It was planned as a celebratory campaign kickoff — a filing-day ritual with cheering supporters and a nod to the long race ahead.
Instead, U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff marked the filing of his reelection bid on a far heavier note.
“We’re here today in wartime,” he said, criticizing President Donald Trump for launching joint U.S.-Israel strikes on Iran that he has described as “another regime change war-of-choice.”
The somber tone stood in contrast to the usual choreography of the five-day qualifying period, a biennial ritual that started Monday that is often equal parts ceremony and theatrics.
Credit: Jason Getz/AJC
Credit: Jason Getz/AJC
All day, long lines of candidates stretched across the second floor of the Capitol. Sitting members of Congress rubbed shoulders with first-time hopefuls and perennial contenders as campaigns suddenly became official with a signature and a check.
Democrats reveled in lengthy lines that snaked throughout the marbled halls of the Capitol.
“Some folks love to run. Some folks love to win. I like winners,” said state Rep. Al Williams, one of the longest-serving Democrats in the statehouse.
Republicans projected confidence, too, even as several of their marquee races have grown more volatile.
Some candidates arrived ensconced by aides ready to blast out polished social media posts. Others slipped in quietly. Former state Sen. Jason Esteves made the most theatrical entrance, climbing a staircase flanked by cheering supporters.
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
“We are absolutely on offense,” said Esteves, who is running for governor. “And there’s no better proof than what we see coming out of Washington D.C.”
‘Fake phone call’
The tension was particularly evident in competitive primaries.
Democratic U.S. Rep. David Scott, facing questions about his age and health, refused to answer questions from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution when he qualified, saying he was on the phone.
That drew sharp criticism from one of his challengers, Everton Blair, who said Scott “took a fake phone call and was intentionally being hidden by staff and refused to acknowledge or address any of us.”
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
“It’s really just sad that we can’t have a member that even does the bare minimum showing up and saying hello, let alone shaking our hands or talking to us about any of the issues of the day,” said Blair, a former Gwinnett County school board chair.
There were moments of levity, too. After submitting her paperwork, former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms ran into state Rep. Derrick Jackson, a rival in the Democratic governor’s race.
“I’d wish you luck, but I can’t do that,” she said with a laugh.
‘2 a.m. posts’
The scenes that unfolded at the Capitol underscored how quickly the terrain has shifted in several top contests.
When Attorney General Chris Carr entered the governor’s race in November 2024, he had the Republican field largely to himself.
Now he is navigating a crowded primary reshaped by billionaire Rick Jackson’s entry as he jockeys with Lt. Gov. Burt Jones and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger for votes.
“It doesn’t change the path for me,” he said, mocking Jones and Jackson for “trying to go after the same voter” in the primary. “We’re trying to get everybody in the Republican Party.”
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
Bottoms, meanwhile, framed the race around pocketbook concerns.
“The affordability issue is very real. It’s not a hoax. We’re hearing that everywhere we go across the state,” she said. “It’s not an easy campaign. These aren’t simple issues. These aren’t simple times that we’re living through.”
In the Senate race, U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter talked as much to reporters about his support for Trump’s “America First policies” as he did about casting Ossoff as out of step.
“We need someone in the Senate who’s going to represent Georgia and Georgia values,” Carter said. “We need someone who can win.”
Ossoff, for his part, used the filing-day spotlight to nationalize the stakes of his race.
He accused Trump of taking the U.S. to war “without evidence of imminent threat, without having exhausted diplomacy, without clear objectives or a plan for the aftermath and without the consent of Congress.”
He added: “2 a.m. posts on Truth Social just aren’t good enough when you’re sending Americans into combat.”
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
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