. Texas has a near total ban on abortion, with some exceptions if the life of the mother is danger. Georgia allows abortions up until fetal cardiac activity can be detected, which is typically around six weeks of pregnancy. The timeline is so tight that many women don’t even know they are pregnant.
There’s nothing in state law that bans out-of-state pharmacies from mailing abortion pills to Georgians. But in-state providers won’t do it because of a state law requiring an ultrasound before handing them out.
MayDay Health has done this before, including during the Indianapolis 500 in May. Sanford Stadium has been a popular place for political messages in the past. Last year, the Democratic National Committee flew a banner over Georgia’s home opener urging voters to “beat” Donald Trump. But Trump ultimately won Georgia.
Listen up
There is no “Politically Georgia” podcast today. We’ll be back on Monday to answer questions from the listener mailbag.
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.
Today in Washington
- President Donald Trump will head to his Mar-a-Lago home in Florida for the weekend.
- The House and Senate are done for the week.
New school
Georgia Tech dedicated its new Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School of Public Policy on Thursday.
The school honoring the late U.S. president and first lady is part of the Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts and is dedicated to “educating leaders who can ethically address societal problems through policy processes.”
Carter’s grandson, former state Sen. Jason Carter, was on hand for the ceremony. So were University System of Georgia Chancellor Sonny Perdue and former United Nations Ambassador Andrew Young.
Georgia Tech is also home of the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs, named after the former Georgia U.S. senator. Nunn attended Thursday’s ceremony, too.
Jimmy Carter went to Georgia Tech in 1942 before attending the U.S. Naval Academy.
Shoutouts
Today’s birthdays:
- State Rep. Butch Parrish, R-Swainsboro.
- State Rep. Sandra Scott, D-Rex.
- Gabriel Sterling, Republican candidate for secretary of state.
- Sydney Horwitz, communications specialist in the Georgia Senate Press Office.
- Mo Thrash, director of governmental affairs at MRLP.
- Danica Thompson, vice president of McGuireWoods Consulting.
Transition:
- Trey Bennett is the new executive director of the Georgia Environmental Finance Authority, replacing Hunter Hill.
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
Answers to this week’s news quiz:
- B) Virginia. Democratic Lt. Gov.-elect Ghazala Hashmi moved to Statesboro when she was 4 and graduated from Georgia Southern University.
- C) A provision that allows some senators to sue the government. The senators had their phone records subpoenaed by the Biden administration during its investigation into the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol.
- A) The company paid a penalty for substandard performance. County officials say the company has since improved its response times.
- B) Lawmakers agreed to lock their phones up during the hearing. A state law takes effect next year banning students up to eighth grade from using cellphones during school hours.
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.
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.
