Georgia Politics, Campaigns, and Elections for April 15, 2025

On April 15, 1776, the Georgia Provincial Congress issued “Rules and Regulations,” which would serve as an interim state Constitution until the Constitution of 1777 was adopted.

On April 15, 1783, the United States Congress ratified a preliminary peace treaty with Great Britain, which was signed in November 1782.

RMS Titanic sunk at 2:20 AM on April 15,1912.

Jackie Robinson, born in Cairo, Georgia, became the first African-American professional baseball player in the Major Leagues on April 15, 1947, playing for the Brooklyn Dodgers against the Boston Braves. Robinson scored the winning run in that game.

The Atlanta Ladies Memorial Association was formed on April 15, 1966 to assist and honor Confederate veterans. One of its most well-known projects was the “Lion of the Confederacy” memorial in Oakland Cemetery.

On April 15, 1989, Chinese students and intellectuals in Tiananmen Square in Beijing, mourned the death of Communist Party General Secretary Hu Yaoban, considered a liberal reformer.

DeForest Kelley, born in Atlanta and known for playing Dr. Leonard “Bones” McCoy on the original Star Trek series, was inducted into the National Broadcasters Hall of Fame on April 15, 1992.

Georgia Politics, Campaigns, and Elections

Floyd County Post 4 voters will elect a new County Commissioner in today’s Special Runoff Election, according to WLAQ1410.

There will be a runoff to fill the vacancy on Post 4 of the Floyd County Commission. David Thornton and Chip Hood were the top vote recipients in Tuesday’s Special Election and will proceed to the runoff, which is scheduled for April 15^th. The winner will go on to complete the unexpired term of Larry Maxey, who passed away last November.

Enigma City Council Post 4 voters will elect a new Council member today, according to WALB.

The town of Enigma held a special election on Tuesday, March 18, to fill the City Council Post 4 seat.

Berrien County Board of Elections released the unofficial votes:

• Rick Maluda – 53
• Jimmy Bennett – 49
• Gary Spears – 22
• Jim Butler – 2

Maluda and Bennett will have a runoff on April 15.

According to Berrien County Elections, there was a 20.59% turnout. Results will be certified later this week.

Albany Ward 6 voters will elect a new Commissioner today, according to WALB.

As Ward 6 candidates Samuel Gaines and Diana Brown prepare for the runoff election on April 15, they say they have plans to bring economic development growth–something they say hasn’t happened in the last 30 years.

The Ward 6 special election is scheduled for April 15, but early voting starts April 7 and ends April 11.

The Georgia Supreme Court will hear arguments in the lawsuit over Sapelo Island zoning, according to WSAV.

The Georgia Supreme Court is set to begin hearing arguments on Wednesday in a fight over zoning changes to Sapelo Island.

Members of the Gullah Geechee community in Hogg Hummock have opposed the move. They previously told WSAV that it would change the character of the island, where many residents are the descendants of enslaved people.

They also said it will increase their property taxes which would ultimately force families out of homes that they have lived in for generations.

Opponents tried to hold a ballot referendum last year to reverse the zoning changes, but a judge put a stop to it in September.

The new zoning was put on hold after the judge issued an injunction following the referendum organizers appeal to the Georgia Supreme Court.

Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr’s Office will appear before the Georgia Supreme Court in a case challenging the prohibition on people under 21 carrying guns, according to the AJC.

Today, Carr’s office will be in the Georgia Supreme Court defending a state law passed in 1968 that bans people between the ages of 18 and 20 from carrying a handgun in public. It’s put Carr on the opposite side of gun rights groups such as Georgia Second Amendment — advocates he’d probably like to keep happy in the run-up to the 2026 Republican primary.

As attorney general, Carr argues that “it was perfectly reasonable for the legislature to believe that younger people are less likely to responsibly carry handguns in public.” He notes it’s still legal for people over 18 to carry handguns at home, in their cars, at their places of business or while hunting, fishing or sport shooting.

“Allowing 18-year-olds to carry handguns on or in their own property, but not elsewhere, does not come close to destroying the right to bear arms,” the AG’s office argued in a brief endorsed by Carr and three other attorneys.

But as a candidate for governor, Carr would like to see the law changed. Neil Bitting, Carr’s campaign spokesperson, notes that the Georgia Department of Law “is constitutionally required to defend laws passed by the General Assembly, even laws that the attorney general disagrees with. Period.”

”As governor, he’d support legislation that would promote the Second Amendment rights of young adults to defend themselves,” Bitting said.

Governor Brian Kemp will sign tax relief legislation today, according to Atlanta News First via WALB.

As the political world awaits his decision on his future plans, Gov. Brian Kemp will sign his latest legislative achievement on Tuesday, a measure his office says will deliver more than $1 billion in tax cuts and relief.

Kemp, accompanied by state lawmakers and local leaders, will sign HB 111, accelerating the largest state income tax cut in Georgia history, and HB 112, which will authorize the delivery of $1 billion in one-time special tax refunds up to $500 to Georgia taxpayer households.

Kemp is coming up on the end of his second term, having defeated Democrat Stacey Abrams in a 2018 contest to replace outgoing Gov. Nathan Deal and then handing Abrams a second, solid defeat in 2022.

From 11Alive:

The signing is happening at the Coca-Cola Roxy in Cobb County as part of the Cobb Chamber of Commerce’s “Marquee Tuesday” event.

Gov. Kemp will be joined by Georgia First Lady Marty Kemp, members of the Georgia General Assembly, and local leaders to enact House Bill 111 and House Bill 112:

• HB 111 accelerates the state’s planned income tax cuts.
• HB 112 authorizes $1 billion in one-time special tax refunds to qualifying households.

Eligible taxpayers will receive:

• $250 if filing as single or married separately.
• $375 if filing as head of household.
• $500 if filing jointly as a married couple.

The Georgia Department of Revenue will issue the smaller of either your 2023 state income tax liability or the maximum rebate amount for your filing status.

Governor Kemp is expected to nominate Inez Grant as Solicitor General for Hall County, according to AccessWDUN.

This comes over six months after former Solicitor General Stephanie Woodard took a plea deal that included a condition for her to resign.

After that, Assistant Solicitor General Stephanie Thompson was named the current acting Solicitor General in August to fill in until Kemp found a replacement.

Now, it’s been confirmed by Thompson that Inez Grant was selected for the job.

Grant submitted her application in December along with Thompson.

Grant is a Gillsville attorney and has worked as an attorney in Georgia since 1992. She previously worked as a prosecutor and chief assistant in the Hall County Solicitor General’s Office under previous solicitor Jerry Rylee.

Grant said several people had reached out to her asking her to apply for the position.

The appointment has not been formally announced by Kemp, and Grant has not commented since reportedly being selected.

University System of Georgia Chancellor Sonny Perdue joined a Town Hall with Savannah State University President Jermaine Whirl, according to WSAV.

University System of Georgia Chancellor Sonny Perdue and Savannah State University (SSU) President Jermaine Whirl are looking for ways to make the school better.

On Monday, both leaders said it starts with hearing from students and the local community. People from all walks of life gathered on the campus to ask questions or voice concerns. Many of them shared one common goal: ensuring student and university success.

According to the university, “…there is no merger nowhere in the thinking of the Board of Regents.”

Business leaders were also in attendance including Hyundai, Savannah Economic Development Authority and the Savannah Area Chamber of Commerce. It is a part of Whirl’s strategy that he says will connect the community to the university and create endless job opportunities. It also allows educators to know what requirements are needed for their students to secure jobs. Whirl said this will ultimately drive success in all areas for SSU.

Whirl told WSAV his goal for SSU is to be among the top 25 HBCU’s in the country within the next decade.

Lieutenant Governor Burt Jones (R-Butts County) was named Honorary Chair of the annual NAMIWalks Moultrie, according to the Moultrie Observer.

The event will be Saturday, May 10, from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., around the courthouse square. The route length will be 17 blocks around Downtown Moultrie.

“NAMI Georgia is well represented under the Gold Dome and your commitment to supporting families, communities and Georgians across the state is appreciated,” stated a letter from Jones to the local chapter of NAMI. “As your Honorary Walk Chair, I convey my sincere thanks for all that you do and if I can ever be of assistance, please don’t hesitate to reach out.”

NAMIWalks Moultrie is a powerful step in the right direction, according to Walk Manager Lynn Wilson. Accessible, affordable mental health care is critical to the community’s health, she said.

“Looking at the mental health landscape in 2025 realistically, it’s impossible to care too much about affordable and accessible care,” Wilson said. “Its impact is deeply felt in every corner of Moultrie and Colquitt County, from home and family to the workplace and public spaces. The success we have in bringing help and hope to an individual is felt everywhere. Bringing a smile to someone seeking help holds the promise of increased safety and wellness to our whole community.”

State legislators from Coastal Georgia discussed the past Session of the General Assembly, according to The Brunswick News.

Sen. Mike Hodges, R-Brunswick, said the recent session was the first of his second term in office. He serves on banking, finance, economics and tourism, redistricting, and insurance and labor committees.

The state budget for fiscal year 2026 is $37.7 billion, which is $2.8 billion less than this year’s, he said. Timber companies who sustained losses from last year’s Hurricane Helene are now eligible for disaster relief.

Tort reform, one of the priorities of the session, was approved.

“It’s fair to both sides now,” he said. “Everyone can still have their day in court.”

State Rep. Buddy DeLoach, R-Townsend, praised the cooperation among the local delegation to do as much as possible for the Golden Isles.

“These guys work,” he said. “They work together.”

State Senator Drew Echols (R-Gainesville) discussed how tariffs could affect the agriculture industry, according to State Affairs.

On the one hand, the fifth-generation farmer and state senator from Gainesville hopes stricter trade terms for Mexico may drive down competition from that country for the 500 acres of peaches, strawberries and pumpkins his family harvests at Jaemor Farms, which he co-owns.

On the other hand, Echols worries that retaliation from China over stiff White House tariffs could hike prices for essential fertilizers and crop-protection products, increasing his roughly $500,000 in labor and material costs each season from pruning to picking.
Like farmers across the state, Echols is trying to stay optimistic about the future — no easy task after an especially challenging year for Georgia’s agriculture industry.

“The bright side is that hopefully with this mess, we become less dependent on other countries to grow food,” Echols, a Republican, told State Affairs. “That’s the endgame.”

Aside from bracing for tariff impacts, Georgia farmers have faced diseases, bad weather and fierce international competition from crop imports over the past year. For some, no matter how the tariffs shake out, the situation can’t get much worse.

“2024 was about as bad a year as you could have,” said Taylor Sills, executive director of the Georgia Cotton Commission. “I don’t see a situation where anybody made money last year.”

“We were hoping under these tariffs that President Trump might smack Mexico a little bit,” Echols said at his farm last week. “And he did for everyone else — except Mexico. That is not good for produce in the Southeast in the short term.”

The reprieve for Mexico came as a gut punch after a cold snap in 2023 wiped out most of the state’s peach harvest. Echols has rebounded, but now he’s bracing for the fallout from an intensifying trade war with China, which makes most of the fertilizers and pest control products his farm uses. Buying more expensive alternatives will hurt his farm’s bottom line.

“That makes our input costs go up,” Echols said. “But our prices won’t reflect those increases since we have to stay competitive.”

Poultry, the state’s leading commodity in 2023 at $5.8 billion, saw exports plummet amid an ongoing ban on sales to China due to an avian flu outbreak in November 2023. Poultry sales to China fell by nearly 60% last year, spiraling to around $213 million in 2024 from roughly $516 million in 2023, according to data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).

The export drop was especially harsh for poultry plants that sell chicken byproducts — particularly birds’ feet — to China. Chicken feet, or “paws,” have been a major part of Chinese cuisine for centuries and gained increased popularity in the 1990s when they were called “Bush legs” during then-President Georgia H.W. Bush’s tenure. They are frequently used in braised and fried dishes.

The continued loss of China as a market for chicken feet has worsened an already steep decline in poultry exports from Georgia to other countries. USDA data shows a nearly 16% decline in sales from 2023 to 2024 — a roughly $263 million decrease.

“That has been very disruptive,” said Mike Giles, president of the Georgia Poultry Federation. “Even without these trade negotiations, there’s going to be pinch points and pain along the way.”

Former state Rep. Stephanie Stuckey can see how the tariffs might make matters worse. Georgia is dotted with Stuckey’s family stores (circa 1937), which buy everything from local pecans to a variety of glazed candies, brittles, log rolls and snacks. Any future tariffs with Mexico could increase prices for things such as pecans for Stuckey.

If that happens, she joked that local farmers and pecan enthusiasts could always “stress eat” their way through tariff anxieties with a Stuckey’s treat.

“Let’s hope they grab a bag of pecans or a log roll to help deal with the anxiety,” Stuckey said. “I’m just trying to be positive. What I mean is, let’s just pray that consumers continue to support us.”

The Georgia Craft Brewers’ Guild is again complaining about tariffs. From WABE:

Joseph Cortes is the executive director of the Georgia Craft Brewer’s Guild. He says that breweries faced inflation and supply chain disruptions after the pandemic and now have to deal with “the whiplash of tariffs.”

Cortes says most of the aluminum used in the industry comes from places like Canada, which is now subject to sweeping 25% steel and aluminum tariffs.

“We just don’t have the production capability in the United States at this point,” Cortes said.

While the White House has said that these import taxes are meant to boost domestic manufacturing, Cortes says that would cost too much and take too long to build. He adds that his brewers don’t have time to play this waiting game.

“These threaten to drive up the cost of these critical inputs at a time. Every single one of our brewers are already stretched thin,” Cortes said.

Denish Shah is a marketing professor at Georgia State University. He says these various import taxes, paused or not, are bad news for consumers.

“Let’s say you’re buying a laptop, for example,” Shah said. “If there are certain components that are coming from China, that is enough to increase the price of a laptop or an iPhone or any of those items for that matter.”

Georgia economists say we have not seen significant price increases yet. Still, it is on the horizon as businesses decide how much of these additional costs to pass down to consumers.

Savannah-Chatham County Public Schools will offer mental health telehealth services to students, according to WTOC.

A new partnership with Hazel Health, a trusted pediatric telehealth provider for K-12 schools, will offer students access to remote mental health care services and the best part is, it’s at no cost to students.

SCCPSS announced the new service on April 10.

Through this new initiative, students will be able to access virtually receive Mental Health and Wellness support; this is an extension of in-person services offered through SCCPSS’ Wellness Center.

The district says teletherapy appointments at home will be available for all district students, especially when students are unable to access the SCCPSS Wellness Center.

Students must have parent permission to enroll for services unless they are 18 or older.

Chatham County Commissioners continue working on a Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) extension referendum, according to WTOC.

Chatham County officials are planning to put a Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax referendum on the ballot in November.

This penny sales tax would fund a variety of projects throughout the county.

“There are three areas that I think are our needs that’s transportation, drainage and public safety,” said Chatham County Commission Chairman Chester Ellis.

SPLOST has been widely approved by Chatham County voters in the past, and the Board of Commissioners hopes to keep it that way this November.

The Coffee County Sheriff’s Office and Douglas Police Department formed a joint task force to target drug and gang crime, according to WALB.

Both departments have investigated the same offenders and battled the same problems—often separately. That separation, officials say, created confusion. Now, the two are combining forces to bring focused enforcement.

“One of the big things out there is drug trade and also gang activity,” said Douglas Police Chief Brannen Pruett. “We want our citizens to feel safe. And the gangs—if they’re out there, we’re coming after you.”

The plan includes deputizing four Douglas Police officers so they can operate across city and county lines. Leaders believe that this will eliminate overlapping investigations and help law enforcement with more strategic responses where they’re needed most.

The task force officially begins operations on May 1.

United States Senators Jon Ossoff (D-Atlanta) and Raphael Warnock (D-Atlanta) are concerned about reduced water quality monitoring, according to the Ledger-Enquirer.

Three weeks after the Chattahoochee Riverkeeper called on 16 Georgia delegates to try to reverse the Department of Government Efficiency’s termination of a building lease that measures water quality and quantity throughout the region, Sens. Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock are raising concerns.

The two sent a letter Thursday to the leader of the U.S. Department of Interior, questioning how the government will prevent reduced water quality in Georgia and deal with other key aspects of the work done at the U.S. Geological Survey office in Norcross, which is one of several federal offices in Georgia at risk of closure after being put on DOGE’s lease cancellation list.

CRK, which raised alarm about the closure, works to keep the river water clean and safe for drinking and recreation throughout the state. Part of the group’s work is testing bacteria levels in parts of Atlanta near sewage outfalls that have led to past treatment failure discoveries.

The testing for CRK’s program, BacteriAlert, is done in the USGS office in Norcross. The savings from leaving the office would total around $1.3 million, according to the DOGE website.

This USGS office is home to the South Atlantic Water Science Center, which provides what the Chattahoochee Riverkeeper calls “critical and vital” services such as housing equipment, a designated laboratory, and a workshop storage space designed for testing services. It supports water monitoring activities in Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina.

Ossoff and Warnock said this termination is a possible threat to water quality for families across Georgia. In a letter to Department of Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, the two emphasized the science center’s importance and asked several clarifying questions.

In addition to defending the safety of drinking water, the senators pointed out that the USGS Science Center office maintains water gauges in Lake Lanier, which supplies drinking water, and at several points along the Chattahoochee River. They also said the gauges inform water flows for Georgia’s agriculture industry, nuclear reactors across the state, and Department of Defense installations. Flash flood warning notifications stem from the gauges monitored at this office, the senators said in the letter.

I personally rely on the USGS water gauges to check water levels and bacteria levels in rivers before kayaking.

Fort Benning will host another renaming ceremony, according to the AJC.

Just weeks before World War I ended, the U.S. military established Fort Benning near Columbus. The first soldiers arrived there on Oct. 6, 1918. Later that month, officials held a ceremony for naming it after Confederate Brig. Gen. Henry Benning.

More than a century later, the base was renamed Fort Moore in honor of the late Hal and Julie Moore, a husband-and-wife duo known for their fierce advocacy for military families.

On Wednesday, the military will hold a ceremony for restoring the base’s name. But this time, according to the Trump administration, it will honor Fred Benning, a modest World War I hero from Nebraska. His granddaughter is expected to attend the ceremony.

The Pentagon said the name change “honors the warfighter ethos and recognizes the heroes who have trained at the installation for decades and will continue to train on its storied ranges.” Critics have called the move a calculated attempt at stoking division.

In February, the Pentagon restored Fort Liberty in North Carolina back to its original name, Fort Bragg. The post was originally named after Confederate Gen. Braxton Bragg, who owned a plantation and slaves. The Pentagon says it is now named after the late Army Pfc. Roland Bragg, who received the Silver Star for gallantry and a Purple Heart for wounds sustained during the Battle of the Bulge in World War II.

Gainesville Mayor Sam Couvillon raised more than a quarter million dollars in his campaign for the Republican nomination for the 9th Congressional District seat held by U.S. Rep. Andrew Clyde (R-Athens), according to AccessWDUN.

The Republican Gainesville mayor has raised $263,490 in just two months since announcing his campaign on Jan. 28th of this year. The campaign also disclosed with the Q1 deadline on March 31 and that Couvillon has $213,000 cash on hand.

Couvillon will run in the Republican primary against current 9th District Representative Andrew Clyde. Clyde beat challenger Tambrei Cash in the 2024 election.

“Our record fundraising numbers are evidence that the hardworking folks of Georgia’s 9th Congressional District are ready for a change,” Couvillon said in a press release. “The men and women of GA-09 deserve a conservative voice in Congress who not only has a proven record, but who will also fight to defend their values in Washington. We’ll continue building off of this promising start.”

Couvillon has been mayor since 2022. He was first elected to the Gainesville City Council in 2013.

Democratic candidate for Public Service Commission Daniel Blackman says he moved from Forsyth County to Fulton County in time to run for the seat covering Fulton, according to the AJC.

Seats on the state’s utility regulatory body are elected statewide, but they are assigned to geographic districts. And state election laws say candidates must live in a district for 12 months before they are eligible to run in that jurisdiction.

Blackman said he became a full-time Fulton County resident in October of last year, but records suggest his move was not complete until some time later.

He voted in Forsyth County after that on Nov. 5, according to voter history data from the secretary of state’s office. Records also show he paid property taxes for a home in Forsyth County as recently as November.

And on April 3, the final day candidates for the upcoming Public Service Commission race could qualify, Blackman, a husband and father of four children, changed his voter registration address to an apartment in Fulton County in a complex that lists one- and two-bedroom options.

This isn’t Blackman’s first time running for office. He narrowly lost a 2020 race for the District 4 PSC seat in a runoff with incumbent Lauren “Bubba” McDonald. That district includes Cherokee, Gwinnett, Forsyth and parts of North Georgia. He ran and lost for the same District 4 seat in 2014 and, in between, lost a bid for a Forsyth County state Senate seat in 2016.

The five-member Public Service Commission decides what rates utilities can charge consumers and businesses. Each commissioner is supposed to serve a six-year term, but elections for seats on the board have been paused for five years while redistricting challenges made their way through the courts.

The current all-Republican commission has voted to allow for six Georgia Power rate hikes within the last two years.

Coastal Georgia for Democracy held an “empty chair” Town Hall meeting to protest U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter (R-SSI), according to WTOC.

The group says it invited Congressman Buddy Carter to answer submitted questions from the community, but he declined the invitation. Instead, they left an empty chair to represent Carter’s absence.

Local leaders stepped in to take questions on health care, immigration, LGBTQ rights, and proposed cuts to DOGE.

“We’re mainly bringing awareness about his poor performance so we can put somebody in power who can help bring the power back to the people so we can put a representative in who actually represents the people here, hears those concerns, and addresses those concerns,” said Kris Mecholsky, Chairperson for Coastal Georgia for Democracy.

Since Carter has not held an in-person public town hall, the group says his constituents pooled their money to rent space at the Coastal Georgia Center for Monday night’s event.

Carter did hold a telephone town hall last month, on March 24.