by Craig Nelson, The Current
June 27, 2026

There was no mistaking the message that incumbent U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff and gubernatorial candidate Keisha Lance Bottoms were seeking to drive home at a rally on Saturday in Savannah, not only to the thousand or so supporters gathered in a hall on a sweltering day in late June but to voters across the state.

Signs reading “United for Georgia” were everywhere, eclipsing the “Ossoff for Senate” and “Bottoms for Governor” placards. The two Democrats that top their party’s ticket this fall embraced at rally’s end and held their clasped hands high before the adoring crowd. The meaning of the gestures was plain: They have decided they cannot win in November without the public support of the other.

The rally, held at the Metal Building at Trustees’ Garden, was an hourlong, made-for-social-media event and a dose of electioneering in 2026. Campaign videographers circled around the speaker’s rostrum. Producers in earphones coached the sign-waving crowd directly behind the podium, which served as a colorful backdrop for the videos and soundbites that would be posted before day’s end. 

‘Slick Rick’

For Ossoff and Bottoms, it was their first joint rally since state Republicans chose their candidates for U.S. Senate and governor in the primary runoffs earlier this month. With their opponents decided — Mike Collins in Ossoff’s case and Rick Jackson’s in Bottoms’ — the verbal knives were unleashed.

Bottoms recounted the economic hardships of her youth and the sacrifices made by her “can’t never could” mother to boost her up the ladder of educational, professional and political success — a narrative she apparently hopes will offset Jackson’s “foster-care-to-billionaire” saga.

“Slick Rick,” she claimed, has built his healthcare empire on $1 billion in no-bid, state contracts and mocked him for promising if elected to be Donald Trump “with a southern accent.”

“Rick Jackson has been making a profit off the people of Georgia. His fortune is filled in part with your tax dollars,” she said.

‘Toys out the stroller’

His shirt sleeves rolled up to his elbows in his trademark style, Ossoff set biography aside. He opted instead for what has become a staple of his campaign speeches: commentary on news out of the Trump administration that mimics the skewering the president receives on late-night television (“Now, Savannah, I don’t know if you saw the mess in Washington last week . . .”)

Trump, Ossoff said, “was so humiliated in [the Strait of] Hormuz, he threw his toys out the stroller and refused to sign the affordable housing bill. That’s after he gave some felon donor a no-bid contract for the reflecting pool, and it filled up with algae, which for some reason required the deployment of the National Guard.”

He went on to bash Trump for sending his son-in-law “prince” Jared Kushner to “cosplay” as a negotiator in the Middle East “despite zero qualifications” and inspiring a so-called color revolution in Albania over his plans to build a luxury resort there.

It wasn’t all satire. In his measured, sometimes plodding, cadence, Ossoff’s a scold, too.

He called Collins as a “bigot congressman” and election denier (“To this day, Mike Collins defends that violent attempt to prevent the peaceful transfer of power.”)

And as Collins’ Republican primary opponents predicted, criticized him for failing to fire “degenerate political staffer” Brandon Phillips after multiple offenses until finally doing so in May after Philipps posted a tweet mocking a rape victim.

‘Mutually beneficial’

What the partnership between Ossoff and Bottoms means in practical terms isn’t clear. Neither candidate has indicated how many joint rallies are planned as the general election unfolds.

However it evolves, the alliance is “mutually beneficial,” said Andra Gillespie, an associate professor of political science at Emory University.

In a state where Republicans slightly outnumber Democrats, voter turnout is crucial, not only in Democratic areas of the state but in Republican-dominated areas of the state, too, Gillespie noted.

“While Senator Ossoff is popular in his own right among Black Democrats, being able to run alongside an African American woman candidate also does give him some cache” in the effort to turn out that vote, she said.

Bottoms, for her part, may benefit from Ossoff’s campaign war chest, Gillespie said.

The former Atlanta mayor who, as of April 30,  had $62,000 in cash on hand, faces a general election opponent in Jackson who spent at least $107 million dollars in the primary. As of April 29, Ossoff reported more than $32.5 million in cash on hand, according to his submissions to the Federal Election Commission.

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WALB is working to produce a video specific to this story. In the meantime, watch other stories from Dougherty County above.

ALBANY, Ga. (WALB) — A prolonged heat wave is expected to settle across South Georgia over the next week, bringing dangerously hot conditions to the region.

Meteorologist Justin Williams said temperatures will climb into the mid to upper 90s. High humidity will push heat index values well above 100 degrees.

Health risks

Health officials warn that prolonged exposure to extreme heat can increase the risk of dehydration, heat exhaustion and heat stroke. Older adults, young children, people with chronic medical conditions and those who work outdoors face particular risk.

What to do

Health officials recommend staying hydrated and limiting outdoor activities during the hottest part of the day. Wearing lightweight clothing and taking frequent breaks in air-conditioned spaces or the shade are also advised.

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The Georgia Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.

Here’s a look at June 26, 2026, results for each game:

Winning Mega Millions numbers from June 26 drawing

05-13-30-33-52, Mega Ball: 06

Check Mega Millions payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Cash 3 numbers from June 26 drawing

Midday: 7-6-1

Evening: 1-7-2

Night: 9-5-1

Check Cash 3 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Cash 4 numbers from June 26 drawing

Midday: 7-6-2-5

Evening: 4-9-1-9

Night: 4-9-1-1

Check Cash 4 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Cash Pop numbers from June 26 drawing

Early Bird: 08

Matinee: 03

Drive Time: 02

Primetime: 13

Night Owl: 14

Check Cash Pop payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Georgia FIVE numbers from June 26 drawing

Midday: 1-5-9-6-1

Evening: 5-7-0-9-0

Check Georgia FIVE payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Fantasy 5 numbers from June 26 drawing

03-13-14-16-41

Check Fantasy 5 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from June 26 drawing

07-15-33-37-51, Bonus: 02

Check Millionaire for Life payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your prize

• Prizes under $601: Can be claimed at any Georgia Lottery retail location. ALL PRIZES can be claimed by mail to: Georgia Lottery Corporation, P.O. Box 56966, Atlanta, GA 30343.
• Prizes over $600: Must be claimed at Georgia Lottery Headquarters or any Georgia Lottery district office or mailed to the Georgia Lottery for payment.