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.