Pro-Burt Jones mailer targets ambiguous ‘Jackson’

A pro-Burt Jones mailer hitting conservative households this week delivers a sharp attack line: “Jackson says no to eliminating Georgia’s income tax.”

There’s just one problem. It never says which Jackson.

The mail piece, from a group called Fighting for Georgia, appears to target billionaire GOP rival Rick Jackson.

But as the sharp-eyed crew at Peach Pundit first noted, the quote actually traces back to state Sen. Kim Jackson, a Stone Mountain Democrat who opposed Jones’ anti-tax push in an AJC opinion essay earlier this month.

That might have been by design. The mailer notably doesn’t mention Rick Jackson by name. And the group behind it didn’t respond to requests for comment, leaving room for interpretation.

That didn’t stop the ridicule. Jackson’s campaign called it “as desperate as it gets.” Kim Jackson said she’s glad her “sensible policy ideas are getting some free airtime.”

The episode also offers a glimpse into Fighting for Georgia, the anti-tax group that has already steered more than $500,000 to Jones’ leadership committee.

That’s one of the larger donations since a 2021 Georgia law unlocked these fundraising vehicles, allowing unlimited contributions to top statewide candidates.

As for the group itself, it’s something of a black box. The group’s listed address traces to a northwest Atlanta home with a sign reading “PhysicalAddress.com.”

And several people tied to the organization, including Fighting for Georgia attorney Macy McFall, declined to comment.

Things to know

Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC

Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC

Good morning. Former Gainesville Mayor Sam Couvillon captured 63% of the vote in a 9th Congressional District straw poll this week, besting incumbent U.S. Rep. Andrew Clyde.

Here are three other things to know today:

’90s nostalgia

Credit: Arnell D Marshall/PeopleImages/Getty Images

Credit: Arnell D Marshall/PeopleImages/Getty Images

Georgia lawmakers are working to make daylight saving time permanent. But when it comes to classrooms, many still want to turn back the clock.

This week, lawmakers voted to keep cellphones out of schools while making sure students learn to write in cursive. Both bills reflect national trends in education. But it was enough to make people of a certain age wonder what year it is.

The cellphone ban is on its way to the governor’s desk. But the cursive handwriting proposal still must pass the House.

“They can’t read historical documents, can’t read personal correspondence, handwritten notes,” bemoaned state Sen. Marty Harbin, R-Tyrone. “Cursive is not nostalgic. It’s really literacy.”

Although Georgia Republicans often pledge to prevent the state from becoming California, in this case they are following the same path. California mandated cursive handwriting in 2023.

School safety

Credit: Photo courtesy Barrow County School District

Credit: Photo courtesy Barrow County School District

There’s a good chance state lawmakers will require public schools to install weapons detection systems. But that doesn’t mean your kindergartener will have to walk through a metal detector.

House Bill 1023 would give school districts broad flexibility in deciding how to comply. Some could opt to use metal detectors. But others could go for a camera-based system that uses artificial intelligence to spot problems.

“We’re not going to lord over the school to tell them exactly how you do it. But we are going to say you are going to do this, and you are going to make it a priority,” said state Sen. John Albers, a Republican from Roswell and chair of the Senate Public Safety Committee.

The bill is a response to the deadly shooting at Apalachee High School in 2024. House Majority Leader Chuck Efstration, the bill’s primary sponsor, noted an 8-year-old boy in Hall County brought a gun to school in February. The school did not have a weapons detection system, so officials learned about the gun only when the student showed it to a classmate.

“In my opinion this is completely unacceptable when we have technology out there that can detect these kind of weapons,” Efstration said.

Slugfest

Credit: AJC

Credit: AJC

Georgia’s top Republican contenders for governor shared a stage Tuesday for the first time during a closed-door roundtable hosted by the Georgia Faith & Freedom Coalition.

The private event in Marietta brought together Attorney General Chris Carr, health care executive Rick Jackson, Lt. Gov. Burt Jones and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger for a back-and-forth with conservative pastors and activists.

The gathering was notable for one key reason: It’s one of the only times bitter rivals Jackson and Jones have appeared at the same event since Jackson upended the race with a surprise campaign launch.

Organizers framed the event as a show of unity, calling it a milestone moment for the “pro-family movement.” But the reality is more complicated.

Jones and Jackson are in one of the most bitter intraparty feuds in recent Georgia history. Democrats egged on the fight.

Party spokesperson Jake Strickland said it “makes an already messy primary even more extreme, vicious and out-of-touch with Georgians.”

Under the Gold Dome

Credit: Adam Beam/AJC

Credit: Adam Beam/AJC

It’s Day 37 of the legislative session. Some happenings:

$1 bail

Credit: NYT

Credit: NYT

A Georgia judge set bail at $1 on Monday for Alexia Moore, the Kingsland woman charged with murder after taking an abortion medication and delivering a baby girl, who died about an hour later.

According to The New York Times, Superior Court Judge Steven G. Blackerby registered his extreme skepticism about the case during a hearing Monday.

“I think that charge is extremely problematic,” Blackerby said. “That is going to be a hard charge to convict upon.”

Although Moore was arrested for murder, she has not yet been indicted, so it remains unclear whether she will be prosecuted under the LIFE Act. That law criminalizes abortions in Georgia after fetal cardiac activity is detected, often at about six weeks of pregnancy.

On Monday, Brunswick District Attorney Keith Higgins said his office “didn’t advise” the police on arresting Ms. Moore, so he could not yet discuss it in detail.

Moore had been in jail since she was arrested March 4 by local police. The chance she could be prosecuted under the state’s anti-abortion law has brought national attention to the case.

Listen up

Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC

Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC

Today on the “Politically Georgia” podcast, we visit House Speaker Jon Burns in his Capitol office to discuss his push for a sweeping literacy overhaul, the path forward on tax relief and how he is navigating competing priorities and politics in the closing days of the 2026 legislative session.

You can listen and subscribe to “Politically Georgia” for free on 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.

Today in Washington

Shoutout

Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC

Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC

Today’s birthday

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

Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com

Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com

U.S. Rep. Brian Jack’s signature piece of legislation passed the House on Tuesday and now goes to the Senate for consideration. His bill, the Muhammad Ali American Boxing Revival Act, would be the first update of federal regulations for the sport in more than 20 years.

That’ll do it for us today. As always, you can send your best scoops, gossip and insider information to greg.bluestein@ajc.com, tia.mitchell@ajc.com, patricia.murphy@ajc.com and adam.beam@ajc.com.