Can Georgia Republicans avoid a messy US Senate primary? Probably not

Insurance Commissioner John King’s plunge this morning into the race against Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff sharpens the question that could dominate the GOP contest.

Can anyone emerge as the consensus Republican pick of the party’s preeminent leaders?

We’re talking, of course, about the dream of some GOP elders to avoid a messy primary and rally behind a unity pick backed by both Gov. Brian Kemp and President Donald Trump.

For now, that vision seems distant. U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter of St. Simons Island entered the race days before King’s announcement. Others are laying the groundwork for bids of their own.

Several candidates are aiming for the chunk of the Venn diagram where Kemp’s mainstream network and Trump’s MAGA movement overlap — a tricky space that’s been tough to navigate in past Georgia races.

King is the latest. A Kemp appointee, he’s also cozied up to Trump World, even speaking at several of his GOP rallies. Carter is not a close Kemp ally, but he told the “Politically Georgia” podcast he and the governor were recently able to “air out a couple of things that we needed to.”

US. Rep. Mike Collins of Jackson, another likely candidate, has a strong shot at Trump’s blessing and a solid relationship with Kemp. But it’s not yet clear whether he’ll emerge as the choice for both camps.

In another cycle, Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins and Kelly Loeffler, head of the Small Business Administration, would be front and center. But we’re told both of the newly minted members of Trump’s Cabinet are keenly focused on their jobs. So is U.S. Rep. Brian Jack, a Trump adviser who was just elected to a west Georgia district.

Other Senate candidates could emerge from the vacuum. Senate President Pro Tem John F. Kennedy of Macon, a key Kemp ally who carried the governor’s legal overhaul this year, is mentioned often. But he’s far less known in Trump’s orbit, and far less known to Georgia voters — even if his name rings a bell.

Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger’s allies say he has the name ID, crossover appeal and donor network to break through — with or without the longshot prospect of Trump’s blessing.

For now, the declared candidates are trying to build enough momentum early to derail any attempt to halt their campaigns. Carter, for one, said he’s running even if Kemp and Trump back someone else.

“I believe God’s got a plan,” he told our podcast. “I believe that he has opened a door for me and I need to step through that door and make sure that we fulfill our obligation. And at the end of the day, I think that I can make the case that I am the true conservative, the MAGA warrior.”

Things to know

Credit: AP

Credit: AP

Good morning! Gov. Brian Kemp has three days left to either sign or veto bills passed by the state Legislature this year. He’s signed 98 bills into law so far and hasn’t vetoed anything yet. Follow along with the AJC’s Legislative Navigator.

Here are four things to know for today:

Council president

Credit: Courtesy photo

Credit: Courtesy photo

Opponents of Atlanta’s sprawling Public Safety Training Center vowed to make reelection difficult for the City Council members who voted for it. But in the race for the next City Council president, it’s the training center’s supporters who are going on the offensive.

Rohit Malhotra, founder of the Civic Center for Innovation, jumped in the race last week to succeed Doug Shipman. He’ll be pitted against Marci Collier Overstreet, a two-term council veteran with close ties to Mayor Andre Dickens. (Dickens hosted a fundraiser for Overstreet over the weekend).

Overstreet was quick to portray Malhotra as an ardent training center opponent, saying she welcomed a debate about the project on the campaign trail.

“If he doesn’t, I absolutely will,” she said. “The people of Atlanta want to continue to feel safe and preserve all of the good work that we’ve done around safety and training and policing.”

Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC

Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC

Malhotra said his position is more nuanced. He said he wanted to let voters decide the fate of the training center through a referendum — a vote that has been bogged down in a legal challenge and never happened.

“It’s so easy to be like, all right, well, are you for or against this thing?” he said. “If that’s what we turn this election to be about, then we’re missing what voters are actually asking us to do.”

Malhotra and Overstreet likely won’t be the only two candidates in the race for a unique position in city politics. The City Council president presides over meetings, but they only vote if there is a tie. Their political power comes from appointing chairs and members of council committees.

“I think we’ve lost how important an office like that could be,” Malhotra said. “We need an independent policy office.”

Overstreet said it’s important for the council president to carry out the “vision of the city,” which she said includes the mayor’s office.

“It is essential that the city’s vision is preserved through appointments of chairmanships,” she said.

Work licenses

Credit: Adam Beam/AJC

Credit: Adam Beam/AJC

Roughly 1.5 million people need a license to work in Georgia, and most of them come from a bunch of professional licensing boards whose members are appointed by the governor. But soon it will be a lot easier for the governor to rescind the appointments.

House Bill 579 says the governor can remove members of these boards without giving them notice and an opportunity for a hearing. Gov. Brian Kemp signed the bill into law on Friday.

The bill was backed by Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, whose office oversees most of these boards. He said it would bring accountability to board members who are “not held to any election where they report to the voters.”

“They have to report to someone. We think the ultimate authority should be the governor,” he said.

The law also makes it easier for people to get their licenses. Instead of waiting for the board to meet to vote on a license, the staff can approve the license administratively. The board would then review those decisions when it meets.

“People can begin to work as soon as they get that license,” Raffensperger said.

Election money

Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC

Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC

Gov. Brian Kemp is putting limits on a $600,000 budget increase for the embattled State Election Board, according to the AJC’s Mark Niesse.

The General Assembly boosted the board’s 2026 budget from the $789,000 that Kemp had proposed to $1,389,000.

But Kemp, who signed the $37.8 billion state budget Friday, ordered the new spending for the board should only be used for technology upgrades — not for hiring people, including additional investigators.

Legislators declined to fund other election items such as $66 million to remove computer QR codes from ballots, as required by state law by July 1, 2026.

State Election Board Chairman John Fervier said the board has several technology needs, such as creating official government email addresses for board members instead of Gmail accounts and purchasing case management software for election investigations.

Meanwhile, the Georgia Supreme Court is expected to decide this summer on the legality of the board’s attempted rule changes, such as hand ballot counts and certification requirements.

Listen up

Credit: J. Scott Applewhite/AP

Credit: J. Scott Applewhite/AP

Today on “Politically Georgia,” U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter of St. Simons Island joins the show to talk about his campaign for the Senate. Then, the hosts answer questions from the listener mailbag.

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.

You can listen and subscribe to the show for free at Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.

New postmaster general

The U.S. Postal Service’s Board of Governors announced Friday that it had appointed David Steiner, a member of the FedEx board and a former CEO of Waste Management, as the next postmaster general.

Steiner, who is expected to begin working in July, will take the reins of a postal system that has been saddled with complaints about poor service for decades. Those issues were exacerbated by a reorganization plan and the opening of regional distribution facilities, including one in Georgia, implemented under the previous postmaster, Louis DeJoy.

The Associated Press reported that the appointment of Steiner has been interpreted by some unions representing postal workers as a step in the direction of privatization, something President Donald Trump and adviser Elon Musk have championed. FedEx is a main competitor to the post office in the package delivery market.

Today in Washington

Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC

Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC

Happenings:

Shoutouts

Credit: Natrice Miller/AJC

Credit: Natrice Miller/AJC

Today’s birthday:

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Before you go

Credit: Alex Brandon/AP

Credit: Alex Brandon/AP

U.S. Rep. Brian Jack, R-Peachtree City, was in the Oval Office on Friday when President Donald Trump signed a law aimed at letting Rinnai America Corporation continue to make a certain type of tankless water heater at its plant in Griffin.

That’ll do it for us today. As always, you can send your best scoops, gossip and insider info to greg.bluestein@ajc.com, tia.mitchell@ajc.com, patricia.murphy@ajc.com and adam.beam@ajc.com.