Endorsements, absences and the Braves: Takeaways from Trump’s Cobb County visit
Today’s newsletter highlights:
- State lawmakers talk property taxes to prepare for next year’s legislative session.
- Lucy McBath endorses Everton Blair in next week’s special election for Congress.
- Raphael Warnock has a plan for what Congress should do should Democrats win control of the U.S. House or Senate.
Rally over rollout
President Donald Trump swept into deep-blue Cobb County on Wednesday for a visit that was billed as a policy rollout but unfolded as a full-blown campaign rally.
He spent only a sliver of his roughly 75 minute speech discussing the official purpose of the stop, the Trump Account saving vehicles for children. The rest ranged from issues like immigration enforcement and Georgia’s marquee races to more surprising chatter about the hometown baseball team.
His Republican allies followed the same playbook. Here are a few takeaways:
The no-show. U.S. Rep. Mike Collins confirmed he would attend almost as soon as the event was announced. His allies viewed the speech as an important moment for a campaign struggling to gain traction against Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff.
So it came as a surprise when Collins announced shortly before Trump’s appearance that he would remain in Washington for congressional votes.
Trump took the blame for what he called “the most important man” missing from the rally, saying the congressman was needed in Washington to protect the GOP’s razor-thin House majority during crucial votes on military policy and funding. Still, Collins lost a valuable chance to share the stage with Trump at a moment when his campaign could use the boost.
The rally beneath the rollout. Whatever the White House called it, this was no policy-driven official event.
Before Trump took the stage to warn about communism and mock Ossoff as a Pee-wee Herman look-alike, a procession of state and federal officials took turns bashing Democrats.
Some of the loudest jeers came when Small Business Administration Chief Kelly Loeffler, the former Georgia U.S. senator, criticized Democrats for opposing the GOP tax-and-spending law.
“Thankfully, President Trump had our backs,” she said.
The money pledge. Trump may have spent little time on Trump Accounts, but his allies stayed closer to the script.
Most notably, billionaire and Republican nominee for governor Rick Jackson caused a stir when he pledged to push for the state to match the $1,000 federal contribution some children receive. And if lawmakers refuse, Jackson said, he was willing to dip into his own vast fortune to pay for it.
Downballot debuts. State Sens. Greg Dolezal and Brian Strickland, the Republican nominees for lieutenant governor and attorney general, respectively, delivered what may have been the most important speeches of their political careers. And both were unequivocally endorsed by Trump when he took the stage.
That could help them consolidate Republican support. It also gave their Democratic rivals fresh ammunition.
State Sen. Josh McLaurin, the Democratic nominee for lieutenant governor, condemned the “full-on MAGA rally” and mocked Dolezal for practicing a brand of “exhausting scorched-earth politics.”
And state Rep. Tanya Miller, the Democratic nominee for attorney general, was only too happy to blast an email to supporters alerting them to Trump’s “resounding endorsement” of Strickland.
“Brian Strickland’s only credential is his promise to be Donald Trump’s lawyer, not the people’s lawyer,” it read.
The Braves interlude. One of the afternoon’s more surreal moments came when Trump summoned Braves executive Mike Plant and former manager Brian Snitker to the stage.
Plant offered the president a future roster spot, saying “when you’re done throwing four-seam fastballs for the United States of America, come back and do it for the Atlanta Braves.”
Trump was tickled: “That’s a great team. You watch, you suffer with these teams for years and years. And these guys, every year they have a great team. So, that’s called talent. Some people have it, some people don’t.”
Things to know
Good morning! Here are three things to know for today:
- The creator of software used by conservative activists to challenge voter registrations they view as suspect is pitching a new program ahead of the 2026 midterm elections, Caleb Groves reports.
- Jackson’s penchant for emotional moments may also be what convinces Georgia voters to elect him governor, Patricia Murphy writes.
- A German social media star whose trip through America for the World Cup has captivated the internet spent one of his last days in the country with U.S. Rep. Clay Fuller, Tia Mitchell reports.
Tax talk
Georgia lawmakers spent much of this year’s legislative session — and most of last month’s special session — debating property tax proposals. And they’re not done yet.
On Wednesday, the state House of Representatives’ Blue-Ribbon Study Committee on Local Government Taxation, Funding and Budgeting held its first meeting in Cartersville. As the committee’s name implies, its mission goes beyond property taxes.
The panel heard testimony about franchise fees that utilities pay to cities (but, for the most part, not to counties). Future meetings will touch on issues ranging from fees and sales taxes that pay for local government services to financial audits.
But property taxes are the primary way that counties, cities and school districts pay for everything from police and fire protection to teachers’ salaries. And given Georgia House Speaker Jon Burns’ desire to eliminate property taxes on homesteads — primary single-family homes — the committee seems certain to recommend legislation that goes beyond the more modest relief that passed the General Assembly this year.
The committee is expected to make its recommendations in time for next year’s legislative session. In the meantime, property taxes will be a hot topic in this year’s legislative elections.
Special election
U.S. Rep. Lucy McBath endorsed Democrat Everton Blair in next week’s special election to fill the remainder of the late U.S. Rep. David Scott’s term.
“I know what it means to turn personal conviction into public action — and that’s exactly what Everton Blair has done his entire career,” McBath said. “He grew up in this district, fought for its students as the youngest and first person of color ever elected to lead the Gwinnett County School Board, and he never stopped pushing for the families who needed a champion most.”
The endorsement gives Blair a prominent backer ahead of the Tuesday vote as he seeks to represent the safely Democratic district for the rest of Scott’s term before voters choose a full two-year term in November. State Rep. Jasmine Clark is the party’s pick for that election.
Blair, the former Gwinnett County school board chair, faces Scott’s daughter, Marcye Scott, and four other contenders in the election.
Scott had endorsements from U.S. Rep. Nikema Williams, Ambassador Andrew Young and a host of local elected officials in the district.
Listen up
Today on the “Politically Georgia” podcast, we’re recapping Trump’s Georgia event and what it meant for Georgia Republicans to have him in town.
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.
Voting rights
U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock is already looking ahead to what the next session of Congress might tackle if Democrats take control of the U.S. House or Senate. He released a white paper on Wednesday outlining what he thinks the party should do to protect voting rights in the months ahead.
His plan includes:
- Investigating state officials to identify if any laws were broken as maps were redrawn to benefit political parties
- Banning partisan gerrymandering
- Passing new campaign finance laws to limit big money donors
- Pass a constitutional amendment on voting rights and granting statehood to the District of Columbia and other territories.
“Democrats have a responsibility to our constituents,” Warnock, an Atlanta Democrat, said. “We have a responsibility to this country. We have a moral responsibility to do something on voting rights, and we can start doing that even if we get one or both houses in the fall.”
Today in Washington
- Trump will visit the Environmental Protection Agency offices to make an announcement on an initiative requiring companies to shoulder more of the cost of providing electricity to data centers. He will also host an event at the White House celebrating the World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers and meet with Callista Gingrich, the U.S. ambassador to Switzerland and Liechtenstein, and her husband, Newt Gingrich, the former U.S. House speaker.
- The House will vote on a bill sponsored by U.S. Rep. Austin Scott reauthorizing a program intended to provide job opportunities for disabled Americans. There also could be a vote on a war powers resolution to limit strikes in Iran.
- The Senate will vote on more Trump nominations and a war powers resolution to limit strikes in Iran.
Shoutouts
Today’s birthdays:
- U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock
- Ryan Mahoney, president and senior strategist of Sugarcane Strategies
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
Democratic leaders are meeting this week to debate the 2028 presidential primary calendar. Georgia Democrats want the state to move up in the calendar, but a state law makes it difficult.
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.