Abortion rights advocates bet big on Georgia Democrats

Abortion rights advocates are opening another front in Georgia’s statewide races.

Reproductive Freedom for All, the group formerly known as NARAL Pro-Choice America, said today it plans to tap its largest-ever midterm electoral program to boost Democrats in several marquee contests.

The Georgia effort is part of a $23.5 million national campaign backing Democratic nominees Keisha Lance Bottoms for governor, Josh McLaurin for lieutenant governor, Tanya Miller for attorney general and Penny Brown Reynolds for secretary of state.

The organization hasn’t said how much it will spend in Georgia, but the broader effort is aimed at mobilizing independents, disillusioned Republicans and split-ticket voters who support abortion rights.

Expect much of the Georgia messaging to focus on the anti-abortion law Gov. Brian Kemp signed in 2019. It bans most abortions once fetal cardiac activity can be detected, typically around six weeks of pregnancy. Republican nominee Rick Jackson has said he supports the law.

The strategy has had mixed results. A pledge to expand abortion rights didn’t lift Stacey Abrams and most other Georgia Democrats to victory in 2022, nor did the issue prove decisive for Kamala Harris in 2024.

Still, Democrats and their allies haven’t let up. The Democratic National Committee released a minidocumentary in June highlighting Georgians affected by the law.

And Shanette Williams, the mother of Amber Nicole Thurman, has become an increasingly visible advocate and endorsed U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff.

Things to know

Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC

Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC

Good morning! The midterms are in 84 days. You have 55 days left to make sure you’re registered to vote. Here are three things to know for today:

Senate watch

Credit: AP Photo/Meg Kinnard

Credit: AP Photo/Meg Kinnard

Voters in South Carolina will head to the polls Tuesday to replace the late Republican U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham on the November ballot.

Ten Republicans are on the ballot. The biggest names include former Gov. Mark Sanford, whose fabled hike on the Appalachian Trail in 2009 was a cover story for an extramarital affair. Darline Graham, Lindsey Graham’s sister, is also running after Republican Gov. Henry McMaster appointed her to fulfill the remainder of her brother’s term.

Darline Graham has the coveted Trump endorsement.

Here in Georgia, Republican U.S. Senate nominee Mike Collins will likely be watching the results closely. National Republicans had not planned on spending much money to defend Graham’s seat. But that could change, meaning there could be less available to help Collins against Ossoff.

Still, a Republican win in South Carolina seems likely. Lindsey Graham won reelection in 2020 by 54% of the vote. Trump won South Carolina with 58% of the vote in 2024.

Fresh ammunition

Credit: (Arvin Temkar and Jason Getz/AJC)

Credit: (Arvin Temkar and Jason Getz/AJC)

Jackson has spent weeks attacking Bottoms over ethics issues from her time as Atlanta mayor. Now, her campaign has handed Republicans another way to highlight those concerns.

Bottoms missed a Friday night deadline to file one of her latest campaign finance disclosures. State records show the report was filed Saturday. Her campaign blamed a technical problem.

Jackson’s team was quick to blast the Democrat, saying she failed one of the “most basic tasks” of a candidate.

“She abused Atlanta taxpayer dollars as mayor, and she can’t manage her own campaign finances,” Jackson spokesperson Garrison Douglas said. “How can Georgians trust her to manage their hard-earned dollars?”

The jab fits neatly into Jackson’s broader strategy. His campaign is airing statewide ads highlighting controversies involving taxpayer-funded travel during Bottoms’ tenure at City Hall, along with campaign finance violations from her 2017 mayoral bid.

That case ended in 2021 with Bottoms’ campaign agreeing to a $37,000 state ethics fine. State ethics officials said some of the violations were “purely procedural.”

The latest lapse is different in scale. But in a campaign where Jackson is already trying to make ethics an issue, don’t be surprised to see a complaint be filed soon.

Collins in Augusta

Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC

Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC

Collins’ rally in Augusta on Monday night was covered live on C-SPAN, providing some nationwide attention to his campaign to unseat Ossoff.

Conservative influencer C.J. Pearson, an Augusta native, was among the warmup speakers. He told the crowd that Collins was the best candidate to reflect their interests in Washington.

“We deserve a senator in Mike Collins who understands that we have the Georgia values of putting America first, and putting Georgians first, but also there’s a guy who knows how to work across the aisle to get things done,” Pearson said.

U.S. Rep. Rick Allen, R-Augusta, welcomed Collins to his district before the candidate delivered a brief stump speech. During his remarks, Collins painted Ossoff as out-of-touch with voters.

“This guy’s a trust-fund kid. He’s never had a real job in his life,” he said.

Listen up

Credit: Ben Gray for the Atlanta Journal

Credit: Ben Gray for the Atlanta Journal

Today on the “Politically Georgia” podcast, state Rep. Ruwa Romman joins the show to talk about Abdul El-Sayed’s victory in the Michigan’s Democratic Senate primary and what it means for Georgia Democrats.

You can listen and subscribe to “Politically Georgia” for free on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube 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.

Ossoff the bipartisan

Credit: Sarah Peacock

Credit: Sarah Peacock

Ossoff has teamed up with Alabama Republican U.S. Sen. Katie Britt on his latest endeavor to address the rise in colorectal cancer rates in young people.

Their bill would provide funding for states to increase screenings and overall awareness. Colorectal cancer cases in Georgians under 50 averaged around 7 per 100,000 people in 2000 but increased to 11.2 in 2022, according to the National Cancer Institute.

Ossoff, who said he became passionate on the issue after hearing stories from constituents who lost loved ones, plans to announce the bill later today. His team is also highlighting the partnership with Britt as he seeks another term in office. Britt said in the news release that she is proud to introduce this measure alongside Ossoff.

“We know that this especially aggressive cancer is affecting younger Americans now more than ever,” she said. “We must give states and healthcare providers the resources they need to better inform and treat the public, which is why I’m proud to introduce this legislation with Senator Ossoff.”

Today in Washington

Election warning

Credit: JOHN SPINK / AJC

Credit: JOHN SPINK / AJC

Dozens of election officials from across the country say the Trump administration’s demand for personal information from thousands of 2020 Fulton County election workers may come with a cost.

The statement, signed by 58 officials from across 23 states, including Georgia, cast the demand as a tool to intimidate election workers and undermine confidence in elections.

“Exposing sensitive personal information about election workers and volunteers makes it harder to recruit and retain the workforce that our democracy depends on and that the American public deserves,” the statement read.

In July, a federal district court judge in Atlanta quashed a grand jury subpoena from the U.S. Department of Justice seeking the names, duties, home addresses, email addresses and personal phone numbers of people involved in the 2020 election in Georgia’s most populous county, long a focus of Trump’s false claims of widespread fraud.

But the Justice Department appealed the ruling to the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals last week, keeping the fight alive less than 100 days before November.

Shoutouts

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Before you go

Credit: Jason Getz/AJC

Credit: Jason Getz/AJC

Georgia’s net tax collections for July, the first month of the fiscal year, were up 3.1% compared to last year. Individual income tax collections were down 2.1% while sales and use tax revenue increased 10.1%.

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