New Burt Jones ad gives Rick Jackson a political makeover
Today’s newsletter highlights
- Kamala Harris weighs in on Georgia’s Supreme Court races.
- A spicy showdown on day one of the Atlanta Press Club’s debate marathon.
- Early voting begins for the May 19 primary.
Debate-day attack ad
Lt. Gov. Burt Jones is getting personal with a debate-day attack ad that takes aim at both Rick Jackson’s face and his political record.
The new “Facelift” spot opens with a swipe at Jackson’s looks, saying that “some makeovers are only skin deep.”
It then pivots to the sharper political attacks that have defined this bitter GOP feud, including accusations that he’s a closet liberal and Never Trumper.
Its closing line: “You can change the face, but you can’t erase the record.”
The timing, of course, is no coincidence.
Jones’ campaign dropped the ad hours before today’s Atlanta Press Club debate — an effort to get under Jackson’s skin and remind voters this race is getting uglier by the day.
Things to know
Good morning! Here are three things to know for today:
- Georgia is the top state for federal immigration enforcement, the AJC’s Lautaro Grinspan reports.
- Early voting for the primary elections begins today. Greg Bluestein writes all of the races on the May 19 ballot have one thing in common: President Donald Trump.
- Georgia’s state-funded preschool program is available for free for all 4-year-olds. The AJC’s Cassidy Alexander reports some education advocates hope to see the program expand to include 3-year-olds.
Fireworks
If anyone thought the Democratic race for lieutenant governor would be a sleepy affair, state Sen. Josh McLaurin and former state Sen. Nabilah Parkes had other ideas.
Parkes defended her decision to step down from the Senate and mount a surprise campaign for lieutenant governor with a stinging critique of McLaurin’s candidacy during Sunday’s Atlanta Press Club debate.
“I spent a year hoping you would put a real campaign together, but you haven’t. You’ve been running a state House campaign for lieutenant governor,” she said. “And frankly, you don’t have the horsepower to take down a Greg Dolezal or a Blake Tillery in a general election.”
McLaurin answered with a broadside of his own, calling Parkes a phony candidate.
“I don’t think you actually want this job,” he said. “I think you don’t really want to meet with voters or go pound the pavement and do real democracy. I think you think that this is a game.”
Epstein enters
One of the spiciest showdowns on the first day of the Atlanta Press Club debates came in the Republican race for lieutenant governor, where candidates showed little hesitation about going on offense.
The most memorable moment came when state Sen. Blake Tillery invoked the so-called “Epstein amendment” he helped champion to force greater disclosure of harassment and abuse records and name the current and former state lawmakers involved in them.
The legislation passed the House and Senate and is still awaiting Gov. Brian Kemp’s signature. But Tillery pressed the issue on stage.
He challenged former state Sen. John F. Kennedy, state Sens. Greg Dolezal and Steve Gooch, and state Rep. David Clark to sign waivers he crafted to “immediately make any record in your possession related to any sexual harassment claim involving me available to Open Records and public disclosure.”
All four did so after the debate, along with Tillery.
Voter guide
Early voting starts today for the May 19 primary for U.S. Senate, governor and other races. Attorney General Chris Carr, a Republican running for governor, will vote this morning in Dunwoody. Former state Sen. Jason Esteves, a Democrat running for governor, will vote later this afternoon in Atlanta.
Early voting continues until May 15. But don’t go into the booth unprepared. Check out the AJC’s Voter Guide. We’ve compiled all of our election coverage in once place, including a special page listing all of the major candidates for U.S. Senate and governor.
We’ll have lots more coverage of the primary and the November general election throughout the year. Have a question about the election? All you have to do is ask us. Fill out a form below with your question. We’ll answer select questions in the weeks and months ahead.
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Crypto for Clark
The race for the late U.S. Rep. David Scott’s 13th Congressional District seat has gotten the attention of the pro-crypto PAC Protect Progress.
The Silicon Valley group has recently pumped more than $2 million into the contest to support state Rep. Jasmine Clark, a Democrat from Lilburn. It’s part of a $200 million commitment its parent group, Fairshake, has promised to put into 2026 races across the country to put pro-crypto lawmakers in Congress.
Clark’s campaign manager, Jake Field, said, “We have no control, and legally no say, in what any outside group may do in this race.” He added that Clark is focused on running a grassroots campaign, has more than 23,000 small dollar donors, and has always supported ending Citizens United and “getting big money out of politics.”
Speaking of big money, Protect Progress is backed by billionaire venture capitalists Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz, along with Coinbase, and Ripple Labs AH Capital Management.
Point made
The president of the University of Georgia’s Turning Point USA chapter resigned days after Vice President JD Vance headlined a sparsely attended rally in Athens.
Caroline Mattox posted on social media she was stepping down as chapter president, saying she could no longer represent an organization she believes has drifted from the mission that made it a powerhouse on college campuses.
“While I am grateful for the experiences, lessons and people this chapter has brought me, I can no longer, in good conscience, continue to represent an organization that I believe has strayed so far from its original purpose and principles,” she wrote.
Her public break came just over a week after Vance’s April 14 appearance at Akins Ford Arena, where thousands of seats were left unfilled despite weeks of promotion.
The event was meant to energize younger conservatives in a key battleground state. Instead, it exposed strains inside a movement still adjusting after Charlie Kirk’s assassination last year and the leadership handoff to CEO Erika Kirk.
She was scheduled to appear with Vance but canceled after what organizers described as security threats. Multiple national outlets later reported there were no credible threats to Kirk’s safety at the event, which Vance still attended.
Listen up
Today on the “Politically Georgia” podcast we answer questions from listeners about the flood of campaign ads in Georgia’s governor’s race.
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.
All hands
Gov. Brian Kemp on Friday toured areas affected by a South Georgia wildfire that has burned 21,000 acres and more than 100 structures. But Kemp wasn’t the only elected official on the scene.
At a news conference following the tour, Kemp was flanked by Agriculture Commissioner Tyler Harper, Jones, Insurance Commissioner John King and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger. All are running for office this year. Jones and Raffensperger are vying for governor while Harper and King are running for reelection.
Speaking afterward, Jones called the wildfire “the worst thing that could happen” for local residents and that the difficult-to-contain blaze is proof that Mother Nature can better even the best plans and preparations made by man.
Raffensperger did not tour the county alongside the governor but traveled down from Savannah, where he was attending a convention, to show his support for residents and for the firefighters and other public safety pros working to extinguish the fire.
Today in Washington
- Trump and first lady Melania Trump will host King Charles III and Queen Camilla of the United Kingdom at the White House.
- The House has evening votes scheduled.
- The Senate will vote on a Trump nomination.
WHCD fallout
Members of Congress will return to a shaken Washington today after a gunman stormed past metal detectors outside the White House Correspondents Association’s annual dinner on Saturday while Trump, members of his Cabinet, hundreds of journalists and others celebrities and dignitaries were inside.
Luckily, the only known injury is one Secret Service agent whose bulletproof vest and phone prevented the worst from happening.
Still, the close call will lead to new conversations about security and worsening political rhetoric. But it could also have a direct impact on how some legislation pending before Congress unfolds.
The Senate has taken the first step in ending the partial government shutdown affecting the Department of Homeland Security by moving forward with drafting a reconciliation bill that would allocate $70 billion for immigration enforcement. This is part one of a two-step process that would also require Congress to pass legislation funding the rest of DHS, including agencies like the Secret Service, Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Transportation Security Administration.
But some House Republicans are not happy with the reconciliation bill taking shape, and they want to tack on money for unrelated issues like election security or tax cuts.
And now, some Republicans say the WHCD shooting justifies adding money for Trump’s fortified White House ballroom to the legislation. But anything beyond DHS funding would make the process of passing a filibuster-proof reconciliation bill tougher and could prolong the shutdown.
Poll watch
A new InsiderAdvantage survey of 800 likely GOP primary voters shows Jackson with a lead in the race for governor, while U.S. Rep. Mike Collins tops a competitive Senate primary. The poll has a margin of error of 3.5 percentage points.
Jackson leads the governor’s field with 32%, followed by Jones at 25%. Raffensperger is at 11%, with Carr at 6%. Roughly 23% are undecided.
In the Senate race, Collins posts 27%, narrowly ahead of U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter at 24%. Former football coach Derek Dooley is at 16%, while 29% remain undecided.
And in the Republican contest for lieutenant governor, Kennedy leads with 32%. Dolezal follows at 14%, with Tillery at 13%.
Shoutout
Today’s birthday:
- State Rep. Tangie Herring, D-Macon.
Want a birthday shoutout in the Politically Georgia newsletter? There’s a form for that. It’s not just birthdays. We’re also interested in new jobs, engagements, birth announcements, etc.
Before you go
Former Vice President Kamala Harris endorsed Jen Jordan and Miracle Rankin for the Georgia Supreme Court. Jordan is challenging Presiding Justice Sarah Warren while Rankin is running against Justice Charlie Bethel.
That’ll do it for us today. As always, you can send your best scoops, gossip and insider information 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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