Georgia has had more than its fair share of time at the center of the political universe over the last four years. The new battleground state flipped to President Joe Biden in 2020, gave Democrats control of the U.S. Senate with two new U.S. senators, and was at the middle of former President Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 elections.
Two years later, Trump failed to oust several Georgia statewide Republican leaders in primary races. And a year after that, Trump was indicted in Fulton County for election interference.
Now as the Republican National Convention takes place in Milwaukee, Georgia finds itself in the unusual position of mostly sitting on the sidelines.
Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC
Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC
Only two politically prominent Georgians have been given evening speeches so far — U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Rome, and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, with no others yet announced for the final two nights. Although Greene has been one of Trump’s most loyal and vocal allies since 2020, her five-minute remarks were buried on Monday night before prime-time viewing hours.
One Georgian who did get a prime-time spot Tuesday night was reality television star Savannah Chrisley of the now-defunct “Chrisley Knows Best.”
Georgia’s most popular Republican, Gov. Brian Kemp, has moved past his battles with Trump, but is not a part of the Georgia delegation to the convention and is not speaking to the convention. He is focusing instead on his role with the Republican Governors’ Association, while staunch Trump allies Lt. Gov. Burt Jones and former U.S. Sen. Kelly Loeffler are in Milwaukee but not in the spotlight.
Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC
Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC
The most powerful Georgian at Trump’s convention may be the least known — first-time candidate Brian Jack, a longtime Trump aide who is the GOP nominee for Georgia’s 3rd Congressional District. After years of work with the RNC, Jack is the co-chair of the all-important rules committee.
Compare that to prominent speakers from South Carolina, Louisiana, Ohio and, of course, Trump’s home state of Florida. They are all from states that are increasingly home to the new power structure of the GOP.
It’s a stark contrast from what we expect at next month’s Democratic National Convention, when U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock, U.S. Rep. Nikema Williams of Atlanta, former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, and other Georgia Democrats are expected to have prominent roles.
We don’t yet know which party will win the White House in November, but this week’s GOP convention is a clue to what role Georgians might play in a future Trump White House. After years of tensions with the former president, Georgia isn’t likely to be at the center of Trump’s political universe.
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Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
TRUMP’S SPEECH. Former President Donald Trump isn’t about to call Gov. Brian Kemp for advice on the nomination speech he will deliver on Thursday. But when pressed at a Politico event about it, Kemp had this to say:
“I do think it’s a great opportunity for the former president in his speech to reach a segment of the people who maybe not have liked him as much. Just by tone alone, being statesman-like and having a lot of grace and thanks for what he survived,” Kemp said.
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Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC
Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC
VANCE’S VIEWS. In a closed-door speech to young conservatives, U.S. Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, mentioned GOP donors who pushed him to condemn U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Rome, and her inflammatory remarks.
ProPublica revealed details of the previously unreported speech to the Teneo Network on Tuesday, hours after former President Donald Trump named Vance his running mate. From the report:
“And I say, ‘Why? Why do you want me to denounce this person?'" Vance said. “‘Well, she believes these crazy things.' Who cares?"
He went on, “Believing crazy things is not the mark of whether somebody should be rejected. Believing important truths should be the mark of whether we accept somebody, and if they believe some crazy things on the side, that's fine. We need to be OK with nonconventional people."
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Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC
Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC
TOUGH CROWDS. They aren’t exactly hostile audiences. But twice in the last week, Gov. Brian Kemp has delivered uncomfortable messages to somewhat prickly crowds.
Last Thursday in Florida, the Republican told a roomful of executives at the Georgia Hospital Association’s annual meeting that Medicaid expansion was off the table.
And on Tuesday in Wisconsin, he addressed the Georgia GOP’s delegation to the Republican National Convention in his first major appearance at a state party event since former President Donald Trump campaigned to oust him ahead of the 2022 election.
Despite the tough topics, both crowds gave him loud ovations. Said one attendee of the latter event: “I may not like him, but I like that he came here.”
Or as one of his former rivals, Kandiss Taylor, put it in Milwaukee: “Republicans are more united than ever before since the attempted assassination of President Trump. If Gov. Kemp making the trip to Milwaukee and speaking directly about getting President Trump back in the White House doesn’t show that, I’m not sure what else will.”
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Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC
Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC
CONDEMNING COLLINS. Five state House Democrats penned a letter calling for Republican U.S. Rep. Mike Collins to resign for blaming the assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump directly on President Joe Biden.
“We are so fortunate that no one acted off of your willful ignorance in making these damaging statements, while you failed to operate with the steadiness and composure required of an elected official,” read the letter.
Collins’ staff didn’t immediately comment, but it’s safe to say the Jackson Republican will reject their call.
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Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
BLACK AT RNC. For Black Republicans who often feel like “the only one” among family and friends when the topic is politics, an event during the Republican National Convention served as an opportunity to rub elbows with people who look and think like them.
The event Tuesday was sponsored by the Georgia GOP and the Black Republican Mayors’ Association and featured food, drinks and upbeat R&B music. The goal was to celebrate the Black voting and alternate delegates, and the program also included remarks from Black members of Congress and other Black GOP leaders.
“It’s so good and it’s energetic,” Massachusetts voting delegate Elizabeth Hinds-Ferrick said. “And also to bring some unity to let you know that you’re not the only one, you’re not standing alone. … It’s like a support group.”
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Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
RNC NOTEBOOK. The Politically Georgia team is on the ground in Milwaukee providing you news and updates from the Republican National Convention. Some highlights from Day 2:
Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC
Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC
- Savannah Chrisley said during her prime-time speech that her parents’ political beliefs and celebrity as reality television stars made them targets of a federal prosecutor who charged them with fraud and tax evasion. But in calling out Democrats and Fulton County prosecutors, she failed to mention that it was a federal case and her parents were indicted during President Donald Trump’s administration.
Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC
Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC
- Look for U.S. Rep. Mike Collins to be the featured speaker at this morning’s Georgia delegation breakfast. He follows Tuesday’s breakfast speaker, Gov. Brian Kemp.
Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC
Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC
- Slain nursing student Laken Riley was referenced during a speech delivered by U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas. Riley was killed in February while exercising near the University of Georgia campus, and a Venezuelan man who entered the country illegally has been charged. Cruz’s remarks focused on the theme of “Make America Safe Again” and addressed illegal immigration and crime.
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
- Trump GOP primary opponent Nikki Haley was among several of the former president’s rivals to voice support for him Tuesday during speeches. The AJC’s Greg Bluestein writes that Haley painted Trump as a one-man deterrent to hostile nations in the White House and told middle-of-the-road voters on the fence about Trump that “you don’t have to agree with Donald Trump 100% of the time to vote for him.”
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KEMP PLAN ON LIFE SUPPORT. Gov. Brian Kemp’s limited Medicaid expansion for poor Georgia adults will expire in 2025 as planned, a federal judge ruled.
The AJC’s Ariel Hart and Greg Bluestein report the decision could leave over 4,400 Georgians without health insurance that they just gained this year. Kemp and his aides told the AJC that his office would continue working to make sure that doesn’t happen.
The ruling amplifies the stakes in Georgia for the presidential election between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump.
Kemp’s Pathways expansion program was approved and touted by the Trump administration, but the Biden administration generally opposes work requirements for health care and prefers full expansion. Come 2025, if Georgia asks Washington for another five-year run for Pathways, much of the answer will depend on who is in the White House.
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Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC
Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC
LISTEN UP. The “Politically Georgia” team is in Milwaukee all week for the Republican National Convention.
On today’s show, U.S. Rep. Rich McCormick, R-Suwanee, talks about his friendship with fellow Marine, U.S. Sen. JD Vance, the GOP’s vice presidential nominee.
Listen live at 10 a.m. on WABE 90.1 or follow “Politically Georgia” on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
If you missed it on Tuesday, 3rd Congressional District GOP nominee Brian Jack discussed his role on the Republican Party’s rules committee and why he thinks the Donald Trump-JD Vance ticket will be strong in November.
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WARNOCK CANVASSER PLEA. The Savannah man who shot and injured a teenager going door-to-door for U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock during his 2022 campaign has pleaded not guilty on charges of aggravated assault and aggravated battery.
Javontae Vann, then a 15-year-old high school student, was attempting to leave campaign literature in the door of Jimmy Paiz’s home in December 2022 when Paiz fired a rifle through the door and the bullet struck Vann in the leg. Paiz claims he mistook Vann for an intruder.
A jury trial for Paiz is scheduled for Dec. 2.
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Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC
Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC
TODAY IN WASHINGTON:
- President Joe Biden gives a radio interview to Univision and delivers remarks at the UnidosUS Annual Conference in Las Vegas before attending a campaign event in the city.
- The House and Senate are in recess all week as Republicans convene in Milwaukee.
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Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
MARK YOUR CALENDARS. Conservative radio host Erick Erickson has announced his annual “Gathering” confab will be held in Atlanta later this summer. The event runs from August 8 through 10 at the Grand Hyatt Buckhead and features Gov. Brian Kemp, Attorney General Chris Carr and former U.S. Sen. Kelly Loeffler.
Erickson’s event has become a must-do for GOP power players in Georgia and power-players-in-waiting.
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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.
