Big money and endorsements flow as Georgia primary approaches

Georgia lawmakers are back home in their districts after adjourning for the year – barring an unscheduled special session to handle unfinished elections business.

But while the halls of the Capitol are now largely empty, that hasn’t meant a slowdown in the world of Georgia politics.

In this week’s roundup, the money and endorsements are coming in hot and heavy as lawmakers jockey for position in Georgia’s pivotal May 19 primary elections.

And there’s been new action in the battle over elections in Fulton County, where Democratic county commissioners have refused to seat two GOP nominees they call election deniers to the county election board.

GOP group pledges millions to unseat Ossoff

It’s not yet clear who the Republican nominee to challenge Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff will be – but whoever it is got a big financial boost this week.

The Senate Leadership Fund, a Super PAC that supports Republicans in the Senate, announced Monday it will spend $44 million in Georgia, part of a $342 million advertising reservation across eight battleground states.

The fund is calling it the largest investment in the group’s history, and the results of all that money could be hard for Georgians to miss this summer. The PAC says it will spend on broadcast, cable and radio ads, as well as direct mail, text messages and more, including a particular focus on online streaming platforms.

“Beginning in the summer and running through Election Day, SLF’s advertising will expose the extraordinary obstruction and failures of the Democratic Party while highlighting incredible Republican candidates and their plans to keep America safe, strong, and prosperous,” the group said in a press release.

Three men lead the pack to be Georgia’s GOP candidate: Congressmen Buddy Carter and Mike Collins and former football coach Derek Dooley. Republican voters will make their pick during the May 19 primary elections.

As the only Democratic senator up for re-election in a state won by Republican President Donald Trump in 2024, Ossoff is seen as a prime target for the GOP. The race is likely to be closely watched and expensive.

But Ossoff’s campaign isn’t taking the money race for granted.

According to Federal Election Commission data, Ossoff has raised more than any other Senate candidate in the nation, bringing in nearly $64 million since 2021, more than twice the second-place fundraiser at about $30.5 million.

Ossoff’s war chest includes more than $43 million raised in 2025 alone.

Democrats eye state House seats

While national Republicans hope they can pick off Ossoff, Democrats are hoping they can pick up some seats in the state Legislature.

The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, which supports Democratic candidates in state legislative races, released a list of 50 priority races nationwide, including three in Georgia.

In House District 48, which includes parts of Fulton and Gwinnett counties, attorney Adam Cleveland, a Democrat, is set to challenge Republican state Rep. Scott Hilton of Peachtree Corners.

Former President Joe Biden won Hilton’s district in 2020, but Hilton was re-elected in 2022 and 2024, defeating Democratic challengers by a comfortable margin. Democrats are hoping a blue wave will help push Cleveland over the top.

In House District 105 in Gwinnett County, Democratic former state Rep. Farooq Mughal is set for a rematch against Buford Republican state Rep. Sandy Donatucci, who bested him in 2024 by just 80 votes.

And in House District 145, which includes parts of Bibb and Monroe counties, Democrats are hoping to prevent a flip. In 2024, Macon state Rep. Tangie Herring won by about 1% against Republican Noah Harbuck. Republican Eric Wilson, the co-founder of an emergency medical service company, is running against her in November.

The Georgia House of Representatives currently includes 99 Republicans and 79 Democrats plus one vacant seat previously held by Democrat Dexter Sharper who pleaded guilty to unemployment fraud and one seat held by Rep. Sharon Henderson, who was suspended by executive order.

Georgia’s first Hispanic Constitutional officer endorses Jackson

Georgia Insurance Commissioner John King threw his weight behind businessman Rick Jackson for governor Thursday, framing the Republican primary as a choice between “talkers” and “doers” during a campaign stop in Banks County Thursday night.

King, a former police officer, leaned on his law enforcement and military background to vouch for Jackson’s character. He pointed to Jackson’s upbringing in Techwood Homes, a once-notorious public housing project in Atlanta. King, who became Georgia’s first Hispanic statewide official when he was appointed in 2019, compared himself to Jackson, saying that “Jackson’s story would be impossible to tell anywhere else in the world, just like my story.”

“I know what kind of neighborhood that place was — tough place to grow up,” King said to a crowd of supporters. “It’s a tough place to police, but even tougher to grow up. He tied his boots tight, and he got to work.”

In a social media post announcing his endorsement, King said that Jackson is the GOP’s “best shot at winning in November.”

Lt. Gov. Burt Jones’ gubernatorial campaign downplayed the endorsement, pointing to a long list of high-profile endorsements already in their camp.

“We do have the endorsements of President Trump, Vice President JD Vance, Commissioner Tyler Harper, Congressman Andrew Clyde, Congressman Brian Jack, Turning Point Action, the majority of sheriffs across the state and countless elected officials throughout Georgia,” Kayla Lott, a spokesperson for the Jones campaign, said in a statement.

Republican Party appeals in Fulton County BOE case

Fulton County Republicans are appealing a case about local election board appointments to the state Supreme Court, arguing that a recent Court of Appeals ruling that let the Fulton County Board of Commissioners reject nominations of two conservative election activists threatens the bipartisan nature of election administration.

The Fulton County Board of Elections is the body that oversees election administration in Georgia’s most populous county. Allowing commissioners to deny seating the two Republican appointees “not only compromises the Fulton County Election Board, but also the bipartisanship of election boards across the state,” the appeal reads.

Last May, Democrats on the board rejected two Republican Party nominees, citing concerns about both individuals’ past actions and arguing that they were not qualified for the position. The nominees were incumbent board member Julie Adams and newcomer Jason Frazier, a right-wing activist who has singlehandedly challenged the voter registrations of tens of thousands of Georgia residents.

In June, the Fulton County Republican Party filed a lawsuit in Fulton County Superior Court, claiming that commissioners do not have the power to reject nominations from political parties, and in August, a trial court ruled in their favor, declaring that the Fulton County Board of Commissioners must seat the nominees or face daily fines.

But last month, the state Court of Appeals sided with the county, overturning the trial court’s verdict and the contempt charges.

Republican party leaders vowed to keep pushing back against Fulton County.

“We will keep fighting until they are held accountable and forced to follow the law,” Republican National Committee Chair Joe Gruters and GAGOP Chair Josh McKoon said in a joint statement, “and we will not stop until Republican nominees are given the equal representation they are entitled to under Georgia law.”

A spokesperson for Fulton County declined to comment on the case, citing pending litigation.