Legislative

Originally posted by MCO Group on October 23, 2026

01. Record Early Voting Blows Past 1 Million

Georgia crossed one million in-person early votes at noon Tuesday (1,007,015), up 12% from the same point in 2022, with total accepted ballots at 1,055,931 after 48,916 absentee ballots were counted. By Thursday morning the state tracker showed 1,330,455 ballots cast. The first day alone saw 190,394 in-person ballots, a 40% jump over 2022 and more than double 2018. The caveat: the boom is entirely in-person. Mail voting has plummeted, with the absentee request window closing this week.

02. Governor's Race Locked Statistical Tie at Homestretch

The AJC/UGA poll of 1,000 likely voters (fielded Oct. 7–15) had Rick Jackson at 46% and Keisha Lance Bottoms at 45%, with 8% undecided. A Quantus Insights poll (755 likely voters, Oct. 15–17) put Jackson up 1.6 points, 49–47.5 once leaners were factored, within a 3.8-point margin of error. Both candidates worked the state hard: Jackson campaigned in Macon and Perry on Thursday, touting a flat-property-tax pledge paired with a county budget transparency requirement, while Bottoms stumped in Atlanta. Jackson announced he would skip this weekend's Trump rally in Perry, a notable distance-keeping move in a race decided in the center, where the same polling shows Jackson leading 57–43. Trump campaigned with Jackson and Senate nominee Mike Collins in Dalton on Oct. 16, and Obama and Harris are due in for Bottoms and Ossoff starting Oct. 28.

03. Downballot Statewide Races Deadlocked; PSC Majority Play

The AJC reads Georgia's down-ballot races as deadlocked across the board. The lieutenant governor's race is the tightest: Republican state Sen. Greg Dolezal led Democratic state Sen. Josh McLaurin 47.3–46.6 with 6.1% undecided. The sleeper is the Public Service Commission, where two seats decide control. Democrats won two PSC seats in 2025 on the back of power-bill frustration; holding District 3 (Peter Hubbard) and taking District 5 (Sheila Edwards vs. Josh Tolbert, for the seat Tricia Pridemore vacated early) would give them a majority. The winners inherit Georgia Power's 2028 long-term plan, the first rate case since 2022, and the data-center load question. Also worth tracking for compliance and disclosure work: as of Oct. 16, four statewide candidates' required financial disclosures were not posted on the State Ethics Commission site: Democratic insurance commissioner candidate Keisha Sean Waites, Republican PSC candidate Fitz Johnson, Democratic PSC candidate Shelia Edwards, and Democratic agriculture commissioner candidate Katherine Juhan-Arnold.

04. Data Centers Become Defining Economic-Development Fault Line

Data centers have moved from an economic development story to a campaign issue, cutting both ways. Bottoms has attacked Jackson over a Texas data center investment made through a company he led until recently; the two traded accusations of enabling data center growth at their debate. Kemp has been openly welcoming, telling a Washington audience that "we cannot let China win this race." Expect this to define the 2027 legislative session's utility and siting agenda regardless of who wins. Against that backdrop, the week's biggest project announcement was Blue Bird's $300 million investment in Peach County (Oct. 21), a 1-million-square-foot conversion of the former Wanderlodge motorhome site in Fort Valley, 375 new jobs over three years, producing Type C school buses across diesel, gasoline, propane and electric powertrains, with construction starting Q1 2027. The auto and advanced-manufacturing pipeline remains the state's engine: Hyundai Transys ($560M, 320 jobs, West Point), VDL Groep ($77M, 120 jobs, Hall County), Yura Corporation (Chatham County), and MEC (Thomson) all landed in October.

05. Property Tax Study Committee

The General Assembly was out of session but working through interim study committees. The House Blue-Ribbon Study Committee on Local Government Taxation, Funding and Budgeting, which met Oct. 21 and heard city officials argue that one-size-fits-all property tax limits don't work across Georgia's very different local revenue mixes, with GMA first vice president and Suwanee Mayor Jimmy Burnette leading the presentations. The committee meets again Oct. 28, and its findings will shape the 2027 property tax fight. The Joint Study Committee on Foster Care Costs and the Blue-Ribbon Study Committee on Youth Exposure to Kratom both met Thursday and Friday.

Election Special Report: 2026 Georgia Constitutional Amendments on the Ballot

Georgia voters will consider three proposed amendments to the Georgia Constitution on the November 3, 2026, general election ballot. The measures address agricultural and timber property taxation, the election of probate judges, and emergency communications.

Amendment 1: Increase the Acreage Limit for Conservation-Use Property

• What it would do: Increase the maximum amount of agricultural and timber property that a single owner can place under Georgia’s bona fide conservation-use property classification from 2,000 acres to 4,000 acres.
• Why it matters: Georgia’s conservation-use valuation program, or CUVA, allows qualifying agricultural, timber and certain environmentally sensitive property to be assessed based on its current use rather than its fair market value. The property is generally assessed at 40% of its conservation- use value. The change would particularly affect larger agricultural and timber operations that currently exceed the 2,000-acre limitation. The accompanying legislation would take effect January 1, 2027, only if voters approve the constitutional amendment.

Amendment 2: Require Nonpartisan Elections for Probate Judges

• What it would do: Require all probate judges in Georgia to be elected on a nonpartisan basis.
• Why it matters: Probate courts handle matters including estates, wills, guardianships and conservatorships. Under the proposed amendment, candidates for probate judge would no longer appear on partisan primary ballots: the office would be elected without a party designation. Currently, state Supreme Court justices, Court of Appeals judges, superior court judges, and state court judges are elected on a nonpartisan basis. Recently, the General Assembly enacted legislation providing nonpartisan elections for magistrate judges. Approval of this amendment would extend the nonpartisan election structure to probate judges statewide.

Amendment 3: Create a Georgia Next Generation 9-1-1 Fund

• What it would do: Allow the General Assembly to create and dedicate revenue to a Georgia Next Generation 9-1-1 Fund.
• Why it matters: Georgia’s current 9-1-1 infrastructure dates back decades. Next Generation 9-1-1 technology is designed to modernize emergency communications and improve the information available to 9-1-1 centers, including more precise location information and enhanced communications capabilities. The amendment itself authorizes the creation of the dedicated fund; the General Assembly would determine the revenue source and funding structure through subsequent legislation.
  

Key Voting Dates & Deadlines

• October 23: Last day to submit an absentee ballot application.
  
• October 30: Last day of early voting.
  
• November 3: Election Day.
  

Originally posted by MCO Group on October 16th, 2026

01. Georgia Net Tax Collections Total $3.34B in September

The State of Georgia’s net tax collections during the month of September totaled $3.34 billion, an increase of roughly $76.7 million, or 2.3 percent, compared to FY 2026, when net tax collections approached $3.27 billion for the month. Year-to-date, net tax revenue collections totaled $8.41 billion for an increase of $240.2 million, or 2.9 percent, compared to September 2025, when net tax collections totaled $8.17 billion through three months.

02. President Trump Campaigns in Georgia Today

President Donald Trump’s midterm campaign blitz arrives in Georgia today for a rally with top Republican candidates in a state that has long been the epicenter of the president’s false claims about election fraud. In Dalton, the population center of conservative northwest Georgia, Trump will appear with Senate candidate Mike Collins as part of the White House effort to boost Republican enthusiasm in an election that could reshape the final years of Trump’s second presidency.

03. Early Voting Sets Record

Early voting has begun statewide, with heavy traffic at polling places. According to the Secretary of State's Office, more than half a million Georgians had already voted by 5 p.m. Thursday, representing 6.9% of the state's more than 7.5 million active voters. Most voters cast their ballots in person, with about 21,700 mail-in ballots already accepted. The state set a record Tuesday for the first day of early voting in a midterm election, up about 40% from the first day of the 2022 midterms. The counties with the highest turnout so far during the early voting period include Towns, Greene, Union, Putnam, and Fayette. Of those who have voted, about 54% were women and 45.9% were men. 

04. Age Verification Law for Social Media Accounts Proceeds

A federal appeals court will allow Georgia's SB 351, requiring age verification for social media accounts, to proceed. The law mandates age verification, parental consent for under-16s, and limits on ads and data collection for minors. NetChoice sued to block the law, but the U.S. Court of Appeals overturned the injunction. The case returns to district court for further proceedings.

05. Affordable Care Act Premiums Will Spike up to 29%

Monthly premiums will spike by up to 29% for Georgians who purchase their health insurance plans from the state’s Affordable Care Act marketplace, according to state data. Newly finalized rates for the eight insurers participating in Georgia Access, the state’s Obamacare marketplace, show premiums for 2027 plans will increase by between 11% and 29%. Rates differ by plan, location and other factors, but the average premium will be nearly $932 per month, according to the Georgia Office of the Commissioner of Insurance, which recently finalized the prices ahead of open enrollment, which begins November 1st 

Originally posted by MCO Group on October 9th, 2026

01. Gov. Kemp Issues Updated State of Emergency

Governor Kemp issued an updated State of Emergency for all 159 counties in preparation for Hurricane Isaias, that enables emergency management teams to make necessary arrangements and position needed resources ahead of the storm's impact. He has also directed the Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency to activate the State Operations Center beginning early Friday afternoon. Forecasters expect Isaias to make landfall on the Gulf Coast Friday evening, with potential impacts continuing through Saturday. Impacts could include strong wind gusts and heavy rain throughout the state, potentially leading to spin-off tornadoes, downed trees and power lines, flooding, and other effects.

02. Early Voting Starts Monday in Georgia, Key Races Heat Up

Election Day in Georgia is less than a month away, and early voting starts Monday, October 13th across Georgia. Split-ticket voting is likely this November, as the Democrat leads in the Senate race and the Republican has a narrow lead in the governor's race.

• Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms, the former mayor of Atlanta, and Republican healthcare CEO Rick Jackson are battling it out for Governor. Bottoms easily won her Democratic primary and polled strongly at the beginning of the summer, but Jackson, after winning his primary runoff against Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, has made significant ground in the final weeks of the election. Polls show this race is too close to call, and it may come down to a few key voting blocs.
  
  
• At the national level, Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff is running for reelection to his U.S. Senate seat against Republican Congressman Mike Collins, a Trump-endorsed candidate. Ossoff has been gaining national attention not only as he calls out the Trump Administration over high prices, the war in Iran and Trump's relationship with his aide Natalie Harp, but also as 2028 plans start to swirl. Collins, on the other hand, has the backing of the president as he battles a House ethics investigation and accusations of close ties to white supremacy.
  

03. Kemp Expands Relief for Motor Fuel Tax and Vehicle Weight Limits

In consultation with Lt. Governor Burt Jones, Speaker of the House Jon Burns, and Commissioner of Agriculture Tyler Harper, Governor Brian Kemp amended the State of Emergency Order issued last week to include waiving penalties for the use of off-road "dyed" diesel, providing further relief to Georgia's truckers and farmers. This is in addition to the suspension of the state motor fuel tax and the removal of state weight limits on commercial vehicles included in the Executive Order dated 09.26.28.01. For the duration of the State of Emergency, there will be no state penalties incurred for selling, delivering, or using dyed fuel oil for on-road vehicle use. With this new action, Governor Kemp has also extended the original State of Emergency and its suspension, which will now run through November 5th.

04. Governor Candidates Spar Over Economy, Data Centers & Trump

Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms and Republican Rick Jackson clashed Tuesday night during their only scheduled debate of this fall’s race for governor in Georgia, taking aim at each other on economic issues, data centers and President Donald Trump.  The hourlong, town-hall-style debate was largely civil, featuring live and taped questions from voters. Jackson frequently ripped his opponent over her record as mayor, while Bottoms attacked his praise of Trump.

05. Hyundai to Invest $560M in West Point Manufacturing Facility

Hyundai Transys will invest nearly $560 million to expand its manufacturing capabilities in West Point, Georgia, creating 320 new jobs as part of its ongoing efforts to support global automotive customers with operations in North America. The company currently supports roughly 1,250 jobs at its West Point facility. The expansion will include facility upgrades to plants one and two, as well as the construction of a third plant, supporting added production capacity for electrified powertrains for hybrid vehicles.

Originally posted by MCO Group on September 18, 2026

01. Gov. Kemp Endorses Mike Collins in Senate Race

In a significant change from the Georgia governor, Brian Kemp has endorsed Republican Representative Mike Collins in his tight Senate race, according to the Collins campaign.  Kemp, who openly campaigned against Collins during the Republican primary, had not endorsed the representative after his win in June, and it was unclear whether the governor would endorse him at all.  In a statement shared by the Collins campaign, Kemp said he and the candidate "share a commitment to making Georgia an even better place to live, work and raise a family.

02. Rick Jackson Holds Narrow Lead over Keisha Lance Bottoms

Republican nominee Rick Jackson holds a narrow lead over Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms in Georgia’s gubernatorial race, according to a new survey released by Rasmussen Reports.  The poll of 1,019 likely Georgia voters found that 48% would vote for Jackson if the election were held today, compared to 45% for Bottoms, while 7% said they remain undecided.  Because the three-point spread falls within the survey’s margin of sampling error of plus or minus three percentage points, the race remains a statistical dead heat heading into the November midterms.

03. Board of Regents Names Chancellor Finalist

The Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia voted to name Thomas A. Fanning as the sole finalist for chancellor of the University System of Georgia. Fanning is set to succeed Chancellor Sonny Perdue, who announced his retirement in April after four decades of public service, and will take the helm of one of the nation’s top public university systems with 25 public colleges and universities, more than 50,000 faculty and staff and more than 382,000 students statewide. Fanning spent 13 years leading Southern Company before retiring in 2023.

04. American Idol Production Company Moving to Georgia

Fremantle, the production company behind American Idol, is reportedly in final discussions with an Atlanta-area studio complex to move from Hollywood to Georgia. Last month, Paramount CEO David Ellison threatened to relocate the company's headquarters to a more business-friendly state such as Georgia, Tennessee or Texas if California Attorney General Rob Bonta, who is leading 11 other states in an effort to block Paramount's $111 billion merger with Warner Bros. Discovery, did not negotiate a settlement by Oct. 1.

05. Foster Care Committee Examines Rising Costs

The Joint Study Committee on Evaluating Escalating Costs in Georgia’s Foster Care System heard testimony from child welfare officials and auditors who say that some foster care spending isn’t going where officials expected. Foster care costs statewide have increased 159% since 2022, according to the committee’s chair, state Sen. Kay Kirkpatrick. The increase comes on top of a foster care budget shortfall of more than $85 million, first reported earlier this year, even as the state overall is running a budget surplus.

Originally posted by MCO Group on September 11, 2026

01. Georgia Governor Race in Dead Heat

The open race to succeed term-limited Brian Kemp has narrowed to a coin flip between Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms (former Atlanta mayor) and Republican Rick Jackson (founder of Jackson Healthcare). InsiderAdvantage's mid-August poll put it at a statistical tie — Jackson 46.3%, Bottoms 46.2% — while the FiftyPlusOne polling average as of Sept. 8 shows Bottoms +4. Affordability is the defining frame both campaigns are fighting on.

02. Georgia Income Rate Reduction Plan

The headline structural story is HB 463, the nine-year plan lawmakers passed in the 2026 session that cuts the income rate to 4.99% (retroactive to Jan. 1, 2026) and steps it down toward 3.99%. The Georgia Budget and Policy Institute frames the plan as potentially eliminating up to one-third of the state's income tax over time. The FY 2027 budget runs on a $38.5 billion revenue estimate, and the state entered the year sitting on roughly $9+ billion in undesignated surplus.

03. Data Centers Continue to be Top Regulatory Issue

In late August, Georgia Power agreed to stronger protections shielding residential ratepayers from data-center costs, raising its guaranteed rate offset to $15/month after the surprise announcement of a massive OpenAI-linked facility in Effingham County with 3,200 MW of new demand. Load-growth projections have exploded from 400 MW (2022 estimate) to 8,500 MW. Simultaneously, the state's data-center sales-tax exemption is projected to cost ~$2.5B in FY26 and nearly $3B in FY27, and a bipartisan wave of 2026 bills (SB 408, SB 410, moratorium proposals) targeted those incentives.

04. Medicaid Expansion Heading to Decision

Georgia's partial expansion, Pathways to Coverage (80-hour work requirement, coverage to 100% of poverty), runs on a temporary federal extension that ends December 31, 2026. In August, state officials warned that new federal Medicaid rules threaten the program's structure, and the administration opened a public comment period (closed Sept. 14) on a waiver amendment to capture enhanced federal funding. Democrats, including Keisha Lance Bottoms, continue pledging full expansion to 138% of poverty, which would draw a 90% federal match versus the ~66% Pathways currently gets.

05. Record-Breaking Year for Economic Development Incentives

On Sept. 3, Kemp announced a record $35.2 billion in FY26 project investments, including $7.8 billion in foreign direct investment, capping a term that saw $125.6 billion and roughly 164,900 jobs recruited across FY22–FY26.

Originally posted by MCO Group on August 28, 2026

01. Georgia Attorney General Announces Largest Big Tech Settlement in History

Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr announced a $17.1 billion multistate settlement with Meta Platforms, Inc., the largest state consumer protection settlement in history outside the Big Tobacco settlements of the 1990s. Meta must also implement a sweeping set of safety features designed to protect children on Instagram and Facebook. The agreement resolves claims by 47 States and D.C., Puerto Rico, American Samoa, and the Northern Mariana Islands that the company designed Instagram with addictive features, knowingly exposed young users to serious mental harms, and intentionally misled the public about the safety of its platforms, among other allegations. Under the settlement, the State of Georgia will receive close to $100 million and could receive almost $135 million.

02. Walmart Plans $1.3B Investment in Franklin County

Governor Kemp today announced that Walmart, Inc. plans to build a high-tech, next-generation fulfillment center in Carnesville, creating 1,000 new jobs and bringing $1.3 billion in investment to Franklin County. Walmart’s presence in Georgia includes 209 Walmart stores and Sam’s Clubs, as well as 11 supply chain facilities, employing more than 65,300 associates statewide. The retailer spends more than $26.2 billion with state suppliers, supporting more than 167,600 supplier jobs in fiscal year 2025.

03. Georgia Chamber Launches Georgia Digital Infrastructure Alliance

The Georgia Chamber launched the Georgia Digital Infrastructure Alliance and plans to brief policymakers beginning in September. The industry is responding to growing concerns about electricity rates, water consumption, transparency and local land use. Expect data-center cost allocation, tax incentives and local permitting authority to be major issues during the 2027 legislative session.

04. Everton Blair Wins Race for Georgia’s 13th Congressional District

Everton Blair, a former Gwinnett County Board of Education chair, is headed to Washington to finish out the late Congressman David Scott's term representing Georgia's 13th Congressional District after defeating Marcye Scott, the daughter of the late congressman, in a special election. Blair, a 34-year-old with a doctorate in education from Harvard University, is the third Black, openly gay man elected to Congress and the first to represent a Southern state. He ran a progressive campaign by advocating for Medicare for all, speaking out against Israel's reliance on U.S. tax dollars and its influence in U.S. politics, and pledging to voters that he would be a voice in Washington against President Donald Trump's policies.

05. Hyundai Weighs Expanding Georgia Manufacturing Complex

Hyundai is considering a major expansion of its Georgia manufacturing complex near Savannah as US tariffs increase the cost of importing vehicles from South Korea. The automaker could raise the planned annual capacity of Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America from 500,000 vehicles to between 700,000 and 800,000 by 2028, surpassing Tesla’s Fremont, California, plant as America’s busiest car factory.

Originally posted by MCO Group on August 21, 2026

01. Ossoff Opens Seven-Point Senate Lead

An InsiderAdvantage poll sponsored by the conservative-leaning James Magazine Online that surveyed 800 likely Georgia voters showed Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff at 50%, Republican Rep. Mike Collins at 43%, and 7% undecided. Collins must improve with women and younger voters while national Republicans decide how heavily to invest.

02. Georgia Governor's Race Tied

The same survey finds Republican Rick Jackson and Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms tied at 46%, with 8% undecided. Ticket-splitting is the central strategic variable: the poll suggests that some voters currently favor Ossoff for Senate but are not automatically supporting Bottoms for governor. Kemp's political organization, endorsements, fundraising network, and economic record could therefore become decisive assets for Jackson. Data centers are also entering this campaign. Bottoms recently supported a pause on development, illustrating how utility costs, water use, land use, and local control could become wedge issues in the governor's race. 

03. OpenAI's Georgia Power Contract Receives Additional Scrutiny

The Georgia Public Service Commission's review of Georgia Power's proposed contract serving OpenAI's planned Effingham County campus was extended to August 26. The review occurs under the commission's rule requiring advance submission of new data-center contracts exceeding 100 megawatts. The project is reportedly valued at $20 billion, is expected to begin operating in 2028, and could require 3.2 gigawatts delivered in phases through 2032.

Separately, Atlanta moved to establish a Data Center Task Force. The immediate pressure points are:

Cost allocation: Whether residential and small-business customers are insulated from generation and transmission costs.

Contract transparency: Much of the OpenAI agreement reportedly remains redacted.

Resource planning: The size of the load raises questions about generation, grid reliability, water, and natural-gas infrastructure.

Local authority: Municipalities and counties are considering task forces, moratoria, and zoning restrictions.

Election-year politics: Candidates are beginning to differentiate themselves on whether Georgia should accelerate, regulate, or pause new projects. 

04. Transportation Funding Opportunities

On August 17, Georgia DOT opened a new application window for federal Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement (CMAQ) funding. Eligible applicants include cities, counties, transit agencies, regional transportation authorities, metropolitan planning organizations, and other transportation-related public entities. Eligible projects include roundabouts, intersection improvements, traffic-signal systems, intelligent transportation systems, and other projects that reduce congestion or emissions. Applicants generally need a 20% local match. In the previous combined funding round, GDOT selected 40 projects for approximately $74.1 million in CMAQ and Transportation Alternatives funding.

Meanwhile, 15 participants completed the second cohort of Building Georgia, a statewide initiative by GDOT, the Atlanta Regional Commission, and the Technical College System that prepares workers for careers in highway maintenance, construction, right-of-way, equipment maintenance, and related infrastructure. Local governments should screen eligible projects immediately and secure matching funds before the application window closes. For contractors and employers, the workforce announcement underscores the state's effort to address labor constraints associated with Georgia's infrastructure program. 

05. Kemp Announces Hall County Manufacturing Project

The Kemp administration announced on August 17 that Cirkla will create 140 jobs in Hall County, reinforcing three established Kemp themes: advanced manufacturing, job creation outside Atlanta's core, and Georgia's ability to attract international and supply-chain investment. Hall County's continued growth will also increase pressure on transportation capacity, utilities, housing, and workforce development.

Originally posted by MCO Group

01. Governor’s race centers on healthcare, affordability and data centers

Republican Rick Jackson and Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms presented competing agendas at the Georgia Chamber’s meeting in Athens. Bottoms called Medicaid expansion central to her affordability platform and proposed temporarily pausing new data-center construction while Georgia studies its effects on utility bills, water and the environment. Jackson opposed a moratorium, emphasized economic development, and positioned himself as the successor to Gov. Brian Kemp’s business policies.

02. Latest polling gives Democrats an advantage

The latest public AARP poll numbers suggest Democrats currently benefit from younger voters, but Republicans have an advantage among the older Georgians most likely to vote.

Bottoms at 48% and Jackson at 46%, within the margin of error.

Sen. Jon Ossoff at 52% and Republican Mike Collins at 43%.

Among voters 50 and older, Jackson leads Bottoms 55%–42%, while Collins leads Ossoff 53%–45%.

03. Georgia’s energy and data-center debate intensifies

Georgia Power broke ground on new natural-gas generation and battery storage at Plant Bowen. Supporters argue the project is necessary for reliability and growing electricity demand, particularly from data centers. Environmental and consumer groups remain concerned about emissions and whether residential customers will subsidize infrastructure built primarily for large industrial users. Data-center regulation is likely to return as a major issue during the 2027 legislative session.

04. Controversy grows around Republican Senate nominee Mike Collins

Mike Collins faces continued pressure over extremist and antisemitic social-media posts reportedly made by his son-in-law, who has appeared around campaign activities. Collins has said the individual does not speak for him, but Democratic groups and Black clergy are demanding a fuller response. The controversy threatens to distract Collins from his healthcare and economic message while he trails Ossoff in current polling.

05. Infrastructure cybersecurity emerges as a state-policy concern

Officials are investigating whether a disruptive outage affecting the Clayton County water system was connected to a broader cyber campaign targeting water utilities. The incident will likely increase pressure for state funding, cybersecurity standards and emergency-response requirements for local water systems.

Originally posted by MCO Group on July 10, 2026

01. General Election: Jackson vs. Bottoms

Rick Jackson's win over Lt. Gov. Burt Jones in the GOP gubernatorial primary runoff formally locks in a Jackson-vs.-Keisha Lance Bottoms general election. Jackson — the wealthy founder of Alpharetta-based Jackson Healthcare — carried the runoff with roughly 53% despite President Trump and Governor Brian Kemp's endorsement of Jones, an outcome that echoed the Collins-over-Dooley result on the Senate side and reinforced that Trump's imprimatur is no longer dispositive in a Georgia GOP primary. For the first time since 2002, Georgia has an open gubernatorial seat where a Democrat is genuinely competitive on Day 1 of the general.

02. Fox News Poll Frames Race as True Toss-Up

A Fox News survey released just before the holiday and dominating political conversation this week shows Bottoms and Jackson inside the margin of error, tracking the Ballotpedia "toss-up" rating issued at the end of June. Bottoms benefits from unusually high name ID and early organizational advantages, but analysts continue to flag Trump's Georgia approval and the state's Republican structural lean as the ceiling on her path.

Client implication: Independent expenditure activity in metro Atlanta media markets will accelerate. Clients with exposure to healthcare, Medicaid expansion, and cost-of-living policy should brief their principals now — both nominees are leaning into affordability messaging.

03. Special Session QR-Code Ballot Fix Unraveling

A late amendment to the elections bill passed in the June special session — intended to defuse the QR-code ballot crisis before November — is drawing fresh scrutiny this week. GPB's July 6 reporting details how the last-minute change could meaningfully shift how votes are cast and counted, and voting-rights groups and county election directors are signaling that further guidance from the Secretary of State's office will be needed before absentee ballots go out.

04. No Movement on Local Homestead Property-Tax Relief

The special session adjourned without placing local homestead exemption referendums on the November ballot — a significant defeat for county-level relief advocates and a live issue this week as local governments finalize FY27 millage rates. WABE's coverage frames this as an unresolved fault line between the Governor's office, House leadership, and county commissions heading into the 2027 session.

05. Kemp’s Post-Session Posture: Economic Development & Legacy-Building

With the special session in the rearview and his preferred successor (Jones) out of the race, Governor Kemp is leaning into economic development announcements — Yancey Engineered Solutions' 300-job Crisp County project is the most recent example — and quietly recalibrating his political operation. His pre-runoff endorsement of Jones did not carry the day, and this week the political class is watching whether, and how enthusiastically, he engages Jackson in the general.

What We’re Watching

• Secretary of State guidance on QR-code implementation
  
• Bottoms' positions on healthcare and Medicaid expansion
  
• July revenue numbers (due mid-month) — a soft print reshapes the 2027 budget conversation
  
• House and Senate Study Committee meetings agendas will be posted dealing with issues related to healthcare reform, PBM oversight, access to prescription medications, and local taxation, funding and budgeting
  
• Gov. Kemp is expected to release budget instructions to state agencies for AFY 2027 and FY 2028
  

Originally posted by MCO Group, June 17, 2026

Below is a concise update on Georgia’s June 16, 2026, primary runoff elections and a preview of the November 3 general election. Several marquee races are now set, and Georgia will again be a closely watched crucial battleground this fall.

Top line: Billionaire businessman Rick Jackson won the GOP Nomination for Governor despite endorsements by President Trump and Governor Brian Kemp for Lieutenant Governor Burt Jones.  Georgia’s general-election matchups are now set, with Republicans expected to pivot toward the center as they face well-funded Democratic nominees, including Sen. Jon Ossoff and former Mayor of Atlanta Keisha Lance Bottoms, in November, who have launched a unified Democratic ticket.  Both of Gov. Kemp's endorsed statewide candidates were defeated on Tuesday.

Key Results & Election Outlook

U.S. Senate: Incumbent Democrat Senator Jon Ossoff will face GOP Nominee Mike Collins after defeating Gov. Kemp-backed Derek Dooley. Ossoff is the only Democratic senator running for re-election in a state that President Donald Trump won in 2024.

Governor: Republican Nominee Rick Jackson will face Keisha Lance Bottoms in November after defeating Trump and Kemp endorsed Lt. Governor Brian Kemp in the most expensive primary campaign for Governor in the state’s history.  Jones won election day voting by 8+ percent but it was not enough to overcome Jackson's early voting totals.

Lieutenant Governor: State Sens. Josh McLaurin (D) and Greg Dolezal (R)  will face off in November after winning their respective runoff elections. Dolezal defeated John F. Kennedy for the GOP nomination, and McLaurin defeated Nabilah Parkes for the Democratic nomination.

Secretary of State: State Rep. Tim Fleming will face Penny Brown Reynolds in November after winning their respective runoffs.

Commissioner of Insurance: State Rep. Keisha Waites will face Incumbent John King after beating DeAndre Mathis.

School Superintendent: Incumbent Richard Woods will face Lydia Powell after fending off a strong primary challenge.

Commissioner of Labor: Nikki Porter will face incumbent Bárbara Rivera Holmes.

Public Service Commission District 5: Josh Tolbert will face Shelia Edwards after defeating Bobby Mehan in this open PSC seat to replace Tricia Pridemore.

State Senate: There will be 10 new members of the state Senate after this year’s primary season, with very little change expected in the November elections. Republicans should maintain their current 33-23 majority. However, if Democrat headwinds at the top of the ticket create significant coattails, the Senate could have Democrat presiding officers, in which Republican leadership would likely rewrite the Senate Rules to empower the Committee on Assignments, the powerful group responsible for determining the structure, membership, and leadership of all other standing committees within the Senate.

State House: There will be at least 21 new House members when the legislature convenes in January 2027, with Democrats hoping to pick up key battleground state House seats in Metro Atlanta suburbs. The House Republican Caucus will focus on defending the seven most vulnerable incumbents: Kimberly New (HD-40), Sharon Cooper (HD-45), Scott Hilton (HD-48), Deb Silcox (HD-53), Matt Reeves (HD-99), Sandy Donatucci (HD-105), and in SW Georgia, Gerald Greene (HD-154). Absent a complete blue wave, House Republicans should maintain a 16-20 seat majority.

What This Means for You

Georgia’s November ballot is now largely set, shifting attention from primary dynamics to general-election messaging, spending, and turnout.

For clients, the most consequential races remain governor, U.S. Senate, lieutenant governor, and key regulatory offices that influence litigation, utilities, data centers, labor, education, and election administration.

Businesses with a Georgia footprint should monitor how the campaigns frame economic development, energy demand, tort reform, workforce policy, and public-sector oversight heading into 2027.

Please let us know if you would like a tailored briefing on the runoff landscape, general-election implications, or sector-specific policy risks and opportunities in Georgia.

In Case You Missed It

Special Session

The Georgia General Assembly will be in Special Session beginning tomorrow, Wednesday, June 17, 2026, with a targeted adjournment of Friday, June 26, 2026, although it may be extended. Special sessions are limited to the subjects listed in the proclamation issued by the Governor (GA. CONST. art. 5, §2, ⁋7(a)). In this case, Gov. Kemp stated the following subjects to be considered:

• Redrawing congressional and state legislative maps for the 2028 election cycle.
  
• Election laws.
  
• LHOST laws as prescribed in Code Section 48-8-109.52, enacted by the 2026Georgia Laws Act 461 (SB 33).
  
• Ratification of the executive orders suspending the gasoline tax; and
  
• For the Senate to consider and confirm various gubernatorial appointments.
  

Special and Study Committees

Special and Study Committees could begin their work as soon as this week with the legislature in town. A link to the details about Committees can be found here.