Niles Francis, Georgia Recorder

This big gamble could seal Trump's fate — but the case hangs by a thread

The stalled Georgia case against President Donald Trump and more than a dozen allies accused of trying to invalidate the results of the 2020 election was given new life last week. Or was it?

Peter Skandalakis, who was tasked with assigning the case to a different prosecutor following Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis’s dismissal by a top court, has decided to appoint himself to oversee what remains of the sprawling case.

Skandalakis, the executive director of the Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council of Georgia, highlighted the unusual nature of the case in his statement announcing his self-appointment:

“The filing of this appointment reflects my inability to secure another conflict prosecutor to assume responsibility for this case. Several prosecutors were contacted and, while all were respectful and professional, each declined the appointment. Out of respect for their privacy and professional discretion, I will not identify those prosecutors or disclose their reasons for declining.”

Willis herself alluded to this “culture of fear” last month, warning that the national ramifications of the case and its outcome could make it difficult to find another prosecutor.

“I think you have prosecutors, citizens and even judges who are afraid right now, and for good reason,” she told WSB-TV Channel 2.

“The reality is it’s going to be hard to find a prosecutor that’s not afraid to prosecute that case when one of the primary defendants is threatening anyone that would dare to prosecute them.”

She went on to argue that other district attorney offices may lack the resources and the staff to take on such a huge case.

Skandalakis, for his part, says there are still some parts of the case he needs to review. But he already has some familiarity with the matter. Willis was previously barred from bringing charges against Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, now a top Republican gubernatorial contender. A state senator at the time, Jones called for a special legislative session in the aftermath of Trump’s 2020 defeat and was one of the Republicans who participated in the alleged “fake elector” scheme. But a separate political conflict of interest resulted in Jones being severed off from any case brought by the Fulton DA.

Skandalakis would name himself to oversee the investigation into Jones after the lieutenant governor was listed as an unnamed co-conspirator. But he ultimately concluded that the case warranted no further action, saying that Jones was acting as an elected representative and not a criminal conspirator.

“Considering the facts, applicable law and the circumstances surrounding the events occurring in November and December of 2020 and January of 2021, I find the conduct and involvement of Sen. Jones as an elected representative to be reasonable and not criminal in nature,” Skandalakis said in 2024.

The appointment leaves Georgia as the only jurisdiction with an active criminal case against the president.

Trump was convicted in Manhattan last year for falsifying business records, and the two federal cases against him were dismissed upon his return to the presidency.

We don’t know how Skandalakis will handle the case going forward. But if his exoneration of Burt Jones is any indication, the case is still skating on thin ice: There is simply no precedent for a state-level prosecution against a sitting president, and he wouldn’t be able to serve any prison time until the end of his term in office.

As for the remaining defendants and conspirators? Trump recently pardoned many of them, including Jones, for trying to overturn the president’s 2020 loss. But given that presidential pardons don’t apply to state prosecutions, the order was largely symbolic.

Now it’s all up to Skandalakis to decide when – or if – the case makes it before a jury. However, finding 12 impartial Georgians with no knowledge of the case to judge a sitting president’s staunchest allies may prove to be the steepest hill to climb.

Niles Francis recently graduated from Georgia Southern University with a degree in political science and journalism. He has spent the last few years observing and writing about the political maneuvering at Georgia’s state Capitol and regularly publishes updates in a Substack newsletter called Peach State Politics. He is currently studying to earn a graduate degree and is eager to cover another exciting political year in the battleground state where he was born and raised.

This senator helped Dems take control in 2020. Now a messy GOP fight could see him survive

Georgia is set to host what will likely be the most expensive U.S. Senate race in the country next year. But Republicans are still searching for a clear frontrunner to take on Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff, who continues to raise huge sums of cash as he prepares to defend his seat.

U.S. Reps. Mike Collins and Buddy Carter, along with former football coach Derek Dooley, are locked in a three-way race to take on the first-term senator. But latest fundraising figures suggest that the party remains largely undecided on a consensus candidate.

Collins, a Butts County trucking company owner and the son of a former congressman, said he raised about $1.9 million since entering the race, plus an additional $1 million transfer from his congressional campaign account. His team is hailing the fundraising numbers as proof that Collins is the “unmistakable frontrunner” in the Republican primary.

Dooley, who boasts an endorsement from Gov. Brian Kemp, also raised a little less than $2 million since he joined the contest. The former Tennessee Volunteers coach and son of Georgia coaching legend Vince Dooley has to walk a fine line between satisfying both Kemp’s allies and MAGA loyalists. But he also has to alleviate concerns about his scant political history and thin ties to Georgia.

“We didn’t inherit anything from daddy,” he said in an apparent dig at his two rivals. “We’re earning it — every dime, every vote.”

With no leading Republican candidate, all eyes will now turn to President Donald Trump — who can single-handedly turn this into a completely different race with a social media post announcing an endorsement.

And the president said Wednesday that he is indeed keeping a close eye on the Senate race (and continued doubling down on false claims surrounding his 2020 defeat).

“The governor has spoken to me about [the Senate race] a lot, he likes [Dooley] a lot, and I understand that. I haven’t made a decision yet. But I’m following that race very carefully. I think it’s important for Georgia to get a real senator because [Ossoff] is a horrible senator.”

Ossoff continues to be among the top Senate fundraisers in the country, raising another $12 million between July and September and ending the period with more than $20 million stashed away. But it’s only a small fraction of what the race is likely to cost: nearly half a billion dollars was spent on Georgia’s 2022 Senate battle between Sen. Raphael Warnock, a Democrat, and Republican Herschel Walker.

And Ossoff has established a reputation as one of his party’s strongest fundraisers. His 2017 campaign in a congressional special election brought in over $30 million. The Atlanta Democrat has now raised more than $200 million since his 2020 Senate bid, when he and Warnock ousted Republican incumbents to deliver a narrow Democratic Senate majority.

“But Jon Ossoff raising more than 250 percent of all three of his potential Republican opponents combined in Q3 is telling.”

Head-to-head polling between Ossoff and his Republican rivals has been sparse. But the incumbent appears to be starting out on solid ground: Morning Consult’s updated tracking poll found his approval rating at 51 percent with a disapproval of 34 percent.

But will these numbers hold by this time next year once negative campaign commercials start flooding the airwaves?

Niles Francis recently graduated from Georgia Southern University with a degree in political science and journalism. He has spent the last few years observing and writing about the political maneuvering at Georgia’s state Capitol and regularly publishes updates in a Substack newsletter called Peach State Politics. He is currently studying to earn a graduate degree and is eager to cover another exciting political year in the battleground state where he was born and raised.

Standstill as GOP fails to find frontrunner in major swing state race: 'All eyes on Trump'

And Carter, a wealthy pharmacist from St. Simons Island and the only candidate who entered the race before the start of the third quarter, raised another $1 million over the three-month stretch and loaned himself an additional $2 million. “We didn’t inherit anything from daddy,” he said in an apparent dig at his two rivals. “We’re earning it – every dime, every vote.”

With no leading Republican candidate, all eyes will now turn to President Donald Trump – who can single-handedly turn this into a completely different race with a social media post announcing an endorsement.

And the president said Wednesday that he is indeed keeping a close eye on the Senate race (and continued doubling down on false claims surrounding his 2020 defeat). “The governor has spoken to me about [the Senate race] a lot, he likes [Dooley] a lot, and I understand that. I haven’t made a decision yet. But I’m following that race very carefully. I think it’s important for Georgia to get a real senator because [Ossoff] is a horrible senator.”

“If we’ve learned anything from recent elections, it’s that raising more money isn’t necessarily an indicator of future electoral success,” said Adam Carlson, a Democratic pollster who has worked behind the scenes on several Georgia campaigns. “But Jon Ossoff raising more than 250% of all three of his potential Republican opponents combined in Q3 is telling.”

Sheer ambition has pitched this red state's leadership into a civil war

When the Georgia Senate stunned the state Capitol and wrapped up work before the typical midnight deadline on the last night of the 2025 session, a visibly frustrated House Speaker Jon Burns took a not-so-subtle dig at his friends across the hall.

“The House is focusing on its priorities of getting the job done, and we’re not worried about moving on to some other higher office,” the powerful Republican told reporters shortly before gaveling out his own chamber. “We came here to do a job, and we did our job.”

With the exception of the presidency, just about every position in politics can be considered a stepping stone to something bigger. But it’s not often (maybe once every four or eight years) that ambitious and powerful lawmakers suddenly go from colleagues to campaign rivals as they all seek to add another title to their resume.

The tension is already creeping into Georgia’s upper chamber, where greetings on the Senate floor have started to sound more aspirational than ceremonial. It’s not out of the ordinary, a former lawmaker once said, to hear someone walk onto the Senate floor and randomly shout, “Good morning, Congressman!”

But it’s becoming more than just a joke tossed around the chamber. At least 10 state senators — Republican and Democrat — are leaving behind their seats and leadership positions to run for “some other higher office,” in the colorful words of the speaker. And that number could grow as more offices open up ahead of the 2026 elections.

Let’s start at the top: Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, who serves as president of the senate, recently launched a bid for governor.

Three Republican state senators have already entered the race to succeed Jones: Steve Gooch of Dahlonega, John F. Kennedy of Macon and Blake Tillery of Vidalia. State Sen. Josh McLaurin, a Sandy Springs attorney, is the only known Democratic contender so far.

With Attorney General Chris Carr also fighting for the governor’s chair, Republican state Sens. Brian Strickland of McDonough and Bill Cowsert of Athens, both lawyers, are aiming to become the state’s next top prosecutor. State Sen. Emanuel Jones is challenging a longtime incumbent in a metro Atlanta congressional seat. And state Sen. Jason Esteves is running in the Democratic primary for governor.

A lot of these names aren’t “backbenchers” — they are synonymous with the levers of power in the chamber. Kennedy is the president pro tempore, Gooch is the majority leader, and Tillery chairs the budget-drafting appropriations committee. Strickland chairs the judiciary committee, and Cowsert is also a former Senate leader (and a brother-in-law to outgoing Gov. Brian Kemp).

And a change in Republican bylaws means that many of these members must immediately stand down from their roles in leadership while they campaign for a different office, which means new leaders are already being named ahead of the 2026 session.

While this mass exodus of seasoned legislators definitely says a lot about their own ambitions (and how awkward next year’s session is going to be), it’s also a sign of the power transition underway at the state Capitol with Gov. Brian Kemp entering the final year of his term.

The governor’s mansion isn’t the only big office up for grabs. Insurance Commissioner John King is running to oust Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff. Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and Agriculture Commissioner Tyler Harper are said to be plotting their next moves as well. More open statewide offices could lead to more lawmakers ditching their annual 40 days of work in search for higher office.

With several key senators already departing, however, the chamber is set to lose years of wisdom and institutional knowledge as key offices prepare to change hands. So the next governor and lieutenant governor won’t be the only ones learning on the job — a lot of their legislative partners will be new to their roles as well.

Strickland says the looming leadership turnover brings a great opportunity for new faces and names to step up to the plate.

“I think you’re going to see a chance for new people to step in who might have different leadership styles, but will maybe bring some needed changes in some particular areas,” he said recently while on break from court.

In the short term, lawmakers will need to convene for one more session before next November. But with so many senators running for other offices, how many of them will be focused on doing the work they were elected to do and not itching to get back out on the campaign trail?

“I think it’s incumbent on all of us who are running statewide to set [our campaigns] aside for those 40 days and to do the job we were elected to do for those 40 days,” finished Strickland.

“Obviously there’s going to be some tension. My hope is that it does not come from me.”