Georgia Politics, Campaigns, and Elections for May 27, 2026

Lt. Colonel George Washington fought French and Indian scouts on May 28, 1754, beginning the Seven Years War.

On May 27, 1813, Thomas Jefferson wrote a letter to John Adams to let Adams know of the death of a mutual friend.

On May 28, 1830, President Andrew Jackson signed the Indian Removal Act, requiring all Native Americans to relocate west of the Mississippi River.

Georgia Militia under General John Floyd began rounding up Cherokee Indians on May 26, 1838.

General Robert E. Lee wrote a letter dated May 26, 1861 to Georgia Governor Joseph E. Brown asking the state to send any weapons available for Georgia volunteers who arrived in Virginia unarmed.

On May 27, 1863, Chief Justice Roger Taney, sitting as a federal district court judge, issued a decision in Ex parte Merryman, which challenged President Abraham Lincoln’s suspension of the right of habeas corpus. Lincoln ignored the ruling.

Today is the anniversary of the Battle of Pickett’s Mill in Paulding County, Georgia, where Sherman’s forces attacked Johnston’s Confederates on May 27, 1864. Among the combatants on the Union side was Ambrose Bierce, who would later write The Crime at Pickett’s Mill. Pickett’s Mill is the site of annual reenactments.

On May 27, 1864, the Federal Army, having been stopped in its advance on Atlanta two days earlier by the Battle of New Hope Church, attempted to outflank the Confederate position. Some 14,000 Federal troops were selected for the task, and General Howard was given command. After a five-hour march, Howard’s force reached the vicinity of Pickett’s Mill and prepared to attack. Waiting were 10,000 Confederate troops under the command of General Cleburne.

The Federal assault began at 5 p.m. and continued into the night. Daybreak found the Confederates still in possession of the field. The Federals had lost 1,600 men compared to the Confederate loss of 500. The Confederate victory resulted in a one-week delay of the Federal advance on Atlanta.

Here are some photos of the battlefield and links to additional material.

The Battle of Dallas, Georgia began on May 28, 1864.

The Battle of New Hope Church was fought near Dallas, Georgia May 25-26, 1864 between Confederates under General Joseph E. Johnston and Federal troops under General William T. Sherman.

President Calvin Coolidge signed the “Comprehensive Immigration Act” on May 26, 1924.

Many Americans saw the enormous influx of largely unskilled, uneducated immigrants during the early 1900s as causing unfair competition for jobs and land. Under the new law, immigration remained open to those with a college education and/or special skills, but entry was denied to Mexicans, and disproportionately to Eastern and Southern Europeans and Japanese. At the same time, the legislation allowed for more immigration from Northern European nations such as Britain, Ireland and Scandinavian countries. A quota was set that limited immigration to two percent of any given nation’s residents already in the U.S. as of 1890, a provision designed to maintain America’s largely Northern European racial composition. In 1927, the “two percent rule” was eliminated and a cap of 150,000 total immigrants annually was established.

The law particularly angered Japan, which in 1907 had forged with U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt a “Gentlemen’s Agreement,” which included more liberal immigration quotas for Japan. By 1924, strong U.S. agricultural and labor interests–particularly from California, which had already passed its own exclusionary laws against Japanese immigrants–favored the more restrictive legislation signed by Coolidge. The Japanese government viewed the American law as an insult, and protested by declaring May 26 a national day of humiliation in Japan.

Fort Frederica National Monument was established on St Simons Island, Georgia on May 26, 1936.

Fort Frederica National National Monument on St. Simons Island

On May 27, 1941, President Franklin D. Roosevelt said the United States was in an unlimited national emergency and laid out conditions under which Germany’s expansionism would constitute an attack on the United States.

Happy Birthday to Gladys Knight, born in Atlanta on May 28, 1944.

May 26, 1949 was named Clay Day in Marietta, Georgia in honor of General Lucius Clay, who spoke at the courthouse square.

On May 27, 1976, former Georgia Governor Jimmy Carter blasted the “Stop Carter” movement in a speech in Cincinnati.

On this day in 1992, The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion by Georgia-based The Black Crowes reached number one on the Billboard US Album chart.

On May 27, 1995, actor Christopher Reeves was thrown from his horse in an equestrian competition in Culpepper, Virginia, becoming quadriplegic.

Twelve years ago, a poll by Rasmussen showed Democrat Michelle Nunn beating both Jack Kingston and David Perdue in a General Election matchup and Democrat Jason Carter beating Gov. Deal.

Georgia Politics, Campaigns, and Elections

More Democratic voters turned out in the May 19, 2026 Primary Election than Republicans, according to the Capitol Beat News Service via the Statesboro Herald.

More Democrats than Republicans turned out to vote in Tuesday’s primary election, flipping the outcome in the midterm primary election of four years ago when the GOP dominated.

The strong showing could be a singular incident, or a trend that endures to the November general election and the head-to-head contests between the two parties.

Democratic turnout in this year’s governor’s race was up by half from the 2022 primary, while Republican turnout fell by a quarter.

Granted, four years ago, Stacey Abrams had no Democratic challengers for governor, so her supporters had one less reason to turn out, perhaps suppressing Democratic numbers.

But this year U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff had no Democratic challengers, yet turnout for him increased by more than 40% compared to the Senate race in 2022 when fellow Democrat, U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock, had a challenger. GOP turnout fell by nearly a quarter this year in that race, too.

The proportions were similar across the board in statewide races, no matter how far down the ballot one looked. In the contest for attorney general, Democratic turnout was up by more than 350,000 while Republican turnout fell by more than 280,000.

“It’s not a good sign for Republicans,” said Andra Gillespie, a political scientist at Emory University.

The outcome in Georgia tracked national sentiment, she said.

Costs are rising. The country is in a conflict with Iran. President Donald Trump’s poll numbers are sagging.

However, she said, polling shows the state still has more Republican than Democratic voters.

“So Democrats still have to work hard, and harder, to be able to win even under favorable national conditions,” she said.

On Tuesday evening, Trey Conley, 37, exited the Dianne Wright Innovation Center in Hiram and rejoined his 15-year-old daughter, Mattison, who had been waiting for him to vote.

Conley said he selected Jason Esteves among the seven Democrats running for governor. He picked Sen. Josh McLaurin, D-Sandy Springs, for lieutenant governor.

The outcome at that polling place skewed 2-to-1 for President Donald Trump two years ago, and Conley said most of his family votes Republican.

But he said he and his wife share many of the same ideals and voted the same way: for Democrats.

“We’re trying to flip the state one person at a time,” he said.

The next day, Democrats were celebrating. Their party had drawn 1.1 million voters to the polls, about 53% of all votes cast. Republicans, by comparison, had drawn about 940,000, or just over 45%.

“Georgians overwhelmingly voted for Democrats Tuesday night, sending Republicans, billionaires, special interests, and massive corporations a clear message: Georgians won’t let you push them around anymore,” the state Senate Democrats said in a statement.

Although the turnout on Tuesday favored Democrats, it was only a primary election, a time when more committed voters typically show up at the polls. Although nearly 2.1 million made the trip, that is just 28.1% of active voters.

Meanwhile, the GOP saw an upside in the decisive victory by former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms near the top of the ticket. She won 56% of the vote in the Democratic contest for governor, a strong showing that propelled her to the general election as the party nominee.

“Keisha Lance Bottoms is a defund-the-police lunatic who did her best to destroy Atlanta, then took that same failed agenda to the Biden-Harris White House,” a regional spokeswoman for the Republican National Committee said in a statement on Wednesday. “Georgians don’t want another far-left politician who puts criminals, illegals, and the radical left first, and they’ll reject her in November.”

Republicans think Bottoms’ name atop the ticket may cause some Democrats to stay home in November.

On Tuesday afternoon, Chris Heller went to his polling place in Atlanta’s Ormewood Park neighborhood, which skews Democratic. Like Conley would do later in the day in Hiram, Heller voted for Esteves for governor.

Heller, who had his 6-year-old daughter, Lucy, with him, said he liked Esteves’ “progressive mindset.”

Heller’s outlook could pose a challenge for the Democratic Party as it tries to draw voters back to the polls in November.

Heller does not identify as a Democrat. He called the party “pathetic,” although he added that he could not remember ever voting for a Republican. And he said part of his vote for Esteves was grounded in the reality of voter turnout in November.

“I’m not convinced that Keisha Lance Bottoms is going to be able to pull enough votes to get us back into the blue,” he said.

From Georgia Recorder:

Last week’s primary election didn’t feature any races with both a Democrat and a Republican on the ballot, but Georgia Democrats still feel like they won.

If you are one of the more than 2 million Georgians who cast a ballot, you will likely recall the poll worker asking you to choose a Democratic, Republican or nonpartisan ballot.

In all, Democrats pulled more than 1 million ballots to Republicans’ nearly 940,000, or about 52.6% to 45.4%.

Democratic Party of Georgia Chairman Charlie Bailey said that margin is the biggest for Democrats since 1998 and shows that voters are ready to line up in November behind candidates like U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff and former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, the Democratic nominees for U.S. Senate and Georgia governor.

“It’s just another piece of evidence of growing Democratic momentum, the work of the party, the strength of Jon Ossoff, the strength of Keisha Lance Bottoms coming into this governor’s race,” he said. “People are fed up with (Republicans), and what those numbers in the primary tell you is that that momentum is building towards November, when they’re going to vote these Republicans out.”

In 2018, a midterm year with President Donald Trump in the White House and an open race for Georgia governor at the top of the ticket, Republicans pulled more ballots than Democrats by about 52% to 48%.

Comparing the number of ballots drawn is not a perfect measure. Some people choose the other party’s ballot because they live in an area dominated by that party and they want to have a say in local races, or because they want to promote a weaker opponent for their candidate in the general election.

Still, the discrepancy spells good news for Democrats looking ahead to the Nov. 3 election, says Emory University political science professor Andra Gillespie.

“What it connotes or implies is that Democratic candidates are capturing the imagination of voters in ways that, if this energy can be sustained, could be helpful for them in terms of flipping seats nationally, and in Republican states like Georgia, narrowing those margins between Democrats and Republicans, even in contests where Republicans are the odds-on favorite,” she said.

The difference in ballots is even more notable because Republicans had more high-profile races, said University of Georgia political science professor Trey Hood. No Democrat challenged incumbent U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff, while Republicans had competitive races for U.S. Senate and Georgia governor at the top of the ticket.

Hood said it’s also notable that Republicans who voted on Election Day did not outnumber Democrats by a large margin. Republicans only had about 4,000 more voters on Election Day than Democrats, about 508,000 to 504,000. Hood said that might signal a shift in GOP voter behavior, with more conservatives preferring to cast a ballot during Georgia’s three weeks of early voting.

“I don’t know that we can expect to necessarily see a huge surge in Republican turnout on Election Day anymore,” he said.

Voter demographics strong for Democrats

Results also show demographics that tend to favor Democratic candidates in Georgia had a strong showing.

Statistically, Black voters in Georgia largely favor Democrats, and they made up nearly 32% of the vote.

“If Black turnout was 31% in a general election, yeah, that would be probably a good Democratic year,” Hood said. “I mean, before now, the highest it’s ever been is about 29%. And the more Black turnout as a percentage of the total electorate, the less of the white share of the vote you have to draw off as a Democrat. So if that pattern held and Black turnout was 31% in the general, it would be big.”

Data from the secretary of state’s office also shows that the electorate was nearly 57% female and 43% male. That number is likely boosted by high turnout among Black women, who are registered to vote at a higher rate than Black men.

Reality check?

Still, the high Democratic turnout was not enough to land a pair of Democratic-aligned candidates on the state Supreme Court, and not everyone thinks the numbers show the wind is at Democrats’ back.

Georgia Republican Party Chairman Josh McKoon said turnout in primary elections does not correlate with general election turnout.

McKoon said he chalks up the ballot discrepancy to the typical midterm backlash to the party in the White House and Democrats having a competitive field for governor for what he said was the first time in more than two decades.

“It was Mark Taylor and then it was Jason Carter, then it was Stacey Abrams twice,” he said. “Now, this time they actually had a wide open primary, and a lot of people ran. And so, yes, it’s not surprising that they had more than their usual turnout because usually they don’t have anything to turn out for. So, I mean, there’s not really a surprise there.”

McKoon said Georgia Republicans won’t be resting on their laurels, but he’s confident that their messaging will resonate with voters come the fall.

“Georgia is an extremely competitive state, and we’re going to have to earn our victory in November,” he said. “But I think that Georgia Republicans have a really good record to run on. We’ve got tremendous economic success to run on. We’ve got low unemployment in our state. Our state’s been consistently ranked the number one state to do business.”

Gillespie said while Democrats have reason to be optimistic, November’s race is far from a sure thing.

“(Republicans) don’t have the same numerical advantages that they had 20 years ago, but the fundamentals still privilege Republicans,” she said. “And even where you can see greater Democratic engagement and where you can infer greater Democratic excitement, that sometimes means that Democratic candidates lose by smaller margins. It doesn’t guarantee them victory. They still have to campaign and prepare like they are underdogs.”

Bailey said the Democratic Party of Georgia is ready for action and poised to take advantage of the four-week period before the runoff while Republicans candidates are still duking it out over the GOP Senate and governor’s nominations.

“This will be the biggest and the best coordinated campaign this state has ever seen, and that is the work we are doing,” he said. “Ain’t nobody around here sitting around and just expecting something. We are going to push with everything we have.”

From the AJC:

Liberal Democrats are celebrating primary election wins that put their coalition on track to add new voices to the General Assembly — including the state’s first nonbinary and transgender legislator.

“You don’t see these insane levels of turnout unless people are tired of the status quo,” [State Rep. Gabriel Sanchez (D-Smyrna)] said. “People want to have a government that truly represents them.”

Liberal candidates have adopted Democratic issues like affordability but also are pushing back against dark money fueling campaigns, fighting water-hungry data centers and calling for regulations around investor-owned rental homes that hurt affordable housing initiatives.

Voting rights activist Bentley Hudgins is on track to become the first Japanese American and first openly nonbinary and transgender person elected to the Georgia General Assembly.

Hudgins — who goes by they/them pronouns — won the Democratic primary in House District 90, a south DeKalb County district that heavily favors Democrats in the general election in November.

Also endorsed by the Working Families Party, Democratic organizer Jyot Singh won his primary in Gwinnett County’s House District 97, previously represented by Rep. Ruwa Romman before her bid for state Senate.

Democratic voter turnout soared during the primary, with Democrats casting 190,000 more ballots than Republicans during early voting and on Election Day. The numbers have fueled optimism about the party’s chances of winning statewide seats in November.

“It’s possible that Georgia flips blue in November,” said Atlanta City Councilmember Kelsea Bond. “And if that happens, it will be really important to have progressives at the tip of the iceberg leading fights in the statehouse.”

“One of the challenges that progressives have had — especially in the South and when it comes to big elections — is progressives will win during primaries and they will lose during the general election,” said Tammy Greer, a professor with Georgia State University’s Andrew Young School of Policy Studies.

“Georgia is not a progressive state,” she said. “There may be progressive districts where there’s more acceptance of a progressive candidate, but the challenge that we will continue to have is that the South is not progressive.”

First-generation Korean immigrant Michelle Kang is headed for a rematch in November against Republican Rep. Matt Reeves in a district likely to be targeted when the GOP-controlled Legislature convenes to draw new political maps.

In 2024, Kang came within 621 votes of ousting Reeves in Gwinnett County’s House District 99. Redistricting won’t affect the 2026 election cycle, but it is a likely target for Republicans working to hold onto power in 2028.

“The special session is very intentional,” said Kang, who has been working to educate voters in her area — particularly immigrants — about redistricting. “And their intention is to dilute our voting power.”

Reeves said he’s confident that Republicans’ focus on affordability and efforts to cut taxes under the Gold Dome this past legislative session will push the party to victory in statehouse races like his.

“I think my constituents know that I’m working for them rather than working for some political agenda from out of state or nationwide,” he said.

The Mike Collins U.S. Senate campaign took an L after an online post, according to the Savannah Morning News.

On Friday, the “Mike Collins War Room” account on X replied to a post from Luke Thompson who was sharing a new poll on the runoff election, showing a drop in popularity for Collins. The reply, which has since been deleted, read “Matt Lauer’s sloppy seconds chiming in to take an L” and in a follow up called him “a Yankee with poor judgement on women and GA politics.”

It was reported by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that the poster was Brandon Phillips, a major yet controversial political operative in the Collins camp, who was fired.

Thompson is the husband of Brooke Nevils, a former NBC talent assistant who accused Lauer of sexual assault in 2017, an account she wrote about for “The Cut” earlier this year.

Collins issued a statement on the post, saying it was made without his knowledge or approval, calling it “despicable” and “in no way represents or reflects my values or the values of this campaign.” He then apologized and said he has “made staffing changes to ensure this type of behavior never happens again.”

Thompson said of the initial post “Collins surrounds himself with unprofessional and incompetent cretins. This is not a team capable of holding its own against the Ossoff war chest. Just a deeply stupid group of low grade operators.”

Derek Dooley, who is running against Collins for the Republican nomination, said “This kind of disgusting behavior does not represent Georgia values—or frankly any values—and is exactly why Mike Collins cannot be our nominee this November. A vote for Collins is a vote for Ossoff.”

From AccessWDUN:

U.S. Senate Candidate and Representative for Georgia’s 10th Congressional District Mike Collins has dismissed his former chief of staff.

The dismissal was reported by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Friday. The post in question was a reply to political contributor Luke Thompson’s post about polling numbers for the GOP Senate runoff.

“48 hours later and the Collins lead has cut in half. Dooley beats Ossoff. Collins can’t. Not hard to understand,” Thompson’s post read. In a screenshot of the now-deleted reply, the Mike Collins War Room account (@TeamOverhaulGA) replied saying “Matt Lauer’s sloppy seconds chiming in to take an L.”

For context, Thompson’s wife came forward in 2017 along with other women accusing NBC host Matt Lauer of rape. Thompson’s wife — Brooke Nevils — revealed in 2019 that she attempted suicide in the aftermath after the decision took a physical and emotional toll on her. She is a former NBC talent assistant.

From the AJC:

Senate candidate Mike Collins cut ties Friday with a controversial operative at the center of a House Ethics complaint after a history of provocative social media posts and mounting scrutiny ahead of a June GOP runoff against Derek Dooley.

The breaking point for the House Republican with Brandon Phillips came Friday when Collins’ campaign account mocked a Dooley operative whose wife attempted suicide after accusing former NBC host Matt Lauer of rape.

Collins didn’t name the staffer involved. But the campaign confirmed the staffer is Phillips, who didn’t immediately respond to messages seeking comment.

Dooley’s campaign said the episode echoes a broader argument it has made throughout the campaign: that Collins’ hard-edged political style could jeopardize Republican chances in November.

“This kind of disgusting behavior does not represent Georgia values — or frankly any values — and is exactly why Mike Collins cannot be our nominee this November,” Dooley said on social media. “A vote for Collins is a vote for Ossoff.”

It’s unclear whether the two could reunite, given Collins only said he made “staffing changes.” Phillips has survived years of controversies that might have sidelined other operatives.

[Phillips’s] reputation as a ruthless political enforcer often enhanced his standing among candidates seeking hard-edged campaign tactics. That helped him build a stable of clients including state Sen. Greg Dolezal, a candidate for lieutenant governor; gubernatorial contender Rick Jackson and newly elected U.S. Rep. Clay Fuller.

Jackson’s campaign for governor said Phillips no longer works for him, though it’s unclear when they cut ties. Dolezal and Fuller didn’t immediately comment on the fallout.

Georgia Attorney General and former candidate for Governor Chris Carr (R-Cobb County) has endorsed businessman Rick Jackson in the gubernatorial runoff, according to the Augusta Chronicle.

On Tuesday, Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr announced on his social media platforms that he is backing healthcare CEO Rick Jackson.

“A successful businessman & political outsider, Rick will build on Brian Kemp’s legacy — creating jobs, backing law enforcement & looking after the best interests of all Georgians,” Carr wrote.

Jackson is facing Georgia Lt. Gov. Burt Jones for the gubernatorial Republican nomination. Last week’s Primary Election Day ended with Jones getting 38.36% of the vote, 32.51% for Jackson, and 11.86 for Carr. Because no one got 50%, the top two are now heading to a runoff.

InsiderAdvantage surveyed 800 likely Georgia Republican voters after the primary. Jones led with 48%, Jackson had 42%, and 10% were undecided.

Quantus Insights also surveyed more than 700 Georgia Republican primary voters after the primary. They found Jones led here too with 46.4%, Jackson had 44.1%, and 9.5% were undecided.

Early voting for this year’s primary runoff runs June 8-12 with a Runoff Election Day on June 16.

Effingham County Commissioner Roger Burdette won his Republican primary and faces a Democratic challenger in November, according to the Savannah Morning News.

Burdette defeated Shelley Payne in the General Primary to be the Republican nominee for the District 2 commission seat with 56% of the vote, receiving 942 to Payne’s 723. Burdette will face off with Darlene Ainsworth in the General Election Nov. 3.

Voters in Barrow, Clarke, and Oconee Counties passed sales tax referenda, according to the Athens Banner Herald.

In Clarke, Oconee, and Barrow counties, the measures all passed, but the margin was narrow. In both Clarke and Oconee, the special sales taxes passed with about 56% of the vote. In Barrow, the vote was even more narrow as only 52.6% of voters said yes.

These special option taxes pay for a variety of items, from roadwork to parks and transportation projects, rather than money from the general fund that is supported by property taxes.

“When the cost of gas is $4 a gallon and $8 for a pound of hamburger meat, those things affect your view on taxes,” Oconee County Commission Chairman John Daniell said. “I really think it’s more of how the economy is looking at this time, especially if you’re on a fixed income. It makes a difference.”

Athens-Clarke County Mayor Kelly Girtz mirrored his opinion.

“People are understandably cost-conscious right now, given the cost of housing and fuel. There’s been an escalation of those things in recent months and years, and that accounts for people’s reticence about all kinds of spending,” Girtz said.

Bulloch County Commissioners may be able to roll back their property tax millage rate this year based on early revenues from the Floating Local Option Sales Tax (FLOST) passed by voters in a November referendum and legislative changes, according to the Statesboro Herald.

Becoming the ninth penny of sales tax here, the Floating Local Option Sales Tax, or FLOST, also known as a Property Tax Relief Sales Tax, was authorized by 71.7% of Bulloch County voters in a November referendum and has been collected since Jan. 1. Under the 2024 state law that authorized these sales taxes, the revenue was originally required to be collected for a full year before being available for proportional rollbacks of property tax rates by the county and the cities beginning July 1, 2027.

But on or about May 11, Gov. Brian Kemp signed amended legislation that, in counties such as Bulloch that have collected a FLOST tax since Jan. 1, makes the first six months revenue available for counties’ and cities’ fiscal 2027 budgets, starting July 1, 2026.

Speaking to the Bulloch County commissioners during a May 19 meeting, county Chief Financial Officer Kristie King said the county “now must use” that first six months of FLOST revenue to offset its calendar year 2026 property taxes.

“So that’s good new for us,” King said. “We didn’t think we were going to be able to use that until next year.”

She estimates that six months of the 1% FLOST tax will bring the county about $6.4 million.

Bibb County Commission District 4 candidate Kerry Osborne said a county election official asked him to drop out of the runoff election, according to 13WMAZ.

Osborne, who finished second in the three-way race and is headed into a runoff against Al Turner, says a representative from the elections office called him the morning after the primary and asked whether he would consider dropping out of the race to save the county the cost of a recount and runoff.

“I was shocked,” Osborne said in an interview Tuesday. “That didn’t sound like something that an election office would normally do — call a candidate and say, ‘Hey, we want to save money, couldn’t you drop out?’”

Osborne says the call came in around 10:30 a.m. on a personal cell phone rather than through an official communication channel, which he said raised immediate concerns. He told the caller he wasn’t interested in withdrawing, but later called back under the pretense of still considering it — hoping to get the request documented in writing.

“I called back and basically I wanted to get that in writing,” he said. “I said, ‘Can you send me an email?’ And she refused.”

That refusal, Osborne says, was when alarm bells really went off. He subsequently filed an ethics complaint with the Georgia Secretary of State’s Office.

In a written statement, the Monroe County Elections Office confirmed awareness of the complaint but offered little else.

Osborne also noted that had he withdrawn, the third-place finisher would have moved into the runoff against Turner — meaning the elections office would have potentially had to make the same ask of another candidate.

Despite saying he received an angry follow-up call from the same person later that evening, Osborne says he holds no grudge.

“I don’t want to say anything negative against her,” he said. “My request is not for her to lose her job, but maybe to have some ethics training.”

Two candidates meet in a June 16, 2026 Primary Runoff Election for Lee County Board of Education District 1, according to the Albany Herald.

According to unofficial election results, challenger George Parrish Houston led the three-candidate field with 534 votes, or 42%, followed by incumbent Donna Ford with 478 votes, or 37.6%. Candidate Lavendra Shootes received 261 votes, or 20.5%.

The Greater Hall Chamber of Commerce will host a forum for runoff candidates in Hall County Commission Districts 1 and 3, according to AccessWDUN.

The forum will take place on Monday, June 1 at the Gainesville Civic Center with discussion from candidates running for the Hall County Board of Commissioners, District 1 & 3.

The Hall County Board of Commissioners District 1 Republican Primary race will go into a runoff between incumbent Kathy Cooper and challenger Mark Turner, a small business owner.

The Hall County Board of Commissioners District 3 Republican Primary race will go into a runoff between Murrayville business owner Tyler Crawford and Hall County Planning Commissioner Shannon Davidson.

Doors open at 5:30 pm, and the program begins at 6:00 pm. The event is sponsored by Jackson EMC.

House Bill 295 by State Rep. Jesse Petrea (R-Savannah) and others, passed both chambers and was signed by Gov. Brian Kemp, and would allow property owners to sue local governments over failure to enforce laws against nuisances, according to WSAV.

A new Georgia law allows property owners to make claims for compensation if they think local government does not enforce public nuisances such as public camping, vandalism and panhandling strongly enough.

WSAV spoke with State Rep. Jesse Petrea, who co-sponsored House Bill 295. He said he often received calls from his constituents that say their businesses are losing property value and potential customers because people feel unsafe due to nearby panhandling or encampments on their property.

He said its purpose is to push local government to enforce laws.

“If you have those policies that say you can’t do those things, but then the local government is refusing to enforce the law around those things, it necessarily devalues the community,” said Petrea.

Whereas some believe this bill could enhance safety in the Hostess City, others worry about how the bill will impact those experiencing homelessness.

Savannah Mayor Van Johnson said that if people aren’t creating public nuisances, then public spaces are for everyone.

“We can’t be the Hostess city and talk about hospitality, and then we don’t show hospitality to people who are here every day,” said Johnson. “That’s not who Savannah is, and that’s not what Savannah is going to be.”

Property owners who do decide to sue will have to prove that a person is a nuisance and that nuisance behavior is the reason for their loss of sales. Petrie said the homeowner also has to prove that the local government has willfully ignored those laws.

“It’s not an easy bar, but the goal is to hope that the local government will simply do their job,” said Petrea.

House Bill 295 became law on May 12 and is set to go into effect on July 1.

From the Savannah Morning News:

Act 713 [fka HB 295]was officially passed by the Georgia General Assembly on May 12, and allows property owners to seek compensation from cities or counties they claim failed to enforce certain laws or allowed public nuisances that reduced property values or increased expenses.

The legislation is aimed, in part, at government “nonenforcement” of local ordinances and could give businesses and property owners another tool to pressure local governments they believe are not responding aggressively enough.

“It’s an attention-grabber,” [Savannah Chamber of Commerce President & CEO Bert] Brantley said. “What it’s trying to do is to spur local governments to take this issue really seriously.”

“The most consistent constituent concern I get is over not necessarily homelessness but more homeless behavior that is not acceptable — so public camping, aggressive panhandling, people exposing themselves in parks,” Petrea said.

He said the legislation was not targeted at Savannah specifically, but was intended to incentivize local governments.

“What I hear from my constituents is that local government is not doing their job.” Petrea said.

Chatham County Superior Court Chief Judge John Morse issued a Temporary Restraining Order to prevent Savannah from enforcing new rules for horse-drawn carriages, according to the Savannah Morning News.

A Chatham County Superior Court judge ruled on Tuesday afternoon that the City of Savannah cannot enforce its ordinance regulating the temperatures at which horse-drawn carriage tours can operate.

Savannah City Council voted in August 2025 to lower its heat regulations for the tours from 95-degree Fahrenheit to 85-degree Fahrenheit beginning Jan. 1, 2026. As temperatures rise heading into the summer, two horse-drawn carriage operators have filed a lawsuit against the City of Savannah on May 18, claiming the ordinance is preempted by state law.

In the original lawsuit against the city, the plaintiffs, Carriage Tours of Savannah, its Owner Cara Marshall and Savannah’s Carriage Tours LLC, argue that they will be forced to choose between defying the ordinance’s orders and risk the consequences, or lose revenue which could impact the horses.

And Chatham County Chief Judge John Morse agreed — for now. He granted the plaintiffs a temporary restraining order, stating the ordinance cannot be enforced until the upcoming motion’s hearing on June 5 because, “granting the temporary restraining order will not disserve the public interest,” according to court documents.

Bibb County public schools are working to cut $20 million dollars from their budget, according to 13WMAZ.

Bibb County School District leaders are working to cut at least $20 million from the district’s proposed budget for the next fiscal year as they face rising costs and declining enrollment.

The district is dealing with inflation, increasing operational costs and funding challenges tied to declining enrollment. School leaders say they are trying to close a major budget gap while limiting the impact on students and day-to-day school operations.

Columbus Mayor Skip Henderson has nominated former City Council member Tyson Begly as the next City Manager, according to WTVM.

The mayor has nominated former city councilman and current corporate executive Tyson Begly to serve as the next city manager. City officials highlighted Begly’s extensive background in business, finance, public service and strategic operations as the primary drivers behind his selection.

“Tyson Begly brings a rare combination of executive leadership, financial expertise, operational experience, and deep commitment to the Columbus community,” Mayor Henderson said in a statement. “I am confident he possesses the vision, integrity, and collaborative leadership necessary to guide Columbus into its next chapter.”

Begly currently serves as the chief financial officer of Highline, a broadband company based in West Point. His professional background also includes serving as CFO and COO of Delta Data, as well as consulting roles with Accenture and Diamond Management & Technology Consultants.

Beyond his private-sector career, Begly has direct experience in Columbus local government. He previously served as a citywide member of the Columbus council, where he chaired the audit committee and served as vice chair of the budget committee.

The Ogeechee Judicial Circuit announced that Chief Assistant District Attorney Jillian Gibson will serve as acting District Attorney after the death of DA Robert Busbee, according to WTOC.

The office announced the transition after discussions with the Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council of Georgia and the Office of Governor Brian Kemp. The governor is expected to appoint someone to serve the remainder of Busbee’s term.

The Georgia Ports Authority opened their new Gainesville Inland Port, according to a press release.

Crews at  Georgia Ports Authority’s Gainesville Inland Port has worked multiple  trains and trucks at the facility since the opening  on May 4, 2026, kicking off direct daily rail service between the inland manufacturing hub and the Port of Savannah.

“With the start of operations in Gainesville, we’re extending the reach of the Port of Savannah deep into Northeast Georgia,” said Georgia Ports President and CEO Griff Lynch. “Manufacturers across the region now have a seamless rail connection to more than 40 weekly vessel calls linking to global markets.”

The Gainesville Inland Port gives shippers an alternative to a 600-mile roundtrip truck route that will reduce trucks on Georgia’s highways and in the Atlanta region. GPA expects to shift 26,000 containers to rail in the first year of operation, improving highway traffic flow and reducing emissions.

About 80 percent of Savannah’s cargo moves inland by truck and 20 percent by rail, with rail becoming more cost-effective beyond 250 miles, especially as diesel prices rise. The port’s speed and flexibility stand out: 40 weekly vessel calls, 42 double-stack trains linking inland markets, and industry-leading rail dwell of 20 hours or less. Truck gates process 14,000–16,000 daily moves, with dual turns under 50 minutes and single moves in 30.

GPA is collaborating with Norfolk Southern on the new service. At full build-out, the $134 million Gainesville Inland Port will have an annual capacity of 200,000 containers.

To reduce the new railyard’s traffic impact on local communities in Gainesville, GPA funded $4.8 million in Hall County road projects, eliminating an at-grade rail crossing, rerouting White Sulphur Road and surfacing Cagle Road. The new White Sulphur route south of the inland terminal ensures free access for emergency vehicles and avoids traffic disruption from trains. The resurfacing of Cagle Road also offers an improved alternative for residents. Both projects were completed in late summer 2025.

From the AJC:

Gainesville is the Ports Authority’s second inland rail port. The other, known as the Appalachian Regional Port, opened eight years ago in Crandall in the state’s northwest corner and serves the Southeast’s other freight rail titan, CSX.

That facility is smaller and, unlike Gainesville, did not have an established manufacturing base. But it was close enough to Dalton and its flooring manufacturers as well as Chattanooga, home to auto and appliance makers, to make it a “good bet on the future,” Lynch said.

Designed to handle 50,000 containers annually at maximum capacity, the Appalachian Regional Port eclipsed 45,000 in 2025 and just brought another gantry crane online to move more cargo.

The Appalachian facility also served as a test bed for Gainesville, the planning for which started just as the Crandall port was coming online. The Ports Authority perfected the terminal operating systems at the Appalachian Regional Port, honed their sales pitch to customers accustomed to using trucks for freight moves and figured out how to intertwine communications between shippers, ocean carriers and port officials.