Electoral races, campaign finance, power and accountability
As President Trump makes election security the centerpiece of the GOP's midterm strategy, analysts question whether the message can hold in battlegrounds like Georgia — where the same argument has repeatedly lost at the ballot box.
July 18, 2026
A federal judge has found that President Trump misused the court in an IRS-related case and referred the lawyers involved for possible discipline — a ruling with resonance for Atlanta's own legal and civic institutions.
July 14, 2026
Georgia delivered a divided verdict on Donald Trump's endorsement power: his Senate candidate won a runoff, but the governor's race slipped away — a warning sign for Republicans heading into the midterms.
July 13, 2026
President Trump has dismissed the remaining members of the federal government's independent election commission, leaving the agency empty as he pushes sweeping changes to US voting rules — a move Atlanta election watchers are tracking closely.
July 11, 2026
President Trump has removed the final members of a federal election commission, raising fears of 'chaos' ahead of the midterms — a move with outsized stakes for battleground Georgia.
July 10, 2026
A new poll points to a commanding lead in Georgia's marquee Senate contest — an early signal in a race national strategists see as pivotal to control of the chamber in 2026.
July 2, 2026
A new Reuters report finds that President Trump's Iran deal is falling short for some voters — and that the discontent has Republicans worried about the midterm elections.
June 28, 2026
Proposed Georgia Medicaid coverage cuts could leave special-needs children without the therapy services many families depend on, raising alarm among Atlanta-area parents and advocates.
June 27, 2026
Zohran Mamdani's breakthrough in New York is forcing a national reckoning over the Democratic Party's direction — and Atlanta organizers are watching closely as the midterms approach.
June 26, 2026
Georgia's special session on redistricting has collapsed, with Republicans retreating in the face of voter pressure — a setback that hands Democrats momentum heading into the midterms.
June 25, 2026
President Trump is drawing criticism from members of both parties over his approach to Iran, even as Vice President JD Vance praises ongoing peace talks. Here's why the debate matters to Atlanta.
June 22, 2026
Gov. Brian Kemp and Donald Trump are throwing their weight behind Republican candidates ahead of Georgia's runoffs — a high-stakes show of force in a state that keeps slipping from the GOP's grip.
June 16, 2026
A new Reuters/Ipsos poll finds President Trump's once-solid rural base eroding as food and fuel prices keep climbing — a warning sign Republicans can ill afford heading into the midterms.
June 15, 2026
A Kemp-backed candidate hit the trail in Middle Georgia this week — but allegations of 'pay-to-play politics' from state lawmakers are clouding the GOP's pitch heading into the midterms.
June 14, 2026
Former judge Penny Brown Reynolds has launched a Democratic campaign for Georgia secretary of state, setting up another high-stakes fight over the office that oversees the state's elections.
June 8, 2026
More than 35 Georgia lawmakers are calling for an investigation into state contracts tied to Gov. Brian Kemp and Dooley, according to FOX 5 Atlanta. AtlantaStar is tracking the demand for scrutiny under the Gold Dome.
June 6, 2026
A new analysis finds Democrat Shawn Harris ran ahead of expectations in the 14th District runoff — a sign some Georgia voters are cooling on the GOP heading into the midterms.
June 5, 2026
President Trump's run of primary endorsement wins has ended in Iowa — a crack in the GOP's 2026 armor that Georgia Democrats are watching closely.
June 4, 2026
Candidates in Georgia's runoff election squared off in Monday's debates, and the exchanges offered Atlanta voters a clearer look at where the contests stand heading into the final stretch.
June 2, 2026
While two of Georgia's best-known Democrats settle into the general-election phase, Republicans are still bruising one another in a runoff — a head-start dynamic that could shape the 2026 map.
June 1, 2026