Colin Gray, the father of Apalachee High School shooter Colt Gray, faces sentencing.
Brian Kemp orders state agencies to prepare for possible budget cuts.
Marjorie Taylor Greene ties the knot.
Outside boost
Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff (left) and Republican U.S. Senate nominee Mike Collins. (Arvin Temkar/AJC)
Reinforcements are coming for Republican U.S. Senate nominee Mike Collins.
The congressman is getting a boost from One Nation, a GOP-aligned group that said Thursday it plans to spend $15 million in Georgia targeting Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff.
One Nation is launching its effort this morning with an ad slamming Ossoff for voting against President Donald Trump’s tax-and-spending plan. Records show the group placed an initial $2.5 million ad buy this week.
For Collins, it’s an important show of support at a pivotal moment.
The commitment could also ease fears among Georgia Republicans that Washington groups might shift their attention and resources to other contests, including the open Senate race in Texas.
“While Georgians are stretching their dollars, Sen. Jon Ossoff is voting with Bernie Sanders and AOC to raise taxes on families and seniors,” said Chris Gustafson, One Nation’s spokesman. “One Nation will hold Ossoff accountable for his extreme liberal record that is crushing Georgia’s working families.”
Meanwhile, Ossoff’s chances of winning continue to improve in the national lens. The Center for Politics at the University of Virginia Thursday morning shifted the race from “leans Democratic” to “likely Democratic,” writing it would be a “shock if Ossoff actually went on to lose.”
The Center for Politics adds, “In fact, zooming out somewhat, the bigger question for Ossoff may not be whether he can hold his own seat, but whether he can pull former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, the Democratic nominee for governor, over the line with him — she is locked in a competitive race against free-spending Republican businessman Rick Jackson.”
Things to know
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche appears before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Capitol Hill earlier this month. (Allison Robbert/AP)
Good morning! We’re 96 days away from the midterms. Here are three things to know for today:
A longtime Gainesville employee is accused of stealing more than $1 million from the city over several years, Caroline Silva reports.
A statewide cellphone ban takes effect in Georgia high schools this year when students return to school on Monday. Cassidy Alexander, Jason Armesto and Martha Dalton report it’s one of several changes across Georgia schools this year.
Todd Blanche’s nomination to become U.S. attorney general stalled Wednesday as lawmakers scrapped a planned committee vote after key Republicans demanded more assurances about the settlement of Trump’s lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service.
Apalachee sentencing
Colin Gray looks on after a jury convicted him of second-degree murder and more than two dozen other charges in March. (Abbey Cutrer/AJC file)
Prosecutors say Colin Gray allowed his son access to guns, ignoring warnings from family and mental health professionals.
“He’s a good kid,” Colin Gray said of the son while testifying during his trial in March. “He wasn’t perfect, nor was I. But how he could do something that heinous, I don’t know if anybody could see that kind of evil. There was a whole other side of Colt that I never knew existed.”
Budget cuts?
Gov. Brian Kemp speaks before signing the state's new budget at the state Capitol in May. (Hyosub Shin/AJC)
The two-term governor ordered state agencies to free state spending and prepare for possible budget cuts. The instructions are similar to orders Kemp gave last year. But David Wickert writes the circumstances have changed.
Georgia’s reserves are shrinking, reaching an estimated $8 billion this year after a high of more than $16 billion two years ago. Meanwhile, state lawmakers have increased spending while cutting taxes.
Both major-party nominees running to replace Kemp have plans to cut more taxes. Democratic nominee Keisha Lance Bottoms has proposed eliminating income taxes for teachers. Republican nominee Rick Jackson has pledged to cut income taxes in half in four years and work to eliminate them altogether in eight years.
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Healthcare focus
U.S. Rep. Mike Collins, R-Jackson, speaks during President Donald Trump's rally at Rome's Coosa Steel service center in February. (Arvin Temkar/AJC)
The Democratic Party of Georgia is using the 61st anniversary of Medicare and Medicaid Thursday to push out a new video hammering Collins’ vote for the Big Beautiful Bill last summer, which cut more than $1 trillion of federal funding for both. The tax cut package also included steep cuts to Affordable Care Act subsidies for Georgians.
The video follows a DPG news conference Tuesday in Collins’ district in Lavonia highlighting the closure of St. Mary’s Sacred Heart Hospital’s labor and delivery department, which hospital administrators said was “solidified” by funding cuts in the BBB.
Along with a rural healthcare tour this week by Bottoms, it’s all a part of Democrats’ efforts to capitalize on voters opposition to the GOP measure’s funding cuts.
But Collins isn’t leaving the healthcare issue to Democrats alone. The GOP Senate nominee will tour a rural Georgia hospital later Thursday, with a news conference to follow.
Listen up
Georgia GOP Chair Josh McKoon, seen here in 2024. (Jason Getz/AJC)
Today on the “Politically Georgia” podcast Georgia Republican Party Chair Josh McKoon joins the show to talk about the midterm races, including Collins’ path against Ossoff and why he hasn’t personally spoken with Jackson.
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.
Burkhalter’s back
Former state Rep. Mark Burkhalter, who now goes by his first name, Joseph, has been nominated to serve as ambassador to Moldova. (Handout)
On Thursday, the U.S. Senate is expected to advance a bloc of Trump’s nominees, including a former Georgia lawmaker who was denied a role in the president’s first term because of a previous controversy.
Former state Rep. Mark Burkhalter, is now going by his first name, Joseph. Trump has nominated him to serve as ambassador to Moldova.
Back in 2020, Trump appointed him to the top diplomatic post in Norway. But Burkhalter was never confirmed after complaints resurfaced that he had been involved in a racist campaign flier against a Black politician in 1994. The candidate depicted in the flier, Gordon Joyner, publicly campaigned against Burkhalter’s nomination.
This time around, there has been scant attention. That could be because of the name change. Or it could be because Burkhalter’s confirmation would not be a standalone vote for the Senate but as part of a bloc of 74 names. Or it could be that these types of controversies are far less damaging to one’s career by today’s standards.
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Today in Washington
Trump will deliver remarks about a new program to recruit veterans to pursue careers in trucking.
The Senate will take a procedural vote on a war powers resolution to limit strikes in Iran and will consider a bloc of Trump nominations.
The Senate health committee will vote on the nominations of Erica Schwartz to head the Centers for Disease Control and Sean Kaufman for a senior role at the Department of Health and Human Services.
The House is out until Aug. 31.
Wedding bells
Former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene was first elected in 2020 to represent Georgia's 14th Congressional District. (Ben Gray for the AJC 2020)
Former U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene tied the knot with former conservative television host Brian Glenn in Las Vegas on Tuesday night.
She posted photos of the nuptials on social media Wednesday morning, racking up tens of thousands of likes and well wishes and more than 1 million views.
“Last night, surrounded by our families, @brianglenntv and I said ‘I do,’” the Rome Republican wrote.
TMZ later reported more details. The couple got married at the Bellagio hotel, dining at one of the resort’s restaurants before tying the knot on a terrace overlooking the famous fountain pool. They gambled at the hotel afterward with a video crew in tow, possibly for Greene’s new video blog.
This is a second marriage for both the bride and groom.
Shoutouts
U.S. Rep. Nikema Williams, seen here at an event in East Point on Tuesday. (Jason Getz/AJC)
Today’s birthday:
U.S. Rep. Nikema Williams, D-Atlanta.
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
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz speaks at the Wisconsin Air National Guard facility at Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport earlier this month. (Mark Schiefelbein/AP)
The Trump Administration announced earlier this week that it is ending a Medicare subsidy, which could increase prescription drug premiums for millions of seniors.
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