Georgia Politics, Campaigns, and Elections for May 5, 2026

On May 5, 1862, Mexican forces defeated the French at Puebla, Mexico.

The Battle of the Wilderness began on May 5, 1864, between the Army of the Potomac, led by General Ulysses S. Grant, and the Army of Northern Virginia under General Robert E. Lee.

On May 5, 1886, Jefferson Davis attended a public reception at Savannah, Georgia’s City Hall.

Boston Red Sox pitcher Cy Young threw a perfect game against the Detroit Tigers on May 5, 1904.

Alan Shepard, Jr. became the first American in space on May 5, 1961, making a 15 minute sub-orbital flight that reached an altitude of 115 miles, during which he experienced about five minutes of ‘weightlessness.’ He was launched in the 2,000-lb. capsule Freedom 7 from Cape Canaveral, Florida… The flight traveled 302 miles at a speed relative to the ground of 4,500 mph. The mission was named Mercury-Redstone 3, or Freedom 7.

On May 5, 1965, the Warlocks took the stage for the first time at Magoo’s Pizza Parlor in Menlo Park, California. They later changed the band name to “The Grateful Dead.”

On May 5, 1977, the Grateful Dead played at New Haven Coliseum in New Haven, CT.

President George Washington toured Georgia in 1791, according to the Augusta Chronicle.

On May 18, 1791, Washington’s entourage, continuing from Savannah to Augusta, ate breakfast at an inn on the banks of McBean Creek, “15 miles from Waynesborough,” owned by Revolutionary War veteran James Fulcher.

Four miles from Augusta, Georgia’s capital at the time, Washington was greeted by a delegation of dignitaries led by Gov. Edward Telfair and George Walton, a signer of the Declaration of Independence.

Washington “was escorted into the Town, and received under a discharge of Artillery,” he wrote. A meal and a tea followed at Telfair’s Grove plantation, “with many well dressed Ladies.”

He also wrote about “between 60 and 70 well dressed ladies” at an assembly at the Academy of Richmond County on May 19. On May 20, he was given a tour of ruined British battlements from the Patriots’ recapture of Augusta in 1781.

“The town of Augusta is well laid out with wide and spacious Streets,” Washington wrote in his May 20 diary entry. “It stands on a large area of a perfect plain but it is not yet thickly built tho’ surprisingly so for the time.”

Georgia Politics, Campaigns, and Elections

Governor Brian Kemp announced yesterday that the Georgia Department of Revenue began issuing tax refunds under House Bill 1000, according to a Press Release.

Governor Brian P. Kemp and the Georgia Department of Revenue (DOR) announced today that the state has begun issuing the one-time, special tax refunds authorized by HB 1000 during the 2026 legislative session. The fourth such refund of its kind under Governor Kemp’s leadership, it will return over $1 billion to Georgia taxpayers, thanks to the state’s approach to maintaining a balanced budget. Most eligible taxpayers who filed their 2024 and 2025 returns before the filing deadline can expect to receive their refund within the coming weeks.

“Georgians know best how to spend their money, not the government,” said Governor Kemp. “That’s why we’re committed to being good stewards of those dollars and putting more of them where they belong – in Georgians’ pockets – at a time when other states are having to raise taxes.”

Previous special refunds were issued in 2022, 2023, and 2025. To be eligible, Georgia taxpayers must have filed both 2024 and 2025 individual income tax returns, have paid into the system, and not owe the State Department of Revenue. An individual filer’s refund amount will depend on their tax liability and is capped at:

$250 for single filers and married individuals filing separately
$375 for head of household filers
$500 for married individuals filing jointly
“Our team is ready to deliver these refunds efficiently and securely to Georgia taxpayers,” said DOR Commissioner David Burge. “We’ve built a process that prioritizes accuracy and speed so eligible filers can receive their money as quickly as possible.”

Taxpayers can check their eligibility using the Surplus Tax Refund Eligibility Tool, available through the Georgia Tax Center, by filling in their tax year, Social Security Number or Tax Identification Number, and Federal Adjusted Gross Income.

For more details, including Frequently Asked Questions and refund tracking, visit:
https://dor.georgia.gov/georgia-surplus-tax-refund

To date, 264,259 voters have cast early ballots in the May 19, 2026 Primary Election, according to the Secretary of State’s website.

From Atlanta News First via WALB:

More than 250,000 early and absentee votes have now been cast ahead of Georgia’s May 19, 2026, primary, according to numbers posted Monday afternoon by Georgia Secretary of State’s elections data hub.

Earlier Monday, Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger said more than 214,000 Georgians cast their ballots over the first seven days of early voting, compared to more than 167,000 during that same time in 2022, which is a 28% increase.

Atlanta News First caught up with Gwinnett County early voters on Monday.

“I didn’t want to take a chance and get stuck in line,” voter Stephanie Simmons said.

Another voter, James Hodges, said he wanted to vote because he was unhappy with the direction things were headed.

“I don’t like the way things are going. I’m trying to make sure things get changed,” Hodges said.

Zac Peskowitz, a political science professor at Emory University, said Georgia’s role as a battleground state was drawing voters to the polls early and that turnout could continue to climb.

“It’s quite possible that 2 million votes will be cast in this primary election,” Peskowitz said.

He also pointed to the potential for runoffs in some races if no candidate reached 50%, saying early votes could influence which candidates advanced.

“If you want to have a say on who makes it to the runoff, then you have to vote in the first stage,” Peskowitz said.

Peskowitz and voters also noted that judicial contests were on the ballot along with higher-profile races.

Debra Harris urged people not to sit the election out.

“People should come out now, with everything that’s going on now,” Harris said.

Large numbers of undecided voters in gubernatorial polling augurs a possible Runoff, according to the Savannah Morning News.

In two recently published polls — one from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and another from InsiderAdvantage — former Atlanta mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms is leading among Democrats and over Republican candidates.

Bottoms was polling at 52% support over Michael Thurmond (16%), Geoff Duncan (9%) and Jason Esteves (5%), according to InsiderAdvantage polling published May 1.

Undecided voters in the Democratic Party accounted for another 14%.

Bottoms held a smaller lead in polling published May 4 from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Bottoms polled at 39% support among primary voters compared to Thurmond’s 10%, Esteves’ 8% and Duncan’s 7%, the data showed.

Undecided voters, however, accounted for 35% of primary voters, nearly as many as voters who have pledged support for Bottoms.

On the Republican side of the ticket, the race is more evenly matched, but split between two candidates who both claim to be the best choice for the MAGA base.

In the InsiderAdvantage poll, Jackson now leads Republican primary voters at 28%, with Jones trailing slightly at 24%, and all other Republican candidates down below 20%. Undecided voters account for 12% of likely voters, according to the poll.

Both the Democratic and Republican primaries could easily go to a runoff, meaning no single candidate reached a 50% majority during the first election.

If this happens, the top two candidates for each party will be on the ballot again on June 19.

From the Statesboro Herald:

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, who leads the Democratic Governors Association, said Georgia is “in play” and the money will be there for the party’s eventual nominee.

“We’re going to make sure the Democratic candidate in Georgia has the funding they need to compete,” Beshear told The Associated Press on Saturday as he visited Atlanta to keynote a party dinner.

While Republicans have flooded the state with nearly $100 million in advertising, Democrats have spent only $1.24 million. Most observers believe no Democrat will win a majority in the rapidly approaching May 19 primary, prolonging the party’s uncertainty.

Former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms could be headed toward a June 16 runoff, thanks to superior name identification and being the only Black woman running in a party that has historically relied on support from Black women. But the scramble for a second spot appears wide-open, with likely contenders including former Republican Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan, former state Sen. Jason Esteves and former state labor commissioner and CEO of suburban DeKalb County Mike Thurmond.

On the Republican side, health care billionaire Rick Jackson has already spent or pledged $50 million toward his bid, twice as much as any previous primary candidate for Georgia governor. There is also Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, who has been endorsed by President Donald Trump; Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger; and Attorney General Chris Carr.

It is a contrast to 2022, when Abrams outraised Republican Gov. Brian Kemp. She ended up losing the race, her second defeat to Kemp.

From the AJC:

Former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms has led every Democratic primary poll. But most polls have her out of range of a runoff.

Billionaire Rick Jackson’s surprise entrance and pledge to spend at least $50 million of his own money has jolted the Republican primary. Since jumping into the race, polls have shows Jackson leading or within striking distance of Lt. Gov. Burt Jones. Like the Democratic primary, this race still has many undecided voters and could go to a runoff.

Republican candidates for United States Senate may also face a likely runoff election. From the Capitol Beat News Service via the Tifton Gazette:

If a blue wave washes across the country in November, Republicans vying for one of Georgia’s U.S. Senate seats say they can stand as a bulwark for the GOP.

Two incumbent congressmen squared off against three challengers in a debate last week, as they attempted to differentiate themselves ahead of the May 19 primary election.

Whoever emerges will face incumbent Sen. Jon Ossoff in November, a prodigious fundraiser. At stake is continued GOP control of the chamber, which works with the U.S. House to pass laws and has unique authority to confirm presidential appointments, including Cabinet secretaries, Supreme Court justices, and federal judges.

The ability to prevail over Ossoff was a key issue in the April 26 debate hosted by the Atlanta Press Club and Georgia Public Broadcasting.

U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter, R-St. Simons, repeatedly attacked U.S. Rep. Mike Collins, R-Jackson, over a House probe into allegations that Collins had used government funds to benefit a top aide.

“Mike, if you’re our candidate, we lose,” Carter said.

Collins called it “a total nothingburger,” saying the probe had been triggered by an anonymous complaint.

Collins countered that Carter’s political career had been “littered with complaints, crooked land deals,” urging viewers to “Google Buddy Carter ethics FBI.”

As those two dueled, Derek Dooley, the former college football coach backed by Gov. Brian Kemp, sought to appeal to both conservative and mainstream voters.

Dooley, a political newcomer, pledged to leave office after serving two six-year terms and said Congress needs new blood.

“Donald Trump is doing a great job trying to make change. He closed the border, for example. We’re getting rid of a lot of the bad guys, but what has Congress done to codify this?” Dooley said. “And this is my point why we need new leadership.”

The two other Republicans on the soundstage — John Coyne, a former Democrat, and Jonathan McColumn, a retired brigadier general — sought to boost their name recognition.

Coyne, who garnered 4% of the vote in the 2016 Democratic primary for the U.S. Senate described himself as a centrist. He said population control is a top concern.

“We’ve got to control the number of people in this country,” he said. “I know that the president has the border locked down now. But what happens if a Democrat gets in in 2028? They’ll be right back where we started before.”

McColumn said he would seek to make health care more available by spurring interstate competition among insurers. He criticized incumbent Republicans as undisciplined.

“The Republican Party often acts individually and we’re not connected,” he said. “I would love to see the party come together more to discuss things behind closed doors before coming out and making clear determinations so that you can speak with one voice.”

Both Carter and Collins tried to appeal to Trump’s supporters by praising the president.

“He’s made the world safer,” said Carter, pointing to Trump’s military strikes against Iran. He said Trump had also made the country more prosperous. “We’ve got to make sure that we continue with these policies, America First policies, that President Trump has started,” he said.

Carter also pointed to his support for Trump’s desire to annex Greenland, citing its strategic location and mineral wealth.

Collins pointed to the passage of his Laken Riley Act, signed into law by Trump last year.

The legislation was a reaction to the murder of a University of Georgia student, and it aligned with the president’s immigration enforcement policies.

Jose Ibarra, a 26-year-old undocumented immigrant from Venezuela, was sentenced to life in prison for the crime. The law mandates federal detention for certain undocumented immigrants accused of specified crimes.

Immigration is a major issue for Republican voters that may be outweighed by abortion.

McColumn pointed to his “biblical” views on that issue, and Carter said he felt strongly about being “pro-life.” But when Dooley was asked whether he supported Georgia’s ban on abortion once a fetal heartbeat is detected, he gave an indirect answer until his questioner pinned him down.

“The heartbeat bill has been the law of the land,” Dooley said, adding that the federal government shouldn’t intervene.

When asked again whether he supported Georgia’s ban, Dooley said, “it’s not the way I would have written it.” He reiterated that the U.S. Senate and federal government should leave the issue to states.

Watch the debate at www.gpb.org/events/news/2026/04/26/georgia-us-senate-republicans-atlanta-press-club-debate

From Riley Bunch with the AJC:

Republican candidates competing in the crowded primaries for a pivotal U.S. Senate seat and the Governor’s Mansion are sticking strong in their support for President Donald Trump — for good reason.

A new Atlanta Journal-Constitution poll shows that Republican voters in Georgia still overwhelmingly back the president and are optimistic that the nation is heading in the right direction.

“Have you seen all he’s done since he got in office? He’s better than the Energizer Bunny,” [Neil Wein] said. “The Big Beautiful Bill, the tax reductions — no tax on tips, no tax on Social Security — I think he’s the greatest thing since sliced bread.”

Wein is part of the 81% of likely Republican voters across Georgia in the AJC poll who agree with Trump’s actions in office and part of the 72% who think the nation is generally headed in the right direction.

GOP voters strongly approve of how the administration has handled issues like the economy and its crackdown on immigration. In fact, Wein believes Trump’s immigration efforts need to go even further.

Around 85% of Republican primary voters polled fully endorse Trump’s use of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency while only around 14% disapprove.

Lt. Gov. Burt Jones took a political gamble six years ago when he served as one of 16 Republican electors who aided in Trump’s efforts to overturn Georgia’s 2020 elections. Jones now is using that long history of loyalty to the president in hopes of pushing himself ahead of billionaire rival Rick Jackson in the primary.

“The biggest reason why President Trump is endorsing my candidacy for governor is because he knows me,” Jones said on stage at the Atlanta Press Club debate. “We’ve got over a 10-year history together, and he knows me to be somebody who does what he says he’s going to do and delivers on it.”

Former Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger represents the flip side of that coin and is working to avoid answering questions about his certification of Joe Biden’s 2020 victory in Georgia despite pressure from Trump and other Republicans.

Voters in the Thirteenth Congressional District will elect a new U.S. Rep. to fill the remainder of the late Rep. David Scott’s term, according to the Augusta Chronicle.

Scott, a representative for Georgia’s 13th congressional district, died unexpectedly on April 22 at the age of 80, just a day after casting a vote in the House of Representatives.

Scott was running for reelection in the 2026 midterm, despite conversations circling on Capitol Hill and back home about his health.

The longtime politician represented parts of Clayton, Henry, Rockdale, Newton, Gwinnett and DeKalb Counties in the Atlanta metro area, a deep blue district.

Gov. Brian Kemp set a special election to fill Scott’s seat for July 28. Because the seat was up for reelection this cycle, the special election will only fill the seat through the end of Scott’s term.

Candidates hoping to replace Scott for the next term, beginning in January 2027, will be on the ballot during the May 19 primary (and a possible June 19 runoff), as well as the general midterm election in November.

Two State House Districts in Central Georgia may face redrawing after the Supreme Court’s recent decision, according to 13WMAZ.

Central Georgia state representatives are discussing two districts that could be called into question following a recent Supreme Court ruling that weakens a portion of the Voting Rights Act.

Earlier this week, the Supreme Court cleared the way for Louisiana to redraw its congressional map that included two majority black districts, ruling it relied too heavily on race. The decision weakens a portion of the Voting Rights Act known as Section 2, which works to protect voters from discrimination during redistricting.

The decision has prompted other states, including Mississippi and Florida, to move towards redrawing their maps.

In Central Georgia, two districts are now being called into question as a result of the ruling. House Districts 145 and 149 were drawn in 2023 to follow Section 2 after a lawsuit. Democrat Floyd Griffin represents District 149, and says the decision hit him close to home.

“It hit me like a solid brick,” Griffin said. “This gives me serious concerns that we have moved back.”

Griffin says his district is 52% Black, and he is concerned with how the decision could affect representation at the state level in the future.

The Georgia State Elections Board took no action last week on ballot counting for the November elections, according to Atlanta News First via WTOC.

The Georgia State Elections Board voted to take no action to replace the state’s soon-to-be unlawful voting system on Friday, taking another option for local election officials off the table while moving them no closer to a solution.

July 1 is the deadline set by the General Assembly to outlaw the current QR-code system of ballot tabulation. But lawmakers left the Capitol this year without deciding on a replacement method, leaving clerks and elections supervisors in the lurch for the upcoming November general election and for some, a special election to fill the seat of late-Congressman David Scott.

“I don’t like going into elections not knowing how we’re going to conduct them,” said Deidre Holden, Paulding County Elections Supervisor. “It’s not a sprint. It’s a marathon and you have to prepare for a marathon. And we’re not prepared.”

Clerks like Holden will likely have to wait longer and in more anxiety, not knowing how they will need to run their upcoming elections after July. The state does have an automatic reversion back to hand-marked paper ballots in cases like these, but many clerks told Atlanta News First that they are wary to act unilaterally without state guidance.

On Friday, the State Elections Board also decided it wasn’t their decision to make, citing a lack of authority to determine what constitutes a legal vote, and to set that precedent for the entire state.

The vote was 4-1, with only conservative board member Salleigh Grubbs voting to take on the task of selecting a new voting method.

“That’s our job,” Grubbs said at Friday’s meeting. “To determine what constitutes a vote.”

“My opinion is that this rule changes things in the law; requires new definitions of what constitutes a vote and the problem is,” said board Chairman John Fervier, who claimed the board didn’t have the authority to select a new method of voting. “It’s not grounded in statute and the board does not have the authority to make this change.”

The remaining two options are for lawmakers to hold a special session to decide on a new voting method, or to revert back to the hand-marked paper ballot system by doing nothing at all. A judge could also step in to move the QR-code deadline or otherwise, but that would need to be triggered by some legal action.

Marilyn Marks with the Coalition for Good Governance triggered the petition that was considered by the elections board on Friday, asking them to choose a new voting process for the state.

“The board just had no patience for hearing it, didn’t want to talk about it, and just swept it all away,” she said, pointing to a lawsuit her group filed in 2017 that she says does give the board the authority to make this decision.

“The federal court has said not only, State Elections Board, (you do have) the authority, you have the downright duty to the public to do this,” said Marks. “Unfortunately, the State Elections Board is being reckless and irresponsible in not giving these counties time to plan. It is just really being unfair to our county officials to brush this off as if it is ‘hey, it’s not my job man.’”

Georgia’s Secretary of State campaigned for Governor in Columbus, according to WTVM.

Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger is running for governor with a focus on affordability and property tax cuts.

Raffensperger said he wants to cut property taxes and eliminate taxes on retirement benefits in Georgia, which is one of 14 states that still taxes retirement income.

“Number one, cut property taxes. We will have sessions starting — that’s the first thing we can do. Then eliminate taxes for all retirement benefits in the state of Georgia,” Raffensperger said. “We are only one of 14 states to do that, and that’s really important — that we eliminate the income taxes for retirement benefits.”

Raffensperger said voters are telling him the cost of living is a top concern. He said gas prices have increased by about $1.30 in the past six to eight weeks, and healthcare costs have risen.

“People have these affordability issues. That’s why my focus is about creating great-paying jobs,” Raffensperger said.

Raffensperger said his first manufacturing business was in Columbus.

Raffensperger is pushing for universal school choice and increased funding for school choice programs. He said one percent of the school budget currently goes to school choice, but he wants to increase that to 10 percent.

He said the GOALS program currently receives $125 million and should be increased to $500 million.

Raffensperger is one of eight Republicans seeking the GOP nomination. The race includes 15 candidates total from both parties.

Dougherty County Superior Court Judge Joseph Dent wants to take action to move charged but unindicted nonviolent individuals out of jail, according to The Albany Herald.

Judge Joseph Dent said there are instances of inmates sitting at the county jail who have not been indicted after 300 or more days who for one reason or another have not been able to secure bail. Specifically, Dent is referring to inmates charged with nonviolent crimes or who have minor probation holds who could be safely released.

The judge made his remarks during a Monday update to the Dougherty County Commission.

Gov. Brian Kemp appointed Dent to the Dougherty Judicial Circuit in December 2023 after the number of judges for the circuit was increased from three to four. He faces no opposition in the 2026 election for another four-year term.

The judge said he would like to return incarcerated individuals to the community when possible. The incarceration of those who are charged with nonviolent crimes for periods of a year is also an expense to the county.

Calculating the cost for incarcerating two inmates who could have been bailed out who had been jailed for more than 300 days each was eye opening.

“Just those two inmates were in the $25,000 range,” Dent said.

“I’m getting these cases on a calendar to see what we need to do with them,” he said. “That’s led to some of these (inmates) being out. That’s a condition to move the case, to get a lawyer. It makes the defense lawyer and the district attorney’s office look at that file.

“It either gets it moving forward or it gets resolved. There have been people arrested for small things, and eventually the charges are dismissed.”

With some assistance at the jail and through the court system, Dent said that he believes more inmates in similar circumstances could be released while awaiting trial or have their cases adjudicated and allow them to get on with their lives.

The Port of Brunswick was the nation’s busiest for automobiles for the second consecutive year, according to the Statesboro Herald.

For the second year in a row, the Port of Brunswick maintained its position as the nation’s busiest port for automobiles in 2025, handling 779,000 units of autos, plus more than 53,000 units of heavy machinery, representing both import and export movements. According to a release from the Georgia Ports Authority, overall, 731 ships called on the Port of Brunswick in calendar year 2025.

Gov. Brian Kemp addressed the audience at the Georgia International Trade Conference. In his opening remarks, he said:

“Innovation and port investments by the Georgia Ports Authority are helping to keep our state No. 1 for business while also positioning us as a true leader in global trade. Our ports are an economic engine for the entire state, and we’ll continue to find ways to further their success and reach.”

“Our vision for the Port of Brunswick is to be a true world-class shipping and logistics hub for our RoRo customers,” said Georgia Ports President and CEO Griff Lynch. “We have the U.S. market access and global connectivity, a new berth in construction, expanded rail infrastructure on-terminal and new storage space for vehicles, creating the most supply chain options in the U.S. When Berth 4 opens in November 2027, vessel operators will be able to turn ships faster, save costs and optimize their fleet to compete stronger.”

The Georgia Ports Authority has opened their Gainesville Inland Port, according to AccessWDUN.

After almost nine years of planning, the Gainesville Inland Port officially opened on Monday.

Owned and operated by the Georgia Ports Authority (GPA), the inland port on White Sulphur Road links the I-85/I-985 corridor to a 324-mile intermodal freight rail service, allowing direct transport of shipped goods from the Port of Savannah to Northeast Georgia.

Formerly named the Blue Ridge Connector, the $134 million project saw three 6,000-foot working tracks installed on a 104-acre site. The tracks connect with Norfolk Southern’s existing network. Norfolk Southern reportedly invested $7 million into the project.

The facility is the latest addition to the GPA’s inland port network, which includes the Appalachian Regional Port, Bainbridge Terminal and the Carolina Connector. The facility will link Gainesville with the port of Savannah’s 39 global container ship services.

According to the GPA, the network creates a stronger supply chain by allowing containers to be transported on trucks for shorter distances and staged at the intermodal yard. From the yard, they are loaded onto trains moving hundreds of containers in a single trip. The GPA estimates the Gainesville facility will eliminate roughly 26,000 long-haul truck trips in its first year.

“The inland port is designed to take trucks away from current infrastructure throughout the state of Georgia,” Wesley Barrell, General Manager of Inland Operations for the GPA, said. “[Being] able to bring containers, either inland, from the import perspective, via rail, [take] them to this region and export back out, [is] going to eliminate a 700-mile round-trip move, which takes the trucks from the highway.”

The elimination of the long-haul trips will reduce CO2 emissions by nearly 80%, or over 20,000 metric tons, according to the GPA.

The port authority said the infrastructure aims to support the northeast Georgia region’s rapid population and industry growth, expanding logistics capacity, and growth in food processing, automotive supplies, plastics, and life sciences.

The inland port’s annual terminal capacity will be 200,000 at full build-out. The GPA anticipates trade through the inland port to grow three to four times the size of the Appalachian Regional Port in Crandall, Ga., which handled roughly 46,000 containers in 2025.

In addition to the inland port, the GPA also invested $4.8 million in Hall County road upgrades to complement the project. Upgrades included eliminating an at-grade rail crossing, rerouting White Sulphur Road for uninterrupted emergency access and resurfacing Cagle Road for smoother travel.

President Trump ordered changes to Red Snapper fishing season that affect Georgia, according to the Athens Banner Herald.

On Friday, President Donald Trump announced on Truth Social that his administration approved state permits for the 2026 red snapper season with much larger windows for fishing.

“For years, our Great Fishermen have been punished with very short federal fishing seasons despite record high fish populations and the states begging to oversee these permits,” Trump wrote. “We love and respect our fishermen and, unlike the Democrats, will only do good for them.”

Georgia anglers will be able to fish for red snapper from July 1 through Aug. 31. The state’s department of natural resources said via news release that, traditionally, the season has been limited to just a few days due to data uncertainty. But, if Georgia can show proficiency in data collection, the longer season could be extended for two more years.