Georgia

5 things to watch for in Georgia politics this year

Published

2 months ago

January 5, 2026

Press Room

5 things to watch for in Georgia politics this year

Politically Georgia

Your daily jolt of news and analysis from the AJC politics team.

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp is his second and final term of office. (Hyosub Shin/AJC)

Today’s newsletter highlights:

Marjorie Taylor Greene stokes feud with Donald Trump as she exits Congress.
Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens will be sworn in today for a second term.
Dana Barrett is expected to run for secretary of state as a Democrat.

Looking ahead

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Things to know

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A yearslong challenge to Georgia’s anti-abortion law and a case blaming Snapchat for a teenager’s reckless driving are among the cases to watch in state courts this year, the AJC’s Rosie Manins reports.
Garland Favorito believes the U.S. government covered up the truth about the assassinations of President John F. Kennedy and the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Now, he’s become a leader among conservatives who say Georgia’s 2020 presidential election was rife with fraud, the AJC’s David Wickert reports.
A shadowy group has paid roughly $8 million for ads criticizing Lt. Gov. Burt Jones’ campaign for governor. Now, Jones is urging the Federal Communications Commission to step in, Greg Bluestein reports.

Last day

U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Rome, is stepping down from Congress today.

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Dickens’ second term

Andre Dickens was first sworn in as mayor of Atlanta during an inauguration ceremony at Georgia Tech in 2022.

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Ossoff’s strategy

U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff held a rally in Savannah last July.

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Campaign watch

Democrat Dana Barrett is a Fulton County commissioner.

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Listen up

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Today in Washington

President Donald Trump waved after arriving at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland. He was returning from a holiday break in Florida.

:sgnineppaH

President Donald Trump participates in a policy meeting at the White House.
The full House is out for one more day.
The House Ethics Committee is expected to announce an update on a complaint involving U.S. Rep. Mike Collins, R-Jackson, and his top aide, Brandon Phillips. The committee disclosed in November that the complaint had been referred to its members on Oct. 7 and set a deadline for today to announce its course of action. The complaint wasn’t made public, and Collins’ office has called it a “desperate and baseless attack” by the U.S. Senate candidate’s political opponents.
The Senate return for evening votes.

Shoutouts

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Rebecca Yardley, executive director of America First Georgia (was Tuesday).

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Before you go

Georgia author Allen Levi tells the story of a man named Theo who transforms lives with small acts of kindness.

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Greg Bluestein is the Atlanta Journal Constitution’s chief political reporter. He is also an author, TV analyst and co-host of the Politically Georgia podcast.

Tia Mitchell is the AJC’s Washington Bureau Chief and a co-host of the “Politically Georgia” podcast. She writes about Georgia’s congressional delegation, campaigns, elections and the impact that decisions made in D.C. have on residents of the Peach State.

Patricia Murphy is the AJC’s senior political columnist. She was previously a nationally syndicated columnist for CQ Roll Call, national political reporter for the Daily Beast and Politics Daily, and wrote for The Washington Post and Garden & Gun. She graduated from Vanderbilt and holds a master’s degree in journalism from Columbia University.

Adam Beam helps write and edit the Politically Georgia morning newsletter.

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Amid tariff and trade confusion, Georgia posted record exports in 2025

Published

2 hours ago

March 5, 2026

Press Room

Amid tariff and trade confusion, Georgia posted record exports in 2025

Business

The value of Georgia products sold overseas surpassed $60 billion last year, state officials said.

Georgia was ninth in the U.S. for exports in 2025, propped up by its logistics infrastructure of the world’s busiest airport, an extensive railroad network and the ports of Brunswick and Savannah (pictured). (Courtesy of Georgia Ports Authority 2024)

Despite a barrage of new tariffs imposed across the globe, Georgia saw another record year for international trade in 2025.

Total trade last year reached nearly $211 billion, up almost 6% from 2024. Imports, subject to many tariffs enacted by the Trump administration, made up most of that activity, growing about 3% to more than $150 billion, according to a state report released Thursday.

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Georgia’s top exported product in 2025 was civilian aircraft and ancillary parts, such as Gulfstream’s G500 and G600 aircraft seen on the assembly line in Savannah in December. (Hyosub Shin/AJC)

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Amy Wenk is the consumer brands reporter for the AJC.

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Cal Men’s Basketball: Bears Stay Focused and Outlast a Beleaguered Georgia Tech 76-65

Published

14 hours ago

March 5, 2026

Press Room

Cal Men’s Basketball: Bears Stay Focused and Outlast a Beleaguered Georgia Tech 76-65

image courtesy of @CalMBBAll

Cal entered tonight’s matchup against a destitute Georgia Tech side dusting themselves off from an unexpected loss to a middle of the road Pitt team. The Golden Bears were looking to stay on the bubble of the NCAA tournament, while Tech, who finished last in ACC play, were simply trying to finish out their season with pride. This game marked the beginning of what will prove to be a long road trip for the boys from Berkeley.

Tech came out red hot from 3, thanks to forward Kowacie Reeves, who went 5-8 from behind the arc in the first half, while the entire Cal team was 0-12. His 19 points provided the difference in a first half with long stretches where neither team could put the ball in the basket.

Cal were frustrated early offensively, with Justin Pippen and Dai Dai Ames held scoreless in the first half. Lee Dort proved his offensive value, as the highest scorer for the Bears in the first half, particularly finding success in the paint, and they started the second half off feeding him early inside with some success.

The Bears opened the second half strong, finding ways to run their sets and get more players looks around the basket. Simultaneously, Camden began to find his shot from three, and things began to fall into place for a Cal side that was already having a decent night on the boards.

Georgia Tech could not keep pace once Cal’s offense found a rythm, though they would have to do so without any scoring contributions from Justin Pippen, who went 0-7 from the field, but closed out the night with eight assists and two rebounds.

Ultimately, Tech’s 18 turnovers, and Cal’s persistence gave way to a Bears lead that wouldn’t be overcome. The Yellow Jackets did not have an answer for Lee Dort’s efforts in the paint, and when Dai Dai Ames found his footing on offense, eventually the game was all but finished. Despite a valiant effort, the Yellow Jackets could not maintain an offensive pace or defensive effort to keep up with Cal, who face Wake Forest this Saturday in another must win.

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Georgia Lt. Gov. candidate releases controversial ‘Sharia law’ video

Published

1 day ago

March 4, 2026

Press Room

Georgia Lt. Gov. candidate releases controversial ‘Sharia law’ video

In the days since the initial U.S. strikes in Iran, countless lawmakers stateside have weighed in on the Trump Administration’s decision to once again get involved in a conflict in the Middle East.

Prominent Georgia political figures like former representative Marjorie Taylor Greene and Senators Ossoff and Warnock have denounced the attacks, while candidates to replace MTG and others running in midterm elections have backed the president.

Now, Georgia State Senator Greg Dolezal, who is running for Lieutenant Governor in November, has posted a controversial video to social media depicting a hypothetical scenario where an extreme version of what he calls “Sharia law” has taken over the United States.

“London has fallen. Europe is under siege. In America, the invaders who would rather pillage our generosity than assimilate are roaming Minnesota, New York and LA,” Dolezal said in the post. “As Lt. Governor, I will fight the enemy before they’re within the gates and keep Georgia safe and Sharia free.”

The video was marked with a content warning on X.

What does the video show?

The video, appearing to have been AI-generated, begins with two people walking toward a building and wearing head coverings, possibly hijabs, shaylas, Al-miras or khimars.

It then cuts to a man writing with frosting on a cake, possibly “Happy Easter,” but the letters are unclear. A figure dressed in all black runs into frame and slices the cake with a weapon like a Zulfiqar sword.

It goes on to show military vehicles driving down the street, a woman being stopped from driving, a group of men in head coverings shooting weapons into the air and a suicide bomber vest, all while playing a song with the lyrics “No Sharia.”

(Warning: the video may be disturbing for some viewers.)

Video called ‘disgusting’ and ‘racist’

The video was met with significant criticism, including from Democratic gubernatorial candidate Geoff Duncan.

“This is disgusting. People wonder why I became a Democrat, it’s because of the inexcusable hatred spewed by so many Republicans like Greg Dolezal. Hate, including Islamophobia, has no place in Georgia,” Duncan wrote on X.

Rev. James “Major” Woodall, Sr., of Atlanta, called the video “deeply racist.”

“As a Christian man who deeply loves Georgia, I pray you never become Lt. Governor,” Woodall wrote.

Emanuel Jones, of the state senate, called out his fellow representative and said “if you don’t know it yet, Georgia is better than this!!”

“We don’t need race baiting, fear mongering to get votes. Perhaps that (is) what the Republican Party has devolved into,” Jones said on X.

Dolezal got support, however, from MAGA personality Laura Loomer who commented “No Sharia!”

The video has also been reposted more than 1,000 times as of 2 p.m. on March 4.

Who is Greg Dolezal?

The state senator represents District 27, and is based in Alpharetta. He was sworn in to the Georgia Senate in 2019.

He is a small business owner and attended North Park University.

Irene Wright is the Atlanta Connect reporter with USA Today’s Deep South Connect team. Find her on X @IreneEWright or email her at ismith@usatodayco.com.

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