Following runoffs, early clashes preview heated fall campaign

Today’s newsletter highlights

• Doug McKillip’s comeback attempt is over.
• A preview of Wednesday’s special legislative session.
• Democrats appear to avoid disaster in an Atlanta state Senate district.

Battle lines drawn

U.S. Rep. Mike Collins speaks to supporters at his watch party after winning the Republican U.S. Senate nomination on Tuesday. Collins will face Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff in the November election. (Miguel Martinez/AJC)

The runoffs ended Tuesday night. The general election began about five seconds later.

Fresh off his upset victory, Republican gubernatorial nominee Rick Jackson wasted little time unloading on his Democratic opponent Keisha Lance Bottoms, calling her an “absolute disaster” and accusing her of abandoning Atlanta when it needed leadership most.

“She hopes Georgians forget what happened when she was in charge. I won’t let them” Jackson said.

Bottoms fired back just as quickly, portraying Jackson as an out-of-touch billionaire more interested in his own fortune than the challenges facing Georgia families.

The Senate race followed an even sharper script. Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff branded Republican nominee Mike Collins “a notorious bigot, antisemite, and extremist currently under federal investigation for the illegal misuse of tax dollars.” Ossoff’s campaign also released a video portraying Collins as a scandal-plagued Trump loyalist who “who rode his daddy’s name from business to Congress.”

The Democratic Party’s campaign arm for Senate races quickly launched a digital ad tying Collins to some of President Donald Trump’s most controversial policies.

“Mike Collins will fall in line with Trump every time, even when his policies hurt Georgia,” Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee spokesperson Maddy McDaniel said in a statement accompanying the spot’s release.

Collins responded with a rallying cry to unite Republicans around a single goal: defeating Ossoff and returning the seat to GOP hands.

The early exchanges offered a preview of the fall campaign. But the runoff results also revealed how the nominees got here.

In the first round of voting, Jackson and Jones split metro Atlanta. But in the runoff, Jackson dominated the region, more than offsetting Jones’ strength across rural Georgia.

Collins took a different path. He lost much of metro Atlanta to Derek Dooley but ran up huge margins in rural counties and held his own in the fast-growing exurbs.

Perhaps most important, Collins decisively carried U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter’s coastal Georgia stronghold, home to one of the largest blocs of runoff voters up for grabs.

“We’re gonna win this race,” Collins declared in his runoff victory speech. “We have the hardworking people of Georgia on our side.”

Things to know

Gov. Brian Kemp addresses supporters while campaigning for U.S. Senate candidate Derek Dooley in downtown Carrollton on Monday. (Miguel Martinez/AJC)

Good morning! Here are four things to know for today.

• Trump quickly pivoted to Jackson early Wednesday morning, posting on Truth Social that Jackson “very successfully campaigned on being “TRUMP,” and won. He will be your next Governor of Georgia. Can’t wait!”
• Mo Ivory ousted Robb Pitts as chair of the Fulton County Commission on Tuesday in what could be the end of Pitts’ more than 40-year political career, the AJC’s Reed Williams reports.
• Gov. Brian Kemp wasn’t on the ballot on Tuesday. But voters rebuked his vision for the future of Georgia’s Republican Party, writes Greg Bluestein.
• The November general election matchups are set. Here’s a rundown of the biggest races.

Staying power

State Sen. Greg Dolezal, the Republican nominee for lieutenant governor, seen here greeting state Sen. RaShaun Kemp, D-Atlanta, at the Georgia Capitol last year. (Arvin Temkar/AJC)

Tuesday’s runoffs for lieutenant governor featured four state senators on different strategies. Two of them resigned their seats to focus fully on their campaigns while the others opted to stay in office despite limitations on their fundraising.

Turns out, staying was the right move.

Republican Greg Dolezal and Democrat Josh McLaurin both won their primaries without giving up their Senate seats. Dolezal defeated John F. Kennedy, who resigned in December, while McLaurin topped Nabilah Parkes, who stepped down in March.

Dolezal and McLaurin can congratulate each other on the Senate floor today when lawmakers convene a special session.

Party switching fails

Doug McKillip, seen here at state Capitol in 2020 back when he was a state lawmaker. (Jason Getz/AJC)

Doug McKillip’s comeback attempt is over.

The former House Democratic Caucus leader was trying to return to the state Capitol, this time as a MAGA state senator. But McKillip lost Tuesday’s Republican primary runoff to Walton County GOP Chair Marc McMain.

It was a tough election year for party-switchers. Former Republican Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan lost his bid for governor as a Democrat last month. And on Tuesday, former Democratic state Rep. Vernon Jones lost his Republican campaign for secretary of state.

Democratic scare

Turnout in Tuesday's races was dominated by Republican voters, who were motivated to cast ballots to decide high-profile nominations for governor and U.S. Senate. (Ben Gray for the AJC)

Democrats avoided a disaster in an Atlanta state Senate district.

Democrat Adrienne White had a narrow lead over Republican Aizaz Shaikh in a special election to fulfill Parkes’ unexpired term.

Normally, Democrats would expect an easy win in this district. But turnout in Tuesday’s races was dominated by Republican voters, who were motivated to cast ballots to decide high-profile nominations for governor and U.S. Senate. Democratic turnout was lower, as their top nominees had already been decided last month.

White won with just over 51% of the vote.

Listen up

Gov. Brian Kemp speaks at the annual Georgia Chamber Eggs & Issues breakfast at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in January. (Arvin Temkar/AJC)

Today on the “Politically Georgia” podcast we break down Tuesday’s election results and what they say about Kemp.

You can listen and subscribe to “Politically Georgia” for free on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube 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.

Special session

Members of the Georgia House of Representatives on final day of the legislative session in April. (Jason Getz/AJC)

It felt like Jackson’s win was the final nail in the coffin for a push to redraw political boundaries during the special session that kicks off this afternoon.

State lawmakers will still meet after Kemp summoned them to resolve an impasse over how Georgia counts ballots.

But lawmakers have been increasingly uncomfortable for weeks with Kemp’s additional call to overhaul the congressional and legislative boundaries after the U.S. Supreme Court weakened the Voting Rights Act. Democrats staunchly oppose the idea, and a growing number of Republicans are worried that using the session to dilute Black voting power would only further energize their rivals.

Had Jones won, he would have been under pressure from the White House to push forward with the redraw. And Kemp might have felt more emboldened, too. Instead, a contingent of House Republicans — some of whom backed Jackson — feel the momentum is on their side.

The special session doesn’t kick off until 2 p.m., but prepare for redistricting opponents to turn up the heat first thing this morning.

Black faith leaders and civil rights and progressive groups have several events planned, including an interfaith prayer service at Big Bethel AME Church in downtown Atlanta, news conferences and an “pilgrimage walk” to the Capitol.

Last night, House Minority Leader Carolyn Hugley, D-Columbus, provided another preview of what her party’s response would look like. In a “dear colleague” letter, she urged her colleagues in the Democratic caucus to stay united as they “contest these maps at every step, with every tool the law and rules allow.”

“We will force every member of the majority to cast a recorded vote, by name, on every motion and every map — a permanent public record of who did this and how,” Hugley said. “We will demand the hearings, the public testimony, and the community-impact analysis they would rather skip and make them vote each one down in the open.”

Today in Washington

• Trump will attend the final day of G7 meetings in France.
• The House is out this week.
• The Senate will vote on more Trump nominations.
• New Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh will hold a news conference to share any decisions on interest rates.

Life with MTG

Former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene was first elected in 2020 to represent Georgia's 14th Congressional District. (Ben Gray for the AJC)

Former Georgia U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene has entered the world of vloggers documenting their life for the world to consume.

The first episode of “Life with MTG” drops on her various social media platforms today at 10 a.m.

A teaser she posted ahead of the launch indicated the episodes will include her thoughts about current events and politics, but there could also be some peeks into her personal life as she plans a wedding.