Democrats pour another $5 million into Keisha Lance Bottoms’ governor bid.
A GOP House candidate faces charges after an alleged exposure incident.
A human trafficking bill championed by Lucy McBath is signed into law.
Chasing votes
U.S. Rep. Mike Collins, left, is greeted by state Rep. Reynaldo Martinez and state Sen. Chuck Payne, right, before a campaign rally at Dalton Municipal Airport earlier this month. (Hyosub Shin/AJC)
U.S. Rep. Mike Collins is trying to outrun the polls.
Collins’ answer? He’s trying to outwork Ossoff on the ground. His busy campaign schedule includes multiple stops per day, sometimes as many as four or five, with media interviews in between.
“I would say for the last four weeks as we’ve been traveling around, we’re logging over 2,000 miles a week on that rental vehicle,” Collins said.
On Monday, that road led to Buford, where about 50 supporters gathered for his final stop of the day. They nodded along as Collins predicted an economic turnaround if Republicans remain in power.
“I say it every so often, even during the same speech: midterm elections are nothing but turnout,” he said. “Red versus blue. Whoever shows up the most, they’re gonna win this thing.”
Things to know
A delegation of Georgia officials, including Gov. Brian Kemp and Macon Mayor Lester Miller, visited Ingolstadt, Germany, in September to meet with Audi leadership. (Courtesy of Macon Mayor Lester Miller)
Good morning! The midterms are a week away. Early voting ends Friday. Here are three things to know for today:
Gov. Brian Kemp read in a business publication that Audi wanted to build its first U.S. plant, setting off a two-year pursuit that helped Georgia land one of the biggest economic development prizes in its history, Greg Bluestein, Joe Kovac Jr. and Zachary Hansen report.
Brant Frost IV, the politically connected founder of a Newnan-based lending business prosecutors called a Ponzi scheme, has been sentenced to 15 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to wire fraud tied to the collapse ofFirst Liberty Building & Loan, Savannah Sicurella and Kelly Yamanouchi report.
A Georgia House candidate claims an absentee ballot submitted in his name in a Nevada election was forged and should not disqualify him from next week’s midterms, Adam Van Brimmer reports.
Cash cavalry
Democratic nominee for governor Keisha Lance Bottoms, left, speaks during a campaign event on Monday in Atlanta as Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, right, listens. (Riley Bunch/AJC)
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, chair of the Democratic Governors Association, traveled to Atlanta on Monday to announce an additional $5 million investment in Keisha Lance Bottoms’ campaign for governor.
The new infusion brings the group’s total contributions to $16.5 million as Democrats seek to counter Republican nominee Rick Jackson’s spending advantage.
Beshear, a Democrat who has twice won the governorship in deep-red Kentucky, pointed to his own success as evidence that Bottoms can become Georgia’s first Democratic governor in more than two decades.
“I’ve beaten Donald Trump endorsed candidates two straight elections in a state he won by 30 points,” Beshear said. “So, I am living, breathing proof that Democrats can win anywhere.”
— Riley Bunch
Hope and change?
Democratic nominee for governor Keisha Lance Bottoms, left, and Republican nominee for governor Rick Jackson. (Arvin Temkar/AJC; Jason Getz/AJC)
Bottoms is closing her campaign with a one-two punch: an upbeat pitch about Georgia’s next generation and a searing warning about Jackson’s stance on abortion.
In one new ad, Bottoms highlights her record as Atlanta mayor and vows to expand Medicaid, guarantee pre-K and lower grocery taxes.
“We can make Georgia stronger for the next generation. I’ll work for you,” she says.
Her other ad strikes a darker tone. It features a woman who recounts being raped at age 17 and accuses Jackson of wanting to require survivors of rape to prove they were sexually assaulted before receiving abortion care.
“As a woman, a mom and a rape survivor, the thought of Rick Jackson as governor is terrifying,” she says.
The attack revives a controversy over comments Jackson made about Georgia’s abortion restrictions. His campaign says he supports the current law, which includes exceptions for rape and incest.
It’s a closing message that blends Bottoms’ promises of a brighter future with an indictment of Jackson’s agenda.
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Big spender
Republican nominee for governor Rick Jackson, center, speaks to reporters during a campaign event in Doraville in June. (Jason Getz/AJC)
The Republican Governors Association reported giving another $1.5 million, bringing the group’s total to at least $11.5 million.
Charges
Andre Stafford, the GOP nominee in Smyrna-based House District 42, seen here at an election watch party U.S. Rep. Mike Collins in Jackson in May. (Arvin Temkar/AJC)
A Republican challenging Democratic state Rep. Gabriel Sanchez is facing criminal charges after authorities say he exposed himself to a girl walking to her school bus stop.
Andre Stafford, the GOP nominee in Smyrna-based House District 42, was arrested Thursday in connection with the Oct. 15 incident, according to Fox 5 Atlanta.
Investigators used a Flock license plate reader to identify Stafford’s vehicle near the bus stop. Authorities said the girl later identified him in a photo lineup.
Stafford has denied the allegations. Cobb GOP chair Mary Clarice Hathaway told the Marietta Daily Journal he said he was looking for places to put campaign signs in the area.
When asked if he was planning to drop out of the race, Stafford told Fox 5: “I have no reason to drop out, I am innocent.”
Stafford, a former chair of the Cobb Young Republicans, is challenging Sanchez, a democratic socialist who flipped the seat in 2024.
He’s also listed as one of Collins’ “convoy captains” in his challenge against Ossoff.
Ad watch
Kara Holden, seen here in an ad for Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff's 2026 reelection campaign. (Screenshot)
When St. Mary’s Sacred Heart Hospital in Lavonia closed its labor and delivery unit, its owner — Trinity Health Georgia — blamed the decision in part on Congressional cuts to Medicaid.
Now, a former nurse who worked there is campaigning for Ossoff in a new political ad out today. Kara Holden blames Collins, who voted for the cuts in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Plus, the hospital is in Collins’ congressional district.
“I’m a registered Republican, but I’m voting for Jon Ossoff,” Holden says in the ad.
The law will cut Medicaid spending nationally by $1 trillion over 10 years. The law also includes a $50 billion rural health transformation program aimed at helping hospitals and healthcare providers.
That’s not the only attack ad. Ossoff is also out with another hard-hitting spot portraying Collins as a “white nationalist” and “bigot” over his ties to far-right figures. Collins has rejected accusations of racism and antisemitism.
And elsewhere on the ballot, Democratic attorney general nominee Tanya Miller is airing a new ad featuring prosecutors and law enforcement officials praising her toughness.
“She was a pit bull in the courtroom,” said Anthony Gentile, a retired Atlanta police sergeant.
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Listen up
A sign directs people to where to wait to start the voting process inside the Fulton County Registration and Elections office during early voting on Monday. (Miguel Martinez/AJC)
Today on the “Politically Georgia” podcast Greg Bluestein, Patricia Murphy and Tia Mitchell discuss the competing turnout strategies and what’s at stake before Election Day.
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.
McBath bill
U.S. Rep. Lucy McBath speaks at the 2024 Democratic National Convention in Chicago. (Arvin Temkar/AJC)
A bill championed by U.S. Rep. Lucy McBath aimed at curbing human trafficking was signed into law by President Donald Trump last week.
The Enhancing Detection of Human Trafficking Act requires the U.S. Department of Labor to train its employees on strategies to identify human trafficking. Those workers who come across suspected trafficking will be required to report it to law enforcement.
McBath, D-Marietta, was the original co-sponsor of the bill, teaming up with Education and Workforce Committee Chair Tim Walberg, R-Michigan.
Back when the bill was first introduced last year, McBath said the law is all about protecting vulnerable people who could become a target.
“Traffickers prey upon the most vulnerable in our society, targeting women and children,” she said in a statement. “This effort will enhance the Department of Labor’s ability to identify and protect victims as well as hold perpetrators accountable.”
Today in Washington
Trump will speak at campaign rallies in Corpus Christi and Lubbock, Texas.
The House and Senate are out until after the midterm elections.
Shoutouts
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Before you go
U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock and U.S. Rep. Hank Johnson, seen here in the U.S. Capitol following then President Joe Biden's state of the union address in 2024. (Nathan Posner for the AJC)
U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock and U.S. Rep. Hank Johnson called on the Environmental Protection Agency to immediately begin regulating the emissions of diesel generators that many data center operators are using for backup power and during peak times of electricity demand
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