Ahead of 2026 session, Jon Burns insists beef with Burt Jones is in the past

When Lt. Gov. Burt Jones abruptly gaveled last year’s session to a close hours earlier than expected, it wasn’t just legislative business that got shut down. Tempers flared, too. House Speaker Jon Burns was hopping mad, and plenty of lawmakers felt snubbed by the Senate’s surprise mic drop.

Now, as a new session looms and Jones cranks up his bid for governor, Burns says the blowup is ancient history. We asked him directly: any lingering hard feelings about last year’s finish?

“Of course not,” he said with the slightest of grins.

Really? After the meltdown end to 2025?

“We have a lot of good friends in Senate,” he said, as a few aides shot furtive glances at each other.

“We’re here to do a job, and we’re going to do that job, and certainly that means we work with the Senate,” Burns continued. “We’re going to work with them in every sense of the word, and embrace them to make sure we get a good policy passed for the people of Georgia. That’s our job.”

Translation: this isn’t a warm-and-fuzzy peace treaty. Call it a polite détente between Republicans. Burns may be smiling now, but the question hovering over the Gold Dome is how long the kumbaya will last, especially with big-ticket election-year fights ahead on taxes, spending and even a high school cellphone ban.

Will this bonhomie last through the end of the session? Will it even survive the first week? Your guess is as good as ours. But ask any Gold Dome veteran, and they’ll agree: House–Senate relationships are never easy to predict.

Things to know

Credit: Jason Getz/AJC

Credit: Jason Getz/AJC

Good morning! Georgia’s legislative session starts in four days. The primary for U.S. Senate, governor and other races is in 131 days.

Here are four other things to know for today:

Ground game

Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC

Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC

Gov. Brian Kemp’s early endorsement of Derek Dooley’s U.S. Senate campaign appeared to give the former football coach an early advantage among Republican candidates by ensuring access to the governor’s vast political network. But so far, it appears U.S. Rep. Mike Collins’ campaign is the one with the edge on the ground.

Collins was the first campaign to announce it had organized in all 159 of Georgia’s counties, something he says no other campaign has yet matched. This week, the campaign said it had doubled the number of its “Convoy Captains” — the moniker the campaign uses to refer to its volunteer infrastructure.

In a news release, the Collins camp said it modeled its volunteer network in part on “Governor Kemp’s county-level organization.” They say these volunteers are essential to “turning out low-propensity voters who are vital to midterm elections.

“You win in Georgia by starting early and working hard,” said Josh Siegel, Collins’ campaign manager.

Public polling also suggests Collins has an advantage in the GOP primary, although there are still plenty of undecided voters available to turn the race. When we asked the Dooley campaign for a response to Collins’ volunteer network, a campaign spokesperson pointed out Collins is the only candidate facing an ethics review in Congress.

“Wonder if the Congressman’s grassroots supporters are aware that his office misused taxpayer funds to pay his top aide’s girlfriend for a no-show job,” a campaign spokesperson said.

A Collins spokesperson has called the allegations “bogus,” saying the congressman “looks forward to providing the House Ethics Committee all factual information and putting these meritless allegations to rest.”

Georgia 2026

Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC

Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC

Fulton County Commissioner Dana Barrett is announcing her campaign for secretary of state later this morning, joining a growing field of candidates seeking to become the state’s top elections official.

The former talk radio host was galvanized by President Donald Trump’s first term to seek office as a Democrat. Now she’s joining former TV judge Penny Brown Reynolds as one of the party’s top contenders in the nationally watched race.

We spoke with Barrett ahead of her announcement. Here are some highlights, lightly edited for space and clarity.

On why she’s running:

“It’s very clear right now, with the DOJ (Department of Justice) coming after our data and trying to relitigate the 2020 election, that they are all eyes on Georgia. And we need to have somebody in the secretary of state’s job who is going to fight.”

On how will she win in November:

“I’m the only person running on the Democrat side who has won an election and who beat a longtime Republican incumbent in a district that was gerrymandered for him. … I know how to run against a Republican.”

On legislative priorities:

“A lot of the rules that were added under Senate Bill 202 need to be reversed, looked at, analyzed, fixed. We should want more people to be engaged in the vote, not less. And so there are things I think we can do, working with the Legislature to try to change the rules … so that every voter not only has the right to vote, but also that it’s easy to vote.”

Preemptive strike

Credit: Courtesy photo

Credit: Courtesy photo

We still don’t know how House Speaker Jon Burns would eliminate property taxes for primary residences. But the Newington Republican is already publicizing the idea with a series of campaign ads aimed at bolstering Republican members ahead of what could be a tough election year for the GOP.

Georgia’s Future, an outside political group affiliated with Burns, is launching digital ads today backing every member of the House Republican caucus.

“State Rep. Sandy Donatucci is fighting to eliminate the homestead property tax,” one ad reads, followed by a question: “Do you support lower property taxes?”

Property taxes make up the bulk of funding for local government services, including public schools. The AJC’s Michelle Baruchman and David Wickert report Burns’ plan wouldn’t apply to commercial or rental properties.

Playing nice

Credit: David Wickert/AJC

Credit: David Wickert/AJC

We know Lt. Gov. Burt Jones is making eliminating Georgia’s income tax a key part of his campaign for governor. A more complex question is which of the Republican state senators running to replace Jones will get credit for the plan.

On Wednesday, it was state Sen. Blake Tillery, R-Vidalia, who got most of the spotlight during a special committee hearing where lawmakers signed off on a proposal that will soon find its way into legislation.

Tillery, chair of the Senate’s powerful Appropriations Committee, launched his candidacy for lieutenant governor in August. Jones tapped him as chair of the special committee to study the state’s income tax, giving him a position of prominence in the plan’s development.

Also on the committee are two of Tillery’s Republican rivals for the nomination: state Sens. Greg Dolezal, R-Cumming, and Steve Gooch, R-Dahlonega. Both of them praised Tillery for his leadership in their remarks during Wednesday’s hearing.

“I would like to commend you and the committee for your work on this. This is a phenomenal plan,” Dolezal said.

Dolezal, of course, had his own time in the spotlight last month when he led the questioning of Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis over her now dismissed election interference case against President Donald Trump and others.

Campaign season

Credit: AJC file photos

Credit: AJC file photos

Seven Democratic candidates for governor will crowd a stage tonight at Jonesville Baptist Church in Savannah for the first televised forum of 2026.

Savannah TV station WJCL will air the forum live at 7 p.m. and stream it on its website.

One of the contenders, former state Sen. Jason Esteves, announced several endorsements from Savannah-area elected officials ahead of the forum. State Sen. Derek Mallow and state Rep. Anne Allen Westbrook are backing Esteves, as are a trio of county and municipal politicos.

The front-runner, former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, is meeting with Port of Savannah dockworkers while in town for the forum.

Bottoms will tour the port facility alongside leaders of the International Longshoremen’s Association Local 1414, a 1,600-member union that handles cargo at the Georgia Ports Authority’s Savanah terminals.

Listen up

Credit: Kenny Holston/The New York Times

Credit: Kenny Holston/The New York Times

Today on the “Politically Georgia” podcast we break down the political aftershocks from the fifth anniversary of the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. Then, we discuss the ethics complaint against U.S. Rep. Mike Collins and his former top aide, as well as the looming government funding deadline.

You can listen and subscribe to Politically Georgia for free an Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.

Have a question or comment for the show? Email us at politicallygeorgia@ajc.com or give us a call at 770-810-5297 and you could be featured on a future episode.

Free agent MTG

Credit: ABC

Credit: ABC

Former U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene told the hosts of ABC’s “The View” that she has thought about leaving the Republican Party, although she hasn’t made a decision.

“I haven’t said if I’m leaving the Republican Party, but my focus is, America First,” Green said on Wednesday.

Host Sara Haines urged Greene to join her as an independent, saying it requires candidates from both parties to work to earn her vote.

“I agree with you,” Greene responded.

The interview comes just two days after Greene officially stepped down from the House. She faced questions ranging from her past statements about Jan. 6, 2021, to whether she would consider returning to office if President Donald Trump came begging.

“Absolutely not,” she said. “The way he treated me: no.”

Today in Washington

Cotton industry

Credit: Abbey Cutrer/AJC

Credit: Abbey Cutrer/AJC

U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff is the first Democrat to co-sponsor a bill to create a new tax break for retailers that purchase products made with U.S. cotton. Ossoff said the bill, if it becomes law, could help Georgia cotton farmers.

“Georgia’s cotton growers are essential to our state’s economy,” Ossoff said in a statement. “This bipartisan legislation will help bolster Georgia cotton production and give our growers a competitive edge over global competitors.”

The Georgia Cotton Commission and the National Cotton Council, trade organizations that represent the industry, both support the legislation.

Shoutouts

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Before you go

Credit: TNS

Credit: TNS

Save the date: U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson has invited President Donald Trump to deliver this year’s State of the Union address on Feb. 24.

That’ll do it for us today. As always, you can send your best scoops, gossip and insider info to greg.bluestein@ajc.com, tia.mitchell@ajc.com, patricia.murphy@ajc.com and adam.beam@ajc.com.