The Stone Mountain fight that faded

Today’s newsletter highlights:

• Georgia Republicans regroup around their remaining power.
• After a dominant victory, Jon Ossoff keeps a low profile.
• A closer look at Democrats’ down-ballot gains across Georgia.

A changing debate

Gov. Brian Kemp entered office after a bitter campaign fight over Stone Mountain’s fate. Eight years later, he’s preparing to leave office after announcing that a Black executive will oversee the sprawling monument to the Confederate war dead.

The Stone Mountain Memorial Association’s board appointed Christopher Sanders as its next chief executive officer, a move Kemp made public Monday.

Sanders, a former executive director of the East Metro Community Improvement District, will succeed longtime park chief Bill Stephens when he retires at year’s end.

The job comes with plenty of historical weight. Stone Mountain has long been a flashpoint over Georgia’s Confederate legacy, with fierce debates over the massive carving of Confederate leaders and efforts to reshape how the park presents its history.

But perhaps what’s more striking is how little the monument figured into this year’s election.

In the 2018 race for governor, Democrat Stacey Abrams took aim at the Confederate carving, saying it is a “blight on our state and should be removed.” Kemp fired back, promising to protect the monument from what he called the “radical left.”

Kemp went on to appoint the Association’s first Black board chair, the Rev. Abraham Mosley, in 2021.

By 2026, Stone Mountain was barely a factor in a campaign that ended with Keisha Lance Bottoms becoming the nation’s first Black woman elected governor.

That doesn’t mean the controversy has disappeared. State law still protects the massive carving of Jefferson Davis, Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson, and the park remains a potent symbol of Georgia’s freighted history.

Sanders, who grew up in the area and previously was on the association’s board, said the job carries personal significance.

“It allows me to draw upon my experiences in organizational leadership, community engagement, and strategic development to position the park for continued growth and long-term success,” he said in a statement.

Things to know

Good morning! Gov.-elect Keisha Lance Bottoms’ inauguration is in 62 days. Here are three things to know for today:

• County election boards certified the results on Monday, solidifying the Democrats’ majority in the state House of Representatives. But a runoff and a potential recount could narrow that majority further, write Greg Bluestein and David Wickert.
• Political advertising surged in Georgia during the 2026 midterms, surpassing the presidential election just two years ago, Savannah Sicurella reports.
• Lt. Gov.-elect Josh McLaurin pledged throughout the campaign he would work with the Republicans who control the Senate. But Republicans could move to strip the position of some of its powers, Riley Bunch reports.

Georgia GOP’s Plan B

Georgia Republicans suffered a sweeping wipeout last week, but they’re already mapping out how to wield the last remaining power they have left.

A new 39-page Georgia GOP briefing lays out a strategy for the divided government that awaits in January. The document is surprisingly candid, accurately painting the picture of the scope of the GOP’s losses. It casts the remaining Republican majority in the state Senate as both a check on Democratic power and a potential partner on affordability.

It argues that both parties can find common ground on grocery tax relief, pre-K school funding and rural hospital incentives while drawing firm lines around Kemp-era priorities like tax cuts, school vouchers and the 2025 civil litigation overhaul.

It also sketches out negotiating positions on Medicaid expansion, arguing that Republicans should “negotiate any wider coverage on Georgia terms,” including work requirements and private options.

One section sums up the GOP’s leverage: “Nothing becomes law in 2027 without both parties.”

Local politics

We told you last week about how Democrats ousted 16 Republican incumbents in the state Legislature. That got us thinking: did the blue wave sweep up any local elected officials?

We reviewed all of the local election results that were contested across Georgia’s 159 counties. The result: Democrats ousted 10 Republican incumbents on various county commissions and school boards.

Here’s the list, if you’re curious:

• Cobb County Commission District 3, Kevin Redmon defeated JoAnn K. Birrell.
• Cobb County Board of Education District 4, Michael Garza defeated David Chastain.
• Douglas County Commission District 4, Gil McDougal defeated Mark Alcarez.
• Fulton County Commission District 1, Maggie Goldman defeated Bridget Thorne.
• Glynn County Commission District 4, Cornell Harvey defeated David Sweat.
• Gwinnett County Commission District 4, Benjamin Culberson defeated Matthew Holtkamp.
• Henry County Commission District 3, Keisha Buchanan defeated Derrell “Dee” Anglyn III.
• Paulding County Commission Post 3, Taurus Madric-Morris defeated Virginia Galloway.
• Peach County Board of Education Post 5 at large, Shakia McCrary defeated BJ Walker.
• Washington County Board of Education chair, Vickie N. Harden defeated Robert Blocker.

That doesn’t mean it was all bad for Republicans. They won 30 open seats, compared to 19 open seat victories for Democrats.

Shake-up

Last week’s election results have led to a minor shake-up inside the state Senate GOP caucus after two of its six leaders went down in defeat.

The caucus announced its 2027-2028 leadership team Monday, and the top spots remain unchanged. State Sen. Larry Walker, R-Perry, was reelected as president pro tempore. State Sen. Jason Anavitarte, R-Dallas, was reelected as majority leader and state Sen. Randy Robertson, R-Cataula, will stay on as majority whip.

But two other GOP leaders, Caucus Chair Shawn Still, R-Johns Creek, and Caucus Vice Chair Clint Dixon, R-Lawrenceville, both lost their elections last week.

In their place, Republicans elected state Sen. Tim Bearden, R-Carrollton, as caucus chair and state Sen. Drew Echols, R-Gainesville, as caucus vice chair. State Sen. Kay Kirkpatrick, R-Marietta, who recently told us she would change parties “when hell freezes over,” was elected caucus treasurer.

Listen up

Today on the “Politically Georgia” podcast Bluestein talks with Jennifer Palmieri, a veteran of the Obama and Clinton administrations and co-host of Crooked Media’s Long Play. They examine what drove Democrats’ sweeping victories, whether President Donald Trump was the deciding factor and what Bottoms must do to deliver on her campaign promises.

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.

Where’s Ossoff?

Fresh off his dominating general election victory, credited by many with providing enough coattails for Democrats to sweep every statewide office, U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff has quickly retreated from the national spotlight.

He is back in Washington for votes, but steering clear of the areas where gaggles of reporters are stationed. He hasn’t done any national media interviews postelection. That’s the opposite approach of Bottoms, who was interviewed by ABC News, The New York Times and other national outlets in the days after her history-making election.

It’s evidence that Ossoff was serious when he said he has “zero interest” in running for president in 2028.

That isn’t stopping fellow Democrats from hoping he has a change of heart.

Progressive Democrats who gathered over the weekend for Crooked Con, a conference hosted by Crooked Media, ranked Ossoff first in a straw poll of potential candidates. He received 380 votes, or 38.4%. U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., finished second with 16.6%.

Ossoff is also not among the potential candidates headed to a summit in Denver later this week sponsored by Majority Democrats, a group representing more mainstream members of the party. Who is attending: U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock.

Today in Washington

• Trump has no public events on his schedule.
• House Republicans will vote on their leaders in the new Congress when they become the minority party.
• The House could vote on the articles of impeachment filed against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
• The Senate is in session, but no votes are scheduled.