The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s political reporters are counting down to what they believe is Georgia’s biggest political story this year.
10. Jimmy Carter’s funeral. In life, Jimmy Carter pushed for peace across the globe. So it was fitting that his final act would be to bring together Democrats and Republicans for a solemn show of unity during his funeral in January. The good feelings wouldn’t last. But it was nice to see what the country was capable of.
9. Litigation overhaul. Georgia’s corporate titans have complained for years about juries going nuclear on them by awarding damages in the billions of dollars. Gov. Brian Kemp responded by pushing through legislation aimed at limiting those large verdicts. It took every ounce of political capital he had. The bill passed the Republican-controlled House of Representatives by a single vote. Republican state Rep. Vance Smith lost his job as CEO of the Harris County Chamber of Commerce after voting against it.
8. New Georgia Project’s demise. The New Georgia Project briefly helped turn Georgia blue with its vast voter registration and outreach campaigns. But the group founded by Stacey Abrams folded in 2025 shortly after being assessed a $300,000 fine for illegally backing her unsuccessful 2018 campaign for governor. It was the largest fine ever assessed for violating state campaign finance laws. Both Abrams and U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock, who was chair of the group in 2018, have distanced themselves from the organization. Abrams left the group in 2017 before her run for governor. Warnock said his role with the group did not include compliance decisions.
7. First Liberty Ponzi scheme. Brant Frost IV promised politically conservative investors a safe place to put their money. But federal regulators have accused Frost IV of operating a $140 million Ponzi scheme, costing investors millions of dollars. We’re still measuring the political fallout, as the AJC identified more than $1.4 million in political contributions from Frost IV and his family.
6. Government turmoil. Arguably the most impactful person in the first few months of the second Trump administration wasn’t the president, but Elon Musk. The billionaire owner of Tesla upended the federal government with his Department of Government Efficiency initiative. Atlanta’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was among the hardest hit, losing hundreds of employees and seeing top leaders resign in protest. Congress followed that up by shutting down the government for a record 43 days starting in October. The shutdown wreaked havoc at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, the busiest in the world, and left people who rely on federal food benefits in the lurch.
5. Democrats’ revival. Georgia Democrats began the year with a leadership fight as U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff pushed to oust U.S. Rep. Nikema Williams as the party’s chair. It ended with Democrats ousting two Republicans from the Public Service Commission and flipping a Republican state House seat near Athens. Now, new Democratic Party of Georgia Chair Charlie Bailey says it’s his party that has the momentum heading into the 2026 midterms.
4. Republican infighting. Everyone agreed Gov. Brian Kemp would have been the strongest Republican candidate to take on U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff in 2026. So it left the party reeling when Kemp decided he wouldn’t run. Kemp threw his weight behind former football coach Derek Dooley, hoping Republicans would unite behind his choice. But President Donald Trump has stayed out of the race so far, and Kemp’s absence has opened the door for a contentious three-way primary with U.S. Reps. Buddy Carter and Mike Collins. The AJC poll shows Collins has an early advantage.
3. Political violence. Two Israeli Embassy staffers were shot and killed outside of the Capitol Jewish Museum in Washington. The speaker of the Minnesota House of Representatives and her husband were fatally gunned down at their home. Conservative activist Charlie Kirk was assassinated in Utah. A man tried to burn down the Pennsylvania Governor’s Mansion when Gov. Josh Shapiro and his family were inside. And in Atlanta, a gunman fired 500 times at the headquarters of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, killing a police officer. The attack might have been driven by a mistrust of vaccines.
2. Hyundai plant raid. President Donald Trump spent much of the year bending the federal government to his will. But an immigration raid on Georgia’s new Hyundai plant showed the limits of his power. Immigration agents detained and deported some 300 South Korean nationals in a major embarrassment for the state. Trump backed off big time, calling the raid “stupid.” Hyundai’s CEO even said the White House called to apologize.
This image from video provided by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement via DVIDS shows manufacturing plant employees waiting to have their legs shackled at the Hyundai Motor Group’s electric vehicle plant on Sept. 4, 2025, in Ellabell, Ga. (Corey Bullard/U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement via AP, File)1. MTG’s MAGA divorce. U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s political career began with her declaring she would be Democrats’ worst nightmare. It ended in 2025 with President Donald Trump labeling her a “traitor” and Greene announcing her resignation from Congress on Jan. 5. The stunning turnaround shows Trump still has plenty of power among Republicans. But Greene’s pushback inspired fellow Republicans to buck Trump on the Epstein files and health insurance subsidies in what could be early signs of a lame duck presidency.