Kandiss Taylor’s congressional bid shakes up Georgia’s 2026 GOP midterms

An ultraconservative Republican who waged a failed campaign for Georgia governor with the slogan “Jesus, guns and babies” is running for a U.S. House seat with a pledge to support Elon Musk’s cost-cutting initiative known as the Department of Government Efficiency.

Kandiss Taylor announced her campaign to run for U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter’s Savannah-based district on Monday, shortly after she said she wouldn’t seek another term as 1st District GOP chair.

Her decision raises the stakes for Carter — who is pondering a U.S. Senate bid — and any other more mainstream Republican who might seek the seat if the six-term lawmaker steps aside.

Though long expected in GOP circles, Taylor’s move raised fresh concerns among Republicans who fear she could be a disruptive, extremist force in a 2026 race that could hinge on independent and swing voters.

She used her losing campaign in 2022 to promote false conspiracy theories that state GOP leaders were secret Communists, Democrats were satanic pedophiles and Trump won the 2020 election.

Credit: Evan Vucci/AP

Credit: Evan Vucci/AP

She refused to concede her defeat despite capturing 3% of the vote, and promised to demolish a granite monument in northeast Georgia that was later partly destroyed by an explosive. (Taylor thanked God for “striking down” the attraction.)

More recently, she was condemned by fellow Republicans after a report by the Media Matters watchdog group found that she complained that Jewish people are “controlling everything” and alleged that unnamed politicians “pander to the Jews.”

(Taylor initially denied that she made the statements despite video evidence. She later said she regrets not making it “explicitly clear that I do not buy into antisemitic conspiracy theories.”)

Taylor told us she’s running “to blow up and dismantle a system that has put God last, and failed the American people for decades.”

“America has watched as Elon Musk’s DOGE came to DC and exposed massive amounts of corruption and fraud,” she said.

“The old guard has failed us, and it’s time for a younger and more passionate generation of Americans to come to DC bringing a fresh perspective and approach to replace that old, failed system.”

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Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC

Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC

GOOD MORNING! It’s Georgia Aerospace Day at the state Capitol. Industry leaders will be on hand today to talk to lawmakers about Georgia’s No. 1 export.

Here are four things to know for today:

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Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC

Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC

BE PREPARED. Blue states, like California, have been rushing to “Trump proof” their laws and policies since the November election. But a bill moving through the Georgia Legislature shows how even red states are adjusting to President Donald Trump’s second term.

A bill by state Sen. Bo Hatchett, R-Cornelia, would update Georgia law in case Trump follows through with his threat to abolish the U.S. Department of Education.

Hatchett said state law refers to the department more than 25 times. For example, to be a certified police officer, candidates must attend a school accredited by the Department of Education.

“If there is no Department of Education, the school is not accredited and peace officers can’t get their license,” Hatchett said.

The bill would add the words “or its successor” every time state law mentions the Department of Education. It also would update the eligibility requirements for a popular tuition waiver program for foster and adopted children.

While Trump has called the Department of Education “a con job,” he needs congressional approval to abolish it.

The bill cleared the Senate Education and Youth Committee last week with a bipartisan vote, although some Democrats bemoaned the need to prepare for Trump’s plan. But don’t confuse this bill as a Republican condemnation of Trump or his agenda.

“I support the president, I support his agenda, I supported him throughout the campaign,” Hatchett said. “If he chooses to do this, we’re going to be ready.”

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Credit: Natrice Miller/AJC

Credit: Natrice Miller/AJC

STRATEGIC CUTS. When it comes to government budgets, sometimes you have to cut money to spend money.

That’s what’s happening as Georgia’s amended 2025 budget is winding its way through the Legislature. The state Senate is scheduled to vote on its version today, and it includes an additional $125 million to help people clean up from Hurricane Helene and other storms that hit Georgia last year.

Where did that money come from? Mostly from cuts to other programs. Much of these cuts are technical in nature, like when lawmakers cut $2 million from an ambulance program that was funded but did not pass the Legislature last year.

But other cuts are more substantial. Gov. Brian Kemp’s budget included $93 million to build four, 126-bed correctional facilities to temporarily house inmates while construction crews work to fix problems at existing prisons. The Senate’s budget includes money for three facilities, saving about $23 million.

“We decided those dollars would be better spent on infrastructure and storm relief,” said Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Blake Tillery, R-Vidalia.

The Senate doesn’t have the final say. Senators will work with their counterparts in the House to come up with a compromise, which must be approved by the governor.

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Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC

Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC

MARTA PRAISE. Georgia House lawmakers gave MARTA General Manager and CEO Collie Greenwood a pat on the back this month, adopting a resolution congratulating his leadership of the transit agency, the AJC’s Sara Gregory reports.

The resolution applauds Greenwood for leading MARTA through the “largest expansion and modernization initiative since its founding over 40 years ago.”

It’s another accolade for Greenwood, who was awarded a five-figure bonus by the agency’s board of directors at the end of last year after MARTA earned the American Public Transportation Association’s “Outstanding Public Transportation System” award. An overjoyed Greenwood took the inaugural ride on MARTA’s new train cars last month.

Still, it’s not all rosy for the transit provider. MARTA has struggled more than almost every other major transit agency in the country to recover bus and train ridership that fell during the pandemic. Many capital projects have been slow to progress and there are renewed concerns about safety after the fatal shooting of a bus driver in January following a fare dispute.

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Credit: Adam Beam/AJC

Credit: Adam Beam/AJC

UNDER THE GOLD DOME. It’s the 23rd day of the legislative session. Some happenings:

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REAL HOUSEWIFE. It’s possible the only thing more dramatic than Washington today is the upcoming season of the “Real Housewives of Atlanta.” U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., can compare notes tonight with longtime Atlanta cast member Phaedra Parks when the two meet up for a conversation on Instagram Live.

It’s Warnock’s first-ever Instagram Live, and he’s definitely starting off with a bang. The senator’s office said that he and Parks, an Atlanta attorney, will have a conversation around Black History Month.

You can watch tonight at 7:30 on their respective pages, @senatorwarnock and @phaedraparks.

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Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC

Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC

LISTEN UP. Today on “Politically Georgia,” the AJC’s Riley Bunch will discuss Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens’ State of the City address. And Democratic lobbyist Howard Franklin talks about why he’s opening an office in Washington.

This is our last week broadcasting on 90.1 FM WABE. But the show will continue as a podcast available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or other platforms. Have a question for the show? Give us a call at 770-810-5297. Episodes are uploaded by noon each day, just in time to have lunch with us.

On Tuesday’s show, state Sen. Josh McLaurin, D-Sandy Springs, and state Rep. Ruwa Romman, D-Duluth, talked about the new communications strategy for Georgia Democrats.

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Credit: J. Scott Applewhite/AP

Credit: J. Scott Applewhite/AP

TRUMP’S AGENDA. The U.S. House of Representatives voted Tuesday to start working on the package that will become the reconciliation bill that helps lawmakers carry out President Donald Trump’s priorities such as tax cuts, more defense spending and new border security resources.

But it didn’t happen without a bit of drama. Initially, with a handful of Republican lawmakers indicating they would not support the bill, it was pulled from the agenda and members were sent home for the night. But just 10 minutes later, there was a hasty call for lawmakers to return to the floor for a vote.

In the end, every Republican but one — Kentucky’s Thomas Massie — supported the proposal while Democrats remained unified in opposition. Georgia’s delegation split strictly along party lines with all nine Republicans in favor and all five Democrats opposed.

Now the question is whether Senate Republicans can support this proposal, which also requires at least $1.5 trillion in cuts to federal spending. Democrats say the bill could lead to massive reductions in safety net programs such as Medicaid and food stamps.

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Credit: AP

Credit: AP

TODAY IN WASHINGTON:

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AS ALWAYS, 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.