How an FBI raid in Georgia became a campaign opportunity for Democrats
Today’s newsletter highlights:
- State House lawmakers tone down the rhetoric.
- Angelia Pressley hopes to give Democrats a majority on the Public Service Commission.
- Court denies Brad Raffensperger’s legal challenge.
Campaign stop
For a few hours on Wednesday, the site of a massive Fulton County election-records warehouse raided by FBI agents became an impromptu campaign stop for some of Georgia’s top Democrats.
Party leaders trekked to Union City as federal authorities scoured the hangar-like facility, armed with a warrant seeking all of the county’s “physical ballots from the 2020 general election” and other records tied to President Donald Trump’s defeat.
“This is extremely alarming. Fulton County and Georgia in general are tired of being the target of Donald Trump’s narcissism,” said state Sen. Josh McLaurin, a Democratic candidate for lieutenant governor, who was among the first to arrive. “That’s all that this is about.”
As the search stretched on, he was joined by most of the Fulton County Commission, several candidates for secretary of state and about a dozen state lawmakers — all condemning the Trump administration’s effort to investigate baseless claims that the 2020 election was rigged. Others weighed in from afar.
“It’s just another disgusting attempt by Donald Trump and his administration to rewrite history,” former Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan, a one-time Trump ally who is now a Democratic candidate for governor, said on CNN. “The Trump administration shows up to kindergarten class in the West Wing every day in the morning with their crayon box, and they’re literally trying to rewrite history.”
Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff called it part of a “sore loser’s crusade.”
“From Minnesota to Georgia, on display to the whole world is a president spiraling out of control, wielding federal law enforcement as an unaccountable instrument of personal power and revenge,” he said
Across the aisle, some top Republicans stayed on the sidelines. Other Trump allies leaned into the president’s false claims of widespread election fraud.
“Georgians are about to get some long-overdue answers and learn just how right President Trump was in 2020,” U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter, a GOP contender for Senate, posted on X.
U.S. Rep. Mike Collins, another Republican running for Ossoff’s seat, posted to X, “Go get ‘em, Kash,” referring to FBI Director Kash Patel.
Notably, Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger — who oversees elections — didn’t immediately comment. Raffensperger was famously targeted by Trump in the aftermath of the 2020 election, when the president asked him to “find” enough votes to overturn the results. Raffensperger is now running for governor.
Things to know
Good morning! We’re 40 days away from the special election to replace Marjorie Taylor Greene in Congress. We’re 110 days away from the primary for U.S. Senate, governor and other offices.
Here are three other things to know for today:
- House Speaker Jon Burns has unveiled his plan to eliminate property taxes on primary single-family residences, the AJC’s David Wickert reports.
- U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is opening a new field office in College Park, the AJC’s Lautaro Grinspan reports.
- A new bill in the state Legislature would allow parents to delay enrolling their child in kindergarten if they choose, the AJC’s Martha Dalton reports.
Dial it down
Things are tense right now as political partisans battle for the ideological high ground over the Trump administration’s immigration policies. But on Wednesday, Democrats and Republicans at the state Capitol offered a pair of conciliatory gestures that seemed to turn down the temperature, at least temporarily.
First, state Rep. Eric Bell, D-Jonesboro, apologized to his colleagues for draping an “abolish ICE” flag over his back during the pledge of allegiance ahead of Tuesday’s session.
“Like America, I feel like I’m in a crisis. So in that, I acted out,” he said. “May I find better ways to show my activism and my spirit and my courage for our country and our nation.”
Then, state Rep. Beth Camp, R-Concord, and four of her Republican colleagues condemned Tuesday’s attack on U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., who was sprayed with a liquid while speaking at a town hall in Minnesota.
“When someone uses force or intimidation to silence an elected official, that is not a protest. That is terrorism,” Camp said. “We must always condemn this clearly and without qualification, no matter who the target is and no matter what their political party is.”
Camp’s comments contrasted with Trump, who when asked by ABC news if he had seen video of the attack said: “No. I don’t think about her. I think she’s a fraud.” He added: “She probably had herself sprayed, knowing her.”
Campaign watch
Democrats ended 2025 by ousting two Republicans from the Public Service Commission. This year, they’re aiming to win a majority on the five-member board that oversees power rates for millions of customers.
Angelia Pressley will formally kick off her campaign tonight in Mableton as she seeks to challenge Republican Commissioner Tricia Pridemore. If she wins and Democrat Peter Hubbard can hold his seat, it will give Democrats a 3-2 majority on the board heading into 2027.
But Pressley likely can’t count on repeating Hubbard’s winning formula from last year. That race was a special election, meaning it was the only statewide race on the ballot. Pressley will have to compete for attention and air time with some of the most well-funded campaigns in the country gunning for governor and the U.S. Senate.
“We have our work cut out for us,” she told us. “Sometimes people forget. But we are hoping they remember.”
But what the race lacks in attention it could make up for in turnout as more people will cast ballots this year. A “blue wave” could sweep Pressley into office.
“We’re hoping the issues with ICE and this administration’s policies will help people understand that Democrats have policies that reflect people and their social issues as well as their economic issues,” she said, referring to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Contribution limits
Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger has lost his legal fight against Georgia’s unequal campaign finance limits — for now.
Raffensperger challenged state laws last month that let Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, one of his main rivals for the Republican nomination for governor, raise unlimited amounts of campaign cash. Raffensperger’s campaign is subject to contribution limits.
The reason is the state Legislature passed a law in 2021 that lets Jones and a few others chair independent campaign committees that are exempt from contribution limits and other rules that prohibit candidates from raising money while the state Legislature is in session.
Raffensperger’s lawsuit, if successful, could eventually undermine all contribution limits for state offices.
On Tuesday, a federal judge rejected Raffensperger’s request for a preliminary injunction scrapping such limits. U.S. District Judge Eleanor Ross found Georgia’s law likely establishes an unconstitutional two-tiered system of contribution limits. But she noted Raffensperger did not challenge that statute — he challenged another Georgia law establishing contribution limits.
The case isn’t over because Raffensperger has appealed the decision. Stay tuned.
Under the Gold Dome
It’s day nine of the legislative session. Some happenings:
- 8 a.m.: State Forester Johnny Sabo testifies before the House Natural Resources and Environment Committee.
- 10 a.m.: House and Senate convene.
Listen up
Today on the “Politically Georgia” podcast state Reps. Clint Crowe, R-Jackson, and Yasmin Neal, D-Jonesboro, both former police detectives, speak with AJC reporters Michelle Baruchman and Maya T. Prabu about the recent shooting deaths of two people in Minnesota by federal immigration officers.
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.
Countdown to shutdown
Around lunchtime, the U.S. Senate will take a key procedural vote on a government funding package. If it doesn’t get at least 60 votes, the probability of a partial government shutdown on Friday night increases drastically.
Democrats, including Georgia’s U.S. Sens. Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock, have vowed to vote against the package unless funding for the Department of Homeland Security is stripped out or policy changes for immigration enforcement are added in. Despite several days of negotiations, Democrats and Republicans have not reached an agreement.
Meanwhile, roughly three-fourths of the House Democratic conference has signed onto a bill to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, whose rhetoric after the shooting deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti has been described as inaccurate and misleading.
So far, two Georgia Democrats are among the 158 cosponsors: U.S. Reps. Hank Johnson of Lithonia and Nikema Williams of Atlanta.
If all Democrats sign on and a couple of Republicans join them, it would force a vote on the measure through a discharge petition.
Today in Washington
Happenings:
- President Donald Trump will hold a Cabinet meeting then attend a screening of the “Melania” documentary at the Kennedy Center.
- The House is out this week.
- The Senate will take a procedural vote on the appropriations “minibus” bill.
Clarification
We told you yesterday that DeKalb County school officials had mostly let students protest the Trump administration’s immigration policies without punishment. But DeKalb County School District Interim Superintendent Norman Sauce III sent a letter to parents on Tuesday warning students could be disciplined for walkouts that disrupt the school day. The letter was first reported by Decaturish.
Shoutouts
- State Rep. Akbar Ali, D-Lawrenceville.
- State Rep. Darlene Taylor, R-Thomasville.
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
City of Ocilla officials cut off the water to Irwin County Hospital for unpaid bills, prompting a call by the public for donations.
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.
