How the U.S. Supreme Court may have given Mike Collins a helping hand
Today’s newsletter highlights:
- Rick Jackson’s barber shop stop.
- Absentee ballot lawsuit.
- U.S. House heads home.
High court rulings reverberate
Three Supreme Court rulings in rapid succession on Tuesday instantly jolted the political landscape heading into Georgia’s 2026 elections.
One handed Republicans a potentially powerful new financial advantage by allowing political parties to spend unlimited amounts in coordination with candidates.
Another rejected President Donald Trump’s executive order seeking to end birthright citizenship, reaffirming the long-settled conception the 14th Amendment holding that anyone born in the U.S., with limited exceptions, is a citizen.
And a third upheld state bans on transgender female athletes competing on girls’ and women’s sports teams.
Together, the decisions provided fresh campaign fodder as Georgia’s general election campaigns are taking shape.
The campaign finance ruling could prove significant in the U.S. Senate race and other contests, where national party spending can now be more closely aligned with candidates.
That could be a boost to Republican U.S. Rep. Mike Collins, whose personal campaign account lags far being U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff, the Democratic incumbent. Collins had $1.7 million in cash on hand at the end of May, compared to Ossoff’s $32.5 million reported in late April.
The Republican National Committee entered June with more than $125 million in available cash, while the Democratic National Committee had nearly $15 million remaining in its account but more than $18 million in debt.
The ruling on transgender athletes gave Republicans a fresh opening to revive a culture wars attack that factored into the last three statewide campaigns. Collins blasted Ossoff over the issue, while, in the race for governor, Rick Jackson reminded voters that his Democratic opponent, Keisha Lance Bottoms, has said she would have vetoed legislation banning transgender girls from competing in women’s sports.
“I don’t support the government making decisions about who should compete in athletics,” Bottoms said during a debate in May.
The birthright citizenship ruling, meanwhile, was met with mostly silence from top Georgia Republicans reluctant to wade into an issue that animates the party’s MAGA base but alienates many middle-of-the-road voters.
Things to know
Good morning! Here are two things to know for today:
- A raft of new laws adopted in the recent legislative session take effect as the state starts a new fiscal year, the AJC’s Cassidy Alexander, Riley Bunch and David Wickert report.
- Democrats are reeling from upsets in Colorado’s primary Tuesday night as an anti-establishment wave buried a pair of party veterans. U.S. Sen. Mike Bennett lost in his bid for governor to the state’s attorney general and 15-term U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette was ousted by an upstart democratic socialist.
Jackson pivots
Jackson held an event with voters at a Black-owned barber shop in College Park Tuesday, opening with a description of his own life growing up in Atlanta’s Techwood Homes and then taking questions and suggestions from the audience about his plans for Georgians as governor.
The audience included Republicans, along with independents and Democrats still undecided on the race.
The College Park event follows Jackson’s stop at Monterey Mexican Restaurant in Doraville last week. Both are part of the Jackson campaign’s general election pivot to build a coalition beyond Republicans’ traditional, mostly white base, which is no longer enough to guarantee a win in the rapidly diversifying state.
New data released by the Census Bureau last week showed that Georgia has grown by more than half a million people since 2020, and that all of the net growth has been among non-white residents.
A spokesman for the Reoublican nominee said Tuesday’s event was “a part of (Jackson’s) commitment to reach out to Georgia voters, no matter their ZIP code or voting history.”
GOP sues over absentee ballots
Republicans are suing two of Georgia’s most populous and blue counties, seeking to block policies that expand how voters can return absentee ballots.
The lawsuits against Fulton and Gwinnett Counties were filed last week by the Republican National Committee, the Georgia Republican Party, local GOP chapters and state Rep. Tim Fleming, who is the Republican nominee for Georgia Secretary of State.
The lawsuits challenge local policies that allow voters to return absentee ballots in secured containers after ballot envelopes are time-stamped by officials at advance voting offices other locations.
Voters can already return absentee ballots at early voting sites with drop boxes, in person at election offices or by mail.
Republicans argued that the protocols exceed the authority of county election boards and conflict with state law, saying they are an end-run around limits on the number of permitted drop boxes.
Fleming’s name on the lawsuit doubles as a campaign ad for his bid for Georgia’s elections chief. He has supported restrictions on absentee voting, saying it should only be available for the elderly, disabled or overseas military voters.
The lawsuit comes after Fulton County discontinued the pilot program in May over safety concerns about election workers transporting absentee ballots from early voting sites to a central hub. Only 46 people had returned ballots using the process for the May primaries, Fulton County Elections Director Nadine Williams said. Gwinnett’s challenged policy dates to 2024.
‘Bell-to-bell ban’
One of the most consequential new laws that takes effect on Wednesday bans cellphone use in school for students in kindergarten through eighth grade.
The “bell-to-bell” ban on cellphones, smart watches and other personal electronic devices is being applauded by many teachers who say they are distracting in the classroom.
Next year, high school students will be subject to the same restrictions.
The prohibition is “life-changing,” said State Rep. Scott Hilton, R-Peachtree Corners, who sponsored both bills.
All aboard
We told you Tuesday that only a handful of Georgia senators had wholeheartedly embraced Jackson’s candidacy, while others followed Lt. Gov. Burt Jones’ lead with a notable silence.
Later that day, the Jackson campaign released a pair of letters highlighting Republican support from the House and Senate, an effort to tamp down talk of a lingering GOP rift after the bruising runoff.
Among the endorsements are all 33 GOP members of the state Senate, with the notable exception of Jones, who is chamber’s presiding officer.
Listen up
Today on the “Politically Georgia” podcast, Qondi Ntini, the creator behind “Thirst for Democracy,” joins the show to talk about how online fandom, humor and creators’ talent for going viral have become a new force in Georgia politics. She also reveals the balancing act required for campaigns trying to use influencers without losing voters’ trust.
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.
More House chaos
The U.S. House was sent home for the Fourth of July break on Tuesday, two days early, after new Republican infighting shut down the floor.
The group of roughly a dozen dissenters were protesting the Senate’s failure to pass an election overhaul bill, plus a smattering of personal grievances with House Speaker Mike Johnson. The end result was a failed procedural vote that blocked progress on any meaningful legislation, including a defense policy bill and appropriations.
Although Georgia Reps. Andrew Clyde and Clay Fuller indicated support for the protest voters last week, neither of them joined the dissenters in voting with Democrats to shut down the floor.
In the past, Johnson has spent hours negotiating with the hard-liners to gain their support. But this time, he decided to send members home and get an early start to their holiday recess. The House isn’t due back until July 15.
Today in Washington
- Trump will deliver remarks at Mount Rushmore as part of the America 250 celebration.
- The House and Senate are done for the week.
Shoutouts
- Congratulations to Julie Walker, Georgia’s State Librarian and Vice Chancellor for Libraries and Archives, who is retiring Wednesday after 35 years in Georgia’s libraries.
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
The bipartisan housing bill has officially been transmitted to Trump, putting him on the clock to either veto the legislation, sign it into law or allow it to become law in 10 days without his signature.
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.