Josh McKoon won’t seek another term as Georgia GOP chair

Today’s newsletter highlights

• Test your knowledge with our news quiz.
• Raphael Warnock is “nauseously optimistic” about Tuesday’s election.
• Prognosticators update forecasts for two Georgia races.

McKoon out

The midterms aren’t over yet, but Georgia Republicans are already looking ahead to their next leadership fight. And a major player is stepping aside.

Georgia GOP chair Josh McKoon has told activists and allies for months that he won’t seek a third term atop the party. Now he’s going public:

“When I ran for Chairman after being drafted to do so in 2023 I intended to serve only one term.

After our 2024 success I was encouraged to run again and I did so with a clear understanding that it would be my second and final term.

While this has been important work, I am excited to reclaim time with Jacqueline and my family that I have been missing in order to meet the demands of this volunteer position.”

McKoon, an attorney and former state senator, has played a key role bridging the divide between the GOP establishment and its activist base. He helped repair strained ties with Gov. Brian Kemp while maintaining his credibility with MAGA loyalists.

Now his departure sets up another test for a party long divided between grassroots activists and mainstream Republicans. Who could succeed him is anyone’s guess.

The Georgia GOP has been a political tug of war for years. But with many establishment figures steering clear of the party, the next race for chair could become a battle largely on the party’s right flank.

Friday news quiz

Good morning! How closely did you follow the news this week? Find out by taking our quiz. You’ll find the answers at the end of the newsletter:

After two years of negotiations, Audi announced it would spend $4.5 billion to build its first U.S. manufacturing facility near Macon. How did the negotiations begin?

• A) Gov. Brian Kemp cold called the company after reading in a magazine that the CEO wanted to build a facility in the U.S.
• B) The Audi CEO reached out to state officials after vacationing at Sea Island Resort.
• C) Georgia Economic Development Commissioner Pat Wilson got a meeting with Audi executives through his college roommate, who works for the company.
• D) Audi executives were big fans of “Stranger Things,” the hit Netflix show that was filmed in Georgia and inspired them to include the state on their shortlist for a new facility.

Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger is trying to disqualify Democrat David Dillie from a state House election next week. Why?

• A) Raffensperger says Dillie lives in South Carolina and used his mother’s address to qualify for the ballot.
• B) Documents show he cast 2026 primary ballots in both Nevada and Georgia.
• C) Raffensperger accused Dillie of lying about his income to avoid paying a qualifying fee.
• D) Since-deleted social media posts suggests Dillie is not a U.S. citizen.

Since 2025, Gabriel Sanchez has been the only democratic socialist in the state Legislature. What state representative recently joined him?

• A) Michelle Au.
• B) Imani Barnes.
• C) Bryce Berry.
• D) Ruwa Romman.

The Georgia Supreme Court this week ruled a county political party cannot reject candidates from running as Republicans. What county did the case originate from?

• A) Cherokee.
• B) Echols.
• C) Catoosa.
• D) Glascock.

Nerves

U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock said what practically every Democrat in the state is thinking when he made an appearance on Mark Arum’s WSB radio show Thursday.

“I am nauseously optimistic,” Warnock said, telling Arum that he doesn’t want to be overly confident about the surge in early voting numbers Democrats are seeing. But he also said the turnout backs up the mood of voters he’s seeing right now.

“There is a righteous fury on the ground all across Georgia, and all across our country,” he said. “People are fed up.”

One of those fed up voters is Zavier Mason, who shares Warnock’s nauseous optimism. Mason attended the Obama rally in Morrow on Wednesday night and said he left feeling energized and excited, but with a lingering sense of worry.

“I’m not gonna say I’m not nervous,” Mason said. “I’ve been bamboozled a lot of times. But I think we can do it, if everybody shows up.”

Warnock is doing everything he can to make sure people show up and vote for Democrats all the way down the ballot. He was in Columbus on Thursday campaigning with secretary of state hopeful Penny Brown Reynolds. Today he’s headlining canvas launches in Smyrna, Roswell, Woodstock and Kennesaw for Democratic state House and Senate candidates.

Day 2

Former Vice President Kamala Harris is back in Georgia on Friday for a second day of campaigning, this time with an evening speech to Fulton County Democrats that she’s billing as her closing argument before the midterm.

She’ll be joined by a who’s who of Georgia Democratic leaders. But there’s still a question mark surrounding one prominent name on the program: Keisha Lance Bottoms.

The Democratic nominee for governor is listed on the speaking schedule. But she has earlier campaign stops in southeast Georgia, and it’s unclear whether she’ll make it back in time for the event.

The two have a common bond. They crossed paths plenty during the Biden administration when Harris was vice president and Bottoms was a senior White House adviser.

Moving the needle

Election analysts announced Thursday that two key statewide races are now more favorable for Democrats.

Inside Politics moved the state’s race for governor from “toss-up” to “tilt Democrat,” saying early voting turnout gives former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms a slight edge over healthcare executive Rick Jackson, the Republican nominee.

Meanwhile, Sabato’s Crystal Ball said on Thursday that Georgia’s attorney general race should be reclassified from “leans Republican” to “toss-up.” An expected strong showing from U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff at the top of the ticket tells part of the story as to why Democratic state Rep. Tanya Miller is in a stronger position in that race against Republican state Sen. Brian Strickland.

The newsletter from the University of Virginia’s Center for Politics lumped the Georgia race in with attorneys general races in Florida, Ohio and Iowa that have shifted in recent weeks. Florida and Ohio moved from “likely Republican” to “leans Republican.” Iowa joined Georgia in the “toss up” category.

“These shifts are largely driven by the improving prospects for Democrats in these states, including the potential for coattails from strong Senate candidates in the latter three states,” Louis Jacobson wrote. “In Georgia, the Republican candidate, Brian Strickland, has also been grappling with his connections to a proposed data center project that he now says is “dead.”

Listen up

Today on the “Politically Georgia” podcast, it’s part two of our special series, “Politically Georgia: The Final Tally.” Listen as AJC reporters follow the evidence behind Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis’ investigation into alleged interference in the 2020 elections. They’ll unpack how skeptics, activists, lawmakers and election officials have spent years fighting over what really happened.

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

• President Donald Trump will speak at a campaign rally in Daytona Beach, Florida, and spend the weekend at his Mar-a-Lago resort in South Florida.
• The House and Senate are out until after the midterm elections.

RIP

Angelo Fuster, the longtime Atlanta politico, has died at the age of 80. As Alia Hoyt writes, the Cuban-born Fuster parlayed his charismatic personality into a long and storied career in Atlanta politics, working on campaigns with such Democratic Party heavy-hitters as former President Jimmy Carter and former Atlanta Mayor Maynard Jackson, among many others.

During and after his days with Jackson, Fuster practically set up shop at the iconic Manuel’s Tavern in Atlanta, forging a bond with the watering hole’s owner, Manuel Maloof, and holding court most Tuesdays with a group of former Jackson staffers who dubbed the gathering “Government in Exile.”

A celebration of life for Fuster will be held, where else, at Manuel’s Tavern.

Shoutouts

Upcoming birthdays:

• State Rep. Deborah Silcox, R-Sandy Springs (Saturday).
• State Sen. Freddie Powell Sims, D-Dawson (Sunday).
• Former Public Service Commissioner Tim Echols (Sunday).

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.