Stickers given to Georgia voters at polling sites last year.
Credit: Jenni Girtman for the AJC
State voting records show former football coach Derek Dooley, now a Republican U.S. Senate candidate, did not vote in presidential elections in 2016 in Texas and 2020 in New York, where he lived at the time. He also didn’t cast a ballot last year in Georgia’s presidential primary, two years after registering to vote here.
Dooley isn’t the first high-profile Republican to miss votes. Herschel Walker, the GOP Senate nominee in 2022, didn’t cast a presidential ballot in 2016 despite his close ties to President Donald Trump.
But unlike Walker, a football icon who entered the Senate race with Trump’s endorsement, Dooley is still introducing himself to many conservative voters. And his rivals are working to turn his past disengagement into a liability.
Dooley said the gaps were part of a decades-long stretch of political agnosticism, telling WDUN’s Martha Zoller on Thursday he was consumed by coaching.
“I probably went 20 years where I didn’t vote for a president. I was immersed in my job as a coach. I was putting all my energy on the players and their families and trying to make them better,” said Dooley, a former Tennessee head football coach who also worked in the NFL and other college programs.
Republican U.S. Senate candidate Derek Dooley was once a wide receivers coach for the Dallas Cowboys.
Credit: Associated Press
Dooley said the coronavirus pandemic changed his outlook. Living in New York during the 2020 lockdowns, he said, spurred him to get involved.
“I saw things happen during COVID that I never thought I would see happen in our country, from the lawlessness that was going on, to all the government intervention and overreach. … It really jarred me in a way that said, ‘I gotta get my butt in the game.’”
After registering to vote in Georgia in June 2022, Dooley contributed $5,000 to Gov. Brian Kemp, his longtime friend, and cast ballots in that year’s primaries and runoffs.
He skipped the state’s March 2024 presidential primary, but said he voted for Trump in the general election and soon began weighing a challenge to Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff, who is up for reelection next year.
U.S. Rep. Mike Collins, one of Dooley’s GOP rivals for the Senate nomination, has hammered him for “sitting on the sidelines” during Trump’s presidency.
“Consultants better update the talking points, Coach!” his campaign said Thursday in a mocking social media blast.
Ossoff, for his part, is steering clear.
“As tempting as it is,” he said Thursday, “I think I’m going to allow my Republican challengers to work this out amongst themselves for a while.”
A message from DELTA AIR LINES
Delta is setting the bar for smarter, more connected travel
Delta is redefining what smart travel looks like. Whether it’s staying productive at 30,000 feet or enjoying seamless connectivity from the gate to your destination, Delta is setting the bar for a more intuitive flying experience. With personalized entertainment, high-speed Wi-Fi, and thoughtful onboard service, Delta delivers comfort and control in every seat. Backed by 100 years of innovation, Delta is building the smartest way to travel — powered by people, technology and a bold vision for what’s next.
Students at Hope-Hill Elementary School in Atlanta were greeted by staff earlier this month on the first day of school.
Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC
Good morning! It’s time to find out who reads this newsletter every day. Below you’ll find four questions taken from this week’s editions of Politically Georgia. The answers are at the bottom of the newsletter. Remember — it’s an honor system, so be honorable.
The Georgia Department of Education recently praised a school district for lowering its rate of chronically absent students from 42% to 17.8%. Which district was it?
A) Chattooga County School District.
B) Catoosa County Public Schools.
C) Chattahoochee County School District.
D) Colquitt County School District.
Georgia’s Democratic primary for governor is filling up fast, but there might still be room for a more progressive candidate in the race. Which state lawmaker has the left been discussing as a potential candidate?
A) State Rep. Michelle Au, D-Johns Creek.
B) State Rep. Imani Barnes, D-Tucker.
C) State Sen. Nabilah Islam Parkes, D-Duluth.
D) State Rep. Ruwa Romman, D-Duluth.
A former county clerk in Kentucky has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn one of its landmark decisions. What case is she challenging?
A) Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which returned abortion regulation to the states.
B) Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, which lifted restrictions on the political spending of corporations.
C) Obergefell v. Hodges, which legalized same-sex marriage nationwide.
D) New York State Rifle & Pistol Association, Inc. v. Bruen, which changed how gun laws are interpreted.
State Sen. Jason Esteves, a Democratic candidate for governor, unveiled a major policy proposal this week. What was it?
A) Legalizing marijuana for recreational use.
B) A $1 billion fund for low-interest loans to small businesses.
C) Endorsing a constitutional amendment to legalize sports gambling.
D) Raising taxes on wealthy Georgians to boost teacher salaries.
EMS
Ambulances are needed up to 428 times per month in Emanuel County.
Credit: TNS
Back in 1977, the 20,000 or so people who lived in Emanuel County needed an ambulance about 55 times per month. Today, that same county — slightly larger at just under 23,000 people — needs an ambulance up to 428 times per month.
That surge in call volume illustrates how health care has changed in the past 50 years, especially in Georgia’s rural communities where hospitals consistently list transportation as their No. 1 issue.
It’s also contributed to an alarming increase in response times, which increased from 12.5 minutes in 2022 to 19.4 minutes in 2023, according to Emanuel County EMS Director Courtney Terwilliger.
“EMS … was designed in 1966. It has not been redesigned. Hospitals and health care have been redesigned,” Terwilliger told lawmakers this week during the first meeting of the House Study Committee on Improving Access to Internal Medicine in Underserved Areas.
State lawmakers are spending the legislative offseason studying how to boost tourism in Georgia. One developer says all they have to do is look north for some new ideas.
Jeff Payne, chair of Capstone Property Group in Gainesville, pointed out two tax credits in South Carolina targeting abandoned buildings and former textile mills.
South Carolina offers developers a 25% tax credit for developing buildings that have been abandoned for five years. They also offer another 25% tax credit for improving buildings that were associated with the South’s once ubiquitous textile industry.
“If you improve it and make it usable for a business, you get that credit,” Payne said.
Developers can’t use both credits for the same project. They have to pick one or the other. But Payne said developers can sometimes get about 70% of their costs through tax credits in South Carolina.
It’s the kind of idea that state Sen. Drew Echols seems to be looking for. The Republican from Gainesville, who just finished his first session in the Legislature, is now chair of the Senate Study Committee on Making Georgia the No. 1 State for Tourism.
“We don’t have to … pass a huge, big, beautiful tourism bill,” he said. “There’s a lot of small nuggets out there we’re going to try to grab ahold of during this process.”
Advertisement
Don’t blink
A business service consultant for WorkSource Fulton helps a job seeker with her application.
Credit: AJC file photo
Georgia labor officials were quick to brag about the state surpassing 5 million total jobs in June for the first time ever. It was fun while it lasted.
Georgia lost 500 jobs in July, dropping the total number to 4,995,500, according to the latest numbers from the Department of Labor.
The news wasn’t all bad. Georgia’s unemployment rate fell slightly to 3.4% compared to 3.5% in June. And the health care and social assistance sector set an all-time record with 625,500 total jobs.
Georgia’s labor force — the number of people who are either working or actively seeking employment — had a tiny increase of 732 people to 5,377,004. Over the past year, the labor force has shrunk by more than 39,000 people.
That decline has helped lower the state’s unemployment rate. The AJC’s Allison Mawn reports much of the decline can be attributed to the aging labor force as more workers retire.
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.
Health insurance worries
U.S. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., is warning of a possible increase in the cost of health insurance.
Credit: Jason Getz/AJC
U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., on Thursday called on Republicans to extend subsidies that help reduce the cost of health insurance purchased on Affordable Care Act exchanges.
Without congressional action, the subsidies expire at the end of this year. Republicans, who control the House, Senate and White House, chose not to include another extension in the “big, beautiful bill” that President Donald Trump signed into law last month.
“I am urging congressional Republicans to reverse course and to prevent this massive increase in health insurance premiums that’s coming swiftly for Georgians as a result of the Trump budget bill that was passed earlier this year,” Ossoff said during a news conference.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution previously reported that Georgians purchasing policies on the exchange are expected to see some of the biggest price increases in the nation. Georgia’s average increase would be 21%, according to an analysis of preliminary rate proposals by The Wall Street Journal and the health research group KFF.
Advertisement
Trump today
President Donald Trump signed a proclamation marking the 90th anniversary of the Social Security Act on Thursday in Washington.
State Rep. Todd Jones, R-Cumming, first took office in 2017.
Credit: Maya T. Prabhu/AJC
Today’s birthday:
State Rep. Todd Jones, R-South Forsyth.
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.
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.