Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2026
Good Morning! Your regular Soundings editor is taking a break, so we’ve got a different eye this week. We’re up for it and we have faith you will be, too! Questions, concerns? Let us know at staff@thecurrentga.org
NEWS: POLITICS
‘Mega ships’
Coastal Georgia’s economy was at the top of the list of talking points for U.S. Senate candidates Rep. Mike Collins and Sen. Jon Ossoff, as they each made campaign swings through the region last week.
Collins, the Republican nominee, championed continued investment in the ports of Savannah and Brunswick. “We need to be able to make sure that they continue with these mega ships that are coming in,” he told a gathering last Tuesday at The Landings on Skidaway Island.
Ossoff, the Democratic incumbent, said Coastal Georgia had been “forgotten” by other “elected officials serving the state.” He and fellow U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock had succeeded at ensuring that Coastal Georgia gets its share of “resources and federal attention,” he said at a rally in downtown Brunswick on Friday.
In his remarks, Collins, the son of a longtime Georgia congressman, again framed the race as one between “just a small businessman” and a “trust-fund kid.” He also sought to link Ossoff to the recent primary successes of democratic socialists elsewhere in the U.S., describing as “easy” the choice in November: “This is common sense versus communism crazy.”
Ossoff, meanwhile, pounded away at what he said was Collins’ refusal to answer questions about antisemitic statements by his son-in-law and his ties to family businesses and his failure to condemn a federal “anti-weaponization fund” for those who laid siege to the U.S. Capitol in 2021. And he reminded listeners that Gov. Brian Kemp had supported another candidate, Derek Dooley, in the Republican primary because the governor, he said, deemed Collins “unfit for any office.”
NEWS: LEGISLATURE
They do stay busy
The Georgia General Assembly only meets for 40 days each year unless there’s a special called session. But, it’s fair to note that many members stay busy all year on special study committees. Last week through the work of one of these panels, we learned that the costs to help support nearly 10,000 children in the state’s foster care system are rising quickly. And on Friday, a study committee led by Glynn state Rep. Rick Townsend on youth exposure to kratom and other retail substances will meet in Brunswick. Read about those substances and the lack of enforcement here.
For a full schedule of legislative study committee meetings and the videos from them, click here.
PHOTO GALLERY: POLITICS
On the road
In recent years, it’s become rare for any candidate to allow journalists regular access to fundraisers and, sometimes, to campaign rallies — and even more rare to view a full campaign trip. So, when The Current‘s visual journalist Justin Taylor got permission, he hit the road to document governor candidate Keisha Lance Bottoms‘ recent bus tour and show what it looks like for a statewide candidate to work for votes outside of Atlanta in Coastal Georgia.
NEWS: POLITICS
But wait, there’s more…
- Respect for the locals: Based on the abundance of cars being valet parked on streets near the mid-section of St. Simons’ East Beach Friday, a fundraiser for U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff appeared to be quite successful. The afternoon gathering at a private home was an off the record affair, but before Ossoff began his remarks, one of the biggest applause lines came as he recognized Kim Bednarek, the executive director of the Okefenokee Swamp Park and Adventures. She recently returned from South Korea where she gave an acceptance speech when the park was named a World Heritage Site. Ossoff was a prominent political advocate for the designation, working for several years with a bipartisan group of lawmakers to secure the honor.
- Democratic primary turnout has soared in Georgia and other states. Can it carry over to November? Experts say the higher number of contested races made a difference. Both parties try to predict. From The Associated Press.
- Georgia Supreme Court to stop hearing most murder cases by 2028: Case loads keep growing and the Court of Appeals will now get first crack at murder case reviews. What it really may mean is a legislative skirmish to fund more judges and courts. From Georgia Recorder.
- Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger launches bipartisan election integrity task force ahead of Georgia’s midterms: The latest push for trustworthy voting processes includes state officials including former U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss and former Governor Roy Barnes. From Georgia Recorder.
- Georgia officials say new federal Medicaid rules threaten state’s partial expansion program: The newer legislation from Congress adds a work requirement much like Georgia’s, but it has exemptions and a few other pieces that will cost the state’s taxpayers more. From Georgia Recorder.
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Georgia Supreme Court to stop hearing most murder cases by 2028
By Maya Homan/Georgia Recorder
Starting in July 2027, the Georgia Supreme Court will stop routinely hearing murder case appeals, transferring that responsibility to the Georgia Court of Appeals to help manage its workload.
Raffensperger launches bipartisan election integrity task force ahead of Georgia’s midterms
By Maya Homan/Georgia Recorder
Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger launched a bipartisan task force composed of former officials and election experts to bolster voter confidence ahead of the midterm elections.
Democratic primary turnout has soared in Georgia and other states. Can it carry over to November?
By Joey Cappelletti, Leah Askarinam, Josh Boak/The Associated Press
Democratic voters showed recordbreaking turnout in several midterm primary elections, fueling optimism ahead of November’s congressional contests despite potential challenges from redistricting.
On the road: Keisha Lance Bottoms’ ‘Southeast Georgia Health Care Tour’
By Justin Taylor
Former Atlanta mayor and Democratic gubernatorial candidate Keisha Lance Bottoms campaigned across Coastal Georgia, visiting towns such as Woodbine, Brunswick, and Richmond Hill before concluding her trip at the Georgia Democratic Convention in Savannah.
Support independent, solutions-based investigative journalism without bias, fear or favor on issues affecting Savannah and Coastal Georgia.
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