6 takeaways from a hectic Crossover Day in the Georgia Legislature
Today’s newsletter highlights
- Burt Jones launches a mobile billboard criticizing Rick Jackson.
- Josh McLaurin lines up legislative endorsements for lieutenant governor.
- Democrats blame President Donald Trump for SK Battery layoffs in Commerce.
Crossover takeaways
Crossover Day turned into crossover days last week as lawmakers worked well past midnight to pass bills ahead of a key legislative deadline.
There’s still nearly a month left before the final gavel, and plenty could change. But here are a few takeaways from the marathon moment:
- The House stood its ground. Lt. Gov. Burt Jones’ allies pushed a bill that could have complicated billionaire Rick Jackson’s run for governor. At first it looked like a messaging tactic to highlight how Jackson’s health care firm received more than $1 billion in payments by state agencies since 2020. But by Friday, pressure was mounting to move the bill, which would restrict Georgians with state contracts from seeking statewide office. House Speaker Jon Burns ultimately declined to call it for a vote. Still, nothing is ever truly dead under the Gold Dome. The measure could resurface as a bargaining chip in the end-of-session horse-trading.
- All bets are off. Nothing is ever dead under the Gold Dome until the final gavel is banged, but you can put a nail in the coffin of sports betting this year. Lawmakers have debated the issue for eight years. On Friday night, the House finally voted on it for the first time — and overwhelmingly rejected it 63-98. Some lawmakers worry it condones a vice. Others object to how the revenue would be spent, or the ways it would be regulated. Either way, the effort is finished for the year, leaving Georgia among a shrinking number of states without legalized sports betting — even as many residents continue to wager through other channels.
- Adopting an election overhaul will be even harder than expected. A bill that would have scrapped Georgia’s touchscreen voting system and replaced it with a paper ballot process failed after seven GOP senators skipped the vote following warnings of chaos and confusion. The bill’s failure was a foregone conclusion even during the debate, when legislators alluded to its impending doom. Now lawmakers must figure out how to comply with a state law mandating the removal of computer QR codes from ballots this year — or wait for a judge to do it for them.
- Democrats are killing the clock. On some crossover days, Democrats rise to object only on the most contentious bills. This year, the party’s leaders filed dozens of “minority reports” throughout the day. They made it clear they would force Republicans to defend a gamut of measures, many that had hardly garnered attention. There were no walkouts or theatrical protests, but Democrats used the maneuver to hammer GOP leaders over the state’s economic challenges.
- Fani Willis remains a top target. Republicans still don’t like Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis after she led a now-dismissed election interference case against President Donald Trump and his allies. But two measures widely seen as retaliation failed to advance. One would have made district attorneys in five metro Atlanta counties nonpartisan offices. Another would have created statewide grand juries for election crimes. Still, lawmakers did approve a bill expanding the grounds for disciplining or removing prosecutors, including showing “undue bias or prejudice” against the target of the prosecution.
- No appetite for lemon pepper. Georgia has a state crop (peanut), a state stew (Brunswick) and even a state bread (cornbread). But lawmakers balked at naming lemon pepper the official chicken wing flavor. State Rep. Eric Bell made his pitch — even bringing trays of wings to the Capitol last month — but the bill never got a vote.
Things to know
Good morning. We’re just one day away from a special election to replace Marjorie Taylor Greene in Congress. The primary for U.S. Senate, governor and other races is in 71 days. Here are three other things to know for today:
- Democratic U.S. Sens. Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock are backing legislation that would bar companies that own more than 350 rental homes from purchasing more, Tia Mitchell reports.
- Senior Georgia Republican leaders are taking a more active role in shaping the fields of the state’s open U.S. House races, Greg Bluestein reports.
- State lawmakers took aim at property taxes, data centers and district attorneys during last week’s hectic Crossover Day, the AJC’s David Wickert and Caleb Groves report.
Getting personal
Lawmakers aren’t supposed to get personal on the Senate floor. But state Sen. Matt Brass couldn’t help himself on Friday.
The Republican from Newnan was defending a bill aimed at reining in power bill increases when he took a detour to question the mental state of a former Democratic candidate for the Public Service Commission.
“You can listen to some lady who got caught stealing trade secrets and who has posted bad stuff about me online all day, and she’s insane, she is literally insane,” Brass said.
While he didn’t use her name, it was clear he was talking about Patty Durand, founder of Georgians for Affordable Energy and a longtime critic of Georgia Power Co. Durand was arrested in December after she was caught taking some Georgia Power documents during a break in a Public Service Commission hearing. The company said the documents contained trade secrets. Durand was ultimately not prosecuted. But on Friday, Brass said she should be jailed.
Durand had accused Brass of watering down the bill to help Georgia Power. She even called him a “wolf in sheep’s clothing” in the Feb. 13 edition of her weekly newsletter.
“Calling critics ‘insane’ on the Senate floor does not change the facts,” Durand told us. “Republicans, led by Sen. Brass, once again did not pass legislation to prevent utilities from shifting data center costs onto utility bills.”
State Sen. Kim Jackson, D-Stone Mountain, chastised Brass for his comments. But Brass deflected, saying Democratic Senators have used the same language to attack President Donald Trump.
Billboard blitz
Campaigns are increasingly embracing artificial intelligence and sophisticated digital targeting in the Georgia race for governor. But Lt. Gov. Burt Jones’ campaign is also turning to a familiar playbook: attack microsites and mobile billboards.
His campaign on Monday launched a mobile billboard circulating throughout metro Atlanta directing voters to SlickRickJackson.com, a website targeting GOP rival Rick Jackson.
“Rick Jackson has spent millions trying to buy this race and reinvent himself as a conservative — but his record tells a very different story,” Jones spokesperson Kayla Lott said in a statement.
The billboard is scheduled to roll through metro Atlanta from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., another sign that even in an era of high-tech campaigning, some old-school political tactics still have plenty of mileage.
Circling the wagons
State Sen. Nabilah Parkes shook up the Democratic field when she switched from the insurance commissioner’s race to the contest for lieutenant governor. Now her rival is quickly lining up endorsements from fellow Democrats, signaling he has growing support from their legislative colleagues.
State Sen. Josh McLaurin, D-Sandy Springs, said Monday he has the backing of 18 additional legislators since the field was set Friday, bringing his total to more than 50 legislative endorsements. He also announced Jason Carter, the party’s 2014 nominee for governor, endorsed his bid.
The show of support is meant to signal that many Democratic leaders aren’t thrilled with Parkes’ late switch into the race.
“The consensus we are building for the campaign is a preview of the kind of collaboration Georgia Democrats will employ with success next year when we govern Georgia for the first time in two decades,” McLaurin said.
Under the Gold Dome
It’s Day 29 of the legislative session. Some happenings:
- 9 a.m.: House Appropriations subcommittees meet to discuss the 2027 operating budget.
- 10:15 a.m.: House Appropriations Committee meets to vote on the 2027 operating budget.
- 1 p.m. Senate convenes
Peace protest
Capitol denizens are familiar with Jeff Jones, a Unitarian Universalist minister from Smyrna who has committed to standing outside the Legislature every day holding a sign declaring “immigrants make Georgia great.” But last week he suddenly swapped his sign for a different message: “peace.”
“I’m deeply troubled by the war that we’ve started,” he said, referring to President Donald Trump’s decision to team up with Israel to launch military strikes on Iran.
Early polls on the strikes show Jones isn’t in the minority. A Reuters poll found only 1 in 4 Americans approve of the strikes. A CNN poll found 59% of Americans disapprove.
But Georgia’s Republican leaders have so far stood by the president. Most people greeted Jones warmly last week as he took his solitary place by a side door often frequented by lawmakers and lobbyists.
He’s not expecting to change any minds. Instead, he wants to “plant seeds.”
“Why aren’t we talking about this?” he asked.
Listen up
Today on the “Politically Georgia” podcast we answer questions from listeners about Georgia’s crowded race for governor, Atlanta’s chances to host the 2028 Democratic National Convention and more.
You can listen and subscribe to Politically Georgia for free on 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 speak the U.S. House Republicans’ annual issues conference in Doral, Florida.
- The House has no votes scheduled this week.
- The Senate will consider more Trump nominations.
- U.S. Rep. Nikema Williams, D-Atlanta, will host an event at Morehouse School of Medicine celebrating the $950,000 in federal funding awarded for its new academic and research building.
Layoff notice
SK Battery America notified state officials Friday that it laid off nearly 1,000 employees in light of President Donald Trump’s slashing of green energy programs, the AJC’s Mirtha Donastorg reported.
The Korean electric vehicle battery manufacturer said the layoffs at its Commerce plant about 70 miles northeast of Atlanta represent more than a third of its workforce.
Democrats blamed Trump, saying his push for legislation that rolled back incentives for electric vehicle manufacturers had cost workers their jobs.
“They deserve better than this,” U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock said in a statement. “The administration in Washington has decided to put politics over people and slash the clean energy investments that helped bring these good-paying manufacturing jobs to our state.”
Former Atlanta mayor and Democratic candidate for governor Keisha Lance Bottoms said in a statement the layoffs are a “direct result of Donald Trump’s reckless actions.”
Another gubernatorial candidate, former state Sen. Jason Esteves, accused Trump of killing opportunities for workers.
“My heart goes out to the nearly 1,000 hardworking Georgians who lost their jobs today because Trump and Republican state leaders have failed to live up to their promises,” Esteves said.
Shoutouts
Today’s birthday:
- Coleman Loftin, senior manager of government relations for the Cobb Chamber.
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
State Rep. Park Cannon, D-Atlanta, did not file to run for reelection. Cannon is secretary of the House minority caucus.
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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