- A Republican activist recently tapped as a “special adviser” to Georgia GOP Chair Josh McKoon to help the party leverage technology to reach new voters has a history of xenophobic and hateful social media posts, according to an Atlanta Journal-Constitution review.
- Brad Barnes, who describes himself online as a “national populist,” has amplified white nationalist social media messages claiming “ethnonationalism is the social norm” and made an antisemitic remark mocking Mexico’s Jewish president in a now-deleted post.
- He has also shared posts stating that “culture is the social expression of genetics,” echoing a scientifically debunked ideology promulgated for decades by white supremacists that racial groups were genetically predisposed to certain behaviors.
- He also has promoted a call for “remigration” of the United States, a term widely used in far-right circles as a euphemism for large-scale deportation or repatriation of immigrants.
Indivisible Woodstock CAN, the local chapter of the national political activist group Indivisible, reports on the special election in state House District 23 in Cherokee County. Scott Sanders is the Democratic candidate.
Most people in Cherokee County want the same basic things: strong public schools, safe neighborhoods, and a community that still feels like home. We also want a representative who works for the people who actually live here.
On Tuesday, December 9, we have a chance to elect someone who reflects those values. Scott Sanders is the only candidate in this special election who is focused on practical problem solving, strong public schools, and the long term health of our community.
Scott’s district covers the eastern half of Cherokee County. It runs along the Highway 20 corridor between Canton and Cumming. It includes areas around East Cherokee Drive, Union Hill, Avery Elementary and Creekview High, and the rural roads south of Macedonia and north of Hickory Flat, stretching toward the Forsyth and Fulton county lines.
If you live east of Canton, west of Cumming, or anywhere along Highway 20, you might be in his district. Please check to be sure.
Check your district here: https://www.legis.ga.gov/find-my-legislator
Find your polling place here: https://iwillvote.com
Scott is not a career politician. He is a tech professional, a father, and a neighbor who stepped up because he cares about Cherokee County. He understands that:
- Our schools need real investment and real advocacy.
- Families are struggling with rising premiums and basic healthcare costs.
- Reckless overdevelopment threatens farmland, back roads, and open space.
- First responders, libraries, parks, and other community resources are the backbone of safe, thriving neighborhoods.
This election comes down to one question: who actually cares about this community. Scott Sanders does. If everyone who shares those values shows up and votes, he wins.
Vote Tuesday, December 9. Vote for Scott Sanders.
From the Atlanta-Journal Constitution:
From CHATGPT:
Major Statewide Races & Candidates
Office Party Declared / Running Notes
Governor Republican Burt Jones (Lt. Gov.) Has Trump’s endorsement
Republican Chris Carr (current AG)
Democrat Michael Thurmond
Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms
Democrat Ruwa Romman
Office Party Declared / Running Notes
Attorney General Republican Bill Cowsert (State Senator)
Republican Brian Strickland (State Senator)
Democrat Tanya F. Miller (State Rep)
Democrat Bob Trammell (Former House Minority Leader)
Office Party Declared / Running Notes
Secretary of State Republican Tim Fleming (State Rep)
Republican Kelvin King
Republican Gabriel Sterling
Democrat Penny Brown Reynolds
Democrat Adrian Consonery Jr.
Office Party Declared / Running Notes
State Superintendent of Schools Republican Richard Woods (incumbent)
Republican Bubba Longgrear
Republican Mesha Mainor (former State Rep)
Republican Randell Trammell
Democrat Otha Thornton
Office Party Declared / Running Notes
Labor Commissioner Republican Bárbara Rivera Holmes (incumbent)
Republican Ross Williams
Some U.S. House Races & Other Notable Ones
- GA-10 (U.S. House):
Republican: Houston Gaines has declared for the open seat (incumbent Mike Collins is running for Senate).
Democrat: Lexy Doherty declared; also Dantwan Watkins filed paperwork.
- GA-11 (U.S. House):
Incumbent Barry Loudermilk (R) and Chase Laminack (D) are in the general election field.
From the AJC September 18, 2025:
Medicaid cuts ahead prompt Lavonia hospital to shutter childbirth unit
Excerpts:
A hospital in rural Georgia is closing its labor and delivery unit, saying its precarious finances could not weather further funding cuts called for in President Trump’s new tax and spending law.
- Like many rural hospitals in Georgia, officials at St. Mary’s Sacred Heart Hospital in Lavonia said they face challenges recruiting physicians to the area and are contending with an aging population and fewer young women having babies.
- “We are feeling very desperate and destitute,” said Kristy Wynn, who works at the Hart Life Pregnancy Care Center in nearby Hartwell, a city of about 4,500 near the South Carolina border.
- “Our fear is there’s going to be highway deliveries. There’s going to be women on the side of the road having babies and no prenatal care.”
Republicans point out their provision in the bill of $50 billion for investment in rural health care, but who gets the money is still to be determined—and it’s expected to offset only about one-third of the cuts to rural health elsewhere in the bill. The new funding is also temporary and not limited to just hospitals.
“Many struggling hospitals already teetering on the edge have seen the federal cuts as a death knell. A clinic in rural Nebraska, scheduled to shutter Sept. 30, was the first health facility to announce it was closing as a result of the law.”