Jon Ossoff says Marjorie Taylor Greene doesn’t have the guts for Senate run
Today’s highlights:
- Brad Raffensperger objects to GOP election overhaul bill.
- State lawmakers gear up for budget fight.
- U.S. Rep. Mike Collins takes a trip along the Tennessee River.
The days of U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff keeping a low profile in Washington are over, as the freshman Democrat steps forward with sharper rhetoric ahead of his first reelection campaign.
Last week, Ossoff made national headlines when he sparred with CIA Director John Ratcliffe about the leaked group chat that showed Trump administration officials discussing details of an imminent strike in Yemen. Days before, he rallied Democratic activists in Atlanta to stand up against President Donald Trump with the challenge, “Are you ready to fight?”
Ossoff continued his combative streak over the weekend in an interview with CNN’s Manu Raju, where he predicted “a landslide victory for Democrats across the country” in 2026. And he had a forecast for his own race. While he doesn’t know whether Gov. Brian Kemp will run, he said he doesn’t think he’ll face U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene.
”I don’t think that she’s got the guts to do it,” he said of the Rome Republican. “But she would be a disaster in the United States Senate.”
Greene told the AJC’s Politically Georgia earlier this year she is considering a run for either Senate or the governor’s office in 2026.
Ossoff may just be goading Greene, a firebrand Trump loyalist who is popular among the president’s MAGA base but could struggle to gain statewide appeal in the battleground state.
Here are a few more highlights from the interview:
- On Trump: “I think the president is turning off swing voters by acting so recklessly — by abusing his power.”
- On Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth: “He’s reckless, he’s unqualified. He should have resigned yesterday.”
- On Secretary of State Marco Rubio: “I hope that he finds some spine and is able to be a constructive influence on this administration.”
Things to know
We’re four days away from Sine Die, the final day of the legislative session. Here are four things to know for today:
- The AJC’s Maya T. Prabhu and Michelle Baruchman preview the big bills awaiting votes during the final week of Georgia’s legislative session.
- Georgia Democrats on Saturday agreed to make their chair a paid full-time position, clearing the way for U.S. Rep. Nikema Williams to step down from her part-time role as the party’s leader amid backlash over her leadership, Greg Bluestein reports.
- State lawmakers rejected pay raises for themselves and statewide elected officials, but OK’d raises for judges, the AJC’s David Wickert reports.
- Activists plan a “mass mobilization” rally on Saturday at Atlanta’s Piedmont Park against the push by President Donald Trump and Elon Musk to dramatically shrink the federal government. “Donald Trump and Elon Musk think this country belongs to them. Atlanta, Georgia and surrounding areas are fighting back,” reads the rally invite.
Raffensperger’s warning
Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger fired off a sharp warning about a fast-moving Republican election overhaul quickly advancing through the General Assembly.
It has to do with House Bill 397, which calls for Georgia to quit a national voter data-sharing partnership, restricts new State Election Board rules from taking effect shortly before elections and bans counties from accepting in-person delivery of absentee ballots the weekend before a vote.
But the strongest warning centers on a provision that would give the election board custody over all investigative files and communications between the secretary of state’s office and county election officials.
In a letter sent Friday that we obtained through the Open Records Act, Raffensperger attorney Charlene McGowan called it a “massive intrusion” on the secretary’s office.
“To give unrestricted access of the Secretary’s secure electronic files to outside individuals who are not Secretary of State employees — or even employees of the State of Georgia — would violate every basic cybersecurity and general IT security protocol and compromise the security of Georgia’s elections,” McGowan wrote.
The measure, and a similar Senate bill, both advanced in committees along party lines last week and could reach a final vote before Friday’s Sine Die deadline.
Budget differences
We’ve made it to the final week of the legislative session. Time is short — and tempers are shorter — meaning you can expect plenty of fights this week. But the biggest battle could be over the budget.
Funding fights are nothing new under the Gold Dome. Recent spats have mostly been smoothed over by big increases in revenues. But as the budget tightens, those conversations become more difficult.
Here’s a look at some of the biggest disagreements heading into Sine Die:
- School vouchers. Lawmakers already had this fight last year, when they voted to spend public money on private school tuition. Now they have to pay for it. The House put enough money to cover roughly 7,000 slots. The Senate put enough money for about 21,000 slots.
- Super Bowl. The House wants to spend $7 million on security and infrastructure costs associated with the 2028 Super Bowl and the 2031 NCAA men’s Final Four, both of which will be held in Atlanta. The Senate says it’s too early to spend this money.
- Poverty grants. Georgia’s school funding formula doesn’t account for poverty. While the House budget didn’t change the formula, it did put in $28 million for grants to impoverished school districts. The Senate rejected this money, opting instead to spend it on vouchers.
- Borrowing. The budget always includes a bunch of money for construction projects throughout the state, which lawmakers can brag about once the money is spent. The House wants to borrow money so it can pay for more projects. The Senate wants to pay cash and is willing to settle for fewer projects.
- School safety. The House wants to spend roughly $30 million to create a statewide database for schools to share information about potential threats, a response to the deadly shooting at Apalachee High School in Barrow County last year. The Senate rejected that money.
Roller-coaster ride
The saga of school speed cameras in the Georgia Legislature has had more twists and turns than a soap opera.
As a reminder, the House couldn’t decide whether to ban these cameras or to put more rules on them. Instead, they passed both bills and sent them to the Senate to let them decide.
Here’s what happened next, per the AJC’s Michelle Baruchman:
- Thursday afternoon: Sen. John Albers, R-Roswell, schedules a hearing on both bills at the Senate Public Safety Committee on Friday.
- Thursday evening: Albers cancels the hearing.
- Friday morning: Albers issues a lengthy statement implying the bills are dead and lawmakers will try again next year.
- A few hours later: The Senate votes to revive both bills by transferring them to the Rules Committee, which has scheduled a hearing for this morning.
“It’s just such a roller-coaster ride,” said state Rep. Dale Washburn, a Republican from Macon, who wants to ban the cameras.
One intriguing option: the Legislature could pass both bills and let Gov. Brian Kemp decide.
Photo of the day
State Sen. Donzella James, D-Atlanta, caused a stir on the Senate floor on Friday with her fabulous gold hat. Turns out, it was partly for a tea party she hosted for lawmakers and employees in the Capitol.
Under the Gold Dome
It’s the 38th day of the legislative session. State senators will wear jeans today in honor of former state Sen. John Bulloch, who stepped down in 2012. Some of today’s happenings:
- 10 a.m.: Senate convenes. Lawmakers are scheduled to vote on 31 bills and resolutions, including House Bill 268, the school safety proposal in response to the shooting at Apalachee High School in September.
- 10 a.m.: House convenes.
- 1:30 p.m.: House Judiciary Non-Civil Committee meets to consider Senate Bill 268, which would create the crime of interference with a first responder.
- 2 p.m.: House Health Committee meets to consider Senate Bill 39, which would ban expenses for gender-affirming care under the State Health Benefit Plan or with any state funds.
Listen up
Today on “Politically Georgia,” the hosts answer questions from the listener mailbag. Have a question or comment for the show? 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.
Water infrastructure
U.S. Rep. Mike Collins, R-Jackson, spent time this weekend visiting two locks along the Tennessee River as he seeks to prioritize access to inland waterways.
“Time to Make Water Infrastructure Great Again,” he posted on X alongside photos of his visits.
Collins, the chair of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment, spent time at the Wilson Lock and Dam outside of Huntsville, Alabama, and Chickamauga Lock near Chattanooga, Tennessee.
Collins explained more in an commentary for the Washington Times, saying the Wilson Lock was “one of the most vital locks to our nation’s national security.” He noted that many of the 3,700 cargo ships and boats that pass through annually carry goods related to the defense and space industries.
“Some dams are approaching or have surpassed 100 years in age, and 80% of locks are past their 50-year design life,” Collins wrote. “But federal bureaucracy, red tape, environmental regulations, and nonsensical budgeting methods so often the obstacles to American innovation are preventing us from moving water infrastructure into the 21st century.”
Today in Washington
- President Donald Trump will sign more executive orders.
- The House has evening votes scheduled.
- The Senate will work on more of Trump’s nominations.
Shoutouts
Today’s birthday:
- State Rep. Martin Momtahan, R-Dallas.
Belated birthdays:
- Jim Powell of Hiawassee, a former energy official in the Biden and Obama administrations (was Saturday).
- State Rep. Matt Dubnik, R-Gainesville (was Sunday).
- Former state Rep. Pedro “Pete” Martin (was Sunday).
Want a birthday shoutout in the Politically Georgia newsletter? There’s a form for that! Click here to submit the shoutouts. It’s not just birthdays. We’re also interested in new jobs, engagements, birth announcements, etc.
Before you go
Don’t miss Alia Pharr’s story about DeKalb County, which includes a fascinating history of how the county’s water and sewer system has both helped and hindered its economic growth.
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.
About the Authors
Greg Bluestein is the Atlanta Journal Constitution's chief political reporter. He is also an author, TV analyst and co-host of the Politically Georgia podcast.
Tia Mitchell is the AJC’s Washington Bureau Chief and a co-host of the "Politically Georgia" podcast. She writes about Georgia’s congressional delegation, campaigns, elections and the impact that decisions made in D.C. have on residents of the Peach State.
Patricia Murphy is the AJC's senior political columnist. She was previously a nationally syndicated columnist for CQ Roll Call, national political reporter for the Daily Beast and Politics Daily, and wrote for The Washington Post and Garden & Gun. She graduated from Vanderbilt and holds a master’s degree in journalism from Columbia University.
More Stories
The Latest
