Jason Esteves floats $1 billion fund to help small businesses

Published On: August 15, 2025

In the last campaign for Georgia s top job,Gov. Brian Kemp s Republican rivalturned the mega tax breaks used to land Hyundai and other headline-grabbing economic development projectsinto an attack line.

It is now making a comeback in a different gubernatorial contest. Democratic state senator Jason Estevessaid Wednesday that he would maintain large incentive packages to entice large projects, which can occasionally exceed $1 billion, during trips in his hometown of Columbus.

However, the candidate for governor also suggested setting up a different $1 billion fund for low-interest loans intended to support small companies. According to him, it might contribute to the creation of 30,000–50,000 employment annually.

In addition to bringing in new companies, we should encourage our small company owners who are taking chances by investing in rural counties and small towns throughout the state, he said.

Arvin Temkar/AJC is credited.

Both parties are paying more and more attention to the rich taxpayer-funded benefits that are used to attract large corporations.

The $1.5 billion state and municipal incentive package linked to the $5 billion proposed Rivian facility in his northeast Georgia district has drawn criticism from conservatives, including Republican U.S. Senate candidate Mike Collins.

Democrats also caution that the GOP-sponsored tax and spending bill that eliminates federal green energy incentives may undermine state subsidies that are needed to secure significant projects for the production of batteries and electric vehicles.

In response, proponents argue that these expensive incentives are necessary to land high-tech, high-paying enterprises in a highly competitive market.

Things to know

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Good morning! The candidate qualifying process for the municipal elections in November will begin in just four days.

Three more things to be aware of today are as follows:

Atlanta Beltline officials unveiled a $3.5 billion plan that details a near complete route and price tag for transit along the popular 22-mile loop of parks and trails, the

AJC s Sara Gregory reports

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Ashwin Ramaswami, a Democrat who lost to Republican state Sen. Shawn Still last year, has sued Still and a political consulting firm for defamation, the

AJC s Michelle Baruchman reports

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A federal appeals court questioned whether providing food and water to voters waiting in line is a form of free speech protected by the First Amendment, the

AJC s Mark Niesse reports

.

Shots fired

Thanks to AJC for the courtesy photo.

U.S. Rep. Mike Collins, R-Jackson, made some of his most scathing remarks about his Republican Senate opponents at a Muscogee County GOP meeting this week, positioning himself as the only contender prepared to challenge Democratic incumbent Jon Ossoff.

About Rep. Buddy Carter, a Republican from St. Simons Island:

Great guy, like him a lot. He s a friend. Folks, you spend $3 million on ads, and you don t move the needle, and you re still running percentage points way behind me and I m not in the race. That doesn t mean you re a bad person. Means you just didn t fit.

Regarding Derek Dooley, the former football coach:

I don t know about y all, but I don t know this guy. Matter of fact, I can t even tell where he voted until 2024. The guy s had 12 jobs in 10 locations and been gone from here for 25 years. We need somebody that is proven sitting in that seat . We don t need to go with a

childhood friend

and an experiment for something that is that important.

Carter refrained from commenting on the ribbing right away. However, Dooley retorted:

It s not surprising that typical politicians like Congressman Collins start panicking when their dream of another political promotion is in danger. I get it. My focus is on earning the support of the people of Georgia, beating Jon Ossoff, and then bringing some commonsense leadership to the Senate.

Graduation deadline

Carlos Osorio/AP is credited.

High school graduation rates are higher than ever before. Don’t grow accustomed to it.

After this year, it is predicted that the overall number of high school graduates would plummet, falling 13% by 2041. According to a Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education investigation, that is the case.

The explanation is straightforward: fewer individuals are becoming parents. During the Great Recession in 2008, birth rates began to fall. The children of that era are now getting ready for college.

The drop-off has significant ramifications for colleges and universities looking to increase enrollment, in addition to making many of us feel outdated. This week, Sonny Perdue, the chancellor of the University System of Georgia, recognized it.

He said, “We have to go fishing somewhere else.”

By claiming that at least 1.4 million Georgians have not completed their degrees, he hopes to persuade colleges to concentrate on adult learners.

He said to get them back in the door and let’s graduate them in that area. That’s what we intend to accomplish.

English learners

Credit: AJC/Adam Beam

His parents spoke English fairly well when state representative Marvin Lim moved to the United States from the Philippines when he was seven years old. However, Lim claimed that in order to advance through the state’s English-only educational system, he had to acquire English in public schools.

In order to provide school districts more money to pay teachers who are trained to teach English as a second language, Lim now wants to alter the state’s system for funding education.

According to Lim, a Democrat from Norcross, those who are becoming certified are just not choosing to teach it because they aren’t necessarily earning more money. We aren’t rewarding those educators for their time and knowledge.

In order to modernize the state’s 40-year-old school finance model, state Representative Karen Lupton, a Democrat from Chamblee, submitted House Bill 796 last year, which includes Lim’s plan. Whitney Houston’s rendition of the popular song “Greatest Love of All,” which opens with the words, “I believe the children are our future,” is the same age as the formula, according to Lupton.

She stated during a news conference at the Capitol on Wednesday that even what we may refer to as a fully financed formula is a 40-year-old formula that is not fulfilling the needs of our contemporary classrooms.

Collins captains

Hyosub Shin/AJC is credited.

Mike Collins U.S. Senate campaign says it now has astatewide networkwith grassroots organizers deployed in all of Georgia s 159 counties.

Building such a network can take months or even over a year for some initiatives. Collins impressed even his opponents’ supporters by doing this just two weeks after declaring his intention to run for the Senate.

Collins now acknowledges his trucking background by stating that he has 413 convoy commanders around the state.

For comparison, comparable lists have not yet been released by other Republicans vying for higher office.

Collins’ comparison of his campaign organization to that of Governor Brian Kemp, who is supporting former football coach Derek Dooley’s quest for the U.S. Senate, is also interesting.

The Republican governor had 253 county leaders throughout the state when he started his reelection campaign in 2022, according to a news release from Collins’ team.

Meanwhile, Dooley is beginning to establish his own grassroots organization. Since starting the run, he has had numerous meetings and fundraisers, including visits to Waycross, Statesboro, Cherry Log, Cook County, Dublin, Macon, Metter, and Augusta.

Listen up

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Michael Thurmond, the former CEO of DeKalb County, discusses his campaign for Georgia governor today on the Politically Georgia podcast. The veteran Democrat considers his strategy for overcoming political differences, the lessons learned from previous elections, and the pressing concerns he believes Georgia needs to address, such as Medicaid expansion and rural economic recovery.

Politically Georgia is available for free listening and subscription on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or any other podcast app.

Do you have a remark or question for the show? You might be included on a future episode if you contact us by phone at 770-810-5297 or by email at [email protected].

Town Hall

Natrice Miller/AJC is credited.

Tonight, Atlanta City Council member Andrea Boone and U.S. Representative Nikema Williams will hold a town hall meeting centered on President Donald Trump’s tax and spending legislation, dubbed the “big, beautiful bill.”

At 6 p.m., hundreds of people are anticipated to swarm Jackson Memorial Baptist Church in west Atlanta.

According to Boonehave and Atlanta Democrat Williams, the event will discuss how the law will affect you, Medicaid cuts, and wealthy tax perks.

“We believe people have a right to be heard and a right to address their elected leaders in person whenever possible,” Boone stated in a news release, despite the fact that many elected figures are avoiding town halls.

Trump today

After receiving an intelligence briefing, President Donald Trump will mark the 90th anniversary of the Social Security Act by giving a speech at the White House.

Shoutouts

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Before you go

Alex Brandon/AP is credited.

President Donald Trump announced his first batch ofKennedy Center Honors nominees, including the rock band Kiss, actor Sylvester Stallone and country singer George Strait.

That ll do it for us today. As always, you can send your best scoops, gossip and insider info [email protected],[email protected],[email protected]@ajc.com.