Georgia

JD Vance touts Georgia's election security after Trump attacks state officials

Published

1 year ago

August 4, 2024

JD Vance touts Georgia's election security after Trump attacks state officials

Former President Donald Trump’s running mate, Sen. JD Vance, on Sunday expressed confidence in Georgia’s election security, a contrast with Trump’s recent attacks against Republican state officials Gov. Brian Kemp and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger.

During an interview on Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures,” Vance was pressed on how comfortable he is with the progress being made by the Republican National Committee and Republican-led states to ensure a fair election in November as Trump continues to cast doubt on the legitimacy of the 2020 election results.

Vance pointed to Georgia’s voter ID requirements, which he said makes the battleground state’s elections “much more secure.”

“I think that we’ve got some good court cases, some good legal changes going all across the country,” he said. “The RNC has been more aggressive about this in 2024 than they have been in 2020.”

“The basic principle here is every American citizen’s vote should count. But if you’re not an American citizen and you’re not casting a legal ballot, your vote shouldn’t count, right?” he added. “It’s sort of common sense that the Republican Party believes in.”

Vance has repeatedly echoed Trump’s baseless claims about a rigged 2020 election and has argued that lawmakers would have had legitimate reasons to fight the results. At the time, Trump and his allies filed a series of lawsuits in an effort to overturn the 2020 election results, but none succeeded due to a lack of evidence.

Ahead of the 2024 election, the Trump campaign and the RNC have pledged to enlist 100,000 volunteers and attorneys to monitor votes in battleground states.

In a post to his Truth Social platform on Saturday, Trump criticized Kemp and Raffensperger, both of whom fought against Trump’s efforts in 2020 to delegitimize the results of the presidential election. Trump wrote that Raffensperger should “do his job” and “make sure this election is not stolen,” while telling Kemp to “focus his efforts on fighting crime, not fighting Unity and the Republican party.”

“He should be seeking UNITY, not Retribution, especially against the man that got him the Nomination through Endorsement and, without whom, he could never have beaten Stacey Abrams,” Trump wrote, referring to Kemp’s Democratic rival in the 2018 and 2022 Georgia governor’s race.

In a phone call to Kemp weeks after he lost the 2020 election to Joe Biden, Trump attempted to pressure Kemp to call a special session of the state Legislature in an effort to overturn Biden’s narrow victory in the state.

On Jan. 2, 2021, Trump also called Raffensperger, a Republican, urging the top Georgia election official to “find” the votes to toss out Biden’s victory in the battleground state.

Kemp pushed back on Trump’s attacks in a post to X later Saturday, saying that he is focused on winning in November and “saving our country from Kamala Harris and the Democrats — not engaging in petty personal insults, attacking fellow Republicans, or dwelling on the past.”

“You should do the same, Mr. President, and leave my family out of it,” he wrote.

Raffensperger also refuted Trump’s attacks in another post to X saying that the state’s elections were “secure.”

“The winner here in November will reflect the will of the people. History has taught us this type of message doesn’t sell well here in Georgia, sir,” he wrote.

Trump and 18 co-defendants last year were charged with racketeering in connection with their efforts to overturn Trump’s 2020 election loss in Georgia. Trump has denied wrongdoing in the case. A Georgia appeals court has paused the case until at least October.

Summer Concepcion

Summer Concepcion is a politics reporter for NBC News.

Jane C. Timm contributed.

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Georgia

Talyn Taylor, Justin Williams among those primed to take over for 2026 NFL Draft departures

Published

2 hours ago

January 16, 2026

Press Room

Talyn Taylor, Justin Williams among those primed to take over for 2026 NFL Draft departures

ATHENS — The deadline to declare for the 2026 NFL Draft has passed for Georgia, with four Bulldogs electing to forgo their final season of eligibility to head to the NFL.

Zachariah Branch, Monroe Freeling, Christen Miller and CJ Allen join the host of seniors such as Oscar Delp, Daylen Everette and Micah Morris moving on to the NFL after finishing off their college careers.

Georgia will have to replace all of those meaningful contributors. But with such a talented and deep roster, the Bulldogs will have plenty of options to replace those moving on.

Below is a way-too-early guess at who might replace all the pieces Georgia is losing from its 2025 roster.

Cash Jones: Nate Frazier

Jones filled an extremely important role as Georgia’s third-down running back. The Bulldogs could use his departure as a way to get Frazier more touches, provided he improves as a pass blocker.

Josh McCray: Dante Dowdell

Georgia replaces one bruising running back it acquired from the transfer portal with another, as the Bulldogs pulled Dowdell in from Kentucky. Dowdell scored 15 touchdowns in the past two seasons.

Zachariah Branch: Talyn Taylor

Sacovie White-Helton bears mentioning here, especially as he is likely to take on Branch’s punt-returning duties. But Georgia made it a point to get Taylor involved in the passing game when he was healthy this year. We expect that to happen in a much more meaningful way in 2026.

Colibe Young: Isiah Canion

Georgia went into the transfer portal to land Canion from Georgia Tech. Georgia did not have a player on the roster who best resembled Young from a physical standpoint.

Dillon Bell: Landon Roldan

Bell emerged as a gadget player for the Bulldogs, wearing a variety of hats for Georgia. We’ve already seen the coaching staff try and use Roldan in a similar way, such as the fake punt he ran against Ole Miss in the College Football Playoff.

Noah Thomas: CJ Wiley

Wiley could’ve been an answer as Georgia’s replacement for Young, especially given his experience in the Georgia system. It’s not implausible to see Wiley having a bigger season than Thomas did in 2025, which would be significant for Georgia’s 2026 offense.

Oscar Delp: Elyiss Williams

Lawson Luckie isn’t going anywhere, as he’s likely to be a top tight end option for Georgia next season. But Delp moving on creates an even bigger role for Williams. It will be interesting to see how the Bulldogs use him as a weapon in the offense, given his impressive size.

Monroe Freeling: Juan Gaston

Earnest Greene could very take over as the team’s starting left tackle, but Gaston now has a chance to step into a starting role. His upside is as immense as his physical frame. The big question will be how far Gaston goes in changing his body, as Georgia will want him to be in even better shape this coming year.

Micah Morris: Michael Uini

Georgia will have to replace its starting left guard. The Bulldogs could move Dontrell Glover from right guard, but don’t be surprised if one of Uini or Daniel Calhoun steps in for Morris. The battle between Uini and Calhoun will be one of the more contested position battles in 2026.

Christen Miller: Elijah Griffin

Jordan Hall will play a good amount on the interior, as will Xzavier McLeod. But if next year’s Georgia team is going to reach its ceiling, it needs Griffin to take a sizable step forward. Griffin impressed as a freshman, especially with what he was asked to do on the offensive line.

CJ Allen: Justin Williams

Raylen Wilson and Chris Cole played a ton this past season and it wouldn’t be a shock for them to have similar roles in 2026. Williams stands to really benefit from Allen’s departure. The Georgia coaching staff also loves what Williams brings to the table from a leadership standpoint.

Daylen Everette: Ellis Robinson

Robinson finished the season as a starter and you could make the case that Demello Jones should be the answer. But Everette never came off the field for Georgia this past season. That should be the case for Robinson, who could be the best cornerback in the country in 2026.

Jacorey Thomas: Zion Branch

How Kyron Jones recovers from his foot injury has this selection up in the air. You could also see ECU transfer Ja’Marley Riddle slide in for the veteran safety, but we think with a second season in Georgia’s system, Branch takes a step forward as a starting safety.

Brett Thorson: Drew Miller

This is an easy one, with Miller having already filled in for Thorson as he recovered from his ACL injury. Georgia did sign Wade Register as a part of the 2026 recruiting cycle, but Miller has real college experience that shouldn’t be overlooked.

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Georgia

South Florida cornerback transferring to Georgia Tech

Published

14 hours ago

January 15, 2026

Press Room

Georgia Tech

At USF Jonas Duclona was in on 581 defensive snaps over 13 games.

Fans react after scoring a touchdown during the first half of an NCAA college football game at Georgia Tech’s Bobby Dodd Stadium, Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024, in Atlanta. Georgia Tech won 28-23 over Miami. (Hyosub Shin/AJC)

Georgia Tech has added another piece to its defense via the transfer portal.

Jonas Duclona, a third-year player from South Florida, intends to transfer to Tech for the 2026 season, according to multiple reports Thursday. Duclona is a 5-foot-11, 190-pound native of Florida who spent the 2025 season at South Florida.

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Chad Bishop is a Georgia Tech sports reporter for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

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Georgia

She helped guide Georgia small businesses for decades. Now, she’s retiring.

Published

1 day ago

January 15, 2026

Press Room

Business

Terri Denison led the Small Business Administration’s Georgia District for about two dozen years.

Terri Denison, the recently retired Georgia district director of the U.S. Small Business Administration. (Courtesy of Terri Denison)

After nearly 24 years leading the Small Business Administration’s Georgia office, Terri Denison has retired from the role.

“Being the Georgia district director of the U.S. Small Business Administration has been the greatest honor and I think highlight of my career,” Denison told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

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Mirtha Donastorg is a reporter on The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s business team focusing on Black wealth, entrepreneurship, and minority-owned businesses as well as innovation at Atlanta’s HBCUs.

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