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- Our Candidates Are Building. Ossoff Is Fighting. Trump's Tariffs Are Landing. Here's Your Week.
Our Candidates Are Building. Ossoff Is Fighting. Trump's Tariffs Are Landing. Here's Your Week.
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🙋♀️Top 3 Things To Know This Week
1. Georgia families sue Meta, accuse its data center of tainting their water Residents in Newton County have filed a lawsuit against Meta after the construction of the company’s $1 billion data center. According to the residents, excavation, blasting and tree clearing disturbed underground aquifers which started producing silt and sediment in their well water supply. The residents also pointed out that construction operations have caused dust storms affecting their rural way of life. USA Today
2. Hegseth's Purge of the Generals A New York Times investigation revealed that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has removed at least six senior Army officers over the past year, leaving the Army without a permanent chief of staff for four months during an active war. The pattern is now unmistakable: generals who push back on Hegseth's decisions get replaced, and his latest push to escalate troop deployments in Iran is running into resistance from the leaders still in uniform. Retired generals from both parties and Republican senators with military backgrounds have raised alarm about what removing experienced military judgment during wartime means for troops in the field and for the American tradition of civilian leaders receiving frank military advice. For Georgia families at Fort Stewart, Fort Benning, and Robins Air Force Base, this is not abstract, it is who will be leading the service members they love if this war deepens. CBS
3. Gloria Steinem, 1934 to 2026 Gloria Steinem, the writer and activist who spent six decades building the modern American women's movement, died last night at 92. She founded Ms. Magazine in 1972, the first mass-market feminist magazine in America, and co-founded the National Women's Political Caucus in 1971 to recruit and elect women to public office. In 2017, she co-chaired the Women's March on Washington, delivering one of the defining speeches of the day to a crowd of half a million. She leaves an unfinished fight and a template for how to keep at it. AP News
One Folding Chair at a Time: How Ethan Wolfe is Winning Georgia House District 151
Last weekend, members of The 2030 Project team sat in a small room in Plains, Georgia, and watched Ethan Wolfe do something simple and rare: he listened. Yard signs stood on either side of him, his old Air Force cap resting on the table in front, and one by one, neighbors, farmers, retirees, and lifelong Sumter County residents spoke up about what they needed from their next state representative. Ethan didn't bring a teleprompter or a stump speech clicker. He brought folding chairs and real conversations.
"I believe representation means showing up, listening, communicating openly, and making sure the people who sent you to Atlanta never have to wonder whose side you are on." That's what Ethan told the room, and it's exactly what he did for the next hour, one voter, one question, one story at a time.
Georgia House District 151 is the fifth most flippable state house seat in the state this cycle. It's also bigger than the entire state of Rhode Island, eight counties, more than 1,700 square miles, and a campaign that has to reach every one of them with little institutional infrastructure behind it. That's where you come in. Every dollar you give goes straight to the unglamorous work that actually wins rural races, postcards that put a real, personal note in a voter's hand, and canvassers who knock the doors no one else is knocking. Help us build on the momentum from Plains. Donate Here!
Ethan Wolfe in Plains, Georgia
Catching up with Michelle and Beth!
Two weekends ago, members of The 2030 Project joined Michelle Kang for the fall launch of her campaign for State House District 99 at the Coordinated Campaign Office in Duluth. The energy in the room said everything, a packed house, yard signs raised, and a community ready to finish the job. Michelle spoke with the passion and clarity that has defined her campaign from the start, and the crowd that showed up, young, diverse, and fired up, is exactly why HD-99 is one of our top priorities this cycle. We are proud to stand with her and even more proud to be part of what is coming this November.
Michelle’s Fall Campaign Launch - Duluth, Georgia
Members of our team also recently joined HD-53 candidate Beth Fuller at a postcard-writing party in Sandy Springs, one of the small, unglamorous gatherings that turn supporters into volunteers. It's exactly the kind of work a district this competitive requires. That same commitment showed up in a heavier moment too. On August 30th, Beth hosted the North Fulton Unity Fundraiser alongside HD-48 candidate Adam Cleveland, an event in support of reproductive rights in Georgia. Attendees heard from Shanette Williams, who shared the story of her daughter, Amber Nicole Thurman, who died after experiencing delays in receiving medical care, a death later determined to be preventable. Whether she's licking envelopes with volunteers or standing beside a mother sharing her family's pain, Beth Fuller has spent this summer showing HD-53 what real representation looks like.
Beth Fuller HD-53 and Adam Cleveland HD-48
More Than a Day Off: What Georgia's Workers Actually Deserve This Labor Day
On Monday, we celebrate the workers who keep Georgia running. The teacher pulling a second shift tutoring after school. The nurse in a rural hospital that keeps its doors open on faith and overtime. The construction worker on a Hyundai site who cannot afford to see a doctor for the back pain the job is giving him. These are the Georgians Labor Day exists for.
There's plenty for Georgia to be proud of this year. CNBC ranks Georgia number 7 in the country for business. The state has been successful in attracting companies and investments, no question.
In the same report, Georgia is ranked 46th for quality of life, a grade of F. In healthcare, CBS ranks Georgia 49th based on WalletHub's 2026 evaluation of coverage rates and health outcomes.
This gap is the whole story. What does being a top ten business state mean when working families can't afford healthcare?
For Georgians, economic success is not measured by how many corporations we attract or contracts we sign. The true measure is whether the next paycheck covers rent, groceries, and the next doctor's appointment, or whether a family can even afford to see a doctor when they need one. For too many Georgians, these basics are out of reach.
Georgia's uninsured rate reaches 12%, compared to an 8% national average. Eighteen hospitals have closed since 2013, and the state has done little to stop the bleeding. It's no wonder healthcare has become the centerpiece of this year's gubernatorial race.
Rick Jackson, the Republican candidate, is no stranger to healthcare. Jackson's companies made over a billion dollars from state healthcare contracts, and even his own party has criticized his role. In April, Burt Jones called Jackson "the culprit of our health care costs in this state more than tripling."
And yet Jackson dismisses Medicaid expansion, the single most direct policy Georgia could adopt to close the gap. Keisha Lance Bottoms has promised expansion. Jackson calls himself the "affordability" candidate while opposing policies that would actually make healthcare more affordable for Georgia workers.
This is one of many issues on the ballot this year, from the Governor's race down to the state legislative seats that decide whether Medicaid expansion ever gets a serious vote. This Labor Day, Georgia's workers deserve more than a day off or a thank you, they deserve an economy that works for them too. As we celebrate our workforce, let's carry those concerns with us to the polls in November.
While Mike Collins Goes Quiet, Jon Ossoff Uncovers Georgia's Healthcare Crisis
With campaign season now in full swing, it's easy to forget that both of Georgia’s candidates for the U.S. Senate are still active members of the 119th Congress. Between television ads, interviews, rallies, and other events, Congressman Mike Collins and Senator Jon Ossoff must somehow find time to carry out their duties as elected officials.
While Congressman Collins hasn’t done much lately (his last congressional activity was on July, 17 and his most recent press release came on July, 14), Senator Ossoff has been hard at work. In addition to publishing 31 press releases since Collins last produced one (count ‘em – 31), Ossoff has been busy introducing bills, conducting oversight hearings, and most recently, releasing an investigation into Georgia insurance companies denying necessary health care.
Ossoff launched the investigation in January 2026 to address rising healthcare costs and cuts to healthcare services. In April, he opened an inquiry with Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz about insurance companies using "prior authorization" to delay or deny care. Then, in June, Ossoff went directly to Georgians and asked them to share their stories of denied or delayed care. The August 31st report is built on what came back from that outreach.
The report found that insurance delays and denials of medically necessary care have "threatened [patients'] lives and caused severe suffering," placed children at risk, and led to untreated conditions with harmful symptoms, including suicide.
The horrific and troubling findings of Ossoff’s investigation, though tragic, are unsurprising. While Republicans at the national level have passed cuts to Medicare and Medicaid, Republicans in Georgia have allowed for insurance companies and health care giants (like gubernatorial candidate Rick Jackson) to take advantage of people in need for personal benefit. All the while, Georgia is one of only ten states to have not expanded Medicaid.
As election day approaches, Senator Ossoff seems poised and prepared to balance his duties between his legislative work and his campaign (unlike Congressman Collins, who seems prepared for neither). In fact, in less than two weeks, Ossoff will be holding a rally in Athens alongside Gubernatorial candidate Keisha Lance Bottoms, where he will be sure to highlight the findings of his health care investigation. RSVP Here!
Senator Ossoff’s record is the perfect contrast to the platforms of both Mike Collins and Rick Jackson. While Ossoff addresses the current health care crisis, Mike Collins seems to be MIA from his House seat, and Rick Jackson spends the millions of dollars he made by exploiting people in need of health care on campaign advertisements.
Georgia Democratic Party
Follow the Money: The 1% is Funding the Negative Ads on Your Screen
If you've turned on your TV, opened social media, or don't live under a rock, you've probably seen a political ad. That's not breaking news, it is election season after all. But have you looked closely at these ads? Really parsed through what they're saying? They're overwhelmingly negative, which is also not surprising, but bear with me.
The nostalgic longing for a more civil political era has become a cliché. Talking about how cordial politics were in previous eras is overdone. I, like many young people, have mournfully compared banter from Walter Mondale and Reagan to the shouting matches seen in recent presidential debates. We can blame this change on social media algorithms, economic precarity, and Donald Trump. But the increased hostility left-to-right is also coming from above.
Campaign contributions have skyrocketed since the 2010 Citizens United ruling, particularly among the top 1%. The 2024 election saw a little over $15 billion in campaign spending. 100 billionaires accounted for 19% of that. That's .00004% of the population with almost one-fifth of the representation.
It gets worse.
Large donors tend to give to independent political action committees (super PACs), which aren't directly connected to any candidate. This gives them the freedom to run more attack ads than campaign-affiliated PACs, roughly 70% of their ads are negative, well above the 40-50% from other groups. As super PACs continue to eye down-ballot candidates, local races will look a lot less friendly in the near future.
That fight is coming to Georgia. Every seat The 2030 Project is working to flip is exactly the kind of race the super PACs will start targeting next. The window to build these campaigns on real relationships, real doors knocked, and real voters spoken to instead of on eight-figure ad blitzes is closing.
- Andrew B, Intern, The 2030 Project
Unusually Exposed: Why Georgia Stands to Lose Big in the New U.S.-Canada Trade War
Every year, Georgia exports a whopping $7 billion worth of goods to Canada. According to the Georgia Chamber of Commerce, Canada is the state's fourth largest trading partner, with $13.3 billion in two-way goods trade in 2025. Canadian goods make up approximately 11% of the state's total goods exports.
On August 22nd, after negotiations broke down between Canada and the Trump administration, Trump announced an additional 50% tariff on Canadian goods. Canada responded with retaliatory tariffs on roughly $20 billion of U.S. goods, matching Trump's duties dollar for dollar. The Canadian tariffs take effect September 8th and cover more than 700 U.S. products, ranging across agriculture, construction, and recreational categories.
Georgia is unusually exposed to Canada, and local businesses, farmers, and manufacturers will feel the impact directly. The broad sector exposure will hit industries including construction materials, food processing, beverage distribution and hospitality, chemicals and plastics, and forest products. Tariffs will have the greatest impact on Georgia products like steel, lumber, and pecans.
Georgians can’t afford any more of Trump's trade strategy. Farmers and economists warn that these tariffs will continue to raise prices for consumers, but the Trump administration claims this trade war will protect American workers. Regardless of the rhetoric, Georgians continue to suffer higher prices at the store and lower demand for the goods they produce.
The impact is already being felt. Trump's earlier 2025 tariff policies are estimated to have cost Georgia businesses around $20.1 billion, roughly $5,000 per household.
What makes this trade war different is that it is not a confrontation with an adversary. It is a fight with one of the United States' closest allies. Canada has been a steady, long-term trading partner, and these new tariffs raise real questions about the future of that relationship.
Throughout his campaign, Trump promised Georgia families that his economic policies would make the country stronger and more affordable. Instead, his actions against one of our closest allies force Georgia farmers, manufacturers, and consumers to pay the price. Trump's trade war is not landing far away, it is landing directly on Georgia's farms and factories.
What’s Inspiring Us This Week:
A new weekly feature, written by one of our interns. Because we all need a pick-me-up.
L.E. Baskow, Las Vegas Review
At just 12 years old, Carsynn Meyer is showing young girls across the country that there is no place in sports they cannot belong. The Nevada Little League player made history this summer as the 26th girl ever to play in the Little League Baseball World Series, and recently became the first girl to play in the U.S. championship game.
Meyer plays outfield for Paseo Verde Little League, which represented the Mountain Region at the 2026 Little League World Series. Her journey to Williamsport was especially meaningful after she participated earlier this year in the Maria Pepe Little League Baseball Legacy Series, a tournament celebrating girls who are breaking barriers in baseball.
But Meyer isn't focused solely on making history. She has embraced the opportunity to inspire the girls watching her.
"Girls can do anything they set their mind to," Meyer said (Yahoo Sports), encouraging other girls who love baseball to pursue the sport.
Her story is a reminder that representation can have a powerful ripple effect.
Every time Meyer steps onto the field, she is helping make baseball a little more welcoming for the girls who will follow her, and proving that sometimes the best way to change a sport is simply to show up and play.
- Elina, Intern, The 2030 Project
Until next time,
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