With little fanfare, Gov. Brian Kemp signed a law last year that created and funded a cold case unit within the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and gave relatives of victims of unsolved killings power to seek new probes.
It was named in part for Tara Baker, the 23-year-old University of Georgia law student whose 2001 unsolved murder haunted the community.
Credit: AJC file photo
Credit: AJC file photo
On Thursday, the GBI announced a suspect has been charged with murder and assault in connection with Baker’s killing. And legislators called the new law a success.
“Of the issues I’ve taken on in the Legislature, I’ll be most proud of the Coleman-Baker Act that has helped bring us to this moment,” said state Rep. Houston Gaines, an Athens Republican who sponsored the bill. “While we can never bring Tara back, justice will be served.”
Kemp added: “May Tara’s memory live on through the good work of this unit.”
***
Credit: Elijah Nouvelage for the AJC
Credit: Elijah Nouvelage for the AJC
BARROW BITES BACK. Georgia Supreme Court candidate John Barrow fired back at a letter written by five former justices who say his campaign for the top bench is slipping into partisan territory.
Echoing a federal lawsuit filed this week, the former Democratic congressman said he has legal rights to center his campaign against incumbent Andrew Pinson on a pledge to protect and expand abortion rights.
But he also noted in a letter sent Thursday that four of the five former justices who rebuked him are either co-chairs of Pinson’s campaign or members of his steering committee.
He said they should disclose their allegiance because “those they seek to impress by their authority would know that they are getting a lecture about the rules of the game from fans who are not only members of the other team, but actually betting on the other team.”
***
Credit: Natrice Miller/AJC
Credit: Natrice Miller/AJC
PORTFOLIO MOVES. A Georgia House incumbent’s investments in fossil fuel companies has drawn enough criticism that she’s selling off her shares ahead of the May 21 Democratic primary. Rep. Becky Evans, D-Atlanta, is a champion of environmental causes and faces a challenge from fellow Democratic Rep. Saira Draper in the redrawn House district.
According to reporting from Rough Draft Atlanta, stock holdings in AFA Corporation make up 4% of Evans’ portfolio. Earlier this year, one of AFA’s subsidiaries agreed to pay $4 million in civil penalties for unlawful air pollution produced at its oil and gas wells in New Mexico and Texas.
***
Credit: AJC
Credit: AJC
MOORE MEETS MATCH? Outspoken state Sen. Colton Moore has become accustomed to challenges from fellow Republicans in his first two years in the General Assembly. The far-right conservative from Trenton has been exiled from the Senate Republican Caucus and banned from the House chamber for antagonizing his colleagues.
He’s facing a higher-stakes challenge this month: an opponent in the May 21 GOP primary. Angela Pence entered the race hours before the qualifying deadline when it appeared Moore would run unopposed for the seat.
In an interview with the AJC’s Michelle Baruchman, Pence said she got on the ballot because “Sen. Moore literally can’t do his job.
“I didn’t know if I could live with myself if I knew I was capable and didn’t (get in the race), knowing how much he has hurt our district through his actions,” said Pence, who attempted to run against U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene for her House seat in 2022 as a Libertarian but failed to attain enough signatures to get on the ballot.
***
Credit: Jason.Getz/AJC
Credit: Jason.Getz/AJC
A REQUEST FOR WADE. The Republican chairman of the U.S. House Judiciary Committee has asked former Fulton County special prosecutor Nathan Wade to testify behind closed doors.
In a letter dated Thursday, U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, said he wanted Wade not only to sit for an interview about his relationship with Fulton District Attorney Fani Willis but also to produce numerous documents related to his work on the Georgia election interference case, the AJC’s David Wickert reports.
Jordan described the case involving former President Donald Trump’s attempts to overturn the 2020 election in Georgia as a “politically motivated prosecution.” And he said he wanted the committee to investigate allegations that Wade and Willis profited from the case.
Wade’s attorney could not immediately be reached for comment about Jordan’s request. He and Willis have testified that they did nothing wrong.
Earlier this week, Wade told ABC News that while the timing of his relationship with Willis “could have been better,” it had nothing to do with the merits of the election case.
***
Credit: Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP
Credit: Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP
DELTA WINS IN D.C. The U.S. Senate on Thursday signed off on a five-year reauthorization of the Federal Aviation Administration that includes a provision authorizing 10 more daily long-haul flights at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.
Although the bill is wide-ranging and includes $105 billion in spending, it was the fight over the flights that had become the highest-profile snag in discussions.
In this case, Delta Air Lines won. American Air, which has a hub at Reagan National, was among the airlines lobbying against the new flights. The company’s representatives said that the airport is already busy enough and more flights could create safety issues better resolved if cross-country routes were prioritized at Dulles International Airport in northern Virginia.
Credit: Nathan Posner for the AJC
Credit: Nathan Posner for the AJC
Members of Georgia’s delegation went to bat for Delta, which stands to gain at least one additional roundtrip long-range flight each day. The airline’s position was that people living in Washington deserved greater access to cross-country flights at the airport nearest them and that the airport has capacity to accommodate them.
The Senate approved the bill Thursday by a vote of 88-4. Both of Georgia’s senators, Democrats Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock, were in favor.
The House is expected to take up the legislation when it returns next week. The FAA law was scheduled to expire today, but Congress passed a one-week extension to give extra time for the new agreement to be finalized.
***
Credit: AJC
Credit: AJC
STATUE SELECTION. A highlight of every visit to the U.S. Capitol is a swing through Statuary Hall, home to statues of notable Americans from each state. Leaders from the states choose the honorees, and there’s currently a push by several Southern states to replace sculptures of confederate leaders and war heroes submitted in the 1920s and 1930s when emotions remained raw from the Civil War.
Friend of Politically Georgia Jamie Dupree is out with an opinion column exploring the trend and encouraging Georgia leaders to sub out its statue honoring Alexander Hamilton Stephens, who served as the first and only vice president of the Confederate States of America.
Writes Dupree:
“2027 will mark 100 years since the Stephens statue arrived in D.C. There must be someone of historical note from Georgia who could send a better message to the thousands of tourists who walk through the U.S. Capitol each year."
Georgia has a second sculpture in Statuary Hall, one honoring famed physician Crawford Long. A third Georgian is immortalized in the hall, albeit not at the request of the state: Martin Luther King, Jr’s bust was added in 1982 by a vote of the U.S. Congress.
***
Credit: Nathan Posner for the AJC
Credit: Nathan Posner for the AJC
LISTEN UP. Today on the “Politically Georgia” radio show, U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter, R-St. Simons Island, discusses why he voted to table the motion to remove House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La.
And Semafor congressional reporter Kadia Goba weighs in on U.S. Rep. Mike Collins’ controversial social media feed and other political news of the week. Collins is a Republican from Jackson.
Listen live at 10 a.m. on 90.1 FM, at AJC.com and at WABE.org.
If you missed Thursday’s show, the episode featured state Sen. Harold Jones II, D-Augusta, who talked about the Republican-led Senate committee investigating District Attorney Fani Willis. And the AJC’s Mark Niesse discussed the impact of the new election law signed by Gov. Brian Kemp.
Listen at Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
***
Credit: AJC
Credit: AJC
CAMPAIGN COFFERS. Last week we told you Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee — the judge presiding over former President Donald Trump election interference case — was getting bipartisan backing in his election contest.
The support paid off in a big way for him heading into his May 21 election showdown with civil rights attorney Robert Patillo, our campaign finance guy James Salzer found this week when he reviewed recently filed reports.
McAfee, who was appointed to the court by Republican Gov. Brian Kemp, has raised roughly 27 times what Patillo has taken in and ended April with more than $300,000 banked, Salzer reports.
Credit: Elijah Nouvelage for the AJC
Credit: Elijah Nouvelage for the AJC
Besides $3,300 contributions from Kemp’s leadership committee and former Democratic Gov. Roy Barnes, McAfee has gotten financial help from former Georgia Supreme Court Justices Harold Melton, David Nahmias and Keith Blackwell; former Republican Attorney General Sam Olens; and Democratic state Sen. Jason Esteves of Atlanta. Blackwell is his campaign chairman.
McAfee loaned his campaign $100,000 and he has raised about $320,000 overall, including $127,000 in the past three months. His campaign reports are filled with contributions from lawyers, which is not surprising for an incumbent judge.
Patillo reported having raised a little under $12,000, with $4,200 left in his account as of April 30.
***
MACON MYSTERY DONOR. The State Ethics Commission is examining a campaign contribution to Macon-Bibb County mayoral candidate Shekita Maxwell. She listed a gift of $3,000 from an anonymous source in recent campaign disclosure filings. The item included the description “to pay election fees,” according to WMAZ TV.
Contributions from unnamed groups are not allowed under Georgia law. Maxwell told WMAZ’s Anthony Montalto the money was given to her parents along with the message, “We believe in your daughter. She should run.”
Maxwell, a scientist employed by the federal government and a military veteran, is challenging incumbent Mayor Lester Miller.
***
Credit: Nathan Posner for the AJC
Credit: Nathan Posner for the AJC
TODAY IN WASHINGTON:
- President Joe Biden attends campaign fundraisers in San Francisco and Seattle.
- The House and Senate are done for the week.
- U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga.; Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo; and OFS chief executive Holly Hulse make an announcement about fiber-optic cable manufacturing during an event at the company’s headquarters in Norcross.
- The House Judiciary Committee holds a field hearing on border security in Sahuarita, Arizona.
- U.S. Rep. Mike Collins will honor students accepted to military academies by attending events at their schools in Covington, Bogart and Madison.
***
Credit: Nathan Posner for the AJC
Credit: Nathan Posner for the AJC
BEND IT LIKE MCCORMICK. U.S. Rep. Rich McCormick, the freshman lawmaker from Suwanee, was on the winning team during this year’s Congressional Soccer Match.
McCormick and the Republicans won Wednesday night’s game by a score of 4-3, according to a write-up in Washingtonian.
The charity match pits a team of GOP lawmakers against a team of Democratic members with pro athletes added in to round out the teams.
Ahead of the match, McCormick told us that he was looking forward to an opportunity to work up a sweat and relieve some stress.
“I like sports because sports is a great way to just be a warrior for a couple hours,” he said.
***
Credit: AJC
Credit: AJC
VOTER GUIDE. A week remains of early in-person voting in the May primaries and nonpartisan elections, and voters are researching the names and races they’ll see on their ballots.
If you are looking for information about the candidates, we have you covered. Check out the Georgia Decides voter guide, a joint project from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and The Atlanta Civic Circle.
Early in-person voting ends May 17.
***
AS ALWAYS, Politically Georgia readers are some of our favorite tipsters. Send your best scoop, gossip and insider info to greg.bluestein@ajc.com, tia.mitchell@ajc.com, patricia.murphy@ajc.com and adam.vanbrimmer@ajc.com.
About the Authors
