Democrats hope today’s runoff races will build momentum for 2026 midterms

Today’s newsletter highlights:

• A federal judge will reconsider Georgia’s ban on handing out water to voters.
• Democratic candidates for governor hire new staffers.
• David Petraeus backs congressional inquiry into missile strike.

Election Day

Former state Rep. Mary Robichaux faces incumbent Kurt Wilson in a runoff today in the Roswell mayoral race. (AJC)

Georgia Democrats insist that last month’s ouster of two Republicans on the Public Service Commission is a preview of the midterms. Today, they’ll get another chance to prove the flips were no fluke.

A bevy of local runoff races will be decided today across metro Atlanta, headlined by two Republican-backed mayors seeking to fend off challenges from Democratic-aligned candidates.

The tightest race could be in Roswell, where incumbent Kurt Wilson finished a close second to former Democratic state Rep. Mary Robichaux on Nov. 4. The race is nonpartisan, but Gov. Brian Kemp and U.S. Rep. Rich McCormick — both Republicans — are backing Wilson while Robichaux has the support of the Democratic Party.

Still, statewide conclusions might be difficult to draw from this contest. The race has hinged in part on a decision to remove trees near the historic Mimosa Hall & Gardens site. The public outcry has prompted a call for a change in leadership that is far removed from traditional partisan feuding.

The runoff in Sandy Springs could be more indicative of voter sentiment.

Incumbent Rusty Paul faces Dontaye Carter in a rematch of 2021. Paul easily prevailed four years ago. But Carter appears much stronger this year, finishing ahead of two sitting City Council members in last month’s election to make it to the runoff. He’s got support from Stacey Abrams and the state Democratic Party, while Kemp and other senior Republicans are boosting Paul.

Other runoff races to watch:

• Atlanta City Council District 7: Thad Flowers faces Thomas Worthy. Flowers is a former City Council chief of staff. Worthy is the chief public policy officer at Piedmont Healthcare and a former MARTA board member.
• Atlanta City Council District 11: Nate Jester faces Wayne Martin. Jester is a military veteran and Harvard law graduate. Martin has worked for the Atlanta Housing Authority and Atlanta Public Schools.
• South Fulton Mayor: A pair of City Council members, Mark Baker and Carmalitha L. Gumbs, are vying to succeed mayor khalid “Kobi” kamau, who lost last month’s election after facing criticism for his public spending.
• House District 106: Democrats Akbar Ali and Marqus Cole are vying to succeed former state Rep. Shelly Hutchinson, who resigned this summer to care for a family member.

Things to know

Good morning! Georgia’s legislative session starts in 41 days. The primary for U.S. Senate, governor and other races is in 168 days.

Here are three other things to know for today:

• The pros and cons of Cherokee County’s rapid growth are the focus of a special election for a state House seat next week, the AJC’s Michelle Baruchman reports.
• Two defendants in Carroll County were given long prison sentences last month in the first convictions under a new law aimed at punishing people for selling fentanyl that causes an overdose death, the AJC’s David Aaro reports.
• Ja’Quon Stembridge and his attorney declined to comment about his resignation from the Georgia Republican Party and on accusations posted to a social media account claiming Stembridge was attempting to meet an underage boy through a dating app, Greg Bluestein reports.

Buyer’s remorse?

(Left to right): Scott Hall, Sidney Powell, Kenneth Chesebro and Jenna Ellis took plea deals in the Georgia election interference case. (Fulton County Sheriff's Office)

Four people had already pleaded guilty as part of Fulton County’s election interference case. What happens to them now that the case has been dismissed?

Nothing. Their sentences are still in place and will be carried out, per the terms of their plea agreements.

The plea deals seemed like safe bets at the time for Kenneth Chesebro, Jenna Ellis, Scott Hall and Sidney Powell. Chesebro and Powell were set to be the first defendants to go to trial at the request of their legal teams. Instead, they pleaded guilty to lesser offenses that did not include prison time.

How were they to know that, just a few months after they pleaded guilty, the case would begin to unravel after a defense attorney revealed District Attorney Fani Willis had a romantic relationship with the lawyer she hired to prosecute the case?

Still, it’s not all bad for these defendants. Their plea agreements stipulate they will have clean criminal records once they complete their probation periods. But President Donald Trump isn’t likely to forget their deals, which could limit their opportunities in Republican politics for now.

Try again

Voters stood in long lines outside polling sites in Atlanta on Election Day in 2024. (AJC file photo)

It’s been more than two years since a federal judge decided Georgia could not stop people from handing out food, water and other things to voters waiting in line. Now, the judge will have to reconsider that decision.

U.S. District Judge J.P. Boulee made his decision in August 2023, temporarily blocking portions of Georgia’s 2021 voting law. But last year, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a new free speech ruling in an unrelated case known as Moody v. Netchoice.

Monday, the U.S. 11th Circuit Court of Appeals ordered Boulee to consider the case again, this time in light of the Supreme Court’s new precedent. It noted the new precedent might make it harder for the law’s opponents to win.

“Whatever the respective merits of the parties’ positions, we are unable to reach them,” the court wrote.

The 2021 law prompted a storm of controversy, including Major League Baseball removing the All-Star game from Atlanta. It also was the source of a story arc on the HBO show “Curb Your Enthusiasm.”

Staffing up

Wendy Davis (left) will be working with the gubernatorial campaign of former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms. She is pictured with Georgia Democratic Party Chair Charlie Bailey. (Daniel Varnado for the AJC)

Two Democratic candidates for governor are rolling out key personnel moves today.

Former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms is tapping Wendy Davis to be her deputy campaign manager and senior adviser.

Davis is a former Rome city commissioner and one-time congressional candidate who is a member of the Democratic National Committee. She was runner-up in the vote earlier this year to lead the state party.

“Wendy has tremendous experience winning elections for Democrats in all regions of Georgia, and she’ll be a major asset in leading our team to victory,” campaign manager Rashad Taylor said.

Former Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan hired Morgan Hopkins, who was most recently the press secretary for North Carolina Democratic Gov. Josh Stein. Hopkins, a Howard University graduate, also worked as communications director for the Virginia House Democrats, which flipped blue during the 2023 election.

Backup

Derek Dooley (with binder) is a Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate. (Arvin Temkar/AJC)

Republican U.S. Senate candidate Derek Dooley picked up endorsements today from two former commissioners of the Georgia Department of Public Safety.

Col. Gary Vowell and Col. Chris Wright both back Dooley, saying he would bring a focus on public safety to Washington.

Vowell said Dooley would “lead with integrity and respect,” while Wright said the Republican would serve in the Senate “with dignity and honor, and work hard to keep Georgians safe.”

Both Vowell and Wright were tapped to their former posts by Gov. Brian Kemp, one of Dooley’s most important political allies.

Listen up

AJC reporter Tamar Hallerman is a guest today on the "Politically Georgia" podcast. (Miguel Martinez/AJC)

Today on the “Politically Georgia" podcast AJC reporter Tamar Hallerman talks about the stunning decision that ended Fulton County’s election interference case against Donald Trump and his co-defendants. Then we preview today’s hotly contested runoff election in the mayor’s race in Sandy Springs.

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.

Missile strike

Former CIA Director David Petraeus was a featured speaker at the Eizenstat Memorial Lecture Series in Atlanta on Monday. (Greg Bluestein/AJC)

Former CIA Director David Petraeus, a retired general, told a crowd in Atlanta last night that he supports a congressional investigation of the Trump administration’s missile strike on an alleged drug boat in the Caribbean Sea in September.

The Washington Post reported last week that the U.S. ordered a second missile strike on the boat after the first attack failed to kill everyone.

“It’s well known to any serving or former soldier that international law says you cannot take action against someone who has surrendered or someone who has been incapacitated,” Petraeus said at the Eizenstat Memorial Lecture Series. “It should be laid out for the public, and then we’ll see where that goes.”

The White House has insisted that a Navy admiral acted “within his authority and the law” when he ordered a second strike. Lawmakers from both parties say they support an investigation.

Today in Washington

The White House revealed this year's theme for its holiday decorations on Monday: "Home is Where the Heart Is." (Evan Vucci/AP)

Happenings:

• President Donald Trump will lead a Cabinet meeting and then make an announcement from the White House.
• The House is expected to take a procedural vote on a bundle of education-related bills. Speaker Mike Johnson and members of Nevada’s delegation will host the annual U.S. Capitol Christmas tree lighting ceremony.
• The Senate will vote on more Trump nominations.

Shoutout

Beverly H. Burks is the mayor of Clarkston. (City of Clarkston)

Belated birthday: