During Georgia visit, Wes Moore blasts Republicans ahead of Trump address

Today’s newsletter highlights:

• Buddy Carter worries about Mike Collins’ chances against Jon Ossoff.
• The U.S. Senate will take its first step toward confirming a new leader for the CDC.
• Democrats move quickly to unite behind Keisha Lance Bottoms.

Eyes on Georgia

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore enters to speak at a rally ahead of a canvassing event for Georgia gubernatorial candidate Keisha Lance Bottoms and U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff in East Point on Tuesday. (Arvin Temkar/AJC)

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore made it clear Tuesday that Georgia is a top priority for national Democrats.

Moore spoke at the opening of a Democratic field office in East Point on the same day speculation swirled in Washington that President Donald Trump planned a primetime speech that could again falsely allege that the 2020 election in Georgia was stolen.

“(Republicans) should be embarrassed,” Moore told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution in an interview. “And every one of them should be asked the question every single day: ‘Do you stand by this? Is this how the president should be spending his time?’ I don’t know how you defend this again and again.”

On the campaign front, Moore said Democrats need to invest more resources in the South, including Georgia, where he said opportunity is real for the campaigns of U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff and Keisha Lance Bottoms, the Democratic nominee for governor.

A potential 2028 presidential contender, Moore is also the first Black governor of Maryland. Bottoms would be the first Black governor of Georgia — and the first Black woman governor in America — if she wins in November.

“I am the only Black governor in America. I just don’t want that title for very long,” Moore said. “I do take some of this up personally, and that’s why I think being down here and wanting to support Keisha on this journey, it matters to me.”

Moore said that while Ossoff has proved uniquely talented at pushing back against the Trump administration, Bottoms would have a different role as a chief executive with the power to advance policy changes on healthcare, education and the economy.

“Keisha’s job is not to push back. Keisha’s job is to push forward,” he said.

Anna Marian Block, a spokesperson for the Republican Governors Association, said Moore’s trip was a sign of desperation for Georgia Democrats, not strength. “National Democrats are parachuting into Georgia because they know Keisha Lance Bottoms can’t sell her own record to Georgians.”

Things to know

Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff speaks to reporters at a rally after filing paperwork to run for his 2026 reelection campaign at Liberty Plaza next to the state Capitol in March. (Jason Getz/AJC)

Good morning! Here are three things to know for today:

• Trump is expected to level new accusations of voting machine vulnerability and foreign influence in U.S. elections, including possible new allegations involving 2020 elections in Georgia, in a primetime speech Thursday night, Greg Bluestein, Tia Mitchell and Caleb Groves report.
• Ossoff enters the general election campaign with more than $42 million in his account after raising another $20 million during the second quarter, Bluestein reports.
• Is President Donald Trump trying to lose Georgia for Republicans in 2026? Politics columnist Patricia Murphy writes he is sure acting like it.

A ‘drag’

U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter speaks during a Republican U.S. Senate debate in April. (Miguel Martinez/AJC)

U.S. Rep. Mike Collins’ former GOP rival doesn’t see much reason for optimism about the Republican’s chances against Ossoff.

U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter, the third-place finisher in the May GOP primary, offered a bleak assessment of the race during an interview with Julie Mason on SiriusXM.

“Unfortunately, our Senate candidate is way behind,” Carter said, pointing to a Fox News poll that showed Ossoff with a 13-point lead. He also said that is “a lot of ground to make up.”

And Carter warned that a “drag at the top of the ticket” could make life tougher for Republicans in downballot races.

“All of our statewide elected officials are up for reelection and it’s going to be tough,” he said. “The state Senate is in good shape. The state House, I think it’s probably going to be tight there as well.”

Carter, R-St. Simons Island, did walk some of those comments back when we followed up with him on Tuesday. He said he wants to make it clear he backs Collins as the party’s nominee and hopes that he will unseat Ossoff.

“I may have misspoken and misled people to believe that I wasn’t supporting the Republican candidate, but I am,” he said. “And you know, it’s still early, and polls will change and that race is going to tighten.”

Hot seats

Dr. Erica Schwartz is President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (Courtesy of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services)

The U.S. Senate will take its first step Wednesday toward confirming a new leader for the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee will vet Erica Schwartz, Trump’s pick to lead the CDC after the abrupt firing of former director Susan Monarez last year.

Schwartz was the deputy surgeon general during the pandemic. Now, she’s president of insurance solutions at UnitedHealth Group. If confirmed, she’s promised to resign from UnitedHealth and the boards of two other healthcare companies to avoid a conflict of interest.

Schwartz won’t be the only one in the hot seat today. During the same hearing, senators will question Sean Kaufman of Woodstock, whom Trump has nominated to be assistant secretary for preparedness and response for the Department of Health and Human Services.

Kaufman’s career includes stints at Emory and the CDC. But he’ll likely be questioned about a now-deleted LinkedIn post where he questioned giving hepatitis B vaccines to infants over fears it can be linked to autism.

Unity

Democratic nominee for Georgia governor Keisha Lance Bottoms speaks during a rally in Savannah last month. (Sarah Peacock for the AJC)

While Lt. Gov. Burt Jones is still withholding support from Republican nominee for governor Rick Jackson, Democrats are moving quickly to show their unity behind Bottoms.

Former state Sen. Jason Esteves, the runner-up to Bottoms in the May Democratic primary, left little doubt about his plans in a social media post, writing: “Well, I look forward to voting for Keisha Lance Bottoms, Jon Ossoff and Georgia Democrats up and down the ballot. Let’s go!”

Jackson’s allies aren’t panicking about Jones’ holdout.

They point to a Fox News poll conducted after the runoff that showed Jackson winning 93% of Republicans, close to Bottoms’ 95% support among Democrats.

Among self-identified MAGA Republicans, Jackson drew 98% support, compared with 96% for Collins.

Listen up

Howard Franklin is the founder and president of Ohio River South. (Courtesy)

Today on the “Politically Georgia” podcast, strategist Howard Franklin joins the show to talk about how the South is benefiting from a shift in political and economic power and what that means for Georgia when it comes to data center growth, the governor’s race and the possibility of divided government.