Georgia Politics, Campaigns, and Elections for April 21, 2026

According to tradition, on April 21, 753 B.C., Rome was founded. The one in Italy, not the one in Floyd County.

On April 21, 1732, King George II signed the royal charter creating the colony of Georgia. The King’s signature did not make the charter effective as several additional steps were required.

On April 21, 1789, John Adams was sworn in as the first Vice President of the United States.

On April 21, 1904, Ty Cobb made his debut in professional baseball for the Augusta (Georgia) Tourists in the South Atlantic League in center field; Cobb hit an inside-the-field home run and a double.

Manfred von Richthofen, known as “The Red Baron,” was killed in action on April 21, 1918, shot by either an Australian gunner or a Canadian. At the time of his death, Richthofen has shot down 80 aircraft in aerial combat.

Former President Jimmy Carter was appointed Distinguished Professor at Emory University on April 21, 1982. Carter held an annual Town Hall in which he takes questions from students.

On April 21, 1988, President Ronald Reagan signed a Memorandum of Agreement with Israel. From the press statement released that day,

The MOA reiterates for the public record our long-standing relationship of strategic cooperation with Israel. Strategic cooperation can only succeed when there are shared interests, including the commitment to building peace and stability in the region. It reflects the enduring U.S. commitment to Israel’s security. That commitment will never flag. The U.S. commitment to peace will also not flag. The President knows that a strong Israel is necessary if peace is to be possible. He also knows that Israel can never be truly secure without peace.

Georgia Politics, Campaigns, and Elections

Five candidates qualified for the May 12, 2026 Special Election for House District 177, which was vacated when Rep. Dexter Sharper (D-Valdosta) resigned, according to WALB.

The Georgia House of Representatives seat that serves all of Valdosta and parts of Lowndes County is vacant for the first time in 13 years.

This comes after former Representative Dexter Sharper stepped down in March 2026, after he and two other state representatives were accused of lying on pandemic unemployment forms and taking nearly $14,000 in benefits.

Now, a Special Election will be held May 12, to fill the vacant Georgia House of Representatives seat.

The elected candidate will be under the gold dome representing District 177 in January 2027.

I believe that last line in the story is misleading or incomplete. I believe the Special Election is for the remainder of the current term, which is through the swearing-in of the new General Assembly in January 2027. From a story by the Valdosta Daily Times dated March 26, 2026:

On Wednesday, Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger called for a special election to fill a vacant state House of Representatives seat in Lowndes County.

Rep. Dexter Sharper, D-Valdosta, resigned from the District 177 seat March 9. Two days later he pleaded guilty in a federal fraud case involving unemployment benefits he received during the coronavirus pandemic.

All state representatives’ seats are up for election every two years, and five candidates qualified earlier this month to run for Sharper’s seat. Alvin Payton Jr., Blake Robinson, Elsie Napier, Eric Howard and Kristina McBride will face one another in the Democratic primary May 19. The winner will be unopposed in the November general election.

Qualifying for the special election will be 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday, March 30; 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday, April 1; and 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday, April 2, at the Office of Georgia Secretary of State’s Elections Division, 2 MLK Jr. Dr., Floyd West Tower Suite 802, Atlanta, GA 30334. The qualifying fee will be $400.

Anyone not already registered to vote must register by April 13 to vote in the special election.

Advance in-person absentee voting will begin on April 20.

Early Voting for the May 19, 2026 Primary Elections opens next Monday, April 27, 2026, according to the Ledger-Enquirer.

Nancy Boren, Muscogee County’s director of elections and registration, shared information about what Columbus residents need to know ahead of early voting for the May 19 election.

The early voting period runs from April 27 through May 15, Boren said in an emai to the Ledger-Enquuirer, and early voting locations will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily. This includes Saturdays and Sundays, she said.

There are three locations for Muscogee County residents to vote early in Columbus:

North Columbus Recreation Center, 2010 American Way
City Services Center, 3111 Citizens Way
Shirley Winston Recreation Center, 5025 Steam Mill Road.
Voters need to remember the City Services Center is not a voting precinct on election day, Boren said.

“Voters have to go to their assigned precinct on election day,” she said.

“My Voter Page is a great resource,” she said. “Voters can check registration, see sample ballots, look at representation and apply for an absentee by mail ballot.”

You can log into the Secretary of State’s My Voter Page here.

On May 19, 2026, Augusta voters will decide a Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) renewal, according to the Augusta Chronicle.

Voters have a $375 million question to answer in May, and Augusta-area civic leaders want that answer to be “yes.”

Representatives of the local business, economic development, and tourism communities urged the public on Monday to approve the ninth iteration of the special-purpose local option sales tax that for more than 40 years has funded updates and improvements for the region’s residents.

The election date is May 19. Monday was the first day that absentee ballots could be mailed. Early voting lasts from April 27 to May 15.

“It’s smart,” said Bennish Brown, president and CEO of Destination Augusta, the city’s tourism arm that helps promote area economic growth. “It’s a proven tool that allows us to invest in infrastructure, public safety and quality of life – all of those things without raising property taxes. And what makes today so important is this: Today’s announcement is truly a collaborative effort.”

Since their creation by the state in 1985, SPLOSTs allow cities and counties to generate revenue to fund capital improvements for roads, public facilities, and civic agencies.

Dublin City Schools may be in jeopardy of losing their accreditation amid financial concerns, according to 13WMAZ.

Dublin City Schools leaders are pushing back on growing community concern after an outside accreditation agency released a report identifying several areas where the district fell short, insisting that while the findings are serious, the district is far from losing its accreditation.

Board Chairwoman Mandy Smith was quick to draw a clear line between losing accreditation entirely and being placed under conditions, a distinction she says has been lost in the community conversation surrounding the report.

“We have not lost our accreditation,” Smith said. “It’s just under condition, which means we have to work on an action plan to make sure that we address the standards that we’re not meeting right now.”

Cognia, an outside accreditation agency, released a report citing the district’s failures in key areas including communication with stakeholders, governance, budgeting, use of financial resources, and decision making.

The “accredited with conditions” status requires school officials to submit a formal response within 30 days and a comprehensive action plan within 60 days. Cognia will then have 30 days to issue its recommendation.

Smith expressed frustration with portions of the report, noting that the district’s 2023 Cognia review was nearly perfect. She said some of the findings appeared to be based on unverified community accounts rather than confirmed facts.

“It’s a little frustrating because that 2023 review was almost perfect,” Smith said. “A lot of the standards that we did not meet were based on hearsay from the community. In fact, it lists in the report that they didn’t verify if this information was correct or not.”

Among the specific concerns raised in the report was whether board meeting agendas were being properly posted. Smith said the district believes it was in compliance, posting meeting notices on its website, in local newspapers, and on school doors, and is seeking clarification from Cognia on what exactly fell short.

Despite the latest setback, Smith pointed to a number of steps the district has already taken to address its financial troubles. The board cut $10 million from its payroll budget in a single year, reduced its workforce by approximately 70 staff positions, and eliminated furlough days for employees.

Officials say that for years, key financial data was never properly entered into the district’s financial management software, making it nearly impossible to generate accurate reports. That has since been corrected, Smith said, with all financial information now housed and accessible in the system.

Former board member Regina McCrae, who served two years on the board before being defeated in November, said the Cognia report was not entirely surprising given the depth of the district’s problems. However, she took issue with how the board communicated the findings to the public, saying officials failed to disclose the change in accreditation status at a recent board meeting.

“At that meeting when you talked about the 7 out of the 31 findings, why not mention the accreditation piece?” McCrae said. “Why not take that as an opportunity to explain what that means to the community and then identify what you as a board, as an administration, plan to do to address it.”

McCrae, who has remained vocal on district issues since leaving the board, said the lack of proactive communication has repeatedly shaken community confidence. She described the financial crisis as deeply rooted in a culture of unchecked spending and poor oversight that spanned years, and said meaningful change will require bold and difficult decisions from district leadership.

“A lot of the practices that were in place became the norm,” McCrae said. “That’s why it was able to go by so long. It was just normal. It’s a culture there.”

McCrae called on the board to make cuts that have the least impact on students, prioritize education above all else, and follow the recommendations of state officials who have been working alongside the district. She specifically raised questions about the future of the district’s gifted academy, saying the district has yet to publicly present a contingency plan for the program if funding cannot sustain it.

Dublin City Schools has faced financial instability dating back to at least 2010, with the district falling in and out of deficit spending over the years. Audits went uncompleted from 2021 onward, and at one point the district was two years behind on health insurance payments. State officials have been working inside the district since August to help stabilize finances.

Smith said she remains committed to seeing the district through the crisis and expects to have the deficit fully paid off by fiscal year 2028.

“We’re not gonna stop until we’re whole,” Smith said. “We’re not gonna stop until we’re out of this mess.”

Governor Brian Kemp campaigned with U.S. Senate candidate Derek Dooley, according to Georgia Recorder via WABE.

Gov. Brian Kemp toured metro Atlanta Monday to stump for his preferred candidate in Georgia’s U.S. Senate race, former Tennessee football coach Derek Dooley.

Dooley entered the race in August with Kemp’s backing after Kemp declined to throw his hat in the ring to take on Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff. Dooley’s  in a three-way race with two Republican congressmen, Buddy Carter and Mike Collins.

Republicans in Georgia will select a candidate to face Ossoff in the May 19 primary election. Early voting begins April 27.

During a stop in the dimly-lit dining room of Williamson Brothers Bar-B-Q in Canton, Kemp made the case for picking Dooley over the sitting congressmen, citing recent Republican wins like Sens. Dave McCormick of Pennsylvania, Bernie Moreno of Ohio and Tim Sheehy of Montana, all of whom Kemp described as political outsiders before taking office.

“It takes an outsider that doesn’t have to worry about defending their political record or other things, to stay on offense, to tell people the real story about these guys and the real story about Jon Ossoff,” Kemp said. “That’s what I think Derek Dooley can do. The other thing is he’s running for the right reasons. He’s running because he has pride in the country. He wants to make Congress work again, bring a different mindset to Washington, D.C. Lord knows we need that, in my opinion.”

Kemp and Dooley go way back. They both grew up in Athens, and Kemp has often said that Dooley’s father, the legendary late University of Georgia football coach Vince Dooley, was like a second father to him.

As a friendly crowd of GOP voters snacked on smoked meats, Dooley made the case that he’s the best choice.

Dooley compared his opponents to Herschel Walker, the UGA football star who faced Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock in 2022. Walker won the Republican primary with the endorsement of President Donald Trump but lost the election during which he made numerous gaffes and was embroiled in several scandals.

“300,000 voters on that ballot voted for Gov. Kemp and Raphael Warnock, 300,000,” Dooley said. “Herschel lost that election by 41,000 votes. So what’s the lesson? The lesson is that if you’re going to win a statewide race – not congressional district, statewide – you better have a candidate who not only can energize, mobilize the Trump Republican crowd, you better have somebody that can find some common ground, that maybe has a leadership style that connects with voters that don’t always vote Republican or they don’t always vote in the midterms.”

Without mentioning his opponents by name, Dooley suggested Ossoff would attack Carter and Collins over their voting records, “divisive social media posts” or a congressional investigation into allegations that Collins used government funds to benefit a top aide.

Ossoff is the only Democratic senator up for election this year in a state won by Trump in 2024 and has been seen as a prime target for a GOP flip, but the Cook Political Report last week updated the race from a tossup to “leans Democrat.”

Both Carter and Collins have described themselves as strong supporters of Trump’s MAGA movement and courted the president’s endorsement, but he has declined to choose a favorite in the race.

Kemp’s relationship with the president has been characterized by ups and downs. A Trump endorsement helped Kemp win the governor’s mansion in 2018, but Kemp’s refusal to aid Trump in overturning his 2020 election loss led to some bad blood for a time.

Kemp is one of the most popular governors in the country, according to Morning Consult, enjoying a 61% approval rating as of the end of 2025.

But Kemp’s popularity hasn’t yet appeared to rub off on his endorsee. An Emerson poll released last month found Dooley in third place with about 10% of the vote, trailing Collins with about 30% and Carter with around 16%. Another 40% of respondents were undecided in that race.

The same poll found Dooley performing the worst in a hypothetical matchup against Ossoff.

But as candidates like to say, the only poll that matters is the one on Election Day, and Dooley said he’ll be talking to voters  until then.

At least two voters at Williamson Brothers on Monday said they have become Dooley believers.

“I was interested in Derek Dooley before I got here. Now I’m committed to him.” said Canton retiree Donna Kovarik, who came to the event with her husband, Bob. “He had all the highlights of what needs to happen and what needs to change in our country, and I fully support his ideas, so I’m backing him 100 percent, and we’ll spread the word.”

From the AJC’s Greg Bluestein:

Derek Dooley is trying to pull off a tricky balancing act as he campaigns for the U.S. Senate: run against Democrat Jon Ossoff while waging war on Washington itself.

The former football coach sharpened that message Tuesday with the launch of his first TV ad, timed to promote his campaign against U.S. Reps. Buddy Carter and Mike Collins just before early voting begins next week in the Republican primary.

“D.C. politicians focus on getting rich and famous, and never on who hired them, which is you,” Dooley says in the spot. “And as a football coach for 30 years, I can spot these ‘me first’ guys a mile away. And we gotta get rid of them.”

The focal point of Dooley’s campaign is a “Georgia First Contract” he signs for supporters. It calls for enacting term limits, banning stock trading by members of Congress and their families, halting lawmakers’ pay during government shutdowns, and aligning himself with President Donald Trump, who has yet to take sides in the three-way race.

The strategy reflects the unusual crosscurrents of the race. While hammering Ossoff, Dooley is also trying to elbow past two sitting Republican lawmakers for the nomination.

Collins has consistently led public polling, but many surveys show at least a third of likely GOP voters remain undecided. A June runoff between the two top finishers is likely.

Carter escalated the fight Monday with a new ad that targeted Collins over a congressional ethics probe into allegations of misused taxpayer funds. Collins has said he will cooperate fully and expects to be cleared.

It’s a risky move, since any damage against Collins could wind up helping Dooley. But Carter allies argue most voters know little about the complaint now — and that Ossoff would almost certainly make it a centerpiece of the fall campaign if Collins wins the GOP nod.

Speaking of that Buddy Carter ad, here it is:

And here’s Derek Dooley‘s new ad:

Republican Fitz Johnson won the case in which his qualification for the Public Service Commission was questioned on the basis of his alleged residence, according to The Current GA.

Fitz Johnson meets the legal residency requirement to run for the Republican nomination for the District 3 Georgia Public Service Commission seat, an administrative law judge ruled Friday.

Judge Kimberly Schroer issued her advisory decision after weighing evidence from a three-and-a-half hour hearing earlier in the week. Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger upheld the ruling Monday. (Listen to the hearing at this link.)

“Fitz was found to have valid residency and we are affirming that decision,” a spokesman for the secretary of state, Robert Sinners, told The Current GA.

“(A)lthough Mr. Johnson may face questions from voters relating to whether his living arrangements allow him to become sufficiently ‘familiar with the problems, needs, and concerns of the people [he] seeks to represent’ in District 3, he has proved that he been a legal resident of Fulton County since at least November 3, 2025, and is qualified to run for Commissioner in PSC District 3 under Georgia law,” Schroer wrote.

Daniel O’Toole, a DeKalb County resident who brought the residency challenge, has not yet decided if he will appeal the ruling.

“All options are on the table,” he wrote.

At the hearing April 13, Johnson testified that he spent most of his time at his $1.3 million Cobb County home rather than the more modest home in Fulton County where he is registered to vote. He doesn’t claim a homestead exemption at either address.

“Johnson registered to vote in Fulton County and has voted as a Fulton County resident in ten elections from November 2, 2021 through November 4, 2025,” Schroer wrote. His driver’s license also lists his Fulton County address.

But Johnson testified that he does not sleep or keep clothing at the Fulton County house, which is occupied by a woman his wife mentored years ago in the Big Brother/Big Sister program and whom he and his wife intend to adopt.

“The evidence proved that his intentions were to remain a legal resident of Fulton County for purposes of maintaining his eligibility to vote in Fulton County and to serve as PSC Commissioner for District 3, and he took several steps to do so, including registering two of his cars at the Brantley Street address, receiving both personal and business mail there, and paying the utilities, the taxes, and homeowner’s insurance for the property,” Schroer wrote. “The evidence also proved that he has a key and a room that is his to use at the Brantley Street address, and he can come and go from the house as he chooses.”

Democrat Geoff Duncan campaigned for his new party’s nomination for Governor in Augusta, according to WJBF.

Georgia Gubernational candidate Geoff Duncan made another appearance in Augusta on Monday, speaking at the IBEW Local 1579 on Reynolds Street.

Duncan is one of the three candidates vying for the Democratic nomination. Duncan said when he served as lieutenant governor of the state, he fought to expand access to health care in rural communities. He said if he’s elected, he’ll focus on lowering costs in other areas.

Duncan stopped by NewsChannel 6 ahead of the campaign stop to speak about his plans.

“Look, 90% of Georgians know what they’re talking about when they want to pass commonsense gun legislation like universal background checks, red flag laws, and in-home safe storage laws. As governor, I want to lead the charge, and I want to give political cover to those Republicans that want to do the right thing, build those consensus around those bills,” Duncan said. “I hope to get some of them the cosign that legislation. Because it meets people where they’re at. It’s common sense. Look, I don’t want anybody to ever walk by a television screen and make another excuse for a mass shooting when it could have been stopped. With just common sense laws that are on the books.”