One year in, Georgia Republicans largely stick with Donald Trump
Today’s newsletter highlights:
- Ross Sheppard launches primary campaign against state Rep. Floyd Griffin Jr.
- Derek Dooley’s U.S. Senate campaign now has a presence in all 159 counties.
- Georgia Republican Assembly endorses Colton Moore for Congress.
Trump anniversary
A year into President Donald Trump’s return to power, Georgia’s top Republicans are standing by him even as he has rattled allies at home and abroad.
Trump was sworn in to a second term a year ago today. He closed out his first year with a dizzying spate of moves: new tariff threats, the brazen removal of Venezuela’s leader and saber-rattling at Greenland that have pushed the 80-year U.S. alliance with Western Europe to the brink.
At home, illegal crossings at the southern border have dropped to new lows. Federal immigration agents have surged into Minnesota after federal troops were deployed to the streets of other U.S. cities.
Trump has dismantled government agencies, slashed the federal workforce and gutted parts of the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. He’s extended corporate and income tax cuts while cutting Medicaid and other social safety net programs.
Through it all, Georgia’s GOP elite have stuck by him. We polled leading GOP contenders for top offices, asking if there were any “red flags” with his leadership. Spoiler alert: there were none.
The three leading Republican contenders for U.S. Senate all gave him their blessings.
- U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter: “President Trump, despite being opposed by Democrats like [U.S. Sen.] Jon Ossoff at every turn, has spent the first year of his administration making Americans safer and more prosperous. … The first year of Trump’s historic administration can be summed up in four words: Promises made, promises kept.”
- U.S. Rep. Mike Collins: “Making life more affordable for Americans is a choice. Democrats broke our economy and President Trump and House Republicans are fixing their mess.”
- Former football coach Derek Dooley: “In just one year, President Trump has delivered more results than any president in my lifetime because he’s a political outsider who refuses to accept business as usual in Washington.”
In the race for governor, Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, Trump’s endorsed candidate, offered full-throated praise:
“One year in, America is respected again. Peace through strength is driving this administration — securing the border, enforcing the law, rebuilding our military, and taking decisive action to keep our communities safe. Georgia stands firmly with our President as he leads America forward.”
The two other Republicans in the governor’s race vying for a slice of Trump’s base — and a possible runoff against Jones — were more measured.
- Attorney General Chris Carr: “President Trump has delivered substantial victories on border security, the war on fentanyl, violent crime and tax cuts.”
- Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger: “As I travel the state, it’s clear that hardworking Georgians are worried their paychecks aren’t keeping up with the rising costs of groceries, property taxes, and health care. It’s my hope that the administration will remain committed to tackling the affordability crisis by reshoring good-paying jobs. President Trump wants things made in America; I want them made in Georgia.”
And then there’s Gov. Brian Kemp, whose relationship with Trump has swung from open conflict to careful détente. Once willing to criticize Trump directly, Kemp is now striking a more cautious tone. From a spokesperson:
“For four years under President Biden, Georgians struggled under the burden of runaway inflation and a flood of illegal immigration. Now, we have a federal government that partners with us instead of throwing up roadblocks, allowing us to prioritize returning money to taxpayers as we did last year and will again this year.”
Things to know
Good morning! Five Republicans and one Democrat are vying to replace former state Sen. John F. Kennedy today in a special election in Macon.
Here are three other things to know for today:
- U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., used his remarks at Monday’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day service to criticize President Donald Trump’s immigration policies, the AJC’s Jason Armesto reports.
- A commission appointed by Gov. Brian Kemp is expected to make a recommendation by Thursday on whether Democratic state Rep. Sharon Henderson should stay in office after being charged with defrauding the government, the AJC’s Michelle Baruchman reports.
- Atlanta City Council member Michael Julian Bond, son of former state Rep. Julian Bond, joined the “Politically Georgia” podcast on Monday to talk about his father’s fight to take office after his criticism of the Vietnam War, the AJC’s Natalie Mendenhall reports.
Primary decisions
State Rep. Floyd Griffin Jr. has only been in office a year. But the Milledgeville Democrat already has a primary challenge on his hands.
Ross Sheppard, a 37-year-old realtor and former Nelson Mullins lobbyist, will announce his campaign for state House District 149 later today. Griffin won the district in 2024 with 54% of the vote.
Sheppard said he is “running for the seat, not against Floyd, whatever he chooses to do.”
Griffin, a former state senator and mayor of Milledgeville, has not yet decided about his plans. But he told us he is leaning toward running again in 2026. For now, he said he’s focusing on “doing the people’s business in the House.”
Among Griffins’ priorities: putting a referendum on the ballot to repeal Georgia’s school voucher program, returning the secretary of state to the State Election Board and securing seats on the Board of Regents for Georgia’s public historically Black colleges and universities.
Griffin did not comment on Sheppard’s campaign, but said, “I respect anyone who wants to serve.”
Ground game
Georgia Republicans are racing to bulk up their campaign infrastructure. And they want voters — and their rivals — to notice.
U.S. Senate candidate Derek Dooley announced this morning his campaign now has an organized presence in all 159 Georgia counties, framing it as evidence of a growing statewide network and grassroots support.
“No other candidate has what it takes to win, and every day, the first-time candidate and political outsider is proving that he’s the best-positioned candidate in this race to defeat career politician Jon Ossoff,” said Everett Kennedy, the former football coach’s point-man in Bulloch County. (Ossoff, a Democrat, is up for reelection this year.)
Dooley’s campaign says the effort is modeled after Gov. Brian Kemp’s statewide operation — the turnout machine that mobilized low-propensity voters in Kemp’s 2018 and 2022 victories. Kemp, of course, is Dooley’s most important political ally.
U.S. Rep. Mike Collins, one of Dooley’s rivals for the Republican nomination, made a similar play earlier. He touted supporters from all of the state’s counties in the opening weeks of his campaign last year, reinforcing his bid to show statewide strength even without Kemp’s backing. He has since expanded his network of volunteers.
Down-ballot Republicans are following suit.
State Rep. Houston Gaines, the Athens Republican running for Georgia’s 10th Congressional District, announced grassroots supporters in all 20 counties in the northeast Georgia territory. He also announced he’s got more than $1.4 million cash on hand heading into 2026.
Registration gap
You know Georgia is on the political radar when one of the national party chairs comes to town in January of an election year. Over the weekend, it was Ken Martin, the chair of the Democratic National Committee, who was in the state for Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebrations.
Martin was also talking about Democrats’ current voter registration gap with Republicans across the country. To reverse the trend, Martin told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution the party is launching “When We Count,” the DNC’s largest-ever voter registration program. The seven-figure effort will include hiring young people to both register new voters and pitch them on the party’s candidates and top issues.
Although Georgia doesn’t register voters by party, Martin said the South will be a crucial focus for Democrats because U.S. Census figures show the majority of voting power will eventually shift from Northeastern and Midwestern states to Southern states like Georgia.
“Wayne Gretzky said that you have to skate to where the puck will be, not where the puck is, and that’s what we have to do here, right in Georgia and in the South,” he said.
Under the Gold Dome
The Legislature is off this week. Other happenings today:
- 10 a.m.: The House and Senate Appropriations Committees meet to review Gov. Brian Kemp’s budget proposal.
- 11:30: State Sen. Kim Jackson, D-Stone Mountain, holds news conference to discuss legislation to benefit gun violence victims.
Senate signs
Anyone stuck in traffic this week may notice some billboards from the Democratic Party of Georgia hitting the three major GOP Senate candidates over rising health insurance premiums.
The billboards in Atlanta, Athens and Savannah feature Republican Senate hopefuls U.S. Reps. Buddy Carter and Mike Collins as well as former football coach Derek Dooley. They opposed a Democratic effort to extend pandemic-era increases of federal subsidies for people who get their health insurance through the Affordable Care Act.
About 1.5 million Georgians had ACA plans last year, and many of those received the enhanced subsidies that help make the plans affordable.
“We are going to hold their feet to the fire and make Carter, Collins and Dooley own the harmful agenda they are pushing on Georgians,” Democratic Party of Georgia Chair Charlie Bailey said.
The billboards aren’t exactly breaking the bank. A spokesperson said the party is spending in the “high four figures.” But it’s a start of a major 2026 investment ahead for the all-important U.S. Senate contest.
Listen up
Today on the “Politically Georgia” podcast we break down Gov. Brian Kemp’s State of the State address. Then we discuss the escalating money wars shaping Georgia’s 2026 races.
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.
Replacing MTG
The Georgia Republican Assembly, a far-right wing of the GOP, voted over the weekend to endorse former state Sen. Colton Moore in the special election to replace Marjorie Taylor Greene in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Nine of the 17 Republicans who qualified for the March 10 election competed for this endorsement, and Moore won with 90% of the vote.
This Saturday, at least nine of the 22 candidates who qualified for the election will participate in a forum hosted by the League of Women Voters in Hiram.
Today in Washington
- President Donald Trump will sign legislation ahead of his departure for Davos, Switzerland, where he will attend the World Economic Forum.
- The House has evening votes scheduled.
- The Senate is out for the week.
Shoutouts
Today’s birthdays:
- State Rep. Gerald Greene, R-Cuthbert
Belated birthday:
- State Sen. Matt Brass, R-Newnan (was Monday).
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
The Trump administration canceled $125,000 in grant funding for the National Alliance on Mental Illness Georgia. Days later, the federal government rescinded that order with no explanation and directed the agency to continue its work.
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.
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