President Joe Biden can’t recapture Georgia, let alone the White House, without soaring support from Black voters. After his debate debacle, most of the state’s highest profile Black leaders are circling the wagons and expressing confidence in his ability to win reelection.
They were following a campaign blueprint that aimed to reassure donors, activists and other anxious Democrats who worry that Biden’s shaky showing at the Atlanta debate was a sign that he may not be up to the challenge of beating former President Donald Trump.
“If they weren’t engaged in a little bit of hand-wringing, they wouldn’t be Democrats,” U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock said on NBC’s “Meet the Press” to try to shut down talk of Biden abandoning the race. He shifted the focus to Trump, whose defeat is top of mind to most Democratic voters.
“I’m with Joe Biden, and it’s our assignment to make sure that he gets over the finish line come November, not for his sake but for the country’s sake,” said Warnock, an Atlanta Democrat.
Credit: Natrice Miller/AJC
Credit: Natrice Miller/AJC
U.S. Rep. Nikema Williams, who chairs the state Democratic Party, said that Biden shared a positive vision of the nation’s future while Trump “told lie after lie and then lied some more.”
And U.S. Rep. Lucy McBath, D-Marietta, reached into her country music bag during a Sunday afternoon service at Ebenezer Baptist Church to encourage congregants to “Stand by Your Man.”
“We do a great disservice to ourselves as Democrats to say at this point, ‘Step aside, let somebody else run,’” McBath said, as reported by our colleague Ernie Suggs.
“We’re going to lose every bit of ground that we have gained. We’re in a very precarious situation right now and it’s all-hands-on-deck. You can’t depend on the president alone to pull this off. It takes all of us.”
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens, former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, former gubernatorial nominee Stacey Abrams and dozens of other Black legislative leaders all joined the chorus over the weekend.
But there were other signs of friction within the party, mostly playing out behind the scenes as officials, donors and activists feared rebuke for speaking out publicly.
One of the few to air concerns out loud is state Rep. Ruwa Romman, a Palestinian-American legislator from Gwinnett County who has long criticized Biden’s handling of Israel’s war with Hamas in Gaza.
She stopped short of outright calling for Biden to step down but said it was “insulting to pretend this isn’t a big deal.”
“We have another moment right now to course correct,” she said in a series of posts on X. “We need to do all that we can to ensure that come the day after Election Day we can honestly say we did all that we could.”
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Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC
Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC
BARBER’S REMORSE. The owner of Rocky’s Barbershop in Buckhead, who hosted an “African Americans for Trump” small business roundtable Wednesday, seems to have a bit of buyer’s remorse now that the dust has settled from the excitement of debate week.
At the time, Rocky Jones told our AJC colleague Maya T. Prabhu that he was excited to host the discussion, which featured a call from former President Donald Trump himself. But he’s now changed his tune, saying he feels “misled” about what the event would be.
Initially, Jones declined to tell the AJC if he planned to vote for Trump. But he relished the opportunity to host a panel of Black business owners, activists and conservative politicians making the former president’s case.
“It was great listening to this group of men — it was like being in school,” Jones said. “Trump is saying great things and he’s making a lot of sense.”
At the time, Jones said he was proud that Trump had called into the event at his shop.
“It was impressive,” Jones said. “As a small business, to get that call in your establishment, is like, ‘Wow, the president called somebody in your barber shop.’ So, I felt like I was doing something as a small business.”
But since the roundtable, Jones said that his business has slowed. He also told journalists that he felt “misled” and “blindsided” by the event.
“‘Why is the president — ex-president — calling somebody in my barbershop?’” he told WXIA-TV 11Alive. “This has nothing to do with small black businesses.”
An X account connected to the Trump campaign has since shared photos of a contract signed between Jones and “Donald J. Trump for President 2024″ for the use of Jones’ shop.
Jones did not respond to an AJC request for additional comment.
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Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
LISTEN UP. Andrew Morse, publisher of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, will join the show to discuss the editorial board’s decision to urge President Joe Biden to drop out of the race for president.
State Rep. Mary Margaret Oliver, D-Decatur, will share her thoughts about last week’s debate. And Georgia State University Professor Anthony Michael Kreis tells us what to expect as we anticipate the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling on whether former President Donald Trump has immunity from being charged in connection to the breach of the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
Listen live at 10 a.m. on WABE 90.1 or follow “Politically Georgia” on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
On Friday’s episode, the team analyzed President Joe Biden’s weak and troubling debate performance and compared that to the lies and misleading statements from former President Donald Trump.
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Credit: Natrice Miller/AJC
Credit: Natrice Miller/AJC
DUNKING ON DUNCAN. Lt. Gov. Burt Jones had some fun teasing his predecessor and political rival, fellow Republican Geoff Duncan, in the wake of President Joe Biden’s dismal debate performance.
“Has anyone done a health & welfare check on @GeoffDuncanGA this morning??” he posted on social media hours after the debate.
The two share a deep mutual hatred. Duncan stripped Jones of his committee chairmanship in 2021 while serving as leader of the state Senate and in protest of Jones’ involvement in challenging the results of the 2020 election. Duncan later refused to endorse Jones’ bid for Georgia’s No. 2 job.
Jones has relentlessly mocked Duncan for his rejection of MAGA politics, his stint on CNN and, more recently, his decision to endorse Biden’s reelection bid.
As for Duncan, we checked in with him shortly after the debate.
“It was a difficult night for level-headed Republicans that can’t imagine giving Donald Trump four more years in the White House,” he told us.
“The Democrats are going to have to chart a course going forward that either improves the performance or the ticket if they want a chance to win in November.”
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Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
NEW LAWS. The start of the fiscal year on July 1, which is today, also means that scores of new laws passed by the General Assembly and signed by Gov. Brian Kemp have gone into effect.
The AJC’s Mark Niesse writes the list of over 100 new laws includes measures cutting income taxes, creating protections for renters, guaranteeing patient visitation rights and protecting student health.
Among them, the election law has created the most controversy. It puts rules in place ahead of the presidential election regarding challenges to voter eligibility.
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TODAY IN WASHINGTON:
- President Joe Biden has no public events on his schedule.
- The U.S. House and Senate are out until July 8.
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Credit: TNS
Credit: TNS
SUNDANCE PITCH. U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock is among the Georgia elected officials making a pitch for the state to serve as the new host for the Sundance Film Festival. The Democrat said in a news release that the “Hollywood of the South” deserves the chance to host the high-profile event without picking sides among the three cities that have submitted proposals.
“Our scenic landscapes, diverse cities, and warm and welcoming people have provided the backdrop for countless films and television series, captivating audiences around the world and bringing stories to life,” the senator said. “The arc of Georgia’s history and its evolution into an entertainment, economic, and cultural powerhouse beckons a renowned event like the Sundance Film Festival to make our great state its new home.”
The AJC’s Rodney Ho and Savannah Sicurella reported that Atlanta, Athens and Savannah have all made bids to host the annual festival starting in 2027. We know the most about the $2 million in support that the city of Atlanta has pledged if it gets the nod.
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Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
CARTER 100. It may have seemed unthinkable when former President Jimmy Carter entered hospice 16 months ago, but there is a chance he will make it to his 100th birthday on Oct. 1.
And in the case that he does, celebration plans are underway, the AJC’s Matt Kempner reports.
Among those preparing for the big day is Jill Stuckey, a family friend and superintendent of the Jimmy Carter National Historical Park in Plains, where the former president resides.
“I think he is going to make it to 100,” Stuckey said. “I don’t know that he is saying that ‘I’m going to live to 100.’ But I do know there is will to live in all of us, and I think he has that same will.”
Recognitions for Carter’s centennial will include a 100-mile community bicycle ride in his home county and a free film festival in Atlanta organized by the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum.
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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.
