| | 200th Edition | November
06,
2026 |
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| What the 2026 Election Means for Emory | | Georgia and the nation have spoken. The results mark a historic rebuke of President Trump, underscoring voters’ concerns about the economy, democracy, and the country’s direction. Democrats now have two years to address those concerns, build consensus, and deliver results. OGCA’s role remains unchanged: build relationships across the aisle and advance Emory’s mission. |
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| Under the Gold Dome | | Georgia's Nov. 3 election brought significant changes to the state's political landscape, with Democrats sweeping statewide executive offices and making substantial gains in the General Assembly. Former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms was elected Georgia's first Democratic governor in more than two decades, alongside Lieutenant Governor-elect Josh McLaurin and other newly elected statewide officials.
Preliminary election results project a 93–87 Democratic majority in the State House and a narrow 29–27 Republican majority in the State Senate. The General Assembly is also expected to welcome 52 new legislators. Four races remain too close to call, and these projections reflect the candidates currently leading. Governor Brian Kemp also announced that he will not call a special legislative session before the transition of power in January.
What This Means for Emory
The new political landscape will bring changes to legislative leadership and committees overseeing healthcare, higher education, and state funding. With Democrats controlling the Governor's Office and House and Republicans maintaining a narrow Senate majority, bipartisan cooperation will be essential to advancing legislation and adopting the state budget.
These changes present opportunities for Emory to engage with new state leaders on priorities including healthcare access, research, higher education, and workforce development. OGCA will continue building relationships across party lines, sharing Emory's expertise, and advocating for policies that support our mission in education, research, healthcare, and service. |
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| Washington Lens | | As Georgia's congressional delegation welcomes new members in 2027, several incoming lawmakers bring experience spanning science, healthcare, business, law, and public service. |
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|  | | | The 2026 elections resulted in Democratic control of both chambers of Congress, with Democrats holding a 54-44 majority in the U.S. Senate (2 races TBD but both currently showing a Democrat lead) and a 240-147 advantage in the U.S. House of Representatives (48 races TBD with both parties expected to claim seats). The Senate’s 60-vote threshold for advancing most legislation, however, means that bipartisan cooperation will remain important to moving major legislative priorities forward.
In the coming weeks, congressional leaders will finalize committee assignments, chairmanships, and other leadership positions that will shape the legislative agenda, oversight priorities, and federal funding decisions for the 120th Congress. For information on key dates between now and swearing-in, please see here.
What This Means for Emory
The new landscape presents opportunities to advance priorities such as biomedical research funding, student aid, academic medicine, and public health initiatives. Even with Democratic control of Congress, however, major legislation will still require President Trump's signature. Bipartisan engagement and effective relationships with both Congress and the Administration will remain essential to advancing Emory’s federal priorities. |
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| Closer to Home | This election cycle results include the following changes in city and county representation for those municipalities in which Emory operates a facility:
- DeKalb County will welcome a new District 3 (Southwest DeKalb) Commissioner, Keyanna Jones Moore. All six other Commissioners will return to their seats in 2027.
- Fulton County will see significant changes in its commission composition, with four of the seven seats flipping. New members include:
- Commission Chair Mo Ivory
- District 1 (North Fulton – EHJC) Maggie Goldman
- District 3 (Central Fulton – EUHM) Rohit Malhotra
- District 5 (South Fulton) Helen Zenobia Willis
This result could impact the dynamics between Fulton County and the City of Atlanta regarding funding for new hospital infrastructure, as both municipalities work to address the healthcare desert created by Wellstar’s departure from Atlanta.
- The City of Stonecrest (EHH) will welcome a new District 2 council member, Yuyette Hudson.
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| DeKalb's Polling Site | | Emory continues to host a DeKalb County voting precinct at our 1599 Clifton building. Through the advance voting period from Oct. 13 – 30, 15,923 votes were cast at our location, making 1599 the fourth highest advance voting precinct in the county. On Election Day, the precinct logged an additional 246 votes (comprised of voters specifically assigned to this location), pushing our total site vote count for this cycle over the 16,000 mark. A huge thank you to all the staff and volunteers that made the operations of this polling site such a success! |
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|  | Welcoming a New Class | | On Oct. 28, the 2026-2027 Emory Board of Visitors cohort was welcomed to campus for their new member orientation. The group spent time getting to know each other, learning more about Emory, and exploring how Board of Visitors members can advance and support Emory’s mission. |
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|  | Celebrating Betty | | The OGCA Team hosted a celebration of Betty Willis on Oct. 29. She will be retiring, after 30 years of steadfast service to Emory, on Dec. 31. |
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