On June 20, 1732, the signing of the Georgia Charter was completed by the British government.
Georgia’s Royal Colony Seal was approved on June 21, 1754.
On June 20, 1782, Congress adopted the Great Seal of the United States. Charles Thomson, Secretary of the Continental Congress, was responsible for the final design presented to Congress. The design approved by Congress was a written description without any sketches.
The Constitution of the United States of America was ratified on June 21, 1788, when New Hampshire became the ninth state to ratify.
On September 17, 1787, after three months of debate moderated by convention president George Washington, the new U.S. constitution, which created a strong federal government with an intricate system of checks and balances, was signed by 38 of the 41 delegates present at the conclusion of the convention. As dictated by Article VII, the document would not become binding until it was ratified by nine of the 13 states.
Beginning on December 7, five states–Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Georgia, and Connecticut–ratified it in quick succession. However, other states, especially Massachusetts, opposed the document, as it failed to reserve undelegated powers to the states and lacked constitutional protection of basic political rights, such as freedom of speech, religion, and the press. In February 1788, a compromise was reached under which Massachusetts and other states would agree to ratify the document with the assurance that amendments would be immediately proposed. The Constitution was thus narrowly ratified in Massachusetts, followed by Maryland and South Carolina. On June 21, 1788, New Hampshire became the ninth state to ratify the document, and it was subsequently agreed that government under the U.S. Constitution would begin on March 4, 1789. In June, Virginia ratified the Constitution, followed by New York in July.
On June 20, 1819, the SS Savannah entered the port at Liverpool, England, marking the first transatlantic crossing by a steam-powered ship, having sailed out of Savannah on May 20th.
The Georgia Whig Party held its first convention on June 19, 1843 in Milledgeville and elected ten delegates to the 1844 National Convention.
The first Republican National Convention, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, ended on June 19, 1856.
The Republicans, who called for the abolition of slavery in all U.S. territories, rapidly gained supporters in the North, and in 1856 their first presidential candidate, John Fremont, won 11 of the 16 Northern states. By 1860, the majority of Southern states were publicly threatening secession if a Republican won the presidency.
The Civil War firmly identified the Republican Party as the official party of the victorious North. After the war, the Republican-dominated Congress forced a radical Reconstruction policy on the South, which saw the passage of the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments to the Constitution, abolishing slavery and granting voting rights to African American men in the South. By 1876, the Republican Party had lost control of the South, but it continued to dominate the presidency, with a few intermissions, until the ascendance of Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1933.
On June 19, 1864, Confederate General Joseph E. Johnston retreated from Pine Mountain and Lost Mountain toward Marietta. Click here to watch a two-minute video by Georgia Public Broadcasting and the Atlanta History Center about this week in Georgia in 1864.
On the same day, USS Kearsarge sank CSS Alabama off the coast of Cherbourg, France.
Shortly after the battle between CSS Alabama and USS Kearsarge, Edouard Manet painted the scene from newspaper accounts. The painting hangs in the Philadelphia Museum of Art, where I viewed it several years ago. Another painting of Kearsarge is at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.
Built in an English shipyard and sold to the Confederates in 1861, the Alabama was a state-of-the-art ship—220 feet long, with a speed of up to 13 knots. The cruiser was equipped with a machine shop and could carry enough coal to steam for 18 days, but its sails could greatly extend that time. Under its captain, Raphael Semmes, the Alabama prowled the world for three years, capturing U.S. commercial ships. It sailed around the globe, usually working out of the West Indies, but taking prizes and bungling Union shipping in the Caribbean, off Newfoundland, and around the coast of South America. In January 1863, Semmes sunk a Union warship, the Hatteras, after luring it out of Galveston, Texas. The Union navy spent an enormous amount of time and effort trying to track down the Alabama.
The ship sailed around South America, across the Pacific, and docked in India in 1864. By the summer, Semmes realized that after three years and 75,000 miles his vessel needed overhauling in a modern shipyard. He sailed around Africa to France, where the French denied him access to a dry dock. Semmes moved out of Cherbourg Harbor and found the USS Kearsarge waiting. In a spectacular battle, the Kearsarge bested and sank the Alabama. During its career, the Alabama captured 66 ships and was hunted by more than 20 Federal warships.
General Robert E. Lee moved on Union forces under General Ulysses S. Grant at Petersburg, Virginia on June 20, 1864.
On June 19, 1865, U.S. Soldiers arrived in Galveston, Texas with news of the emancipation of African slaves. “Juneteenth” commemorates this.
Some historians blame the lapse in time on poor communication in that era, while others believe Texan slave-owners purposely withheld the information.
Upon arrival and leading the Union soldiers, Major Gen. Gordon Granger announced General Order No. 3: “The people of Texas are informed that, in accordance with a proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free. This involves an absolute equality of personal rights and rights of property between former masters and slaves, and the connection heretofore existing between them becomes that between employer and hired labor. The freedmen are advised to remain quietly at their present homes and work for wages. They are informed that they will not be allowed to collect at military posts and that they will not be supported in idleness either there or elsewhere.”
For many African Americans, June 19 is considered an independence day. Before 2021, nearly all 50 states recognized Juneteenth as a state holiday. On June 17, 2021, President Biden signed legislation officially declaring it a federal holiday.
A lynch mob including members of the KKK killed three young civil rights activists who were trying to register African-Americans to vote near Meridian, Mississippi on June 21, 1964.
When Schwerner, Goodman, and Chaney, a young black man, were coming back from a trip to Philadelphia, Mississippi, deputy sheriff Cecil Price, who was also a Klan member, pulled them over for speeding. He then held them in custody while other KKK members prepared for their murder. Eventually released, the three activists were later chased down in their car and cornered in a secluded spot in the woods where they were shot and then buried in graves that had been prepared in advance.
When news of their disappearance got out, the FBI converged on Mississippi to investigate. With the help of an informant, agents learned about the Klan’s involvement and found the bodies. Since Mississippi refused to prosecute the assailants in state court, the federal government charged 18 men with conspiracy to violate the civil rights of Schwerner, Goodman, and Chaney.
Jaws was released on June 20, 1975.
John W. Hinckley, Jr. was acquitted of attempted murder of President Ronald Reagan and others in the Presidential party by reason on insanity on June 21, 1982.
Voters in Sandy Springs approved the new city’s incorporation on June 21, 2005.
Georgia Politics, Campaigns, and Elections
Republican state legislators just illustrated what happens to lame duck executives. From the Capitol Beat News Service via the Savannah Morning News:
Republican lawmakers in Georgia will not redraw election maps as suggested by Gov. Brian Kemp, leaders of the House and Senate said Wednesday afternoon, less than an hour before gaveling in for their special session.
House Speaker Jon Burns, R-Newington, and Senate President Pro Tem Larry Walker III, R-Perry, both cited ongoing litigation over Georgia’s maps, saying it was too soon to consider new ones.
“We knew it was not the right time for our state,” Burns said.
Kemp put the issue on the table earlier this month with a revised proclamation for a special session. He had originally called lawmakers back to the Capitol to address their July 1 ban on using QR codes to tally votes. It is an urgent matter given the special election scheduled for July to fill the unexpired term of U.S. Rep. David Scott, a Democrat who died in April.
When lawmakers met for their regular session earlier this year, they failed to adopt or fund an alternate method of voting.
Then, on June 3, Kemp issued a revised proclamation asking lawmakers to also consider redrawing election maps. His request cited the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in April that weakened the 1965 Voting Rights Act’s protections against maps that dilute minority voting strength.
Republicans in some other states quickly redrew district lines after the Supreme Court ruling, prompting protests.
And protesters filled Georgia’s Gold Dome Wednesday, saying Republicans were seeking to cling to power by marginalizing Black voters.
Democrats capitalized on their anger, holding a news conference at the Capitol ahead of the Republicans.
Charlie Bailey, chair of the Democratic Party of Georgia, predicted the GOP would suffer a backlash in the November general election if they proceeded.
“If they want to tell the people of Georgia their votes don’t matter as much as their own political power, go ahead and make that bet and see what happens come this November,” Bailey said.
Walker said the Senate had notified Kemp Wednesday morning that the chamber would not be redrawing maps during the special session. Since new maps would not take effect until 2028, Walker said lawmakers should take their time to reconsider them.
Burns tried to close out the news conference, but his voice was drowned out by protesters chanting “Black votes matter.”
The decision comes after weeks of mounting pressure from Democrats, voting rights groups and even some uneasy Republicans who warned that reopening redistricting could energize Democratic voters and overshadow a pivotal stretch of the campaign season.
In a letter to Gov. Brian Kemp, House Speaker Jon Burns pointed to pending litigation over Georgia’s 2021 maps as a reason to pause the redistricting push, arguing that lawmakers should not rush into another overhaul while the courts are still weighing the boundaries already in place.
“Changes to Georgia’s maps should take place only when members of the General Assembly and citizens have been given ample opportunity to gather the facts, provide input, and engage in meaningful discussion,” Burns wrote. “For this reason, we will not be taking up congressional or legislative redistricting for the 2028 election cycle during this special session.”
Every member of the Georgia House Republican leadership team signed the letter. Senate President Pro Tem Larry Walker III, the chamber’s top Republican, said his caucus stands “united” with the House.
The move immediately sparked a rift with Kemp and other Republicans who said the process should still move forward.
“I do not believe there is reason to delay the apportionment process, especially with the legislature already convening,” Kemp said. “Legislative districting, however, is the responsibility of the General Assembly, and it is within their discretion to defer the issue until a later date.”
And Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, the president of the Senate who lost the Republican nomination for governor Tuesday, added that “we owe it to the voters that elected us to deliver on this critical issue.”
“I stand behind the governor’s plan to redraw the maps during this special session,” Jones said. “Failure to deliver is not an outcome I am willing to accept. We need to do our jobs and get this done.”
From Atlanta News First via WTVM:
The letter was delivered only hours after Kemp’s two endorsed candidates in Georgia’s primary runoff elections – Lt. Gov. Burt Jones and former football coach Derek Dooley – lost their bids for the GOP gubernatorial and U.S. Senate nominations, respectively.
Kemp had called the special session after the decision in Louisiana v Callais, a decision that weakened Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, a key law used to challenge discriminatory election maps.
Kemp said the state would keep the same legislative and congressional maps for the 2026 election, but those maps would need to be changed before the 2028 cycle.
The legislature’s failure to take up the task was a stunning rebuke of the outgoing governor. Kemp also suffered two more electoral blows Tuesday night, when Lt. Governor Burt Jones and Derek Dooley, Kemp’s endorsed picks for Governor and U.S. Senate respectively, lost their runoff elections.
Kemp also expanded the special session’s agency to include a property tax issue that could soon go before voters.
The added focus centers on a property tax relief measure passed in the final hours of the 2026 legislative session, and a fast-track push to let counties put a new tax question on local ballots as early as Nov. 3.
If lawmakers act during the special session, counties could ask voters whether to add a 1-cent sales tax and use that revenue to reduce county and city property taxes on owner-occupied primary homes.
Kemp’s office said the goal of the special session action is to pass local enabling legislation so counties can plan for implementation and, if they choose, place the question on the ballot this fall.
More from Atlanta News First via WRDW:
House Minority Leader Carolyn Hugley, a Democrat from Columbus, introduced three bills this week that would put some stipulations on Georgia’s gerrymandering. Her proposed 12EX, 13EX and 14EX bills would require lawmakers to include race in their consideration of new political boundaries and would bar state legislators from drawing new maps outside the typical 10 years when that process is Constitutionally mandated.
There is nothing illegal about redrawing political boundaries outside the typical ten-year timeframe that coincides with the U.S. census, but Hugley said it only serves as a political power grab for whoever is in charge.
“Our maps are not illegal. There’s no court that says that we have to do this,” she said, referencing lawmakers’ return to the Capitol for a special session. “This is a manufactured emergency.”
The Supreme Court decision struck down Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, which required states to consider race and the dilution of racial minorities when drawing maps.
Hugley wants to replace the loss with a state version of Section 2.
“It’s important for us to take a look – not just now – but down the road,” she said. “Should we be doing mid-decade redistricting? The answer is no. Should we be doing partisan redistricting? The answer is no.”
“I think it’s the right answer to pick up the deliberation and take some time to hear it like we usually do when we have a redistricting conversation,” said State Rep. Mark Newton (R-Augusta). “We hear from the public, we hear from different communities, different communities of interest… maybe this is a more deliberate and methodical way and not to try to rush it through.”
However, Democrats view the sudden postponement through a much more political lens, suggesting that Republicans are trying to avoid a pre-election backlash.
“Redrawing districts and eliminating Black representation would drive and surge Black voter turnout,” said State Senator Derek Mallow (D-Savannah). “So they chose not to do that at this time… It’ll just be after the November election because they think Black voters will stay home. But we are vigilant, we’re watchful, and we understand what they’re trying to do.”
Inside, legislators drifted back to their chambers after a bruising election night that left winners celebrating, losers licking wounds and everyone wondering what comes next.
It was surreal. Lawmakers who had already delivered emotional farewell speeches just a few weeks ago sullenly returned to their desks. Defeated candidates whose campaigns had ended just weeks, or hours, earlier were back under the Gold Dome.
State Sen. Bill Cowsert took his seat not far from state Sen. Brian Strickland, who had trounced him in May in the Republican race for attorney general.
Former Senate Majority Leader Steve Gooch was back after finishing fourth in the lieutenant governor’s race, while the ultimate victor, state Sen. Greg Dolezal, held court a few feet away.
And then there was Lt. Gov. Burt Jones. There were betting pools across the Capitol about whether he would show up after losing the most expensive gubernatorial runoff in Georgia history to billionaire Rick Jackson.
But by midmorning, he was presiding over a closed-door Senate caucus meeting, thanking colleagues for their support and urging them to move forward with redistricting.
They did not. An internal poll showed only a few senators backed the idea. Instead, Senate leaders joined House Republicans in publicly opposing a redraw this summer, a remarkable rebuke of both Jones and Gov. Brian Kemp, who also pushed lawmakers to move ahead.
The reversal showed how much Georgia’s political structure has changed. Voters rejected Kemp’s picks for governor and U.S. Senate. Jones’ loss makes him a lame duck. And lawmakers are already adjusting to a world where neither commands the influence they once did.
The whispered conversations reflected that shift. In the Senate, Republicans quietly wondered whether Jackson would seek retribution against Jones’ allies. In the House, Jackson backers were imagining what his administration might mean for the Capitol’s balance of power.
By the end of the day, it seemed the delay of the redistricting fight was only one of the big stories. The other was that Georgia’s next political era had already begun.
Meanwhile, state legislators are working on a bill to extend the use of QR codes on ballots in November, according to the Capitol Beat News Service via the Savannah Morning News.
Georgia lawmakers advanced a bill on Thursday that would pause the mandatory voting machine changes they previously required for this year.
The legislators, at the Capitol for the second day of a special session, also continued to line up more than 80 local bills aimed at reducing homeowner property taxes in communities across the state.
The election measure was one reason Gov. Brian Kemp first called lawmakers back to Atlanta for the special session, but in early June he added the property tax subsidies to their agenda.
The Senate Rules Committee quickly approved Senate Bill 3EX after it got a nod from the Senate Ethics Committee earlier in the day. The two votes set the election procedures measure up for a Senate floor vote.
“I think we have a bill here that addresses the reason that we are here,” Senate Ethics Committee Chairman Sam Watson, R-Moultrie, said before Sen. Max Burns, R-Sylvania, outlined the details of SB 3EX.
Burns’ bill is needed because the Legislature previously banned the use of QR codes to tally votes. That mandate, approved two years ago, will take effect July 1, absent legislative intervention.
The current voting machines use those digital codes, which led to the pending ban. Lawmakers had approved removing them from election procedures after backlash following President Donald Trump’s loss in the 2020 election and mistrust among some in Georgia of the state’s voting system.
But in the intervening two years, the Legislature failed to approve or pay for an alternative voting platform. Now, election officials say there is too little time to implement one ahead of the November general election, let alone the special election in July to fill the seat of Rep. David Scott, who died in late April.
Lawmakers had considered delaying their QR code prohibition, but they finished their regular session in early April without approving a measure to do so.
SB 3EX would push the effective date to January 2028. It also would establish a nine-member legislative committee to set the specifications, standards and requirements for a new system. Members would be appointed by the governor and by legislative leaders, currently all Republicans.
It also would require audits of the results in more statewide elections than is customary now.
Also at the Capitol this week, lawmakers began introducing legislation that would reduce property tax bills for homeowners.
The measures were authorized by Senate Bill 33 from the regular session. That law capped increases in the taxable value of owner-occupied homes at the rate of inflation. It also allowed local legislative delegations to seek a 1% Local Homestead Option Sales Tax for their communities, with the proceeds used to subsidize the taxes due for homesteaded properties.
If lawmakers approve the legislation, the penny sales taxes would appear as referendums on the November ballots of voters in those communities.
The measures must go through an extended review process under the Gold Dome. The House clerk must read each of them twice on the floor, then an assigned committee must approve them. Then the Rules Committee must tee them up for a vote on the floor and they must get another reading.
From there, any approved bills would go to the Senate for a similar review.
All this must happen before lawmakers gavel out for the final time. So far, they have scheduled legislative days only on Saturday and Monday, but they can add more.
The House clerk gave a second reading to 67 of these tax bills on Thursday after they were introduced on Wednesday. Another half-dozen such bills from Wednesday got a first read, and at least eight more were introduced Thursday.
House delegations seeking the new sales tax were from communities as tiny as the city of Jakin in South Georgia and as large as Gwinnett County in metro Atlanta.
They were from Toccoa in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains to Brunswick and Glynn County along the Atlantic coast.
The Senate also introduced two of its own such sales tax bills, for Brunswick and Glynn County.
From Atlanta News First via WTOC:
Georgia Republican lawmakers moved Thursday to delay the state’s looming deadline to end QR-code ballot counting after legislators failed to replace the system before a self-imposed July 1 cutoff.
Republican Sen. Max Burns proposed SB 3EX, which would extend the deadline until the start of 2028 and create a committee to outline requirements for Georgia’s next voting system before current equipment is replaced.
“The current system will need to be replaced. It is at the end of its useful life in Georgia,” Burns said.
The proposal set off a new round of debate over trust in Georgia’s ballot counting system and who should have a seat at the table for what comes next.
Sen. Kim Jackson, a Democrat, pushed for changes that would require minority party representation in writing rather than leaving the committee’s diversity to discretion.
“It’s Democrats and Republicans and independents alike who will be voting on those new systems,” Jackson said. “So therefore, we need to make sure we have Democratic representation.”
Outside the Senate chamber, Bartow County elections supervisor Joseph Kirk said election officials needed time to prepare for any statewide change.
“We need time to do that right, and the bill gives us that time,” Kirk said.
By midday, the bill moved quickly through the Senate Rules Committee and could reach the Senate floor as soon as Saturday.
But election critics argued a delay would keep Georgia using a system they do not trust. Garland Favorito, a longtime election critic, said he believed QR-coded ballots should be hand-counted.
“We believe that all of the QR-coded ballots should be hand-counted to ensure that the system is accurate,” Favorito said. “It does not go that far, and that’s a grave concern for us.”
Kirk said the delay would avoid abrupt changes ahead of this year’s elections, and he argued November voting would remain transparent and auditable.
“We’re going to have a good election in November,” Kirk said.
If the Senate votes Saturday, the House would need to take up the measure next.
Counties are watching closely as they plan for upcoming elections, including a special election for Georgia’s 13th Congressional District to fill the seat held by the late U.S. Rep. David Scott that takes place in July.
The House District 177 seat vacated by now-former State Rep. Dexter Sharper (D-Valdosta) will be change hands again in January, according to the Valdosta Daily Times.
On June 9, Alvin Payton won the right to serve the rest of Rep. Dexter Sharper’s term in the Georgia House of Representatives, but Elsie Napier will likely take over the seat after the first of the year.
The saga of District 177 has so far involved four elections with one more scheduled in November.
Sharper resigned from the seat in March as he faced fraud charges related to unemployment payments he received during the Covid-19 pandemic.
A special election May 12 drew five candidates seeking to fill the remainder of Sharper’s two-year term, which will end at the end of this calendar year. When votes were counted after that election, no one had more than half of the votes, so the top two vote-getters — Alvin Payton Jr. and Eric G. Howard — were sent to a runoff.
Before that could take place, however, voters cast ballots in the May 19 primary, which included a race to fill the District 177 seat starting in January and continuing for a full two-year term. Five candidates, including Payton and Howard, ran for the seat. Again, none received half the votes, so a runoff was called for. However, the top vote getters this time were Elsie Napier and Payton. Napier had not run in the special election.
In the June 9 runoff for the special election, Payton won with 371 votes to Howard’s 180. He will serve as the District 177 representative through the end of the year, which includes a special session set to begin Wednesday.
On Tuesday, however, Napier received 852 votes to Payton’s 608 once all votes were finalized. She will be the Democratic Party nominee for the seat in the November election. She is expected to have no opposition in that election.
Republican Marc McMain won the Republican Primary Runoff Election for State Senate District 46, according to AccessWDUN.
McMain took 64.53% of the vote, defeating his opponent, Doug McKillip, who had 35.47% of the vote.
District 46 covers eastern portions of Gwinnett County, southern portions of Barrow County, the northern half of Walton County, all of Oconee County and the southern portion of Athens-Clarke County.
McMain will face Democrat Ray Smith in the general election in November. The winner of that race will replace Republican Bill Cowsert.
Stephens County Commissioner Tara Simmons retained her seat representing District 1, according to AccessWDUN.
Simmons defeated Dennis Howard Bell in the Republican primary runoff, taking 65.56% of the vote over challenger Dennis Howard Bell, who had 34.44% of the vote. No Democratic candidate qualified for the seat, meaning Simmons will not face an opponent in the November general election.
Trifecta: Republican nominee for Governor Rick Jackson was endorsed by three predecessors, according to Atlanta News First via WTOC.
Rick Jackson’s surprise runoff win has quickly reshaped Georgia’s governor’s race, with Gov. Brian Kemp endorsing the GOP nominee within 48 hours despite previously supporting his opponent, Lt. Gov. Burt Jones.
At the same time, Jackson was endorsed by the state’s two previous chief executives, Nathan Deal and Sonny Perdue.
“Rick will fight for every Georgian to have a fair shot at the American Dream because he has lived it himself,” Kemp said in a joint statement with Deal and Perdue. “Coming from nothing, Rick Jackson built successful businesses, gave back to his community and our state, and employed thousands of hardworking men and women from all walks of life.”
Jackson will face Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms this fall in the campaign to become Georgia’s 83rd governor. Bottoms, the former one-term Atlanta mayor and Biden White House official, is seeking to not only become Georgia’s first Democratic governor elected this century, but also the nation’s first Black female governor.
“Jackson’s incredible business acumen is matched by his heart for Georgians,” said former Gov. Nathan Deal. “He’ll bring laser focus to fixing problems, and as governor he’ll put his skills to use to create high-paying jobs, cut taxes and increase access to healthcare and homeownership.”
Perdue, who ousted the state’s last Democratic governor, Roy Barnes, in 2002, said, “Jackson’s life is a testament of hope for all of us. His powerful personal story qualifies him to compassionately identify with the least of us.”
Just days after issuing a striking last-minute endorsement of Jones in the Republican runoff, Kemp quickly moved to unify behind the man who defeated him.
“Marty, the girls, and I are proud to support Rick Jackson to be Georgia’s next governor,” Kemp said, praising Jackson as a self-made businessman who would “always put hardworking Georgians first.”
“We know Rick will fight for every Georgian to have a fair shot at the American Dream because he has lived it himself,” Kemp said. “Coming from nothing, Rick Jackson built successful businesses, gave back to his community and our state, and employed thousands of hardworking men and women from all walks of life.”
President Trump also congratulated Jackson, according to Atlanta News First via WALB.
Republican voters chose billionaire health care executive Rick Jackson over Lt. Gov. Burt Jones in a result that upended expectations formed earlier in the primary season. Jones had been widely viewed as the front-runner for the GOP nomination, aided by a prior endorsement from former President Donald Trump and a late endorsement from Gov. Brian Kemp.
In the aftermath of Tuesday’s results, Trump posted congratulatory messages on Truth Social:
“Rick Jackson ran a great TRUMP Campaign. Very smart! Was with me on Saturday Night making a pitch. Amazing!!! He won against a great guy, Burt Jones, who has a fantastic future!!! President DJT”
Tuesday’s outcomes also underscored a difficult night for Gov. Kemp’s endorsements in the two biggest statewide runoffs. Kemp backed Jones for governor and Dooley for Senate — and both lost — raising questions about the governor’s influence within a Republican Party still navigating tensions between establishment leaders and the party’s more hardline factions.
Kemp remains popular statewide after two terms, but the runoff results are likely to fuel new speculation about the GOP’s direction heading into November and beyond, including how party leaders approach coalition-building among moderates, independents and the party’s base.
Two members of Columbus City Council shared their thoughts on Isaiah Hugley’s winning the Runoff for Mayor, according to the Ledger-Enquirer.
The Ledger-Enquirer asked each of the 10 councilors via email for their reaction to Hugley’s apparent victory. Toyia Tucker of District 4 and Walker Garrett of District 8 — two of the seven councilors who voted yes to fire Hugley — are the only councilors to reply before publication.
Tucker congratulated all the candidates who were successful in the runoff election.
“Running for public office requires dedication, sacrifice and a commitment to public service,” she wrote. “I also want to thank every candidate who stepped forward and gave of themselves in service to our community. Whether you won or not, your willingness to engage in the process and advocate for the future of our city is appreciated.” Tucker didn’t directly address Hugley’s apparent victory, but she said it is time for leaders to come together and “focus on the work ahead.”
“I look forward to working collaboratively with our elected leaders, community stakeholders and residents to continue moving my hometown forward and addressing the needs of our citizens,” Tucker wrote.
Garrett said he supported Cogle during the campaign.
“I was proud to support my friend, Joanne Cogle, for Mayor, and given that this was the closest race I’ve ever seen for Mayor in Columbus, we must find ways to build bridges to unite all of Columbus,” Garrett wrote.
Garrett asked other Cogle supporters to continue working to “make Columbus better together,” but he acknowledged Hugley’s lead seems insurmountable.
“Isaiah Hugley is our next Mayor,” Garrett wrote.
Garrett said he wants what is best for the city. To achieve that mission, he plans to work with Hugley to help him succeed. He looks forward to making progress on goals where he and Hugley share common ground, Garrett said.
“I don’t care who gets the credit as long as our city is a better place,” Garrett wrote. “I’ll do my part to help Mayor Hugley make Columbus even better. I don’t expect to agree with every decision Mayor Hugley will make, but I’m sure we will have much more in common, wanting the best for Columbus than what sets us apart.”
The City of Social Circle announced that a planned federal detention facility will not move forward, according to the Savannah Morning News.
The city was informed by Representative Mike Collins that the agency would be “no longer pursuing” the project in Social Circle, Georgia, a small 5,000-person town southeast of Atlanta.
“Based on information provided to the City, it is our understanding that the property could be sold if there are no other federal agencies that express interest in the property. While the exact process has not been confirmed, it is anticipated that any sale would occur through the General Services Administration,” the City of Social Circle said in a statement on June 18. “The City is hopeful that the property will ultimately return to the local tax base and once again contribute to the economic vitality and long-term success of the Social Circle community.”
The city thanked Collins, as well as Senator Raphael Warnock for his visit to the town and “communication from Senator Warnock’s office throughout this process and its efforts to help elevate awareness of the matter.”
The city also thanked Warnock and his fellow Senator Jon Ossoff for “pursuing legislation” that would require cities to provide local approval for any future federal detention facilities.
Macon-Bibb County Commissioners adopted their FY 2027 budget, according to 13WMAZ.
Mayor Lester Miller said the $221.5 million spending plan is a “reasonable budget” focused on priorities as “things cost more than they used to,” so the county couldn’t meet all the funding requests.
Miller asked departments to cut spending by up to 10% except public safety expenses for the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office and Macon-Bibb County Fire Department.
“We can’t always provide everything that everyone needs unless taxpayers are just willing to open up their wallet and give the money for everything that they have, so we have to have priorities,” Miller said. “I wish we had another $40 million to give everybody else who asked for the money, but certainly we don’t have a wallet like that.”
Although the mayor expects to hold the millage rate to 9.575, the final tax digest to calculate expected property tax won’t be available until later this summer. The county also will reevaluate the budget in January to determine if adjustments are necessary depending on tax revenue.
Commissioners also mapped out spending plans for the expected $44 million to be collected in FY27 from the 2025 SPLOST, including $21.3 million to pay down debt. Last summer, the county took out $50 million in bonds to begin SPLOST projects before all tax revenue came in.
The Colquitt County Commission heard a request from the jail to make computer tablets available to inmates, according to the Moultrie Observer.
A request was made from the new Colquitt County Jail administration to amend its contract with the phone company that services the jail and the Colquitt County Prison to include tablets for inmates to use. The request was presented to the Colquitt County Commission at the beginning of June.
Currently, the contract with Paytel is only for phone service, which inmates pay for to call their family or lawyers. The tablets will provide the same service.
County Clerk Melissa Lawson, who presented the request said, the prison and the warden were in agreement on the amendment.
“The tablet will be utilized for inmates to communicate and to utilize and they will have to pay to utilize these tablets,” she said. “The County receives commission off of any form of inmate communications at the prison or jail.”
She added that this would be another form of revenue for the County but nothing substantial. She said the Paytel agreement covered inmate phone communication at both the Colquitt County Jail and the Colquitt County Prison.
Commissioner Johnny Hardin wanted to know if the inmates had been given iPads and Lawson responded that they had previously.
“There’s another program, an educational program where they can obtain their GED. That’s something separate from this,” she said. “This is just another form of communication.”
She reiterated that the County would receive commission just like it does now on every phone call inmates make.
Commission Chairman Denver Braswell asked how much it was going to cost and Lawson replied, nothing, because it was just an amendment to the existing contract. She also said, that Paytel provided the tablets.
Commissioner Marc DeMott asked if they were allowed to take the tablet back to their living quarters and Lawson replied they were not allowed to do that.
During the meeting, Warden Billy Howell was called and put on speaker phone, so that he could give the commissioners more details. Howell said, in the past, the jail had used tablets but had stopped.
“Now, that Rod (Sheriff Rod Howell) has made a change and Jeff Faircloth’s there and moving into the new one (new jail), he sees it like we do,” he said. “We’re both losing money on the revenue on the fees on the payphone system.”
Howell added that they were getting the tablets back to give the inmates access.
“It’s no cost to us but it will keep our revenue stream close to where we were at,” he said. “There’s no cost at all. That’s what I want the commissioners to understand. No cost to us.”
Howell said they were trying to narrow the gap in the revenue that they had been losing on the payphone system. He said, the inmates could use the tablets for several different things and earn points on them. They can listen to music, do educational programs and get certifications, he said.
“And we get a return,” he added.
County Administrator Chas Cannon said, “The FCC (Federal Communications Commission) order, apparently, reduces the reimbursement rate on the payphones and the result of that is we lose revenue.”
Howell replied, that the FCC order reduced the rate nationwide on payphones. So, that’s why they wanted to go to the tablets.
“To try to fill that loss we’re gonna lose on that. And everybody in the field is doing that,” he said.
No action was taken by the commissioners at that meeting. However, the request was presented again at the June 16, meeting. Deputy Warden Matthew Conner was there to answer questions.
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