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7 predictions for Georgia’s 2026 legislative session

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7 predictions for Georgia’s 2026 legislative session


Politically Georgia

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

Legislators in the House chambers as seen on Crossover Day at the Capitol in Atlanta on Thursday, March 6, 2025. (Natrice Miller/ AJC)

Today’s newsletter highlights:

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  • Clay Fuller’s congressional campaign launches first digital ad.
  • House Republicans highlight their “affordable” agenda.
  • Jon Ossoff asks why Georgia is still waiting on some Helene aid.

Back in session

House lawmakers listened to debate on a bill last March at the Capitol in Atlanta. (Miguel Martinez/AJC)

House lawmakers listened to debate on a bill last March at the Capitol in Atlanta. (Miguel Martinez/AJC)

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s’raey htrow rehtehw erew hgiew lacov owt pot ot eht eht eht xat xat niarts ediwetats reprahs staes .eunever secar gninoitseuq tup rewop ruop lacitilop desiop no no fo fo dnim .enil evitalsigel srekamwal raey-etal tsal boj erutcurtsarfni ecneulfni ylgnisaercni ni htworg sdirg enilosag rof pilf tluaf neve neve .etabed atad atad dluoc tsoc sretnec sretnec sretnec sretnec skaerb emoceb tidua sa era era era dna dna dna dna na .niaga tuoba ecivreS cilbuP citarcomeD ataD ataD seitinummoC noissimmoC A .4

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Things to know

Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens began his second term of office this month. (Jason Getz/AJC)

Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens began his second term of office this month. (Jason Getz/AJC)

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:yadot ot eerht sgniht rehto wonk rof era ereH

  • Former Macon-Bibb Commissioner Seth Clark launched his campaign for lieutenant governor today, making him the second Democrat to enter the race, the AJC’s Maya T. Prabhu reports.
  • The AJC’s Riley Bunch writes about Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens’ goal of expanding MARTA into Cobb and Gwinnett counties, an ambitious plan that would require reversing half a century of opposition.
  • Georgia is on track to receive about three-quarters of the $1.4 billion in rural health care grants it requested from the federal government, the AJC’s Ariel Hart reports.

Tread lightly

Gerald Pilgrim (front left) told reporters about the restoration process at the House of Representatives in Atlanta last Wednesday. (Arvin Temkar/AJC

Gerald Pilgrim (front left) told reporters about the restoration process at the House of Representatives in Atlanta last Wednesday. (Arvin Temkar/AJC

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The new carpet installed at the House of Representatives at the Capitol in Atlanta. (Adam Beam/AJC)

The new carpet installed at the House of Representatives at the Capitol in Atlanta. (Adam Beam/AJC)


Ad watch

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Listen up

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Affordability battle

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Under the Gold Dome

The Capitol in Atlanta. (Jason Getz/AJC)

The Capitol in Atlanta. (Jason Getz/AJC)

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  • 10 a.m.: House and Senate convene.
  • 2 p.m.: House Health Committee meets to hear presentations from the Northside Cardiovascular Institute and the Children’s Care Network, among other groups.

Health care talks

U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., is playing a role in health care discussions in the Senate. (Nathan Posner for the AJC)

U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., is playing a role in health care discussions in the Senate. (Nathan Posner for the AJC)

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Today in Washington

  • President Donald Trump meets at the White House with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Archbishop Paul Coakley, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. He will also meet with Frank Siller, founder and CEO of Tunnel to Towers Foundation.
  • The House returns for evening votes.
  • The Senate will take a procedural vote tied to advancing three appropriations bills.

Helene relief

U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., is running for reelection in 2026. (Arvin Temkar/AJC)

U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., is running for reelection in 2026. (Arvin Temkar/AJC)

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Sad news

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lliw siht secivres dleh larenuf rof eb ta dna noonretfa noitatisiV stropS tsidohteM tsriF salguoD .hcruhC


Shoutouts

ot eht eht .taht timbus .stuotuohs tuotuohs ton ?rettelswen wen tsuj ,sboj detseretni ni ni ereh mrof rof .cte ,stnemegagne .syadhtrib yadhtrib htrib ,stnemecnuonna osla a a er’eW tnaW s’erehT yllacitiloP s’tI aigroeG kcilC


Before you go

”ylsuoITdepxe“ — htiw erehw tnew erutnev eht .sutats ,wohs tnecer reppar ylno s’royam otni reweivretni weivretni sih rof gnitad ytirbelec nac ysub a a ebuTuoY .I.T royaM nI snekciD atnaltA erdnA

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Greg Bluestein

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

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

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

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



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Georgia

Take a look: Gulfstream welcomes students to its Savannah headquarters

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Take a look: Gulfstream welcomes students to its Savannah headquarters


Gulfstream recently announced a $5 million investment in Georgia education, welcoming students and leaders to its Savannah headquarters.



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LSU Falls to Georgia in Series Finale

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LSU Falls to Georgia in Series Finale


ATHENS, Ga. – Designated hitter Daniel Jackson and centerfielder Rylan Lujo combined for nine RBI Sunday, leading fifth-ranked Georgia to a 12-1 win over LSU at Foley Field.

Georgia improved to 41-11 overall, 21-6 in the SEC, while LSU dropped to 29-24 overall and 9-18 in conference play.

The Tigers return to action at 6:30 p.m. CT Thursday when they play host to Florida in Game 1 of a three-game SEC series in Alex Box Stadium, Skip Bertman Field. Thursday’s game will be broadcast on the LSU Sports Radio Network and streamed on SEC Network +.

“Georgia won the moments in this series,” said LSU coach Jay Johnson. “They’re going to score, so you’ve got to capitalize against them when you have scoring opportunities on offense.”

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Georgia starting pitcher Caden Aoki (8-0) was the winner, limiting LSU to one run on four hits in 5.0 innings with two walks and seven strikeouts.

LSU right-hander Casan Evans (2-3), making his first appearance since April 17 versus Texas A&M, started the game Sunday and was charged with the loss, working 1.2 innings and allowing four runs on four hits with two walks and three strikeouts.

“I thought Casan’s stuff looked great, and that’s good for him from a health standpoint,” Johnson said. “He’s a guy that the more he pitches, the better he is, so there might have been a little bit of rust, but I thought he competed fine.”

Georgia struck for four runs in the bottom of the second inning in an outburst highlighted by Jackson’s two-out, two-run single and an RBI single by second baseman Ryan Black.

The Tigers narrowed the gap to 4-1 in the third when designated hitter Omar Serna Jr. delivered an RBI single.

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Georgia extended its lead to 7-1 in the fourth as Jackson launched a two-run homer and centerfielder Lujo lined a run-scoring single.

Lujo unloaded a grand slam in the fifth, giving the Bulldogs an 11-1 advantage.

 





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‘We’re champs’: How Georgia baseball soaked up first SEC title in 18 years

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‘We’re champs’: How Georgia baseball soaked up first SEC title in 18 years


The Georgia baseball team had long since poured out of the Foley Field home dugout and the water bottles that were thrown on the field in jubilation had been cleaned up.

The Bulldogs celebration that carried into center field after a 13-8 victory on Saturday night over LSU on May 9 had ended and players had doused coach Wes Johnson with blue sports drink.

Now, some 20 minutes later, it was postgame photo time for the freshly minted 2026 SEC regular season champions.

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They gathered in front of the spot on the right field wall where the previous seven seasons of Georgia SEC championships were listed, the last in 2008. Above them on the video board was a graphic that recognized this year’s team as SEC champions.

“Watching the program grow in such a shot amount of time, it’s awesome,” said pitcher Paul Farley, who has been with the Bulldogs for all three seasons with Johnson and got the win in relief Saturday. “We’ve got four SEC games left and to be able to hang that up there the SEC champs already it’s amazing.”

Farley was speaking figuratively because the 2026 numbers weren’t on the outfield fence just yet.

Fifth-ranked Georgia (40-11, 20-6 SEC) still has a chance to put a College World Series trip up there in left field for the first time since 2008 and in a best case scenario add another national championship year in right field with the 1990 season.

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“SEC champs is great, but obviously we want to do bigger and better things,” Farley said.

LSU, the team that won it all last season, was still around having a postgame talk on the artificial turf field long after the game ended.

Johnson was with LSU in 2023 as pitching coach when it won another College World Series.

“It’s massive,” Johnson said of this latest championship. “Anytime you can win this league, man, it’s so hard. Then win it outright. It’s something you want to check off on your list of things you’ve ever accomplished. It’s 10 weekends of just meat house grinding.”

Johnson said he didn’t know that the dominoes had fallen Saturday to set up Georgia being able to clinch except that he saw that Texas lost at Tennessee as the result flashed on the scoreboard.

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Texas A&M also lost twice at Ole Miss to set up the clinch for Georgia.

“I’m calling pitches, I’m locked in,” Johnson said.

He said assistant coach Will Coggin told him when the game ended that ‘We’re champs.’”

Many of the players knew.

“We had a few inside operatives, I’d say, tell us,” Farley said.

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Shortstop Kolby Branch said he didn’t know “until the water bottles started flying.”

Branch said another Georgia team loaded with transfers grew closer in the fall and built relationships that have turned into wins this season.

Johnson said winning the regular season title in his third season as coach in the age of the transfer portal and NIL “means a lot.”

Johnson mentioned Farley, Branch and Tre Phelps being at Georgia for all three of his seasons.

“Seeing where we were in the first fall, we forget this used to be dirt and grass,” Johnson said standing on on turf field. “And we didn’t have the cool building and we only had one batting cage, all the stuff we’ve been able to do since we’ve been here. The other side is just understanding true belief and understanding what guys can do.”

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