Georgia’s Audi megadeal comes with political flashbacks

Today’s newsletter highlights:

• Another Georgia Republican breaks ranks to back Jon Ossoff.
• Donald Trump revives one of his most infamous political gaffes.
• Between campaign stops, Keisha Lance Bottoms returns to her alma mater.

An Audi-sized October surprise

Stop us if you’ve heard this one. Days before a tight election, Republican leaders unveil a blockbuster jobs deal and hold it up as proof voters should keep the GOP in charge.

That was the script Saturday, when President Donald Trump announced plans for a $4.2 billion Audi plant in Middle Georgia after years of work by Gov. Brian Kemp’s administration to forge the deal.

Republican nominee for governor Rick Jackson and other GOP leaders quickly seized on the announcement as another reason to keep Republicans running the state Capitol.

Sound familiar? In 2022, Kemp celebrated the groundbreaking of Hyundai’s $5.5 billion Metaplant near Savannah just days before that year’s midterm election.

Kemp cast Hyundai’s decision as a validation of his economic development strategy. What he didn’t dwell on was the fortuitous timing of the celebration, just two weeks before his rematch against Democrat Stacey Abrams.

Then, as now, Democrats had little appetite for attacking the deal. After all, the Audi project promises at least 4,500 jobs in a region hungry for them.

But Georgia has another cautionary tale about election-season megadeals. Just ask former Democratic Gov. Roy Barnes.

In the waning days of his 2002 reelection campaign, Barnes traveled to the coast to tout a DaimlerChrysler Sprinter van factory.

The chief rival, South Carolina, said it was knocked out of contention. And state officials said the company had signed off on the plant.

There was just one problem: German officials warned the deal wasn’t final. A year later, DaimlerChrysler cited a shaky economy when it scrapped the project altogether.

Things to know

Good morning! The midterms are in eight days. Early voting ends Friday. Here are three things to know for today:

• Greg Bluestein lists five races to watch in the Georgia state Senate this year as Democrats hope to make a dent in the Republican majority.
• Georgia voters are mad. They’re pessimistic about the nation’s direction. And they’re heading into the final full week of an exhausting election spoiling to make their voices heard, Bluestein reports.
• The U.S. Department of Justice says it will send people to Bibb, Cobb, Chatham, DeKalb, Fulton and Gwinnett counties to monitor things on Election Day, Caleb Groves and Adam Van Brimmer report.

Another GOP crossover

Add Irwin County Commissioner Chris Paulk to the list of Republicans backing Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff over Republican U.S. Rep. Mike Collins.

Paulk, who is wrapping up 12 years in office, said Ossoff won him over with his attention to rural Georgia, particularly his work on hurricane recovery and securing funding for the county’s hospital.

“He doesn’t have to be concerned with 9,000 people down here,” said Paulk. “But the effort they made, and the time they spent, really spoke to me. They really care about rural Georgia.”

Paulk said his endorsement isn’t a knock on Collins, whose campaign he hasn’t closely followed. He said he’s voting for other Republicans on the ballot but believes Ossoff has earned another term.

“I’m an independent thinker. I look at the person,” Paulk said. “Previous actions are a pretty good indication of future behavior.”

Paulk joins a growing roster of GOP crossover supporters, including Republican mayors Scott James Matheson of Valdosta and Julie Smith of Tifton; and Georgia Peanut Commission Chair Donald Chase and former Republican U.S. Sen. Jeff Flake of Arizona.

Bringing it back

Most elected officials don’t like to remind people of their political gaffes. But Trump is not like most elected officials.

During visit to Perry on Saturday, his second Georgia campaign stop in eight days, Trump brought up his 2018 comments using an expletive to describe countries like Haiti and some African countries.

“Remember the heat I took? Remember the heat I took from the Democrats?” Trump said in Perry on Saturday night.

He then repeated the line, modifying it by calling the countries “house” preceded by a familiar expletive. He was particularly focused on Somalia, saying “98% of the people we have here now in Somalia don’t work. They don’t have to work, they steal so much. They all have a Mercedes-Benz. Low IQ and they live better than you.”

Back in 2018, Trump denied using the expletive to describe the countries. But he later admitted to saying it in 2025. Now, he’s repeating it.

Homecoming pit stop

In between campaign stops in Thomasville and Valdosta, Democratic nominee for governor Keisha Lance Bottoms ventured into North Florida to attend a Homecoming event at her alma mater.

The visit to Florida A&M University on Friday was not part of Bottoms’ official schedule, and there was initially some confusion about exactly where she would appear.

David Jolly, the Democratic nominee for Florida governor, issued a news release saying that Bottoms would be joining him at a student-focused event on campus. Jolly’s campaign later said that information was “shared incorrectly,” and she did not join the Florida candidates there.

Instead, she and Jolly appeared at an alumni-focused event nearby. Bottoms took the mic to encourage those in the audience to reach out to Georgians they know and make sure they vote early. She noted that the margin of victory on average comes down to 21 votes per precinct.

“Even if you aren’t in Georgia: call, text, email 21 people in Georgia,” she said. “Ask them to show up and vote before Oct. 30, and then we will once and for all turn Georgia blue.”

A local law firm also held a fundraiser for Bottoms while she was in town.

On the trail

Some happenings today at the start of the final week of the midterm general election cycle:

• Collins is touting his busy general election schedule in his bid to oust Ossoff. His campaign says he’s held 100 events across Georgia and conducted 71 media interviews since winning the GOP nomination. Today, he will make campaign stops in Jefferson and Buford.
• Jackson will campaign today alongside Florida U.S. Sen. Rick Scott, who in addition to sharing the same name also once lived in a housing project and later became a wealthy healthcare executive. The two will make stops in Troup, Carroll, Polk and Paulding counties.

Listen up

Today on the “Politically Georgia” podcast Bluestein and Patricia Murphy break down what the early voting numbers mean, how split-ticket voters could shape down-ballot races and whether Kemp’s support for data centers could affect his legacy.

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

Today in Washington

• Trump will meet at the White House with Charles Kushner, the ambassador to France and Monaco, and then travel to Corinth, Mississippi, where he will speak at a campaign rally.
• The House and Senate are out until after the midterm elections.

Shoutouts

Today’s birthdays:

• Georgia Supreme Court Justice John Ellington.
• State Sen. Brian Strickland, R-McDonough, the Republican nominee for attorney general.