Bottoms launches first attack ad over Jackson’s Trump ties

Today’s newsletter highlights:

• Buddy Carter appears to be plotting his next move.
• Mike Collins’ team is highlighting his support among Black voters.
• The U.S. Senate is likely to confirm Dr. Erica Schwartz as director of the CDC.

The Trump card

Democratic nominee for governor Keisha Lance Bottoms, left, and Republican nominee for governor Rick Jackson. (Arvin Temkar and Jason Getz/AJC)

Keisha Lance Bottoms is launching her first general election attack ad, opening a new front in the race for governor by trying to tether Republican Rick Jackson to the one figure Democrats most want front and center during the November campaign: President Donald Trump.

The 30-second spot casts the billionaire as “The Ultimate Insider,” arguing Jackson bought Trump’s support with millions of dollars in campaign contributions and now promises to govern in his image.

“How one insider gets the support of another,” the narrator says. “Flatter him. Give him money. Try to be just like him.”

The ad stitches together clips of Jackson promising to be “like Trump but with a southern tone” and declaring alongside the president in Marietta last month: “I’m going to be this man’s favorite governor.”

The spot then pivots to a kitchen-table message, accusing Republicans of “raising costs,” “kicking people off healthcare” and “protecting the rigged system that’s screwing you.”

The ad also puts Jackson’s central general election challenge into focus: energizing the MAGA base and wooing swing voters while Democrats work to make the race a referendum on Trump.

Things to know

Gwinnett County Superintendent Alexandra Estrella, seen here at a news conference in April. (Hyosub Shin/AJC)

Good morning! The midterms are in 90 days. The last day to register to vote is Oct. 5. Here are three things to know for today:

• Fulton County voters will decide this fall whether to extend a 0.75-cent sales tax that pays for transportation projects throughout the county, Sara Gregory reports.
• Georgia counties are busy preparing for hurricane season. But some are still receiving federal funding from previous storms — including Hurricane Michael way back in 2018, Sophia Eppley reports.
• Alexandra Estrella, Gwinnett County’s new school superintendent, writes about her goals as she begins her first year leading Georgia’s largest school district.

Next move?

U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter, R-St. Simons Island, seen here at the Wild Hog supper in Atlanta in January. (Miguel Martinez/AJC)

U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter finished third in the Republican U.S. Senate primary earlier this year. Now, the St. Simons Island Republican appears to be plotting his next move.

The eagle-eyed reporters over at The Current spotted an update tucked into the end of Carter’s weekly newsletter on Sunday. Carter sends out a diary of sorts for his constituents, detailing how he spends his time. Here’s the entry for Thursday, July 30:

“After having traveled to Washington yesterday, I’m at the White House this morning as I meet with officials to discuss future opportunities within the Administration.”

Carter did not elaborate, other than to say it was “a great meeting.” His spokesperson said he “is committed to President Trump’s America First agenda and will continue working toward more prosperous country for Georgians,” adding: “He has a lot left to offer our state and nation.”

Carter could be inspired by his fellow Trump loyalists in Georgia who negotiated soft landing spots following high-profile defeats.

• Former U.S. Rep. Doug Collins is the Veterans Affairs secretary after losing to former U.S. Sen. Kelly Loeffler in the 2020 Republican primary.
• Kelly Loeffler leads the Small Business Administration after losing to U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock in 2021.
• Former U.S. Sen. David Perdue is the ambassador to China after losing to U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff in 2021 and Gov. Brian Kemp in the 2022 GOP primary.
• Herschel Walker is the ambassador to the Bahamas after losing to Warnock in 2022.

Black conservatives

U.S. Rep. Mike Collins greets supporters during his June runoff election watch party in Jackson. (Miguel Martinez/AJC)

The social media accounts that U.S. Rep. Mike Collins uses to promote his campaign for U.S. Senate have focused this week on highlighting his support from Black voters.

Capital B News reports that Collins, a Republican from Jackson, held an invite-only campaign event over the weekend with members of the Georgia Black Republican Council. They gathered at a restaurant in East Point to hear from Collins, who has faced criticism over white nationalist and antisemitic social media posts from a son-in-law who lives on his property.

A video on Collins’ X account shows a portion of his pitch during the event where he focused on affordability and said Ossoff voted against the interests of Georgia voters. Capital B said there were about 100 Black conservatives in the crowd.

GBRC board member Lisa Babbage told Capital B that she isn’t holding the son-in-law’s views against Collins.

“I’m not faulting Mike for what his kid said,” Babbage said. “Hopefully, they had a conversation because you know if my kid posted that, I would have a conversation with them and hope that they would correct it in some way, shape, or form.”

The Democratic Party of Georgia is amplifying the issue. They paid for a mobile billboard outside the offices of the Republican Party’s campaign arm for U.S. Senate races. Collins was scheduled to hold a fundraiser there Tuesday night.

Literacy focus

U.S. Rep. Lucy McBath, seen here at Dobbins Air Reserve Base in March. (Ben Gray for the AJC)

The Georgia Legislature spent much of this year working on sweeping legislation that will spend millions of dollars to put literacy coaches in every elementary school. Now, it looks like Congress wants in on that trend.

A group of Democratic and Republican lawmakers this week introduced the Reading Excellence and Achievement for Development Act. Sponsors include U.S. Rep. Lucy McBath, the Marietta Democrat who at one time was considered a leading candidate for governor before opting out of the race so she could focus on her husband as he battles cancer.

McBath said the bill was personal for her, saying instilling a love of reading in her late son, Jordan, was “one of my most treasured memories as a mother.”

“Tragically, far too many young people in America are graduating high school without basic literacy skills,” she said.

The legislation is already off to a good start with a host of supporters from both parties and, crucially, both chambers. They include:

• U.S. Reps. Suzanne Bonamici, D-Ore., Josh Harder, D-Calif.; Erin Houchin, R-Ind.; Kevin Kiley, I-Calif.; and Burgess Owens, R-Utah.
• U.S. Sens. Jim Banks, R-Ind.; Bill Cassidy, R-La.; Maggie Hassan, D-N.H.; John Hickenlooper, D-Colo.; Mark Kelly, D-Ariz.; and Tim Scott, R-S. C..

The legislation would award grants to the low-performing states, as measured by the National Assessment of Educational Progress. According to the 2024 measurement, 41% of Georgia students were below the NAEP’s basic level.

Listen up

Democratic nominee for governor Keisha Lance Bottoms and her husband, Derek, adopted their four children, Lincoln, Lennox, Langston, and Lance. (Courtesy of the Keisha Lance Bottoms for Georgia Governor campaign)

Today on the “Politically Georgia” podcast Patricia Murphy discusses her conversation with Bottoms about infertility, faith and the journey that led her and her husband to adopt four children.

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.

Schwartz confirmation

Dr. Erica Schwartz testifies during a Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions committee confirmation hearing to be the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Capitol Hill last month. (Mariam Zuhaib/AP)

The U.S. Senate is likely to confirm Dr. Erica Schwartz as director of the Atlanta-based U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention today. She may even get some Democrats voting in favor.

Last week, the Senate’s health committee voted to advance her nomination to the floor. Every Republican on the committee and Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia supported the motion.

During that same meeting, the committee narrowly signed off on Woodstock resident Sean Kaufman’s nomination to be assistant secretary for preparedness and response at the Department of Health and Human Services.

However, Kaufman is not scheduled for a floor vote alongside Schwartz. That could indicate that there are some Republicans who have joined Democrats in expressing concerns about his past comments criticizing vaccines.

Today in Washington

• Trump will highlight the tax cuts in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act during an event at a casino in Las Vegas.
• The Senate will vote on Schwartz’s nomination to be director of the CDC.
• The House is out until Aug. 31.

Shoutouts

Georgia Tech President Angel Cabrera, seen here at the Spring 2026 commencement ceremony in May. (Miguel Martinez/AJC)

Today’s birthdays: