Georgia Democrats project unity as GOP battles intensify

While Republicans scrap for their party’s nominations through runoff debates and fresh infighting, Georgia Democrats are trying to make the most of their head start.

U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff held a major rally with former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms at the Tabernacle on Sunday in Atlanta, the first of what could be several major events featuring the Democratic ticket.

The message was unity. The target was President Donald Trump and the quartet of Republicans in runoffs for governor and U.S. Senate, no matter who the winners are.

With signs proclaiming they were “United for Georgia,” they cast Trump as a “national disgrace” and framed the four Republicans still competing for governor and Senate as extensions of his agenda.

Ossoff, in particular, leaned into the anti-corruption argument that helped him defeat U.S. Sen. David Perdue in 2020, portraying the Trump administration as a monument to self-dealing and abuse of power.

“Here’s the bottom line — if you’re involved in any of this, next year you’ll be raising your right hand and swearing to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth so help you God in front of the U.S. Congress,” Ossoff said.

He painted his would-be rivals with the same brush: U.S. Rep. Mike Collins over an ongoing ethics complaint involving his longtime aide, and former football coach Derek Dooley over his family ties to a state school safety contract.

“It doesn’t matter which one wins. They’re both corrupt political insiders. And they’re both pro-war, pro-tariff and pro-cutting your healthcare. They’re both Trump puppets, and we will beat either one of them in November,” Ossoff said.

Republicans predict the alliance will come back to haunt Ossoff, who enters the November campaign as the favorite over an unsettled GOP field.

The National Republican Senatorial Committee previewed that line of attack during the rally, calling Bottoms an “extremist nut job” and signaling plans to tie Ossoff tightly to her record.

Things to know

Credit: Arvin Temkar

Credit: Arvin Temkar

Good morning! Here are three things to know today:

Debate showdowns

Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC

Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC

You can read all about Sunday’s round of Atlanta Press Club debates here. The highlight today might be the debate that won’t really happen.

Lt. Gov. Burt Jones will attend the GOP runoff debate for governor. Billionaire Rick Jackson won’t, citing a scheduling conflict. He’ll be with U.S. Sen. Rick Scott at his own event in Cobb County instead.

Jones mocked that explanation by noting he had a scheduling conflict of his own: a White House invitation for Monday that he said he turned down so he could attend the debate.

Jones also arrives with a new TV ad that debuted this morning targeting legal troubles involving Jackson Healthcare, the medical staffing firm Jackson runs.

Welcome to the party

Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC

Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC

While Jones and Jackson duke it out for the Republican nomination for governor, Bottoms is taking a big step to boost her fundraising now that she has the nomination locked up.

Bottoms registered a new leadership committee with the State Ethics Commission on Thursday, records show. She named the committee “Project Battleground Georgia.”

Only the governor, lieutenant governor, the Democratic and Republican nominees for those offices and legislative leaders of both parties can form leadership committees. State law lets them use these committees to circumvent campaign contribution limits that apply to other candidates for public office. They can accept unlimited campaign cash, raise money during the legislative session and coordinate with other campaigns and committees.

As lieutenant governor, Jones has accepted six-figure contributions through his WBJ Leadership Committee, while contributions to other Republican candidates were capped at $8,400. Jackson and Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger filed separate lawsuits challenging what they said were Jones’ unconstitutional advantages. Those lawsuits are still pending.

As the Democratic nominee, Bottoms now gets to enjoy those same benefits. Four years ago, Democrat Stacey Abrams collected nearly $60 million through her One Georgia leadership committee when she challenged Gov. Brian Kemp’s reelection bid.

Going solo

Credit: Courtesy

Credit: Courtesy

Jackson isn’t the only one skipping the Atlanta Press Club debates.

Joyce Griggs, a retired U.S. Army lieutenant colonel running as a Democrat in the runoff for Georgia’s 1st Congressional District, won’t participate in Monday’s debate with Amanda Hollowell.

Griggs said she was given “incorrect information” about the debate schedule, saying she’ll be meeting with people in the district instead.

“It would disappoint the people in the district if I canceled scheduled meetings,” she said in a news release.

Lauri Strauss, executive producer of the debate series, confirmed she did give Griggs the wrong time. She said she told Griggs she could still arrive at the previous time and not have to change her schedule.

Griggs was the top vote-getter in the May 19 primary. The winner will face Republican Jim Kingston for the chance to succeed U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter, who gave up his seat for an unsuccessful bid for the U.S. Senate.

McLaurin v. Parkes

Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC

Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC

You might have been tempted to duck for cover Sunday if you were watching the fiery debate between state Sen. Josh McLaurin and former state Sen. Nabilah Parkes in their race for the Democratic nomination for lieutenant governor.

Parkes set the combative tone from the beginning, telling McLaurin: “I got into this race because you weren’t doing the work for an entire year. And it’s evidenced by the fact that I caught up with you in two months.”

He shot back, “My response is that Ms. Parkes thinks that a campaign is smoke and mirrors, that the work I did for a year going to hundreds of events all over the state doesn’t matter.”

Parkes later took McLaurin to task for one of his many legislative efforts to turn a Republican messaging bill back on the majority party. In one case, he introduced an amendment to change a GOP bill creating “America First” license plates to call them “Donald Trump First” plates instead.

“I got tons of emails from constituents who thought it was a funny play to make a serious point about Senate Republicans’ loyalty to Donald Trump,” McLaurin said in his defense.

But Parkes called it “a stupid amendment” and said that’s why she voted against it. “This is a reflection of your leadership. You think this is a joke.”

Later, McLaurin said Parkes abandoned her constituents by resigning her Senate seat, noting she won’t be around during the upcoming special session on redistricting.

“Fighters do not give up. They show up,” he said.

Listen up

Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC

Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC

Today on the “Politically Georgia” podcast we examine how Democratic and Republican bases have changed since 2020, why Ossoff and Bottoms are already campaigning in tandem, and how Black women voters continue to shape Democratic politics in Georgia.

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.

Reinforcements

Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC

Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC

A national Democratic turnout group is putting new money behind the party’s push to flip the Georgia House.

The Progressive Turnout Project said this morning it will spend more than $200,000 to hire at least 20 paid fellows to work in targeted state House races this fall, part of the group’s broader $44 million investment across 25 states in 2026.

Georgia Democrats need to flip roughly 10 seats to seize control of the chamber for the first time in a generation.

The push comes as Gov. Brian Kemp has called lawmakers back for a June 17 special session to redraw state and congressional maps for the 2028 elections, raising the stakes for control of the Legislature.

House Minority Leader Carolyn Hugley said Democrats “will continue campaigning on how we’ll make Georgia an affordable place to live, work and raise a family.”

Today in Washington

Endorsement watch

Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC

Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC

Republican John F. Kennedy picked up the endorsement of state Rep. David Clark, a former rival for lieutenant governor, in his June 16 runoff against state Sen. Greg Dolezal.

Clark, a former Green Beret who drew more than 140,000 votes in the primary, said Kennedy is the kind of leader Republicans can trust.

The endorsement comes with some bite: A Dolezal campaign staffer drew backlash during the primary for a post mocking Clark’s speech impediment before deleting the post.

On the Democratic side, Parkes announced the backing of former Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin, the city’s first female mayor and one of the state’s best-known Democratic public servants.

“I look forward to building on her legacy and making history together as we continue this fight for progress,” Parkes said.

Shoutouts

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Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC

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Before you go

Credit: Philip Robibero

Credit: Philip Robibero

Check out the latest AJC investigation showing that hundreds of Georgia wellness clinics are promoting hundreds of unproven treatments with little oversight from one of the nation’s weakest medical boards.

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.