National Democrats move closer to setting the 2028 presidential primary calendar.
Mike Collins criticizes Jon Ossoff for relying on out-of-state donations.
The U.S. House moves to reverse planned cuts at Fort Gordon’s Eisenhower Army Medical Center.
Grassroots blitz
Members of the audience cheer as U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff walks on stage at a rally last month in Savannah. (Sarah Peacock for the AJC)
Georgia Democrats like what they’re seeing in the polls. But they’re not taking any chances.
The Democratic Party of Georgia today announced it will have 30 field offices open by early August along with 60 full-time field organizers and more than 100 coordinated campaign staffers — the biggest operation the party has ever had at this stage of a campaign.
It’s the kind of build out U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff had in mind when he pushed to overhaul the state party after President Donald Trump recaptured Georgia in 2024 and boasted that he would help field the largest grassroots organization the state has ever seen.
Republicans are taking a different route. GOP nominee for governor Rick Jackson has built a sprawling turnout machine separate from the state party. Georgia GOP Chair Josh McKoon said recently that he hadn’t heard from Jackson since the billionaire won the nomination.
U.S. Senate nominee Mike Collins is more closely aligned with the state GOP, but he also brings his own network of “Convoy Captains” spanning all 159 counties.
Democratic Party of Georgia Chair Charlie Bailey said the “unprecedented organizing effort” will augment the campaigns that Ossoff, gubernatorial nominee Keisha Lance Bottoms and other contenders are assembling.
They plan to show off the party’s muscle at a state convention on Saturday in Savannah.
“We’re reaching voters in every corner of the state to hold Republicans accountable between now and Election Day,” Bailey said.
Things to know
The Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List on Saturday, with a Georgia contingent on hand to witness the designation. (Hwawon Ceci Le for the AJC)
Good morning! The midterm elections are in 99 days. Here are three things to know for today:
Georgia’s Okefenokee Swamp is now a UNESCO World Heritage site, Drew Kann reports.
Howard University unenrolled 502 students shortly before classes begin next week because of a missed payment deadline, angering students and their families, Yacine Ba reports.
Now that Brandon Phillips is no longer working for Collins, the House Ethics Committee loses its jurisdiction to continue an investigation of him, Tia Mitchell reports. But the committee can keep looking into Collins.
Left out
The U.S. and South Carolina flags as seen hanging in the South Carolina statehouse in 2021. (Jeffrey Collins/AP)
National Democrats took the first step toward setting the 2028 presidential primary calendar on Friday, and Georgia didn’t make the cut to be one of the early states despite a push by party leaders.
The Democratic National Committee’s Rules and Bylaws Committee chose South Carolina to go first, followed by Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Michigan and Virginia. The full DNC will approve the calendar at a meeting next month.
States that vote early wield outsize influence in the nomination process, basking in national media attention and campaign spending that comes with it.
Georgia Democrats hoped to capture some of that by moving up the calendar — a shift that would increase its already influential role as a swing state in the general election.
But Georgia’s bid was always a long shot. As Greg Bluestein reported last week, state law lets the secretary of state set the date for primary elections, not the state party.
Even if the DNC had chosen Georgia to go early, a Republican secretary of state could block it as Brad Raffensperger did during the 2024 election cycle when then-President Joe Biden pushed to move the state up the calendar.
Fort Gordon reprieve?
Fort Gordon in Augusta. (Hyosub Shin/AJC)
The U.S. House passed the annual defense budget last week, and it includes an order to reverse planned cuts at the Eisenhower Army Medical Center at Fort Gordon in Augusta.
The Defense Health Agency told Congress earlier this year it planned to permanently close most inpatient care at the center and turn its emergency room into an urgent care center.
The move prompted bipartisan condemnation. Ossoff and fellow U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock wrote a letter to the Department of Defense last month urging the Trump administration to abandon its plans.
The National Defense Authorization Act that passed the House last week includes a provision “to reverse actions to modify the scope of medical services provided at certain medical treatment facilities,” including the medical center at Fort Gordon. U.S. Rep. Rick Allen, R-Augusta, said the language also prohibits any future reductions.
But it’s unclear if the provision will become law. The NDAA is stalled in the Senate as Democrats protest the war in Iran.
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High-profile guests
U.S. Rep. Brian Jack speaks on a panel during U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon's visit to Central Education Center in Newnan earlier this year. (Arvin Temkar/AJC)
U.S. Rep. Brian Jack has made a habit of bringing political heavyweights to west Georgia. But this week’s guest list is a journey from farm policy to Hungarian heritage to state political history.
On Monday, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins and state Agriculture Commissioner Tyler Harper will join Jack for stops at a Carroll County turf farm and livestock barn.
On Tuesday, Hungarian Ambassador Szabolcs Takács will tour historic sites tied to Haralson County’s former Hungarian colony.
Then on Wednesday, Jack and Georgia House Speaker Jon Burns will gather at the University of West Georgia to honor the legacy of former Speaker Tom Murphy. The roundtable will include former state Rep. Calvin Smyre, Georgia Supreme Court Justice John Ellington and members of Murphy’s family.
Listen up
Republican nominee for governor Rick Jackson speaks at the first rally of his general election campaign in Cleveland earlier this month. (Arvin Temkar/AJC)
Today on the “Politically Georgia” podcast we’re answering questions from listeners, including one asking why Jackson’s recent visit to an Atlanta restaurant got national attention.
You can listen and subscribe to “Politically Georgia” for free on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, 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.
Today in Washington
Trump will visit a General Motors facility outside of Detroitwhere he will speak on manufacturing and auto industry jobs.
The House is in recess until Aug. 31.
The Senate will vote on more Trump nominations.
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Money trail
U.S. Rep. Mike Collins speaks to supporters at his watch party after winning the Republican U.S. Senate nomination last month. (Miguel Martinez/AJC)
Collins is dusting off a familiar Republican attack against Ossoff: Follow the out-of-state money.
The GOP nominee seized on Ossoff’s frequent warnings that American politics is “coin operated,” arguing that the Democrat fails his own test.
“With over 80% of his donations coming from out of state, by his own logic there is no way he represents the people of Georgia,” Collins said in a social media post.
It’s a tried-and-true line for Georgia Republicans — though an increasingly complicated one.
State Sen. Ben Watson, R-Savannah. (Arvin Temkar/AJC)
Today’s birthday
State Sen. Ben Watson, R-Savannah.
Want a birthday shoutout in the Politically Georgia newsletter? There’s a form for that. It’s not just birthdays. We’re also interested in new jobs, engagements, birth announcements, etc.
Before you go
U.S. Rep. David Scott, seen here in Conyers in 2025. Scott died in April. (Jenni Girtman for the AJC)
If you live in the 13th Congressional District, don’t forget the special election is tomorrow to fulfill the unexpired term of U.S. Rep. Daivd Scott, who died in April.
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