Alander Rocha

The U.S. Department of Justice will send Election Day monitors to six Georgia counties, all of which are considered Democratic strongholds. But election officials so far say they do not see the move as unusual. New from @mayahoman.bsky.social. #gapol

Edwin Brant Frost IV, the founder of a conservative lending firm in Georgia, was sentenced on Monday to 15 years in prison for his role in running a Ponzi scheme that defrauded investors out of millions of dollars.

Missed the last episode of Stories From The States? Make sure you’re the first to get the latest drop. Listen now. @alander.bsky.social @georgiarecorder.com @bensolis1.bsky.social @michiganadvance.com @bspears.bsky.social @wisconsinexaminer.com www.newsfromthestates.com/episode/repo...

ICYMI: I and my @statesnewsroom.com colleagues from Georgia, @alander.bsky.social, and Michigan, @bensolis1.bsky.social , talk about which swing state is the center of the political universe (the answer is WI imo). Give it a listen! open.spotify.com/episode/6Zol...

Georgia draws high-profile boosters to the campaign trail as candidates enter the homestretch #gapol

Jackson changes course after initially saying he would skip second Trump rally this month #gapol

Episode 51 is live! Our States Newsroom reporters will help break down what is happening in their gubernatorial elections and whether the political makeup of their statehouses might flip. www.newsfromthestates.com/episode/repo...

A new analysis shows early in-person voting among Black Georgians is up 33% compared with the first nine days of voting in 2022, while turnout among voters under 30 has jumped 54%. Among young Black voters, the increase is an eye-popping 80%. #gapol www.ajc.com/politics/202...

Bottoms is vowing to expand Medicaid. But has the longtime Democratic priority lost its zip? New from freelance healthcare reporter Ariel Hart. #gapol

Georgia state Sen. Brian Strickland, a McDonough Republican running for state attorney general, held a personal financial stake in a proposed data center as recently as the summer of 2025. But the proposal has since been shelved, according to public records and interviews.

New from @alander.bsky.social: Growth of data centers becomes a defining issue of the midterms, entangling some Georgia candidates. #gapol

The video plugs are part of an uptick in the former Democratic president’s political activity ahead of the November midterms.

Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms and Republican Rick Jackson clashed Tuesday night over healthcare, crime, data centers and election security in what will likely be the only opportunity for voters to see the two candidates for governor side by side. Story by @alander.bsky.social. #gapol

As Georgia becomes a national leader in new data center construction, debate over how to regulate the booming industry has become a hot issue in the race for governor. New from @alander.bsky.social. #gapol

New: Georgia election panel asks Trump administration to help push for election system updates Story by @mayahoman.bsky.social. #gapol

Georgia drivers may soon see a little temporary relief at the pump after Gov. Brian Kemp suspended the state’s motor fuel tax as gas prices continued to surge.

NEW from @alander.bsky.social: Former Georgia regulator who helped set policy for data centers now works for company building them #gapol

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will revoke limits on greenhouse gas emissions from power plants that run on coal and natural gas, according to regulatory documents Administrator Lee Zeldin signed Monday. New from @fischler.bsky.social.

A high-stakes mystery is unfolding in the Georgia governor’s race, potentially affecting health insurance for hundreds of thousands of Georgians. New from freelance healthcare reporter Ariel Hart. #gapol

The two competing candidates for Georgia governor are both focusing on affordability but putting forward starkly different proposals aimed at easing household expenses.

Months after the campaigns of Republican Rick Jackson and Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms first issued challenges to the other over when, where and how to debate ahead of the November elections, there’s still little agreement on how voters will hear from each of the two candidates for governor.

Georgia marked the second anniversary of the deadly 2024 Apalachee High School shooting as Apalachee Remembrance Day while drawing calls for state leaders to move beyond commemorations and enact measures to prevent another tragedy.

Trump's DOJ is signaling that it will no longer enforce one of the most basic disability rights recognized by the Supreme Court in a landmark 1999 case out of Georgia: the right to live in the community rather than be unnecessarily institutionalized. Crucial reporting from @georgiarecorder.com:

Our very own Tennessee Lookout put together a lovely tribute to Dolly.

Georgia Congressman-elect Everton Blair, former chair of the Gwinnett County Board of Education, is the first Black openly gay man elected from the South to Congress. He will finish out the late Congressman David Scott's term representing the 13th CD but is not on the ballot in November.

Georgia health officials are asking the Trump administration for more funding for the state’s partial Medicaid expansion program because they say federal changes are expected to increase enrollment by about 100,000 people, raising the costs of the program. New from @alander.bsky.social #gapol

NEW: Georgia officials say new federal Medicaid rules threaten state’s partial expansion program Story by @alander.bsky.social #gapol

Georgia health officials moved to include low-income people living with certain HIV diagnoses among those considered “medically frail,” meaning they would not have to satisfy work requirements to qualify for Medicaid coverage. New from @alander.bsky.social.

Georgia’s medical cannabis program experienced an unprecedented surge of new registered patients over the past month after the law changed significantly to ease access. New from @alander.bsky.social. #gapol

A major natural gas expansion at Georgia Power’s Plant Bowen will hurt air quality in the Atlanta region, which is already struggling with ozone pollution, according to environmental groups challenging a state air permit for the project. New from @alander.bsky.social.

Georgia state agencies told to freeze spending and draft contingency plans, reports @alander.bsky.social.

Marcye Scott, the daughter of the late Congressman David Scott, fell short of winning a special election to finish her father’s term in office and will face former Gwinnett County School Board chair Everton Blair in a runoff next month. New from @alander.bsky.social. #gapol

Low-income Georgians living with HIV would not be counted as “medically frail” under a state proposal still under consideration and would therefore have to satisfy work requirements to qualify for Medicaid coverage. Story from @alander.bsky.social. #gapol

An organization that represents the data center industry is trying to get Georgians to think of the electricity-hungry facilities more favorably. New from @alander.bsky.social.

Warnock: New federal housing law designed to ‘stop the spread’ of corporate-owned homes | Via @alander.bsky.social #gapol

Voters in Georgia’s 13th Congressional District are voting in a special election to fill the remainder of late Congressman David Scott’s term, whose seat was vacant after he died in late April. New from @alander.bsky.social #gapol

The Georgia Public Service Commission approved an investigation into whether Georgia Power’s industrial customers who are heavy energy consumers, like data centers, are shifting some costs to residential customers. New from @alander.bsky.social.

New from @maggie-lee.bsky.social with The Current: In May, as Georgians rallied at the polls and community meetings against power- and water-guzzling data centers, Republican Gov. Brian Kemp met with representatives of OpenAI about the AI industry-leading company’s business plans for the state.

New state law expected to increase patient access to Georgia’s medical cannabis program, reports @alander.bsky.social. #gapol

A showdown between nurses and those representing physicians boiled over in a Georgia House Health committee hearing over a medical board’s guidance that nurses warned could lead to shuttered clinics and diminished healthcare access in rural parts of Georgia. New from @alander.bsky.social #gapol

Georgia Republicans on Monday blocked a Democratic attempt to push for what would have been the first vote to override a veto from Gov. Brian Kemp, reports @alander.bsky.social. #gapol

Georgia Republican lawmakers drop plans to redistrict, citing pending legal cases #gapol

Georgia Republicans abruptly changed course on redistricting Wednesday, retreating from their plans to redraw congressional and state district lines for the 2028 election less than an hour before lawmakers gaveled in for the special session. @georgiarecorder.com

Georgia Republicans have chosen Congressman Mike Collins to challenge Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff in November, reports @journalistross.bsky.social #gapol

Wealthy businessman Rick Jackson wins GOP nomination to run against Democratic nominee Keisha Lance Bottoms in November. In a speech, Lt. Gov. Burt Jones blamed his loss on being outspent by Jackson. Jackson spent over $100 million during just a few months of campaigning.

Congressman Mike Collins wins the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate, the AP called, and will face Sen. Jon Ossoff in November. Collins, who got a last minute endorsement from Trump, beat former TN football coach Derek Dooley, who is backed by Gov. Brian Kemp and ran as a political outsider.

One GA runoff is for the GOP nod for a seat on the Public Service Commission. These races have really exploded over the past year. Check out this remarkable passage from a recent @georgiarecorder.com piece by @alander.bsky.social: georgiarecorder.com/2026/06/08/g...

In other races, the AP has called both the Democratic and Republican races for Secretary of State. Republican voters picked state Rep. Tim Fleming over election denier Vernon Jones. And on the Democratic side, voters picked Penny Brown Reynolds over Dana Barrett.