Friday, June 12, is the last day of early voting in Georgia’s general primary runoff. The runoff is being held for those offices in which no candidate in the May 19 primary election obtained a majority of the votes. The formal vote takes place on June 16. If you voted in the May election, you must use the same party’s ballot in the runoff. If you did not vote in May, you can choose either party’s ballot in the runoff.
Click here for the AJC overview of the June 16 runoff.
The following are the Democratic candidates for key positions in the runoff.
Secretary of State
Fulton County Commissioner Dana Barrett is in a showdown with former Fulton County State Court judge and reality TV host Penny Brown Reynolds.
LEARN MORE about the election and the office
Lieutenant Governor
State Sen. Josh McLaurin is facing former state Sen. Nabilah Parkes.
LEARN MORE about the election and the office
Insurance Commissioner
Insurance agent DeAndre Mathis is vying with former state lawmaker and former Atlanta City Council member Keisha Sean Waites. The winner will challenge Republican John King, who is seeking a second full term and had no primary challenger.
LEARN MORE about the election and the office
Labor Commissioner
Nonprofit leader Nikki Porcher is facing community organizer Michele Sanchez. The winner will challenge Holmes, who ran unopposed in the GOP primary.
LEARN MORE about the election and the office
Summary:
"President Donald Trump’s latest tantrums against NATO remind us that toddlers love repetition. Trump has threatened to pull out of the transatlantic alliance so many times — it’s become, well, a joke. He recently called America’s European allies “cowards” for refusing to race to his command and seize the Strait of Hormuz."
"At least three NATO allies have told Trump, in so many words, to take a flying leap...At least some good has come from Trump’s foot-stomping petulance. Europe has begun focusing on developing its own military defenses rather than leaning so heavily on U.S. power."
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution treated the self-made billionaire health care entrepreneur Rick Jackson’s unexpected announcement that he is running for Georgia governor with a blunt but insightful opening: “Rick Jackson’s surprise bid for Georgia governor has turned the contest into a cash arms race. And the two front-runners are loading up.”
Georgia’s gubernatorial race is now in the front ranks of the elections where the outcome is less about a contest of ideas and policies than a about who has the most money. Billionaires are buying America, and its future, one election at a time. Georgia voters now have a chance to say “no” to establishing the reign of billionaires.
MORE NEWS ON JACKSON'S BID
Washington Post
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/12/climate/trump-epa-air-pollution.html
EVEN MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE'S DEFECTION FAILS TO SWAY THEM!
The Trump-led Republican campaign to destroy American democracy has had frightening success, and continues to gain strength, bolstered by Georgia Republicans Gov. Brian Kemp, gubernatorial candidates Brad Raffsenberger & Burt Jones; Rep. Barry Loudermilk and the entire GA U.S. GOP Congressional delegation. They have all adopted tactics out of the fascist playbook, most notably lying and character assassination.
It’s time to put an end to the attempt by too many Americans to bend over backwards to find excuses for the brutality and criminal acts of Trump and his Republican lackeys. The murder of Renee Good in Minneapolis was totally unjustified. Trump and Homeland Security chief Ktisti Noem should not only NOT be listened to, they should be impeached and thrown out of office for brazenly lying about the incident. Their lies deliver a chilling message: they intend to continue letting ICE get away with is criminal acts, including murder. Remember: Trump and his Republicans have already demonstrated their utter disregard for the rule of law by pardoning the criminals for the brutal crimes they committed on Jan 6, 2021.
From the New York Times:
Sedition accusation: President Trump accused a half-dozen Democrats of sedition — “punishable by DEATH” — on Thursday after the lawmakers implored members of the military to reject any illegal orders they may receive.
A message from a constituent to Rep. Barry Loudermilk and his staffers Rob and Ashley Adkerson, Ashleigh Padgett, Nick Petromelis: Have you no shame about standing with your Trumpist colleagues’ pursuit of the false charges against former FBI Director James Comey, even after the brazen malfeasance and incompetence in the case has been publicly revealed?
What warped mentalities you people have to join in this assault on America’s basic principles.
The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) issued a rare “Special Message” on Nov 13, during its annual gathering, saying they were disturbed by the Trump administration's ongoing crackdown and mass deportation of undocumented migrants. In a clear rebuke of President Trump, the Bishops expressed concern about the “climate of fear and anxiety” stemming from the enforcement methods. They went on to say they:
The statement noted that immigrants have made “enormous contributions to the well-being of our nation,” and the bishops felt “compelled now in this environment to raise our voices in defense of God-given human dignity.”
“The catholic bishops’ remarks echo recent criticisms Pope Leo XIV has made against the treatment of migrants in the U.S., especially those being held in detention centers. The Pope earlier this month urged faith leaders to be granted access to migrant detention facilities. Before his death earlier this year, the late Pope Francis had written to American bishops in February criticizing Trump’s mass deportation agenda.”
IndieDems Question to Rep. Barry Loudermilk (R-GA) and his staffers Rob and Ashley Adkerson, Ashleigh Padgett, Nick Petromelis: You obviously are unmoved by the bishops’ call to treat immigrants with Christian compassion, and remain devoted to continuing Trump’s cruel and inhumane treatment that the bishops condemn. Do you really believe you and Trump are better exemplars of Christianity than the bishops?
Nicholas Ktristof writes in the New York Times:
"Trump has expressed such outrage at attacks on Christians in Nigeria that he has threatened military intervention there, and the Pentagon has obligingly prepared plans for attack. Trump’s concern for Nigerians is welcome, but here’s the awkwardness: Trump’s aid cuts are killing far more Nigerian Christians than Islamic terrorists are."
"So if Trump wants to save the lives of Nigerian Christians, the good news is that he doesn’t need to spend billions of dollars on charging (as he put it) “into that now disgraced country, ‘guns-a-blazing.’” Rather, all Trump has to do is restore the American aid that was estimated to be saving the lives of more than a quarter-million Nigerians each year."
Trump's own administration appears to be killing tens of thousands of Nigerian Christians.
The Center for Global Development in Washington calculated earlier this year that before Trump took office, American humanitarian aid was saving about 270,000 lives a year in Nigeria.
It’s too soon for hard predictions of just how many Nigerian Christian children will die because Trump cut off their access to vaccines, AIDS medications, food assistance and other essentials. "But the number killed by jihadists is very likely to pale beside the number dying from Trump aid cuts. So if Trump cares about Christians or anyone else in Nigeria, all he needs to do is restore aid and let babies live."
Nowhere is the innate Republican inhumanity to man more evident than in Trump’s abrupt termination of U.S. aid programs providing basic health care to millions of foreigners, including programs helping to control AIDS. Hundreds of thousands of human beings, at a minimum, are suffering serious illness or are dying because of those inhuman decisions by Trump. This article reflects those facts.