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Georgia Politics

Atlanta City Council member Kelsea Bond, the council’s first democratic socialist, poses for a portrait at City Hall on Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2026. Bond’s tenure offers a glimpse of how democratic socialists are impacting politics and policy in Georgia. (Arvin Temkar/AJC)

Democratic socialists aren’t taking over. But their influence is growing.

The movement has more success nationally than in Georgia. But its members are working to push Democrats to the left at a moment when they are gaining momentum.

PATRICIA MURPHY

The mysterious case of the missing campaign spouses in 2026

Georgia leaders agree Flock needs guardrails. The rift is over how far to go.

Georgia officials told to continue with normal absentee ballot procedures

Politically Georgia

GOP nominee for governor Rick Jackson released his plan to fight human trafficking at a news conference on Wednesday in Atlanta. (Arvin Temkar/AJC)

POLITICALLY GEORGIA

Rick Jackson unveils anti-trafficking proposal, debuts new attack ad

The GOP nominee for governor’s new 30-second ad targets Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms’ public safety record as Atlanta mayor.

Keisha Lance Bottoms campaigns for governor

POLITICALLY GEORGIA

Bottoms warns against potential GOP postelection power grab

Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms has a message for Republicans who might try to limit her powers in a lame-duck special session if she wins the governor’s race in November.

Qualifying week in Georgia kicks off high-stakes filing frenzy

POLITICALLY GEORGIA

Democrats challenge the ‘moderate Republican’ brand in Atlanta suburbs

At a fundraiser, state House candidates Adam Cleveland and Beth Fuller argued voters should judge GOP incumbents not by their brands, but by their party's policies.

Your Politics Team

Adam Beam

Adam Beam is the deputy politics editor.

Adam Beam

Adam Beam is the deputy politics editor.

Greg Bluestein

Greg Bluestein is the Atlanta Journal Constitution's chief political reporter.

Greg Bluestein

Greg Bluestein is the Atlanta Journal Constitution's chief political reporter.

Riley Bunch

Riley Bunch is an enterprise reporter covering the impacts of politics and policy on everyday Georgians.

Riley Bunch

Riley Bunch is an enterprise reporter covering the impacts of politics and policy on everyday Georgians.

Caleb Groves

Caleb Groves is a political reporter for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Caleb Groves

Caleb Groves is a political reporter for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Chris Joyner

Chris Joyner is the politics editor.

Chris Joyner

Chris Joyner is the politics editor.

Shannon McCaffrey

Shannon McCaffrey is the managing editor for politics and business.

Shannon McCaffrey

Shannon McCaffrey is the managing editor for politics and business.

Tia Mitchell

Tia Mitchell is the AJC’s Washington Bureau Chief and a co-host of the "Politically Georgia" podcast.

Tia Mitchell

Tia Mitchell is the AJC’s Washington Bureau Chief and a co-host of the "Politically Georgia" podcast.

Patricia Murphy

Patricia Murphy is the AJC's senior political columnist.

Patricia Murphy

Patricia Murphy is the AJC's senior political columnist.

David Wickert

David Wickert writes about the state budget, finance and voting issues.

David Wickert

David Wickert writes about the state budget, finance and voting issues.

2026 Georgia Voter Guide

VOTER GUIDE

Check out AJC’s Voter Guide for more on candidates

From candidate profiles to answers for frequently asked questions, we have your guide to this year’s election with Georgia Votes, our 2026 Voter Guide.

Georgia election: Here’s who will be on the ballot in November

Keisha Lance Bottoms is in for a very different race against Rick Jackson

Mike Collins won the GOP base. Can he convince the rest of the party?

Opinion and Voices

PATRICIA MURPHY

The mysterious case of the missing campaign spouses in 2026

From Melody Jackson, Ph.D., to Dr. Alisha Kramer, the campaign trail in Georgia is missing a few key characters in 2026.

PATRICIA MURPHY

Meet Charlie Bailey, Jon Ossoff’s pick to flip control of Georgia in 2026

The AJC's Patricia Murphy talks with Democratic Party of Georgia Chair Charlie Bailey about this year's elections.

PATRICIA MURPHY

The hate growing in Mike Collins’ own backyard

The Republican U.S. Senate nominee’s son-in-law continues to post troubling social media content. Columnist Patricia Murphy calls on Collins to put a stop to it.

Gwinnett District Attorney files a lawsuit related to House Bill 369

Gwinnett DA files lawsuit in fight over nonpartisan voting law

Georgia high court drops most murder cases in potentially costly move for taxpayers

Sports betting, other special interests spend big on Georgia elections

Georgia Democrats talk property taxes as they eye a possible House takeover

Georgia lawmakers map out state’s next voting system with eye on 2028

Third Democratic state lawmaker pleads guilty to COVID unemployment fraud

More AJC Politics

3 things to know about Keisha Lance Bottoms’ plan to cut grocery costs

The Democratic candidate for governor is proposing to allow cities and counties to temporarily suspend or eliminate local sales tax on groceries and other necessities.

(From left) Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff and Republican U.S. Senate nominee Mike Collins. (Arvin Temkar/AJC)

Mike Collins vs. Jon Ossoff: The key issues dividing Georgia’s Senate race

Collins, a Republican, and Ossoff, a Democrat, have stark disagreements across a range of policy issues. Here's a guide to understanding where they stand.

Kemp designates school shooting anniversary as ‘Apalachee Remembrance Day’

Victims, families and Barrow County officials joined Gov. Brian Kemp at the state Capitol to commemorate the second anniversary of the Apalachee High School shooting.

Grady cuts pandemic-era pay bump for nurses

A 40% decrease in extra pay comes as major policy changes in Washington pinch balance sheets.

POLITICALLY GEORGIA

Rick Jackson unveils anti-trafficking proposal, debuts new attack ad

The GOP nominee for governor’s new 30-second ad targets Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms’ public safety record as Atlanta mayor.

Georgia officials told to continue with normal absentee ballot procedures

State officials are urging counties to stay the course ahead of absentee voting deadlines amid a legal fight over mail ballots.

PATRICIA MURPHY

The mysterious case of the missing campaign spouses in 2026

From Melody Jackson, Ph.D., to Dr. Alisha Kramer, the campaign trail in Georgia is missing a few key characters in 2026.

Georgia leaders agree Flock needs guardrails. The rift is over how far to go.

Misuse of the technology by law enforcement has made Flock cameras an issue in Georgia's political campaigns.

Democratic socialists aren’t taking over. But their influence is growing.

The movement has more success nationally than in Georgia. But its members are working to push Democrats to the left at a moment when they are gaining momentum.

ACLU news conference about Fulton County Jail conditions

Fulton Commission approves $4.4M contract to modernize elevators in county jail

Fulton Sheriff Patrick Labat, Commissioner Dana Barrett say the project has moved far too slowly, while others say it’s not among the county's highest priorities.