GOP lawmakers risk Brian Kemp’s ire by supporting Mike Collins for Senate

Published On: August 21, 2025

The people who turned out to support U.S. Representative Mike Collins at his official Senate campaign launch last night were almost as significant as his remarks.

At least a dozen Republican state legislators, including state senators Greg Dolezal and Sam Watson as well as state representatives Carl Washburn, Robert Dickey, and Clint Crowe, were among the attendees in Collins’ hometown of Jackson.

Russ Goodman, chair of the Senate Agriculture Committee, energized the crowd by referring to Collins as a farmer’s advocate. Additionally, Democratic incumbent U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff was targeted by state Representative Rey Martinez.

When Bruce LeVell, the former leader of President Donald Trump’s diversity coalition, called on former football coach Derek Dooley to withdraw from the race, he was met with thunderous applause. He then told us that he believes Trump will support Collins in the near future.

Greg Bluestein/AJC is credited.

Those lawmakers were aware of the danger of showing up. They might end up on Gov. Brian Kemp’s bad side if they align themselves with Collins. The governor has thrown all of his political might behind Dooley, rallying supporters and funders to support the coach’s campaign.

Collins’ rally served as an early litmus test in a contentious GOP campaign because of this. Notably, he refrained from attacking Dooley directly in order to appeal to Trump and grassroots voters.

Lt. Gov. Burt Jones also made a brief appearance. He emphasized that he was not endorsing and that he would also go to Dooley and U.S. Representative Buddy Carter rallies.

However, this was Jones’ home field; he lives ten minutes away from the location and would host his own gubernatorial kickoff rally the following week.

Things to know

Good morning!U.S. Representatives Austin Scott, Mike Collins, Buddy Carter, and Sanford Bishop are all set to attend the Georgia Chamber’s Congressional Luncheon in Columbus today, along with U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff. Next year, Ossoff, Carter, and Collins will all be vying for the U.S. Senate.They will not be on the stage simultaneously.

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

The University of Georgia and Georgia Southern University have removed LGBTQ language from their nondiscrimination policies, the

AJC s Jason Armesto reports

.
In Georgia s Democratic race for governor, state Sen. Jason Esteves and the rest of the field are testing divergent strategies for talking about President Donald Trump,

Greg Bluestein writes

.
Thomas Worthy says he will step down from the MARTA board to run for a seat on the Atlanta City Council, the

AJC s Sara Gregory reports

.

About that decline

Jason Getz/AJC is credited.

Last week, we informed you that the University System of Georgia was getting ready for a significant drop in high school graduates over the following 16 years. However, it appears like Georgia may not need to worry about that as much.

According to the Southern Regional Education Board, Georgia’s high school graduation rate will only drop by 1% by 2041, providing its colleges and universities with a far more consistent student supply than many other states. This might keep students enrolled and reduce the likelihood of sudden tuition hikes.

Southern Regional Education Board senior analyst MJ Kim told lawmakers this week that our region needs to approach affordable college access differently than much of the nation. The issue of affordability in Georgia is not one of reducing demand, but rather of making sure that kids are ready for college and that financial constraints do not become a significant obstacle.

It’s possible that other regions of the nation are in worse condition. High school graduation rates are expected to drop by 20% in the West, 16% in the Midwest, and 17% in the Northeast, according to Kim. However, it is anticipated that the number of high school graduates will rise by 3% in the 16 states that comprise the Southern Regional Education Board.

Dealer tags

Credit: AJC/Adam Beam

Businesses in Marietta that don’t require a lot of space can find space in a tiny, two-story office building. At least 148 used car dealers currently call it home.

Ric Barber, a sergeant with the Chamblee Police Department who runs a consulting business that instructs officers on how to look into auto thefts, stated that there is no way all of those sellers are present.

Barber cited the site as proof of pervasive fraud in Georgia’s temporary operating permit system for dealers. A group of state lawmakers researching the matter were taken aback by his presentation on Tuesday.

State Representative Alan Powell, a Republican from Hartwell, stated, “I’m more concerned today than I was before I walked in here.”

There are over 7,000 used car dealers in Georgia. Approximately 2,500 of them are conventional dealers that sell to clients while keeping cars on hand. The others are brokers or dealers of office suites.

Dealers who sell fewer than 500 used cars annually must have an office space of at least 250 square feet, according to a new legislation that went into effect in January. It will be enforced by a state body under the secretary of state’s office. However, the board shares its 14 available inspectors with the 40 licensing boards in the state.

Regarding the new rules, state Representative John Corbett, a Republican from Lake Park, stated, “I don’t think they go far enough.” To solve these problems, further effort must be done.

Johnson s future

Arvin Temkar/AJC is credited.

According to Savannah Mayor Van Johnson, Georgia’s coastal region needs a congressional representative who is more sympathetic to and cognizant of the issues facing the region. It won’t be him, though.

On today’s Politically Georgia episode, the second-term Democrat declared that he would not compete for Georgia’s First Congressional District, which is up for grabs as Republican U.S. Representative Buddy Carter bids for the Senate.

Johnson was elected mayor in 2020 after serving on the Savannah City Council for 16 years. He is unable to seek for reelection the next year because his term expires in 2028.

A political future may or may not be in the cards. Johnson remarked, “I’ve been in this for a long time.” I’m scarred by battle. I believe that sometimes all I want to do is grab my medal and bring it home. We’ll see what the Lord says, though.

Packed house

Arvin Temkar/AJC is credited.

Summer meetings of legislative research committees are frequently attended by relatively few people. However, the state income tax repeal meeting on Tuesday was crowded with lobbyists, many of whom were representing business clients.

They have cause for concern. The Republican-led committee, headed by state senator Blake Tillery and established by lieutenant governor Burt Jones, is tasked with determining a way to do away with the state’s individual income tax. However, as our AJC colleague David Wickert notes, there is uncertainty around the corporate income tax’s future.

Republican lieutenant governor candidate Tillery told reporters on Tuesday that he is concentrating on the personal income tax. But he said the committee could recommend eliminating both taxes.

Lawmakers might be tempted to keep the corporate income tax to help pay for the loss of revenue from the individual income tax. That would explain the fierce interest of corporate lobbyists.

But doing so would likely have political ramifications. Georgia Republicans,after all, love to boast about Georgia being declared theNo. 1 state to do businessby Area Development magazine.

Stay tuned.

Listen up

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Today on thePolitically Georgiapodcast Savannah Mayor Van Johnson discusses his thoughts on the Trump administration s attempt totake over Washington s police department. Then U.S. Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., talks about his recent rally in Georgia and whether he s looking to run for president in 2028.

You can listen and subscribe to Politically Georgia for free atApple Podcasts,Spotifyor wherever you get your podcasts.

Have a question or comment for the show? Email us [email protected] give us a call at 770-810-5297 and you could be featured on a future episode.

Chocolate prices

Credit: Tia Mitchell/AJC

U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnockon Tuesdaydonned an apron and did some workalong the assembly line atXocolatl Chocolate,a small business that bills itself as Atlanta s first chocolate factory.

Warnock, an Atlanta Democrat, heard from owner Matt Weyandt about the impact tariffs have had on his bottom line. Sugar from Brazil now is taxed at 50% while cocoa beans from Peru, Tanzania, Nicaragua and Uganda face tariffs of up to 20%. And there have been fluctuations as President Donald Trump announces new deals or imposes stiffer tariffs only to later say the changes are on hold.

The lack of certainty is one of the biggest problems, Weyandt said.

Warnock said it is important to listen to small businesses when they talk about how tariffs are forcing them to make hard decisions in an already tough economy. And he put the blame, in part, on congressional Republicans he said have ceded too much power to Trump.

Congress could put forward a more coherent tariff policy if it wanted to do so, he said.

Trump today

President Donald Trump will participate in a ceremonial swearing-in of Andrew Puzder as the U.S. ambassador to the European Union.

Shoutouts

Credit: Natrice Miller/AJC

Today s birthdays

State Sen. John F. Kennedy, R-Macon.
Joi Huff Hunter, a faithful reader of this newsletter.

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

Before you go

Credit: Abbey Cutrer/AJC

About 130 of Atlanta s business and civic leaders, including Mayor Andre Dickens, are traveling to Washington today for afour-day tourof the region s infrastructure. It s part of the Leadership Involvement Network Knowledge program at the Atlanta Regional Commission.

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.