Rick Jackson sounds alarm over sluggish rural early voting

Today’s newsletter highlights:

• The impeachment argument behind Donald Trump’s proposed $5,000 payments.
• Democrats ask Gov. Brian Kemp to return Guard members for holidays.
• Tanya Miller’s new ad casts Brian Strickland as “Trump’s little warrior.”

Turnout trouble

Republican Rick Jackson is sounding the alarm over sluggish early voting across deep-red rural Georgia, warning that complacency in GOP strongholds could jeopardize his bid for governor.

At a campaign stop Tuesday night in Calhoun, the billionaire nominee was surprisingly candid about his party’s struggles.

“I’m concerned,” he said. “I am concerned that rural Georgia still thinks we’re red and therefore they look at somebody like myself and my opponent and just say, ‘Well, there’s no comparison.’”

His worry is that reliable Republican voters are taking victory over Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms for granted. Democratic-leaning areas are far outpacing GOP-leaning areas during early voting.

“We’re dealing with a more generic environmental problem for Republicans,” he said. “We have to overperform in rural Georgia or we’re not going to win. It is that important.”

Jackson is working to boost the turnout. He announced a slate of Friday visits to GOP-friendly exurbs. And he’s bringing in U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz for a Friday evening rally in Henry County, where Democrats are optimistic about their early voting numbers.

Things to know

Good morning! The midterms are in 12 days. Early voting ends Oct. 30. Here are four things to know for today:

• In the 132 counties Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump carried in 2024, early turnout is essentially flat compared with the same stage of the 2022 midterms. But in the 27 counties that voted for Democrat Kamala Harris, the number of ballots cast has jumped 9%, Greg Bluestein and Charles Minshew report.
• Bottoms and her husband have a history of delinquent property taxes going back years. Jackson is facing accusations from the IRS that he claimed almost $54 million in losses in business investments as tax deductions, Asia Simone Burns reports.
• In a new Atlanta Journal-Constitution poll, nearly seven in 10 voters polled said they believe the U.S. government should be doing more to regulate the use of AI rather than the companies regulating themselves. That includes 61% of Republicans and 82% of Democrats, Mirtha Donastorg reports.
• Bottoms’ campaign for governor says it has raised $23.2 million since the beginning of August, Bluestein reports, Bluestein reports.

Impeachment?

Why is President Donald Trump offering to pay Americans $5,000 if Republicans retain control of Congress? It could be to avoid a third impeachment from Democrats.

A new poll by Politico found 54% of Americans, including 81% of voters who plan to support Democrats, say the president has committed impeachable offenses.

That tracks with what Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff said during last week’s Atlanta Press Club debate, when Bluestein asked him if he would vote to convict Trump if he were impeached a third time.

“In my view, based upon the evidence I’ve seen thus far, the president’s misconduct, abuse of power and corruption already exceed any prior standard for impeachment,” Ossoff said. “If the U.S. House does send us articles of impeachment, then I’ll consider them on the merits as a juror in the Senate.”

What misconduct was Ossoff referring to? He said the president “is enriching himself and his family to the tune of billions of dollars.”

Trump brought up the $5,000 payment idea again during his rally in Dalton last week. He did not say how he would deliver the estimated $1.2 trillion in payments without congressional approval.

‘Trump’s little warrior’

Democrat Tanya Miller is taking a sharper swipe at Republican Brian Strickland’s ties to Trump in a new ad for attorney general that brands him “Trump’s little warrior.”

The spot blasts Strickland for voting to “use your money to pay Trump’s legal fees.” It’s reference to a 2025 law he backed that allows defendants to seek reimbursement for legal expenses if their prosecutor is disqualified for misconduct and the case is dismissed.

Trump has since sought more than $6 million from Fulton County taxpayers to cover his legal bills in the dismissed election interference case.

“Brian Strickland. Trump’s little warrior,” the narrator says. “Fantastic for Trump. Expensive for us.”

Park the Convoy?

An early show of strength for U.S. Rep. Mike Collins when he kicked off his Senate campaign was his statewide “Convoy Captain” program, a grassroots leadership team with more than 800 volunteers organized in all 159 counties.

But during a panel discussion Wednesday in Stonecrest about the cost of living, Ossoff finished with a demand that Collins end the program, referencing reporting from the Daily Beast that alleged at least three of the Collins captains have serious criminal histories.

“I am calling right now on Congressman Mike Collins to disband his so-called Convoy Captains program,” Ossoff said, “So that nobody with Klan ties or who’s been convicted of crimes against children is knocking on doors or getting out the vote.”

A spokesperson for Collins told the Daily Beast the campaign was unaware of the captains’ criminal backgrounds.

“Their conduct does not represent Mike Collins or the more than 800 Georgians who volunteered because they want Mike Collins to deliver a more prosperous, safer and more affordable Georgia,” Siegfried said.

Bring them home

A group of Democratic state lawmakers has issued a plea to Gov. Brian Kemp, asking that he bring back Georgia National Guard members stationed in Washington in time for the winter holidays.

The seven Democrats said they were drawing on their own military backgrounds in requesting that the troops be allowed to spend Christmas, Hanukkah and New Year’s with their families in Georgia as opposed to sleeping in hotel rooms hundreds of miles away.

“As United States Army, Navy and Air Force veterans, we know firsthand the heavy mental and physical weight that extended deployments place on a soldier,” the statement said. “These men and women have answered the call to serve faithfully. But after more than a year away, the strain on their mental wellness and family stability is becoming too great.”

Kemp has said little about the ongoing deployment of guard members in Washington, which came at the request of Trump. According to the latest report, Georgia remains the state with the most Guard members patrolling Washington, with 516 as of Tuesday.

The decision on whether to keep the deployment going through January 2029, as Trump has envisioned, will likely land on the lap of whoever is elected governor next month.

The statement comes from state Reps. Eric Bell of Jonesboro, Viola Davis of Stone Mountain, Floyd Griffin of Milledgeville, Derrick Jackson of Tyrone and Sandra Scott of Rex, alongside state Sens. Tonya Anderson of Lithonia and Kenya Wicks of Fayette. They have asked Kemp to respond in writing within 10 business days.

Listen up

Today on the “Politically Georgia” podcast, Democratic Secretary of State nominee Penny Brown Reynolds joins the show to talk about her campaign. Republican nominee Tim Fleming was also invited but did not accept our invitation.

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 speak at a campaign rally in Sioux City, Iowa.
• The House and Senate are out until after the midterm elections.