Free Republic

President Trump early on Sunday endorsed Rep. Mike Collins (R-Ga.) over former college football coach Derek Dooley in Tuesday’s Georgia GOP Senate runoff. “Mike is strongly supported by the most Highly Respected MAGA Patriots in Georgia and beyond, and many Republicans in the U.S. House and Senate — He is a WARRIOR and WINNER!” Trump wrote in a lengthy post on Truth Social, earlier referring to Collins as “‘MAGA’ Mike Collins.”

A mix of restaurants, cultural institutions and high-rise residential living makes Midtown Atlanta one of the city’s most attractive neighborhoods. Lately, however, a series of violent incidents has shaken residents and left many wondering if city officials can keep us safe. In April, I was standing outside my apartment when I heard gunshots ring out in Piedmont Park. A rowdy, unauthorized gathering of teenagers had turned deadly. A 16-year-old girl was killed by a stray bullet. A few months earlier, I was in a restaurant on a Sunday afternoon when a large man brutally attacked a server. I helped pull...

A pro-Palestinian Texas businessman has been bankrolling an anti-Israel super PAC that’s now backing a a trio of insurgent far-left New York congressional candidates, records show. Hussein “Sam” Mahrouq — the owner of Enterprises International, which runs AutoMax and Dollar Rent-A-Car — donated $400,000 to the American Priorities PAC, which was formed earlier this year as a counter to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee. The organization said Tuesday it would drop $2 million on TV, streaming and digital ads to boost House candidates, Darializa Avila Chevalier, Claire Valdez and Brad Lander, who have all been endorsed by Mayor Zohran...

Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin has taken the ax to over $22 billion in environmental-justice and DEI grants and contracts in order to help reprioritize the agency’s commitment to protecting human health and the environment, rather than allowing it and its mission to be co-opted by progressives who use them to further its own socialist agenda. While former President Joe Biden was in office, his administration handed out billions of taxpayer dollars to a number of activist organizations that placed their ideological agenda ahead of taking action to legitimately provide solutions for environmental issues impacting communities across the United...

A Georgia congressman is proposing a controversial new idea -- he’s calling the “Make D.C. Square Again Act." He said it would expand Washington, D.C. by adding Arlington and Alexandria into the nation's capital. In a post on X, Congressman Rick McCormick said Arlington and Alexandria were “always meant” to be part of D.C., arguing the change would simplify long-running debates over political maps and representation. "What we want to do is make D.C. square again. It's a simple concept. Square. We repeal that unconsituational law, gIve back Virginia exactly what it should have, give D.C. what it should have...

DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. - A man convicted for his role in a horrific rape and fatal stomping at a Decatur park decades ago could soon be released from prison. What we know: The Georgia State Board of Pardons and Parole is reviewing the case of Lapas Favors to determine whether to grant him parole. Favors is currently serving a life sentence for murder, kidnapping and armed robbery. The charges stem from a violent 1981 assault at Glenn Lake Park in Decatur. Two working mothers, Jean Buice and Bettye Ann Miles, had just finished eating lunch and returned to their car...

After Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., lost the Republican U.S. House primary in Kentucky's 4th Congressional District to President Donald Trump-backed challenger Ed Gallrein on Tuesday, former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene declared that the future of the GOP had been "destroyed." "I am proud and thankful to have served in the U.S. House of Representatives with my friend Thomas Massie, a giant among weak pathetic men. Releasing the Epstein files was our demise. But it was worth every single bit because now everyone knows the truth. You are ruled by the Epstein class that cares nothing about you and your elected...

Georgians handed Democrats a decisive defeat on Tuesday by reelecting two Republican-backed candidates in a pair of highly contested state Supreme Court races. In one race, incumbent Justice Charles Bethel is projected to defeat leftist Miracle Rankin. Unofficial results show the former beating the latter by 2.2 points, with more than 95 percent of votes tabulated as of publication, according to The New York Times. Meanwhile, incumbent Justice Sarah Hawkins Warren is projected to defeat left-wing candidate Jen Jordan in a massive landslide. Per the Times, preliminary results show Warren beating Jordan by a whopping 18.6 points, with more than...

Republican Gov. Brian Kemp is term-limited, opening up the governorship and creating crowded primaries on both sides. President Donald Trump has endorsed Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, but he and wealthy businessman Rick Jackson advanced to a primary runoff on the GOP side. On the Democratic side,... (See the site for nice graphics and results)

Fulton County, Georgia, recently made an admission that should have commanded national attention. During a hearing before the Georgia State Election Board, county officials acknowledged that approximately 315,000 early ballots cast in the 2020 presidential election were unlawfully certified yet were nonetheless included in Georgia’s final, official results, in a race Joe Biden was officially declared to have won by just 11,779 votes.The admission arose from a challenge filed by David Cross, an election integrity activist, who alleged that Fulton County violated Georgia election law in its handling of early voting. Under state statute, each ballot scanner is required to...

Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger became the latest enemy of President Donald Trump’s to lose a Republican primary on Tuesday. Billionaire Rick Jackson and Lt. Gov. Burt Jones advanced to a runoff election for the GOP nomination for Georgia governor — locking out Raffensperger, who rose to prominence defending Georgia’s 2020 election results but struggled to gain traction among his party’s increasingly MAGA base. Raffensperger’s defeat is another sign of Trump’s grip on the GOP, following the president’s wins ousting state Republican senators who clashed with him over redistricting in Indiana and Sen. Bill Cassidy’s loss in Louisiana on...

Six states are holding primaries today (May 19), including Alabama, Georgia, Idaho, Kentucky, Oregon, and Pennsylvania. A good deal of focus will be on the Kentucky 4th District House race, where incumbent Republican Thomas Massie faces a challenge from the Trump-endorsed Ed Gallrein. We'll definitely be keeping tabs on that one, as well as the GOP House and Senate primaries in the Bluegrass State. (Trump endorsed Rep. Andy Barr (KY-06) in that latter race. Will he be the GOP nominee to replace the outgoing Mitch McConnell?) SEE: 'Get This Loser Out': Trump Now Demanding Massie Primary Defeat Judge With Notorious...

RepublicansToo early to callCandidateVotesPct.PercentageCandidateVotesPercentageBurt JonesKeisha Lance Bottoms88,27536.2%Rick JacksonKeisha Lance Bottoms85,65235.1%Brad RaffenspergerKeisha Lance Bottoms37,39315.3%- view fewer candidates+ view all candidates20.3% expected votes in (Est. remaining 958,000)Skip to GOP county results20.3% expected votes in (Est. remaining 958,000)Skip to GOP county results

In Georgia, Republican Gov. Brian Kemp is term-limited, opening up the governorship and creating crowded primaries on both sides. President Donald Trump has endorsed Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, but wealthy businessman Rick Jackson has proven a durable, free-spending rival on the Republican side. On the Democratic side, former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms has led primary polls but faces a large slate of rivals. If no candidate gets a majority in a primary, the top two contenders will advance to a June 16 runoff. In Kentucky, we have House District 4 with incumbent Thomas Massie trying to maintain his seat...

Georgia’s State Election Board, the state Republican Party and multiple Republican candidates are demanding access to the secretary of state’s election night hub during Tuesday’s state primary election. With less than a day to go before the election, state Sen. Greg Dolezal, who is running for lieutenant governor, congressional candidate Chris Mora and Cobb County Commissioner Keli Gambrill have also filed an emergency motion against Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger. The lawsuit, filed Monday in Fulton County Superior Court, seeks to give election observers and State Election Board representatives access to the hub, known as the emergency operations center. Though...

ALPHARETTA, Ga. — A woman who ran homes for at-risk youth is accused of funneling drug money to buy a multi-million dollar home, a luxury car and more. Kristen Draper of Alpharetta owns Reflections Group Home, LLC in Dayton, Ohio. Reflections runs three group homes in Dayton with space for 15 children. Draper reported she earned nearly $1 million from those 15 beds in 2024, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Georgia. An investigation found Draper worked with her boyfriend, Antwaun Brown, to mix in money from his drug deals with income from Reflections to hide the...

Georgia Republican Gov. Brian Kemp on Wednesday called a special session to redraw the state’s congressional and legislative districts before the 2028 elections. Kemp signed a proclamation convening the General Assembly on June 17 to address redistricting after a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling ended race-based gerrymandering. The news, first reported by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, comes as Republican-led states across the South move to redraw the maps ahead of the November midterms. The special session next month in Atlanta is expected to center on new maps that could take effect for the 2028 election cycle, particularly if Republicans lose power...

Georgia Democrats are worried their front-runner will fumble a “once in a generation” chance to win the governor’s mansion this year. Keisha Lance Bottoms has what should be an enviable résumé: former judge, city council member, mayor of Atlanta and senior White House adviser. She’s dominating public polling in the primary, bolstered by high name recognition in the Atlanta metro area. But a third of the Democratic electorate remains undecided, and her most high-profile endorsement is from former President Joe Biden, who left office deeply unpopular among Americans.

Georgia GOP Gov. Brian Kemp signaled his state is joining the nationwide redistricting battle Wednesday by calling for a special legislative session to redraw the congressional maps. Kemp signed a proclamation that calls a special session of the Georgia General Assembly for June 17 to address the Supreme Court's historic ruling that is expected to require changes to the state's electoral maps before the 2028 elections. The Supreme Court ruled last month that Louisiana's second majority-Black congressional district relied too heavily on race and was therefore an unconstitutional gerrymander. The special session will only be allowed to cover two topics....

The groups admitted to 16 violations and agreed to pay a record $300,000 fine, the largest in Georgia history The Georgia Senate is ramping up its investigation into alleged campaign finance violations tied to Stacey Abrams’ voter outreach group, with a top lawmaker vowing to "follow the facts wherever they lead" as subpoenas have been issued to Abrams and other key figures. The Senate Special Committee on Investigations announced Monday that Abrams, along with New Georgia Project leaders Lauren Groh-Wargo and Nsé Ufot, must appear before lawmakers at the State Capitol at 10 a.m. on Friday. "This committee has a...