Brian Kemp spends early to help Derek Dooley’s U.S. Senate bid.
Chris Carr and Van Johnson spar overgun ordinance.
DeKalb stronghold
Former Dekalb County CEO Michael Thurmond is running for governor.
Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC
Just as the race for U.S. Senate is coming into clearer focus, the governor’s race got a jolt as well.
As we reported this morning, former DeKalb County chief executive Michael Thurmond is joining the Democratic race for Georgia’s top job.
The development came as former Republican Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan formally announced in an AJC opinion essay that he was switching parties — and again floated the possibility he could seek office as a Democrat.
The moves raise the prospect that no clear Democratic front-runner will emerge anytime soon as each major contender fights to define their lane.
Former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms and state Sen. Jason Esteves are already leading contenders, but longtime Democrats aren’t counting Thurmond out.
He has a long record in DeKalb County, the state’s most important Democratic stronghold, and a proven ability to win votes outside metro Atlanta.
Thurmond was elected labor commissioner in 1998 and won reelection twice. But he lost a U.S. Senate race in 2010 to then Republican incumbent Johnny Isakson.
In an interview, Thurmond made clear he’ll lean on that decades-long experience.
“It’s a fascinating political landscape,” he said. “But my role and opportunity here is not about promises, but performance.”
A message from DELTA AIR LINES
Reimagining the way America flies, one journey at a time
Delta isn’t just flying planes, it’s reimagining what air travel means for Americans in a modern, connected world. With 100 years of aviation leadership, Delta is shaping a new era of flight: one that’s smarter, more efficient and more personalized. From streamlined airport experiences to a renewed focus on comfort and sustainability, Delta is delivering more than just a destination, it’s delivering the future of American travel. See how Delta is charting a bold course for what’s next in the skies.
Republican U.S. Rep. Mike Flood faced loud boos from a large crowd as he spoke at a town hall in Lincoln, Neb.
Credit: Thomas Beaumont/AP
Good morning! We’re 12 days away from the start of the candidate qualifying period for municipal elections. AJC City Hall reporter Riley Bunch has the latest on who is running in Atlanta.
Here are three other things to know for today:
Georgia has issued more than $1 billion in extra tax refunds, and more are on the way, the AJC’s David Wickert writes.
The group that won a massive state contract to build and operate the new Ga. 400 express lanes has closed on a record-breaking financing package needed to construct the nearly $11 billion project, the AJC’s Emma Hurt reports.
Dunkin’ on Duncan
Former Georgia Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan has switched political parties. He's now a Democrat.
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
Former Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan’s opinion essay this week wasn’t the first time he announced he was leaving the GOP. But it was the first time he formalized why he was switching to the Democratic Party.
The news drew sharp backlash from both sides of the aisle. Democrats questioned how they could trust a longtime GOP leader who once backed legislation to restrict abortion rights, expand firearms access and promote other conservative priorities.
“He helped pass the same laws he now opposes,” said state Rep. Ruwa Romman, a Duluth Democrat. “He could have expressed these thoughts for years now.”
“Duncan is like a mediocre male athlete who switches genders hoping he can now medal for his new team,” said Jones, long one of Duncan’s most outspoken critics.
Opening drive
Former football coach Derek Dooley is running for the U.S. Senate in next year's Republican primary in Georgia.
Credit: Courtesy photo
Gov. Brian Kemp is wasting no time putting his political machine behind former college football coach Derek Dooley’s U.S. Senate bid.
“There’s only one Republican with the playbook to get the job done and win: Derek Dooley,” said Jefferson Thomas, the group’s executive director. “Hardworking Americans is all-in to help Derek win the primary and general, and bring some common sense back to Georgia’s Senate seat.”
Kemp earlier dispatched two of his top advisers to lay the groundwork for Dooley’s campaign, and urged his top donors to withhold support for his two main GOP rivals: U.S. Reps. Buddy Carter of St. Simons Island and Mike Collins of Jackson.
Advertisement
Carr vs. Johnson
Savannah Mayor Van Johnson supports the city's firearms ordinance.
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
Savannah Mayor Van Johnson isn’t running for governor (at least, not yet.) But you might not know that based on the attention he’s getting from a top Republican contender in the race.
Attorney General Chris Carr has picked a fight with Johnson over what he calls the city’s “public safety crisis.” The latest attack came this week when Carr urged a judge to nullify a Savannah ordinance requiring gun owners to lock their vehicles when leaving firearms in them.
Carr argues state law forbids local governments from regulating possession and transportation of guns, something the courts have enforced before. In 2007, a state appeals court cited the same state law when it blocked a Coweta County ban of people carrying guns on county-owned property or recreational facilities.
Johnson says the ordinance aims to address “the deadly impact of illegal and stolen firearms.”
“Rather than using his constitutional authority to assist in protecting our communities, he has chosen instead to take adversarial positions against the very citizens he is sworn to defend,” Johnson said.
Carr, for his part, has said the ordinance is blaming “policies instead of confronting criminals.”
Emory lawsuit
Pro-Palestinian protesters rallied on the Emory University campus in Atlanta in 2024.
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
Emory University’s treatment of pro-Palestinian protesters last year prompted a federal investigation and a pledge by the school earlier this year to update its nondiscrimination policies.
But a Muslim medical student sued the university this week, accusing officials of suspending her for criticizing Emory’s treatment of pro-Palestinian voices.
In a 2024 “Democracy Now!” interview, Umaymah Mohammad criticized the university for firing a physician who supported Palestinians on social media while taking no action against a professor who volunteered as a medic in the Israeli military.
Mohammad did not mention the Emory employees by name. But the school accused her of violating its code of conduct, which requires students to “be courteous, respectful and considerate of others” in all communications.
Emory officials declined to comment on the lawsuit.
Mohammad is represented by the Georgia chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations and attorney Jonathan Wallace.
“Disguising this repression as a matter of ‘professionalism’ or ‘conduct’ is a moral failure — one that stains not only Emory, but the entire U.S. healthcare and education system,” Mohammad said in a news release.
Farm labor
U.S. Rep. Mike Collins, R-Jackson, is running for a U.S. Senate seat.
Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC
U.S. Rep. Mike Collins posted a plea for workers at the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on a government recruitment website that said “We need YOU to get them out.”
But President Donald Trump said at least some of the people who have been deported have been let back in the country so farmers can have workers to keep the nation’s $1.5 trillion agriculture industry humming.
“We’re sending them back, and then they’re schooling, they’re learning, they’re coming in, they’re coming in legally. We have a lot of that going on,” Trump said on CNBC’s “Squawk Box” during a Tuesday interview. “We can’t let our farmers not have anybody.”
Trump’s aggressive push to deport people living in the country illegally has delighted his base of supporters. But it’s also prompted worries among some farmers who rely on migrants for their labor.
Trump said “people that live in the inner city are not doing that work,” adding that “these people do it naturally” — an apparent reference to the millions of immigrants from south of the U.S. border.
Advertisement
Listen up
Today on the “Politically Georgia” podcast former state lawmaker Alisha Thomas Searcy joins the show to talk about leading the new Center for Strong Public Schools Action Fund and its mission to support public education and like-minded Democrats in the 2026 campaigns.
Also, Katharine Pichardo, CEO of the Latino Victory Fund, discusses her group’s endorsement of state Sen. Jason Esteves, D-Atlanta, in the Democratic primary for Georgia governor.
You can listen and subscribe to Politically Georgia for free at Apple Podcasts, Spotify 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.
Sanctuary cities
Georgia is no longer on the Trump administration’s list of sanctuary jurisdictions that could face lawsuits for their immigration policies.
The U.S. Department of Justice released a list of state and local governments in May that it accused of adopting policies aimed at protecting immigrants living in the country illegally. That initial list included the Georgia cities of Atlanta and Athens along with the counties of Athens-Clarke, DeKalb, Douglas and Fulton.
The list confused many in Georgia, especially since state law bans sanctuary policies. The new list has only 13 states, four counties and 18 cities.
Trump today
President Donald Trump is scheduled to give a speech at the White House.
Shoutouts
State Rep. Doreen Carter is pictured speaking during the legislative session at the Capitol in Atlanta in 2023.
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
Recognitions
State Reps. Doreen Carter, D-Lithonia, and Yasmin Neal, D-Jonesboro, have been selected for the Council of State Governments Henry Toll Fellowship. They will gather in Lexington, Kentucky, this weekend along with 46 other fellows.
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
A Georgia candidate for the U.S. Senate considers former University of Alabama football coach Nick Saban the GOAT.
Credit: Jason Getz/AJC
Derek Dooley may be the son of legendary University of Georgia football coach Vince Dooley, but he believes former Alabama coach Nick Saban, his one-time boss, is the “greatest football coach of all time now.”
The Politically Georgia team starts your day with insights and analysis from Peachtree Street to Pennsylvania Avenue. If you do not want this newsletter, unsubscribe here.
The Politically Georgia team starts your day with insights and analysis from Peachtree Street to Pennsylvania Avenue. If you do not want this newsletter, unsubscribe here.
