Jason Esteves picks up key endorsement from Jason Carter in governor’s race

Today’s newsletter highlights:

Brandon Phillips dismissed from defamation lawsuit.
Cobb County election board members get a pay raise.
Georgia GOP delays vote on comity resolution.

Carter bump

Credit: AJC

Credit: AJC

About a decade ago, Jason Carter won the Democratic nomination for governor on a promise to expand the party’s base and end its long losing streak in Georgia. Now, the former state senator is backing another former legislator making a similar bet.

Carter endorsed Jason Esteves’ campaign for governor this morning, calling him “the strongest candidate to meet this moment and build the coalition Democrats need to win next year.”

“He’s the new generation of leadership that Georgia needs, and he still has a long record of fighting for our families,” said Carter, adding that he appreciates the Columbus-raised Esteves “knows that Georgia is more than just Atlanta.”

“From lowering healthcare and housing costs to supporting small businesses and public schools, Jason will be ready to deliver on day one.”

Carter, the grandson of the late President Jimmy Carter, was considered a potential contender for governor this cycle but decided against a run shortly after Esteves entered the race. His wife, Kate Carter, is undergoing treatment for brain cancer, and he said he’s focused on her recovery.

Like Esteves, Carter launched his gubernatorial campaign from the state Senate, winning the 2014 Democratic nomination before losing to then-Gov. Nathan Deal in a race dominated by debates over health care and school funding.

This time, Democrats are in a far different position. When Carter ran, the party was mired in defeat. Now, after statewide victories in 2020 and 2022 — and with President Donald Trump looming over next year’s ballot — the stakes are higher and the field more competitive.

Esteves, who stepped down from the Senate to focus on his campaign, faces a crowded primary that includes former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, former Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan, former DeKalb County CEO Michael Thurmond, and state Reps. Derrick Jackson, D-Tyrone, and Ruwa Romman, D-Duluth.

Carter’s endorsement adds to Esteves’ list of Democratic backers, a roster that includes several sitting legislators, City Hall officials and labor unions. Expect Esteves to feature Carter prominently on the campaign trail.

“Jason and his family’s legacy of public service is an inspiration to me and countless Georgians across our state,” Esteves said.

Things to know

Credit: TNS

Good morning! It’s day 15 of the federal government shutdown. The government was supposed to announce the annual Social Security cost-of-living adjustment today for tens of millions of beneficiaries. But it’s been delayed until next week.

Here are three things to know for today:

A South Georgia detention facility once cited for “too aggressive” gynecological care for immigrant women is once again receiving immigrant detainees — but so far only men, the AJC’s Lautaro Grinspan reports.
Some protesters say they plan to march during a “No Kings” event in Atlanta on Saturday despite the city not approving their permit, Greg Bluestein and Riley Bunch report.
NASCAR driver Ross Chastain will hold a news conference today with Agriculture Commissioner Tyler Harper to urge drivers on rural roads to stay alert for farm equipment and obey posted speed limits.

Dismissed

Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC

Mike Coan’s defamation lawsuit against Bruce Thompson’s 2022 campaign for labor commissioner is still pending after two years. But it will continue without Brandon Phillips, Thompson’s former campaign consultant who now works for U.S. Rep. Mike Collins, R-Jackson.

A judge dismissed Phillips from the lawsuit last month at the request of Coan’s attorneys, who said they were unable to serve him “despite significant effort and expense.”

Phillips did not respond to our questions about why, as an employee of a member of Congress, he would be difficult to find.

Coan sought the Republican nomination for labor commissioner in 2022. He lost to Thompson, who would go on to win the seat that fall. Thompson died in November from pancreatic cancer.

The lawsuit stems from Thompson’s campaign advertising and text messages accusing him of being involved in human trafficking. It accuses Phillips of personally approving an allegedly defamatory commercial.

Coan was deputy commissioner at the Department of Labor at the time. The ads cited a USA Today article about two department employees who were linked to a human trafficking case. The article did not mention Coan.

Since the election, Coan spent time as executive director of the State Election Board. He’s now the economic development administrator for Barrow County.

Pay raise

Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC

Cobb County Commissioners voted to give the local election board members a pay raise on Tuesday.

Going forward, board members will get $350 per month, up from $150, while the chair will get $450 per month, up from $200.

“The culture, the environment, the atmosphere of elections has changed drastically over the years,” said Michael D’Itri, acting elections director.

That’s especially true in Cobb County, where a meeting of the local board was disrupted last year when someone shouted “Heil Hitler!” Board members abruptly voted to end that meeting.

This year, the board is scheduled to meet 36 times to conduct nine elections, which D’Itri believes is the most they’ve had in a single year.

The board had asked for a larger pay raise, but the commission voted 3-2 on a more modest increase.

Commissioners JoAnn Birrell and Keli Gambrill voted against the raise. Birrell noted the county has about 50 boards and only six of them are paid.

“I’m concerned that if we do this outside of the budget we’re going to get a lot of other requests,” she said.

Commission Chair Lisa Cupid said the raise was reasonable because it is more in line with what other board members are paid.

“I don’t know if we have fully considered the sacrifice,” she said.

Playing defense

Georgia business leaders won a hard-fought victory earlier this year when they convinced the Republican-controlled Legislature to limit the size of large jury awards in some civil lawsuits.

Now, they’re gearing up to protect the law from election-year amendments when lawmakers return in January.

Georgians for Lawsuit Reform, a nonprofit led by Home Depot’s general counsel Will Barnette, revamped its website ahead the 2026 session.

Punted

Members of the Georgia GOP’s state committee faced a pair of thorny decisions this week: whether to adopt a “comity” resolution urging peace with Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and other MAGA targets, and whether to ban activist David Cross and his allies from the party.

But officials say the committee punted on both measures — at least until its next meeting in a few weeks.

Listen up

Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC

Today on “Politically Georgia” we’re breaking down how Georgia’s 2026 Senate race is taking shape amid the federal shutdown. Then, AJC City Hall reporter Riley Bunch joins the show to preview Atlanta’s municipal elections.

You can listen and subscribe to Politically Georgia for free a 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.

Remembering Charlie Kirk

Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC

Students at universities across Georgia honored Charlie Kirk on what would have been his 32nd birthday Tuesday.

The co-founder of Turning Point USA was assassinated last month while speaking on the campus of Utah Valley University.

On Tuesday, the Turning Point USA chapter at Kennesaw State University watched President Donald Trump posthumously award Kirk the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Then the group held a ceremony that included Republican state Rep. Jordan Ridley, whose district is just north of KSU, and state Sen. Ed Setzler, who represents the region.

It also included state Sens. Shawn Still, R-Johns Creek, and Brian Strickland of McDonough, a Republican candidate for attorney general. Republican Public Service Commissioner Tim Echols, who is running for reelection next month, sent a surrogate.

Each speaker emphasized Kirk’s conservative Christian values and the importance of open dialogue on college campuses. One student was arrested.

Today in Washington

President Donald Trump will participate in a news conference with FBI Director Kash Patel and later host a dinner at the White House.
The House is out this week.
The Senate will vote again on the Republican proposal to fund the government. Members will also continue working on the defense appropriations bill.

Trump score

Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC

Georgia U.S. Reps. Buddy Carter and Austin Scott break with President Donald Trump more often than any other Republicans in Georgia’s congressional delegation, according to a new analysis of members’ voting records released this week.

Carter, a Republican from St. Simons Island who is running for the U.S. Senate, and Scott, a Republican from Tifton, voted with Trump’s position roughly 75% of the time on the legislation highlighted by the Institute for Legislative Analysis.

The two members most aligned with the president — U.S. Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Rome and Andrew Clyde of Athens — voted with Trump more than 92% of the time. U.S. Rep. Mike Collins of Jackson, who is also running for Senate, was third at just over 89%.

U.S. Rep. David Scott of Atlanta was the Democrat who ranked the highest, voting with Trump about 14% of the time. Democratic U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock was the least aligned with Trump at just over 3%. U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff, who is up for reelection next year, was just over 5%.

Shoutouts

Credit: Courtesy photo

Today’s birthdays:

Macy McFall, a lawyer and lobbyist with the Robbins law firm who was once chief of staff for former Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan.
Christine Wilbanks, a 7th grade science teacher in North Georgia.

Want a birthday shoutout in the Politically Georgia newsletter? There’s a form for that. Click here to submit the shoutouts. It’s not just birthdays. We’re also interested in new jobs, engagements, birth announcements, etc.