Ups, Downs and In-betweens

Primary Challenges: Two incumbents have already drawn primary challengers for the 2026 election cycle. State Senator Emanuel Jones (D-Decatur) filed to run in the U.S. Congressional 13th District, currently represented by veteran legislator David Scott. Scott has held the Atlanta-based seat since 2003. He will turn 80 this year.

Republican U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter would face Kandiss Taylor in a primary for Georgia’s 1st District, which includes Savannah, if he decides to run for reelection. Taylor has run and lost fringe campaigns for statewide office twice and is currently chair of the district’s Republican Party. However, Carter has indicated he may run for the U.S. Senate seat currently held by Democrat Jon Ossoff, if Gov. Brian Kemp decides not to enter the race.

Attending Georgia Tech Alum Mayor Dickens at Bobby Dodd Stadium. Photo credit: contributed

Atlanta Candidates: In February, Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens confirmed his campaign for reelection to a second term and used his annual state of the city address to tout first-term accomplishments including a lower crime rate, construction of a controversial police and fire training facility and a AAA bond rating. An official kickoff rally in March featured honorary campaign co-chairs former Mayor Shirley Franklin and former State Senator Jason Carter. Dickens is so far running unopposed.

In a surprising announcement, Doug Shipman, current president of the Atlanta City Council, said he will not seek reelection because his family is facing medical challenges that require his full time and focus. Shipman, who was elected in 2021, had planned to run again but will now leave office in 2026. Following Shipman’s announcement, City Council member Marci Collier Overstreet filed paperwork to run for the position.

Maternal Health Mystery: After Georgia Health Commissioner Dr. Kathleen Toomey dismissed the entire membership of the Maternal Health Mortality Committee last fall, the committee has been reinstituted – but now the Department of Public Health is refusing to say who is on the new roster.

Toomey disbanded the committee, charged with investigating pregnancy-related deaths, in November. This followed reporting by ProPublica about the deaths of two women after doctors were reluctant to perform lifesaving procedures due to the state’s strict anti-abortion law; the articles cited internal committee reports that called the deaths “preventable.” In her dismissal letter, Toomey said whoever leaked the reports violated state law. Georgia routinely ranks near the bottom in
maternal health.

Investigations: A number of investigations made headlines during the legislative session. The State Ethics Commission is investigating one Republican and three Democratic state senators for allegedly failing to file proper campaign reports. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported the investigations after obtaining the complaints against Sen. Derek Mallow (D-Savannah), Sen. Freddie Powell Sims (D-Dawson), Sen. Kenya Wicks (D-Fayette) and Sen. Colton Moore (R-Trenton). Failing to file reports on time and as required can result in fines of up to $1,000 for the first offense, $10,000 for the second offense and $25,000 for the third offense, according to the AJC.

A resolution filed in the state senate would allow the Senate Special Committee on Investigations, which has been investigating Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, to expand its purview to include former gubernatorial candidate and voting rights activist Stacey Abrams. Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, who is expected to seek the Republican nomination for governor, called for the legislation after recent findings that a nonprofit founded by Abrams called the New Georgia Project and its fundraising arm, the New Georgia Project Action Fund, broke the law by not disclosing millions in contributions and spending related to her campaign in 2018. Democrats say the proposed investigation is politically motivated.