Georgia
Georgia politicians react along party lines to Minneapolis ICE officer shooting, killing US citizen
Midterm elections could bring a generational shift to Georgia’s delegation in Washington.
U.S House candidate Jim Kingston at an automotive construction site in Savannah, Ga., on Jan. 7, 2026. (Sarah Peacock for AJC)
The graying halls of Congress don’t usually evoke images of youthful ambition, but a record number of lawmakers are calling it quits in 2026.
And in Georgia, their replacements may look very different.
— — — regnuoy gniyrt ot yeht eht naht etats .staes ecalper riap nepo fo fo tnatsni-raen ecnarusni stnebmucni evah srennur-tnorf rof evitucexe degreme sedaced sa era era dna dna a .S.U .S.U owT yehT hannavaS snacilbupeR .speR .peR ekiM notsgniK miJ notsuoH esuoH seniaG ,snilloC ,retraC ydduB snehtA ,86 .75 dlo-raey-53 dlo-raey-03
regnuoy ot taht deeccus deppets ehs lareves tsewhtron si sedulcni ni dleif .nwod gnitepmoc retfa yltpurba a rolyaT snacilbupeR ,elihwnaeM eirojraM ,eneerG ,aigroeG ,15
Georgia State Rep. Houston Gaines, R-Athens, is seen in the House of Representatives in Atlanta on Thursday, Feb. 2, 2023. (Arvin Temkar/AJC)
— ohw ot lareves suoires loohcs yramirp .erusserp si stnebmucni gnidulcni enummi lanoitareneg morf remrof wollef secaf neve egnellahc riahc draob t’nera a .S.U ,ttocS .peR ttenniwG notrevE starcomeD divaD .rialB dnA ,08 dlo-raey-23
regnuoy dluow now htiw ohw nehw tsew saw yeht eseht eht taht tfihs taes ,liaverp nepo no fo ni ni ni eh denetsah lanoitareneg noitcele noitageled setadidnac dliub na a nacilbupeR ,kcaJ fI s’aigroeG .aigroeG nairB 63 4202
,sraey gnitov ot eht eht eht fo fo srebmem naidem si yltnerruc ega gnidrocca .S.U hcraeseR weP ,llarevO esuoH .retneC 5.75
A family name
gnuoy htiw eht ecar :ecalp krowten netragrednik ni ni sih morf rof deretne ronod tcirtsid latsaoc setamssalc ydaerla a a hannavaS notsgniK enuJ aigroeG .yaD yrtnuoC
— — rednu ot esoht eht eht naht naht syas tser desiar fo fo reven erom erom noillim oga-gnol gnidulcni dah nevig morf .dleif laredef raf gnispilce sronod dedworc setamssalc ngiapmac ngiapmac .erofeb era dna ydaerla a siH s’eH %54 ,04 %04 sulp-000,001$ 6.1$
eht eht taht dessaprus ,serugif-xis detroper rehto eno fo fo fo enin tnel lufepoh sih sah setadidnac ngiapmac sa dna .tpeS ylnO .03 000,085$ 000,005$
ohw eht smret htgnerts pets ralimis wodahs devres gnitneserper tuo fo fo ni sih depleh sah remrof ,rehtaf ylrae .tcirtsid a .S.U tahT .peR ,notsgniK notsgniK kcaJ ssergnoC 11
Rep. Jack Kingston, R-Savannah, served in the U.S. House for 11 terms, leaving to mount a failed U.S. Senate run in 2014. His son Jim is now seeking Jack’s old seat. (Curtis Compton/AJC)
.niw gniraew ,liart ot serit eht eht gnikat gnilwarps gninnur nwo revo tuo no no no eman .stirem tsal si tnetni eltsuh woh sruoh sih sih mih mih ll’eh ,ytidereh rof ezisahpme gnivird nward tcirtsid ngiapmac sllac ta dna dna lla sdia ssorca a nacilbupeR notsgniK miJ ksA
miJ“ s’eH“ gnikrow ot ot siht eht s’taht nos dias nur gnisiar ,nwo no ton yenom .redael si sih gnitteg remrof ”.gnigagne stnemesrodne od sdworc ”,elbadnemmoc luferac yb tub gnieb gnieb sa tcetihcra dna dna dna dna a etaneS hannavaS ,nosnhoJ s’kcaJ POG cirE
Pintail Inc. CEO/Owner Kevin Jackson Jr. shows U.S House candidate Jim Kingston around an automotive construction site in Savannah, Ga., on Jan. 7, 2026. (Sarah Peacock for AJC)
”eromyna-enod-gnihtyna-teg-t’nac-uoy“ — gnuoy dekrow ot ot eht eht nosrepselas etarogivnier hctip tsap fo wen dedeen yllarutan .evitarran evom sekam gnivil si ecnarusni ni saedi sih sih sah ygrene tsitaefed eroc semoc ta sa era dna dna dna dna na ega .hannavaS pihsnamselaS .notsgniK siH eH ssergnoC atnaltA
sA“ m’I‘ gnikrow llew ,tnaw eht eht etats ,rotces ,yas .dias yllaer etavirp reven ym ym ekil t’nsi ni draeh evah sah ,drah leef gniod dessorcssirc tub ssenisub ”’,kcab sa sa enoyna dna notsgniK ev’I I I I ssergnoC
m’I“ s’tahw tahw su .lanoitidart lanoitidart siht kniht gnillet ralupop ralupop ”.tniop elpoep ro ton ton thgim thgim ti fi sah deliaf neve ,od nac eb eb ta dna s’tahW I I
ot niht lavir yramirp esop pihsredael noitcele ,skcabward slaitnederc dna ega gnidrocca taP s’notsgniK .llerraF tuB
devil“ sraey sraey naretev ot eht eht eht eht brubus skees dnoces ecnediser .tneserper snoitseuq ,laiciffo fo fo fo fo won raen hcum ynam sniatniam lacol gnivil devil tsal ni ni ni sih sih .sretrauqdaeh eh sah morf rof evif raf ”secneirepxe s’reyolpme detcele tcirtsid htped tub dna a hannavaS s’notsgniK elsI epoH eH llerraF ,atnaltA atnaltA A
roirP“ ecnis dias ”,ecnamrofrep fo rotacidni doog erutuf renoissimmoc era stnemhsilpmocca a a ,llerraF ytnuoC mahtahC .4002
From student government to the U.S. House?
ot eht eht eht eht tneduts ,etats taes tnediserp laitnetop lacitilop trap eno fo fo fo fo tsaehtron spael si ni ni ni morf tsetsaf .edaced ylerab gnitpmetta a a ytisrevinU nI ,aigroeG aigroeG seniaG ssergnoC
now htiw nehw ot etats-neht eht sknaht etats ,rats gnisir ylkciuq lacitilop yltrap eciffo kram edam evitalsigel ni sih eh tsrif erugif detaefed esolc desab ta sa rehtona dna ecnailla a a a .peR .pmeK eH .voG ,zelaznoG POG citarcomeD harobeD lotipaC nairB :snehtA dlo-raey-32
Georgia Rep. Houston Gaines, R-Athens, spoke at a rally titled “Make Athens Safer” at City Hall, Tuesday evening, March 5, 2024. (Nell Carroll for the AJC)
ohw .yllufwalnu ,neht eht eht tneduts reets nials .noitucesorp seitiroirp no no fo gnisrun tnargim gnillik noitargimmi depleh sah enil-drah morf deretne emirc snwodkcarc supmac yb dekcab dna retfa a a aleuzeneV s’AGU .S.U ecniS ,yeliR nekaL eH seniaG POG
— htiw ohw ot eht etats derosnops devres noitcnas srotucesorp srewop trap tsuo ro wen evom lacol wal retal ,etagitsevni ni eh gnivig deleuf noitartsurf tcirtsid yb .yenrotta sa a a ,zelaznoG snehtA dnA 3202
neddus“ niw ot dias deriuqer noitseuq revo ,tnenoppo ”revoekam ytlayol lacol sih .yticitnehtua a a .snacilbupeR AGAM yxeL ’seniaG ,ytrehoD starcomeD citarcomeD
— regnuoy lliw yhw ot eht s’taht taht gnitroppus syas stcejer .seitiroirp s’tnediserp ylesicerp gnitniop fo .dedeen srekamwal yrotsih gnitartsurf ,msicitirc tub eb seugra era a notgnihsaW eH seniaG
ll’I“ tuB“ gnuoy ,uoy ohw ew ew yaw yrev ot ot ot eht eht eht taht naht llet ffuts ”,esuohetats .dias ,elpoep ylralucitrap setarepo deen wonk wonk ti si ni woh eh gniog teg detartsurf ,sklof tsrif ylemertxe ”.enod od tnereffid esuaceb eb eb ta m’I I ssergnoC
A new normal?
— regnuoy evaw pu rednu eht emos ,staes gninnur .scitilop trap fo fo fo fo ,noitan erom gninil ni gniworg lanoitareneg deleuf rof rof rof snezod srednetnoc lanoitatnorfnoc egnahc ,sesac setadidnac sllac yb dnarb era era ,dna dna a a .S.U notsgniK esuoH seniaG .ssergnoC ssorcA 04
htiw htiw ot eht eht taht etats laiceps .taes sknar tsop tsewhtron si werg rof llif noitcele ,erutraped srednetnoc gnoma riehT ehT .neS erooM hcraM s’eneerG aigroeG notloC dlo-raey-23 .01
State Sen. Colton Moore, R-Trenton, who plans to run for the congressional seat being vacated by U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, speaks to the news media at the Capitol in Atlanta on Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2025. (Arvin Temkar/AJC)
tahw saw .ycnegru delbuort ot eht dias nur yramirp eno fo fo s’nairanegotco detavitom shtnom gnivael kcal eh eh rof wef stneve ,regnellahc dellac yb gnidnetta dna oga retfa a a s’ttocS citarcomeD rialB sA
I“ saw gnitiaw .su eht .dias ecnatsiser gniyllar ro ro fo ”,gnihton egassem epoh tog rof rof thgif yrc tsniaga a a I rialB dnA
tI“ htiw ew ,evitatneserper yllaer fo wen wen wen wen wen deen ”.pihsredael pihsredael saedi noitareneg ,thgif raelc emaceb dna a a
Adam Van Brimmer is a journalist who covers politics and Coastal Georgia news for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
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.
Two-time Democratic nominee says she’ll focus on fight against ‘authoritarianism’ instead.
Former gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams speaks at the Georgia State University Convocation Center in Atlanta on Tuesday, July 30, 2024, for a Kamala Harris campaign rally. (Arvin Temkar/AJC)
Stacey Abrams won’t be on the Georgia ballot in 2026.
The two-time Democratic nominee for governor definitively ruled out another run for Georgia’s top job this year, saying Thursday she’ll instead continue her work fighting what she sees as the nation’s lurch toward authoritarianism under President Donald Trump.
snaciremA“ tahw tahw ot ot ot ot yeht eht tnemetats ekats ehs dias tcennocer ydaer ”,elbissop niap won tnemom si si si ni ni tub ta era era dna dna ,tca a ehT .noitutitsnoC-lanruoJ atnaltA
s’tI“ .krow lliw yaw ot ot siht eht taht taht evres kees thgir ,nosaer eciffo won ton tsom em si ni tnatropmi detcele evitceffe od gniunitnoc raelc nac yb I I roF ”.6202
dracdliw ohw hcihw saw gniyv gnitov deweiv ot ot ot driht eht detimil-mret deeccus emos tohs nees sthgir ecar mroftalp yalrap krowten lanoitan tnuom gnol nioj reh reh ,ronrevog gnisiardnuf rof serutaef nezod dluoc srednetnoc .dib sa sa sa dna syawla ydaerla etacovda tuoba a a a a a ,llitS nacilbupeR .pmeK .voG starcomeD nairB smarbA
Georgia Gubernatorial Democratic candidate Stacey Abrams and Republican candidate Brian Kemp greet each other before a live taping of the 2018 Gubernatorial debate for the Atlanta Press Club at the Georgia Public Broadcasting studio in Atlanta, Tuesday, Oct. 23, 2018. (Alyssa Pointer/AJC)
01“ — — tuohtiw elihw tahw gninraw litnu delevart ot ot eht eht eht spets ehs ehs ehs ehs sees snoitseuq gnitomorp tneverp ”rewop lacitilop netfo noitan eman gninoitnem ni mih reh erutuf modeerf dekcud sregnad sllac yb .ycarcotua sa dna adnega tuoba tuoba s’pmurT ,yadsruhT dnA
I“ nairatirohtuA“ raey su ot ot siht siht taht ehs .dias ,ecnatsiser niamer elbazingocer mialcer laer ,koobyalp .nrettap ruo ytinutroppo ,laicaritlum lanoitarenegitlum stnemevom larom ezilibom ”,pihsredael si tsehgih pleh modeerf rof wollof esopxe ycarcomed sreviled dettimmoc gnillac dna dna ”.lla a a yM
A broader battle
eht ralugnis .scitilop tsap fo hcum ni sah ecrof ,edaced neeb a aigroeG roF smarbA
saw ot ot ot ot ot eht eht eht thguos emos ehs ylhguor lasufer ecar ecar hairap .srehto s’noitan lanoitan worran ytironim edam ssol ,redael ni oreh reh reh ,yrutnec-flah s’ronrevog s’ronrevog .ronrevog remrof tsrif erugif elamef detcele gnirud taefed edecnoc tsesolc emoceb emaceb sa dna dna a a a a pmeK esuoH reH snaigroeG aigroeG kcalB smarbA A 8102
— ot eht naht gnilur .hctamer desiar yramirp lacitilop gnimocrevo tuo noitazinagro erom noillim dehcnual sih reh reh morf remrof rof detaefed ylevisiced egnellahc egnellahc htob ,dib ,dna dna dna seilla retfa a a .S.U dekcab-pmurT ehS etaneS .neS .eudreP pmeK pmeK POG thgiF riaF divaD smarbA 2202 0202 011$
hcihw ,neht eht yltrohs ehs .delooter lacitilop enihcam ni yllagelli reh sah sah ,dednuof rof dedlof enif .dedaf dezisnwod .ngiapmac tliub gnieb gnikcab dessessa dna retfa a ehT ecniS ,tcejorP weN aigroeG thgiF riaF smarbA 5202 8102 000,003$
Rev. Martha Simmons wears an “election protection” badge during election day on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020, as a part of the New Georgia Project’s Faith Initiative. (Christina Matacotta for the AJC)
driht“ ohw saw s’yadot ot emit eht eht eht eht ehs gniyas ,ecar yllacitcarp dedaelp ecno sredael si si reh reh rof rof deraef retne ylregae ”.mrahc tsac etadidnac sa ,resivda .setyloca a ,snacilbupeR roN pmeK ,llaH citarcomeD ydoC smarbA
ot hguoht meht eht llits yas erever ydaer ytrap .no fo evom erom ynam si stsivitca citarcomeD dnA ,smarbA
— — elihw nehw nwonk-llew evaw desopponu eht eht ehs nar ecar ylcilbup snoitpo .nepo fo noitanimon tpek reh rof deretne a ekilnU starcomeD smarbA 6202 2202
ylediw ohw ot ot eht eht etats ,murtceps snaps nees reven etaredom larebil si lacigoloedi sah .rennur-tnorf morf remrof dleif esolc neeb sa ,ylla a dnomruhT ehT awuR nammoR tsirtnec-denrut-nacilbupeR .peR leahciM royaM ecnaL ahsieK ffoeG remroF .nacnuD tarcomeD blaKeD OEC ,smottoB atnaltA smarbA
Democratic candidates for governor include (top row, left to right): Keisha Lance Bottoms, Geoff Duncan, Jason Esteves. Bottom row: Derrick Jackson, Ruwa Romman and Michael Thurmond. (AJC file photos)
”ycnegreme-fo-esac-ni-ssalg-kaerb“ liart ot eht eht llits emos ,os was no lanoitan aidem egral fi .erif dleif deliaf sward sdworc dnammoc hctac etadidnac nac ngiapmac .noitnetta sa dna a ehS nevE starcomeD smarbA
ylbmessA“ elihw ot noitaluceps nur elur gnisufer gnitomorp .stcejorp ,tsacdop tuo rehto wen aidem reh deleuf yb koob dna a a ehS ”,deriuqeR
ll’ehs dias no peek reh sucof redaorb .elttab a yadsruhT tuB smarbA
ehT“ ot taht hcnuats ehs .dias seriuqer gnol sti evah sah smrah tnemegagne ;ycarcomed ycarcomed ”,srednefed deveileb neeb msinairatirohtua etoditna dna dna dna syawla evitca I
tuB“ — krow nehw ew tsav hguorht eht eht fo ytirojam ti si ”.delirepmi tnemnrevog ,sliaf decneirepxe ycarcomed yb era lla
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.
ATLANTA — Eliminating state income taxes sounds great to many voters, but Republicans backing the push in multiple states still face questions about whether such big tax cuts can be made without raising other taxes or sharply cutting state funding for education, health care and other services.
Georgia on Wednesday became the latest state to launch a bid to abolish its personal income tax, with Republican leaders in the Senate backing a proposal to zero it out by 2032. This year, Georgia’s personal income tax is projected to collect about $16.5 billion, or 44% of the state’s general revenue.
The push is driven by politics. Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, the Republican who leads the state Senate, has made eliminating income taxes a centerpiece of his 2026 campaign for governor. State Sen. Blake Tillery, a Vidalia Republican who led a committee to abolish the tax, is among candidates to succeed Jones as lieutenant governor.
“This is the first vote that we are going to get to take to address affordability,” Tillery said.
But it’s unclear if the proposal will pass. Georgia House Republicans may want to continue nibbling away at the tax in smaller bites, preferring a “measured” approach. Republican House Speaker Jon Burns of Newington said Wednesday that his big 2026 goal is to eliminate property taxes for homeowners, but said he’s willing to consider the Senate plan.
Republican Gov. Brian Kemp, serving his last year, has been cool to total elimination of the income tax. He declined to comment Wednesday on the Senate plan, but spokesperson Carter Chapman said Kemp wants “to continue lowering taxes and putting more money in Georgians’ pockets as he has throughout his term.”
The state’s Democratic minority opposes the move, saying it would mostly benefit high earners and the state needs money to provide services.
Georgia House Speaker Jon Burns (R-Newington) holds a pre-session press conference to discuss his priorities for the 2026 legislative session, at the State Capitol in Atlanta, Ga, Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026. Credit: AP/Matthew Pearson
Multiple GOP-led states seek tax cuts
Iowa, Kentucky, Mississippi and Missouri have all set goals to abolish the personal income tax, joining eight other states that don’t tax personal income. Eight other states besides Georgia are cutting personal income tax rates this year, according to the Tax Foundation, a Washington, D.C., group generally skeptical of higher taxes.
“We’ve seen a lot of states cut their income tax rates in the last four or five years, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic and coming out of it,” said Aravind Boddupalli, senior researcher at the Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center in Washington, D.C.
Supporters say cuts help a state compete for new residents and businesses, pointing to growth in Texas and Florida, two states without personal income taxes.
“Your income tax is a tax on productivity,” said Manish Bhatt, who studies state taxes for the Tax Foundation. “If you are taxing productivity, you are potentially losing out on economic gains.”
Georgia House Speaker Jon Burns (R-Newington) holds a pre-session press conference to discuss his priorities for the 2026 legislative session, at the State Capitol in Atlanta, Ga, Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026. Credit: AP/Matthew Pearson
Front-loading cuts for lower earners
Georgia has already been cutting income taxes, taking what was once a top income tax rate of 6% and lowering it to a 5.19% flat rate. Republicans broadly support a further cut for individual and corporate taxpayers to 4.99% this year, worth an estimated $800 million in foregone tax revenue.
The Senate plan would then freeze the corporate rate and focus on individual tax cuts. It proposes in 2027 to exempt the first $50,000 of income for a single person or $100,000 for a married couple, up from $12,000 and $24,000 now.
Faced with Democratic criticism about affordability, the big increase in exempt income is central to Republicans’ own arguments about how they can make money stretch farther. About 70% of Georgians reported less than $100,000 of taxable income in 2024, according to state figures.
“It is a plan that gives benefits first to hardworking families,” Tillery said.
The initial rate cut, plus the exemption proposal, would lower Georgia revenue by $3.8 billion in its 2027 budget year. Tillery says the state could pay by using surplus tax revenue and shifting back to paying for capital expenditures through borrowing instead of cash. But those moves probably wouldn’t cover the foregone revenue even in the first year, much less $13 billion more in cuts to get to zero.
Tillery said revenue should be bolstered by trimming business income and sales tax breaks, saying legislators should reduce “corporate welfare.” But lawmakers and Kemp have balked at curtailing those measures in recent years.
Some tax cuts backfired
Tax cuts haven’t always been a political bonanza. In Kansas, after Republicans under Gov. Sam Brownback cut income taxes steeply more than a decade ago, voters revolted at budget cuts and lawmakers imposed multiple tax increases to cover persistent budget shortfalls, including restoring some income tax cuts. Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly won her first term in 2018 by framing the race as a referendum on Brownback’s policies.
“State income taxes are only bad if you fundamentally don’t believe that the services, the public investments that state governments provide, are worth anything,” said Matt Gardner, a senior fellow with the left-leaning Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy .
In Missouri, Republican Gov. Mike Kehoe and GOP legislative leaders have made phasing out the state’s income tax a top priority for the session starting Wednesday. They’re looking to expand sales taxes to services which currently are untaxed to help offset lost revenue.
“We want to do this in a smart, efficient way that’s not going to have the state go off some sort of fiscal cliff,” Missouri House Majority Leader Alex Riley told The Associated Press on Tuesday.
But expanding sales taxes could fall more heavily on poorer taxpayers. The liberal-leaning Georgia Budget and Policy Institute estimated that if Georgia doesn’t expand its sales tax, the combined state and local sales tax rate would have to rise sharply from the current 7.42% to recover revenue losses.
All that leads to questions about income-tax elimination plans, even from Republicans. Burns, the Georgia House speaker, said he’s “open” to any plan that benefits Georgians.
“But we’ve got to have the details, and it has to work,” Burns said. “We need to make sure we can continue to do vital services — health care, public safety, education, all the things we talked about.”
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