Keisha Lance Bottoms seizes head start, targets GOP runoff infighting

Today’s newsletter highlights:

Janice Johnston endorses Burt Jones and Mike Collins.
A new report takes a closer look at Republican support for data centers.
Rick Jackson seemingly reopens the Republican debate on abortion.

Head start

Credit: Natrice Miller for the AJC

Credit: Natrice Miller for the AJC

Keisha Lance Bottoms isn’t waiting for Republicans to pick their nominee for governor before trying to define the race.

The Democratic nominee for governor returns to the airwaves Tuesday with two ads that aim to capitalize on the ongoing turf war between Lt. Gov. Burt Jones and billionaire Rick Jackson.

One spot compares the two GOP runoff rivals as pro-Donald Trump jackasses. The other leans into Bottoms’ biography, featuring her mother’s bootstrapping salon business and her “Can’t never could” mantra.

The ads are funded jointly by her campaign and newly formed leadership committee, which she can now tap as the nominee after winning the Democratic primary last month.

It’s another example of Democrats trying to make the most of their head start while Republicans spend another week locked in a bitter runoff.

Things to know

Credit: AP Photo/Jordan Strauss

Good morning! Here are three things to know for today:

If you’re still waiting for your special tax refund from Georgia this year, you might be out of luck, writes the AJC’s David Wickert.
President Donald Trump said “some interesting things” would result from January’s Fulton County ballot seizure. But months after the FBI’s raid, the U.S. Department of Justice’s investigation into Fulton’s 2020 election has produced no public evidence of wrongdoing, the AJC’s Caleb Groves reports.
Todd and Julie Chrisley, the Atlanta reality TV stars pardoned by Trump, have sued a Georgia lawyer they say botched their criminal defense, the AJC’s Rosie Manins reports.

Letting loose

Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC

Janice Johnston resigned from the State Election Board last week because of what she said were “family and personal responsibilities.” But the retired obstetrician seems to be enjoying her new freedom to express herself outside the bounds of the board’s ethical rules.

Johnston endorsed Jones for governor and U.S. Rep. Mike Collins for U.S. Senate over the weekend in a series of social media posts filled with capital letters and exclamation points. It’s the kind of stuff she couldn’t do when she was on the board.

“Billionaire Rick Jackson talks big and threatening about illegal immigrants- ‘Deported or departed” YIKES!” she posted. “MIKE COLLINS is the best candidate.”

Johnston also reserved some posts for her critics, who noted she attended a Trump campaign rally in 2024 that the Georgia Office of Inspector General concluded violated the board’s code of conduct.

“It was a great Trump rally!!” she wrote.

Bucking the trend

Credit: Screenshot

The Washington Post reports that Republicans have largely supported data centers despite public polling showing voters aren’t happy with them. Trump loves them and, as we told you last week, even Gov. Brian Kemp said he is a fan, citing support from local officials.

But state Sen. Greg Dolezal is an exception. The Republican is facing former state Sen. John F. Kennedy in next week’s GOP runoff for lieutenant governor, and he’s not hiding his distain for these modern warehouses that make much of our digital lives possible while also consuming lots of land, power and water.

Dolezal even used artificial intelligence to make an ad of Lego-like figures declaring Kennedy’s love for data centers in song. It reminded us of the AI country music video that Jackson made last year about his biography.

It appears Dolezal has public opinion on his side. An AJC poll from late April showed 76% of likely Democratic voters and 53% of likely Republican voters either disapproved or strongly disapproved of building data centers in their communities.

Abortion debate

Credit: Jason Getz/AJC

We told you yesterday about how Jackson seemed to reopen the Republican debate on abortion this week when, pressed by a voter about whether the state should make an exception for rape, he replied: “You’ve still got life.”

The National Organization for Women called Jackson’s comments “pure evil.” But a spokesperson for Jackson’s campaign pointed to a candidate questionnaire from the Georgia Life Alliance that Jackson and Jones both completed earlier in the cycle.

The two Republicans both answered “yes” on whether Georgia’s law should include exceptions for cases of rape or incest “where the rape is reported to an appropriate law enforcement agency.”

That provision is also already in the 2021 law, which says an abortion up to 20 weeks of pregnancy is legal in cases “in which an official police report has been filed alleging the offense of rape or incest.“

Bulldog boost

Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC

Here’s a runoff twist with a familiar Georgia football tie.

Former Republican U.S. Senate nominee Herschel Walker’s PAC donated $15,000 to Derek Dooley’s GOP Senate bid, a boost with a deeper connection than most campaign checks.

Dooley’s father, Vince Dooley, coached Walker at UGA, where the running back became one of the most famous Bulldogs in history.

And Walker, now U.S. ambassador to the Bahamas, remains one of the most recognizable names in Georgia, even after his 2022 Senate defeat.

The Walker PAC donation gives Dooley a Trump-affiliated boost, since the Heisman winner was appointed to his current post by the president. The younger Dooley was also once an assistant coach at UGA after Walker’s time there.

Listen up

Credit: Jason Getz/AJC

Today on the “Politically Georgia” podcast, the AJC’s Tamar Hallerman joins the show to discuss the GOP’s plan to redraw Georgia’s congressional and Legislative maps. Then, state rep. Saira Draper, D-Atlanta, discusses next week’s special legislative session and what, if anything, Democrats in the minority can do to influence the outcome.

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 has no public events on his schedule.
The House will vote on the reconciliation bill to fund immigration enforcement agencies.
The Senate will vote on more Trump nominations.
U.S. Rep. Lucy McBath, D-Marietta, will participate in a news conference on domestic violence and gun violence prevention.

Shoutouts

Credit: Natrice Miller/AJC

Today’s birthdays:

State Rep. Rick Townsend, R-Brunswick.
Martin Sullivan, chief of staff at the Georgia Department of Insurance and Safety Fire.

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: AP

Jackson and Jones have both written opinion essays in the AJC laying out their visions for Georgia. Jackson’s essay was published Friday. Jones’ essay was published this morning.

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.

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