Georgia Politics, Campaigns, and Elections for July 22, 2026

General William Tecumseh Sherman gained the upper hand in the Battle of Atlanta on July 22, 1864. Estimated casualties were 12,140 (3,641 Union, 8,499 Confederate).

On July 23, 1864, Union and Confederate forces in and around Atlanta gathered the dead and worked to save the wounded. Union artillery began bombarding Atlanta. On July 23, 2014, Republicans did the same in the aftermath of the Primary Runoff Elections the previous day. Democratic artillery advertising would soon fill the air.

Former President Ulysses S. Grant died on July 23, 1885.

The Cleveland Metropolitan Park District was established on July 23, 1917 and currently has a set of beautiful parks winding through the city.

On July 22, 1975, the United States House of Representatives voted to restore U.S. Citizenship to General Robert E. Lee posthumously.

Though President Andrew Johnson issued a proclamation of amnesty and pardon to the Southern rebels in 1865, it required Lee to apply separately. On Oct. 2, 1865, the same day that Lee was inaugurated as president of Washington College in Lexington, Va., he signed the required amnesty oath and filed an application through Gen. Ulysses S. Grant.

Nonetheless, neither was Lee pardoned, nor was his citizenship restored. After receiving it, Secretary of State William Seward gave Lee’s application to a friend as a souvenir. Meanwhile, State Department officials, apparently with Seward’s approval, pigeonholed the oath.

In 1970, an archivist, examining State Department records at the National Archives, found Lee’s lost oath. That discovery helped set in motion a five-year congressional effort to restore citizenship to the general, who had died stateless in 1870.

President Gerald Ford signed the congressional resolution on July 24, 1975, correcting what he said was a 110-year oversight. The signing ceremony took place at Arlington House in Virginia, the former Lee family home. Several Lee descendants, including Robert E. Lee V, his great-great-grandson, attended.

On July 22, 1977, Elvis Costello released his first album, My Aim is True.

The number one song in America on July 23, 1982 was “Eye of the Tiger,” by Survivor, from the Rocky III soundtrack.

John Smoltz started his first game as a major league pitcher on July 23, 1988, as the Braves took a win over the New York Mets.

Georgia Politics, Campaigns, and Elections

President Donald Trump will speak at Wheeler High School in Cobb County today, according to the Savannah Morning News.

President Trump is headed back to the Peach State this week with an appearance at an Atlanta-area high school to discuss the recently-launched Trump Accounts.

Trump will speak at 2 p.m. at Wheeler High School in Marietta, part of Cobb County and part of the Atlanta metro.

The school district celebrated the event, with officials saying it was an honor “that the President of the United States has chosen to visit the District for an event highlighting education and student achievement,” in a July 16 statement.

Both Republican gubernatorial candidate Rick Jackson and Senate candidate Rep. Mike Collins are expected to appear with the president, and while it is not being presented as a campaign rally, the community has had a mixed response to a MAGA ticket coming to Cobb County.

Devan Seabaugh, a Republican state representative in Georgia’s 34th district, said Trump “could have chosen any community in America” to highlight his investment in America’s youth, but the community should be “proud” he chose Wheeler High School, according to a July 20 post.

“This visit is an opportunity to showcase our outstanding students, dedicated educators, strong schools, and the families who make Cobb County such a special place to live, work, and raise a family,” Seabaugh said. “I look forward to hearing more about his initiative designed to help our children begin building a stronger financial future.”

Chris Harden, a Democratic candidate in Georgia’s 11th congressional district race who is running against Trump-endorsed John Cowan, said Trump “isn’t coming to Wheeler High School because he suddenly cares about Cobb County,” in a July 16 post.

“The choice of Wheeler High School as the backdrop for this campaign stop could not be more ironic. Wheeler represents the future of Georgia. Approximately 40 percent of its students are students of color, and 26 percent of its teachers are educators of color. It is a school that reflects the diversity, talent, and promise of our community,” Harden said. “Our students are not political props. Our teachers are not campaign accessories. Our schools should never become stages for partisan theater.”

“The Cobb County Democratic Committee is mobilizing a response to these events. First, a rally will take place Wednesday outside of Wheeler High School. Second, CCDC is calling on community members to show up to the Cobb County Schools Board of Education meeting Thursday night at 7 p.m. to hold the superintendent and school board accountable,” the group said in a July 21 post.

The group noted that while the announcement said remarks would be specific to Trump Accounts, the “addition of candidates Rick Jackson and Congressman Mike Colins to the event makes one thing clear, this is a showcase for the top of the Georgia Republican ticket, paid for by county tax dollars.”

Micheal Garza, a candidate for the Cobb County School Board, accused the current Board of avoiding questions as to who will pay for the public school event and why promotion for the event is being shared through official school communications channels, according to a July 19 post.

Trump has never won a general election in Cobb County, according to the Cobb County Board of Elections results.

Cobb County voted for Hillary Clinton in 2016, Joe Biden in 2020 and Kamala Harris in 2024, records show.

The program, which launched on July 4, provides $1,000 to any child born between 2025 and 2028, and works as a sort of IRA for kids. Any child under the age of 18 can start a Trump Account (through a parent or legal guardian), but they will not receive the $1,000 contribution from the federal government.

Trump is also likely to speak to the two candidates appearing with him at the event — Jackson and Collins — in support of their midterm campaigns.

The president spoke about Georgia elections during his February visit, and following his recent address to the nation alleging voter fraud and the ongoing FBI investigation into ballots in Fulton County, Georgia, election integrity may also be among the president’s talking points on Wednesday.

From the AJC:

This will be the first time Trump shares a stage with Georgia’s top Republican contenders since they became their party’s nominees. U.S. Rep. Mike Collins, the GOP nominee for Senate, and billionaire Rick Jackson, the party’s candidate for governor, are both set to join him.

Trump endorsed Collins just days before the runoff last month. But the president did not back Jackson, instead supporting his rival, Lt. Gov. Burt Jones.

Trump’s arrival offers both nominees an early chance to define their general election messages before a broader audience.

That’s particularly true for Collins, who is expected to use his remarks as a preview of the campaign to come as he struggles to gain traction against U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff.

The clearest reminder of Trump’s unpredictability came at an August 2024 rally in Atlanta when he stunned Republicans by reigniting his feud with Gov. Brian Kemp during a nearly 10 minute tirade against the two-term governor and his wife.

It took nearly a month — and intervention from U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, McKoon and others — to repair the rupture and get Trump and Kemp back on the same page.

Tensions are simmering again, though neither side has let them erupt. Whether Trump takes another shot at Kemp — or at other Georgia Republicans he has long targeted — will be something to watch.

Democratic activists are promising the largest protest since the “No Kings” rallies a few months ago, with plans to demonstrate as close to Wheeler High School as possible. They are outraged that Trump is using a public school in the heart of one of Georgia’s most important Democratic-controlled counties as his backdrop.

They also plan to turn the visit into a mobilizing tool. Ossoff and Bottoms have both framed their campaigns as referendums on Trump.

The fallout could also trickle down to the local level. Cobb County School Board candidate Micheal Garza has seen a surge of interest in his campaign to unseat a Republican incumbent and flip control of the board — one of the last bastions of GOP power in Cobb.

DeKalb County Superior Court Judge Yolanda Parker-Smith faces charges from the Judicial Qualifications Commission, according to the AJC.

The charges, filed Monday in the Georgia Supreme Court, allege Parker-Smith, in her sixth year on the bench, violated the Georgia Code of Judicial Conduct by failing to follow state law and act professionally. The charges come after the state’s investigation into three complaints against Parker-Smith, who could face possible removal from office.

Georgia Judicial Qualifications Commission Director Courtney Veal asked the agency’s hearing panel to determine if and how Parker-Smith should be punished. Ultimately, that will be a decision for the state Supreme Court, based on the hearing panel’s recommendation.

“Judge Parker-Smith failed to respect and comply with Georgia law,” Veal said in the court filing. “Judge Parker-Smith failed to perform her judicial duties competently and without bias or prejudice.”

Parker-Smith’s lawyer in the case, Gabe Banks, said in a statement Tuesday that she is aware of the charges and is working with him “to respond fully and fairly.”

“Judge Parker-Smith does her best to approach every case and every matter before her with good intentions and a sincere commitment to the fair administration of justice,” Banks said. “She remains dedicated to carrying out her judicial responsibilities fairly, impartially, and in service to the citizens of DeKalb County.”

The JQC alleged Parker-Smith improperly threatened to jail the DeKalb district attorney and two assistant district attorneys for being in contempt of court in May 2023 because the prosecutors’ dismissal of a criminal case was filed the morning after the judge’s deadline. The maximum sentence for contempt is 20 days in jail.

The JQC said Parker-Smith issued an order on May 22, 2023, instructing the district attorney and assistant prosecutors to appear before her in court at the end of the month “to show cause why they should not be held in contempt for lying to this court and failing to submit the (case dismissal) as stated.”

The JQC said Parker-Smith’s separate “illegal jailing” of an attorney, referred to in the charges by their initials, happened in August 2024 because the attorney was late to a court hearing. It said Parker-Smith failed to follow Georgia law by detaining the attorney without giving him the opportunity to speak.

According to the JQC charges, the attorney’s assistant emailed Parker-Smith’s staff on Aug. 14, 2024, requesting that the attorney’s scheduled appearance in court at 9 a.m. the following day be pushed back because the attorney had to be in court in Henry County for a separate matter at 8:30 a.m.

When the attorney arrived in Parker-Smith’s courtroom around 10:48 a.m. on Aug. 15, 2024, he was immediately arrested by a sheriff’s deputy under the judge’s order and locked in a holding cell in the courthouse basement, the JQC alleged.

The agency said Parker-Smith did not address or interact with the attorney before he was taken into custody and stripped of his electronic devices. It said the judge allowed the attorney to be released from the holding cell and return to her courtroom around noon.

Georgia Administrative Law Judge Dominic Capraro ruled in favor of the Georgia Republican Assembly and the affiliated GRA-PAC against the Georgia State Ethics Government Transparency and Campaign Finance Commission, according to the AJC.

Two Republican groups linked to the scandal-ridden First Liberty Building & Loan did not violate campaign finance laws when they sought to influence Georgia elections, a state administrative hearings judge has ruled.

The state ethics commission accused the Georgia Republican Assembly and its political action committee of failing to disclose more than $180,000 of contributions and other violations.

But last week Judge Dominic Capraro ruled the groups did not violate the Georgia Government Transparency and Campaign Finance Act. If it stands, the ruling could make it easier for political committees to spend unlimited campaign cash without disclosing all of the information the state requires.

In December, the commission found probable cause that both groups had violated campaign finance laws by failing to disclose campaign contributions, failing to file reports and failing to register as an independent committee.

The last accusation is key to the commission’s case. GRA-PAC registered as a political action committee but not as an independent committee.

Under Georgia law, political action committees can raise money and contribute to candidates. But those contributions are subject to limits. Independent committees can raise and spend unlimited funds to support candidates and causes. They must disclose those contributions and who benefits, but cannot coordinate with candidates.

The ethics commission found the GRA-PAC had acted as an independent committee without properly registering or disclosing its activities. And it found the Georgia Republican Assembly also violated disclosure laws because it essentially controlled the PAC.

In his decision, Capraro ruled that neither the Georgia Republican Assembly nor the GRA-PAC was required to register as an independent committee. He cited the state’s definition of an independent committee, which includes groups “other than a … political action committee.”

If it stands, the judge’s ruling could undermine long-standing practice in Georgia. Some political committees register as both a political action committee and an independent committee so they can undertake activities allowed by each type of group.

The ethics commission has 30 days to review the judge’s decision. It can accept, reject or modify it. If it rejects the ruling, the GRA can appeal to the Superior Court.

Bulloch County Planning and Zoning Commissioners voted for a ban on data centers in unincorporated areas, according to WSAV.

A text amendment that would prohibit data centers from the unincorporated areas of the county was approved by the Bulloch County Planning and Zoning Commission by a vote of 5-1.

“This text amendment that everyone’s going to see tonight, it essentially is defining what a data center is but not using in the use chart so it’s not going to be listed in the use chart,” said Bulloch County Developmental Services Manager Mary DeLoach told WSAV before the meeting. “Ultimately, prohibiting data centers in Bulloch County.”

The amendment also removes prohibits cryptocurrency mining operations in the county.

“There’s a couple of different definitions [of cryptocurrency related items] in there and just so future staff do not get confused, I will be listing out those definitions and then explaining which ones are not in the use chart,” DeLoach said.

This amendment will affect Appendix C of the Bulloch County Code of Ordinances.

She added that Tuesday’s meeting is just the first step.

“The Planning and Zoning Commission, they are a recommendation board,” DeLoach said. “This same text memo will go before the [Bulloch County] Board of Commissioners on Aug. 4 and that is where the final decision will be made, whether to approve or deny.”

DeLoach also clarified the Commissioners do not have to accept the recommendation given by the board this evening.

Tuesday’s meeting was held at the Bulloch County Annex in Statesboro.

The Chatham County Police Department launched a Flock camera transparency portal, according to WTOC.

The portal gives residents access to information about the department’s use of the Flock camera network, including the number of cameras deployed, what they do and do not track, and the number of searches police have conducted. Users can also download records of recent searches conducted by CCPD.

The AI-powered cameras capture photos of vehicles and license plates. Law enforcement uses that data as a tool in investigations.

Chief Jeffery Hadley said the decision to make the information public was straightforward.

“I think we made the decision in about five minutes,” Hadley said. “You know, we don’t have anything to hide. I think we as an agency have always been open and transparent.”

Hadley compared the technology’s impact on law enforcement to that of DNA evidence.

“It is a game changer,” he said. “To some extent I would put it on par with DNA.”

Concerns over misuse and surveillance

Flock cameras have been a topic of debate in recent months. There have been incidents in Georgia where officers and deputies were fired and arrested for misuse of Flock data. Some residents have also raised constitutional concerns about surveillance.

Savannah resident Sydney Pashenee, who opposes Flock camera use, said transparency measures do not fully address those concerns.

“It doesn’t prevent what’s already been done,” Pashenee said. “It just reprimands them after the fact, which doesn’t really solve the issue — that is a concern with citizens and their information.”

What the portal includes

The portal also features success stories from the Flock system, including cases involving burglary suspects and missing individuals. Hadley said he has full confidence in his officers to use the system as intended and stands by the program’s legality.

“We’re not just sitting back running people’s plates and looking for people’s cars for no good reason,” Hadley said. “It really just is an invaluable tool and a game changer in law enforcement.”

Hadley said he hopes the portal will put residents at ease.

“If we can provide any level of comfort or a way for people to understand the utilization of the system, what we are using it for, and that it’s in the best interest for public safety for people in Chatham County, then that’s a good thing — that’s a win,” he said.

Data collected from the cameras is deleted every 30 days, per state law. CCPD also audits each search once a month to ensure proper use of the system.

The Dougherty County Police Department and the Albany Fire Department are investigating why two Flock cameras caught fire, according to WALB.

Investigators believe the fires may have started in the cameras’ battery packs, but the exact cause has not been determined. Authorities are looking into whether the incidents were caused by a battery malfunction, intentional criminal activity, or another factor.

Warner Robins City Council voted to impose a six-month moratorium on data centers, according to 13WMAZ.

Warner Robins City Council has approved a moratorium on data centers after a packed meeting drew residents worried about costs, taxes and where the facilities might go. The freeze will last through Jan. 20, 2027, unless the city acts again before then.

Dozens of people filled the council room in support of the moratorium, and several spoke during the meeting.

The city said the moratorium gives leaders time to study the issue and draft rules before moving forward.

The council’s approval pauses data center development in the city for now, setting up more discussion before the freeze expires early next year.

Albany is considering a data center moratorium, according to WALB.

Albany city leaders are considering a moratorium on new data center applications, one day after Dougherty County voted for a 45-day pause on such projects.

The original proposal called for a 12-month moratorium while city staff studied how data centers could impact Albany residents. Rather than adopting that proposal, commissioners asked staff to return with three separate resolutions offering moratoriums lasting 180 days, 12 months and 18 months. The city’s Planning Commission also asked to lead research and draft an ordinance that would regulate future data center development.

The Sowega Aquifer Alliance attended the meeting and urged commissioners to examine how data centers have affected other communities before moving forward.

“To look at what’s happened in other communities across the country and see how the data centers and the companies building them made promises, came in, and now people have brown water,” said James Malphrus of the Sowega Aquifer Alliance. “People have noise complaints. People have complaints to everything under the sun from they can’t see the stars at night to their wells ran dry.”

Albany City Manager Terrell Jacobs said the moratorium is part of preparing for development the city cannot fully prevent.

“You know, property rights. You know, we can’t tell someone who and who not to sell their property to,” Jacobs said. “And so all we can do is put zoning and provisions in place to hopefully mitigate how they will impact other community members. And that’s the critical thing.”

Commissioners are expected to continue the discussion after staff presents the revised moratorium options. The next regular meeting is July 28th, 2026.

Bibb County commissioners voted to apply for state affordable housing funds, according to 13WMAZ.

The Bibb County Commission approved the application to request resources from the Georgia Department of Community Affairs. The funding is intended to support efforts to improve housing conditions for people who want to rent or buy homes in the county.

“It’s basically just fixing housing whether you’re renting or if you want to purchase one. The more the area improves, the more it’s going to help existing homeowners,” Kathleen Mathews, Chief Administrative Officer for the Macon Housing Authority, said.

She also said the funding could work alongside other state housing programs, including the Georgia Department of Community Affairs’ low-income housing tax credit program, which helps support multifamily rental developments in Bibb County.

“Improvement of homes, whether that be home buying. Rental ownership. This works really well with the Georgia Department of Community Affairs’ other low-income housing tax credit program, which obviously funds a lot of our multi-family rentals in Bibb County. So this can also open up some opportunities,” Mathews said.

Mathews said the funding could also connect with CHIP grants, another tool that helps support homeownership.

“There is the low-income housing tax credit program, which is a great opportunity for just all of a sudden building 60 to 80 units of housing…It can also open up what’s called CHIP grants, which does help with home ownership as well,” she said.

She said the broader goal is to help build safer, stronger neighborhoods and bring more investment into the community.

“They’re just going to live in an overall better community. Safer community. It brings in more people, more investment,” Mathews said.

Augusta Commissioners voted to extend a temporary data center moratorium and continue working on a longer-term ordinance, according to WJBF.

New rules for data centers are not easing the concern for many residents about their place in Augusta, and commissioners are saying they get the message.

“Fear that their everyday lives will be encroached on if those centers are near their residential areas,” said Commissioner Lonnie Wimberly.

The new regulations are being called comprehensive for data centers, but several speakers telling commissioners to put off approving them to allow time to for the proposal to be strengthened.

“The recommendation of the Planning and Zoning committee is to have the moratorium extended and their reasoning was this ordinance is not ready it’s just a starter,” said Dr. Gayla Keesee Co-President of the League of Women Voters.

For some commissioners, approving the new ordinance and not extending the moratorium on new ones at this point is a non-starter.

“At least 18 of the 50 states in our country have put pauses on data center developments there’s just not enough information out there for us to make a conscious decision,” said Commissioner Jordan Johnson.

Commissioners approved a seven-week moratorium in June, as that expires commissioners looking to extend it to allow for a visit to a data center in the Atlanta area on August 3, 2026.

“Get more information on it. The more information, the more informed we are, the better decisions we can make, so I’m another 60 days,” said Commissioner Tony Lewis.

“I’ve never seen a data center, I’ve never been in a data center. I don’t know what it sounds like, don’t know what it looks like. To have the opportunity to go visit one, why turn it down,” said Wimberly.

The time has come. Data centers are looking to locate in Augusta, as commissioners want more time to approve regulations to govern them.

Dalton Public Schools will have a full-time school resource officer (SRO) on every campus, according to the Dalton Citizen.

During the Dalton Board of Education’s monthly public meeting on Monday, board members voted 4-0 to approve SRO contract for the upcoming school year with the City of Dalton and the Dalton Police Department.

“We are really excited to be able to say that we will have an SRO in every single school,” said DPS Superintendent Steven Craft on Monday. “This has been something that we have been working towards for the past several years, and it’s finally coming to fruition. We’re really excited for the safety and security that it adds for each one of our school campuses and we’re just so appreciative of the partnership with the mayor (Annalee Sams), Dalton City Council…and everybody that played a role in this.”

According to the contract, the agreement between the DPD and school system provides for one SRO at each school campus for a total of 10 stationed SROs, including one sergeant. The Dalton Public Schools system contains six elementary schools, two middle/junior high schools and two high schools.

Unlike prior agreements between the two parties, where a pro-rata share of the SRO salaries and costs were split between the parties (75% to 25%), “this agreement memorializes a fixed amount reimbursement from Dalton Public Schools of $625,000 to be billed in February 2027,” said Dalton Police Chief Cliff Cason.

“The agreement also memorializes that the balance owed under the current contract will be paid on or before August 1, 2026,” Cason said. “It’s important to note that we actually have managed to hit that 10 SRO number during the (past) school year, which were assigned and trained for that purpose. With the agreement that expired at the end of (June), it was a 75-25 split for the first seven officers, a 50-50 split for the eight officers, and the ninth and 10th officers that we put into the schools were never included as any portion of that former agreement. We were directed to put those officers there and were able to do it with our staffing, so those were two that there was no billing agreement on for this past school year that we put in right after the first of the year.”

According to City Administrator Andrew Parker during the Dalton Mayor and City Council’s June 22 meeting, the new contract for the 2026-27 year will not be a 75-25% split.

“The math works out to about a 54-46% split, with the city covering about 46% of the cost of the 10 SROs,” Parker said. “In terms of the city’s budget, it’s about a favorable budget impact of $70,000.”