A week before hundreds of activists gather in Columbus for the Georgia GOP’s annual convention, the party is facing new internal turmoil.
With many mainstream Republicans following Gov. Brian Kemp’s lead and steering clear of the organization, a MAGA-friendly activist base led by former state Sen. Josh McKoon has taken the reins of the party.
On his watch, the party has tried to restore ties with state leaders while steering more than $1.8 million toward the legal defense of a trio of party figures charged in the Fulton County election interference case.
But that hasn’t quelled the feuding within the party.
Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC
Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC
The latest came Friday when party activists voted to strip first vice chair Brian Pritchard of his leadership post after a judge ruled he voted illegally nine times while serving probation for a felony check forgery sentence.
Though the vote was overwhelming, Pritchard framed himself as a political martyr and complained that party leaders “marched” him out of the meeting after he lost the vote. He still plans to attend the convention on Friday.
McKoon said Pritchard was escorted out after he tried to hold an unauthorized news conference outside the meeting with an unnamed ally who was “trespassing on private property.”
He also said he hopes to release a video and transcript of the meeting “so people can judge for themselves what took place.”
Pritchard won’t be the only far-right figure jockeying for attention during the two-day GOP gathering in west Georgia.
Tea party organizer Amy Kremer is running against Ginger Howard for a seat on the powerful Republican National Committee. Kremer boasts of helping to organize the rally outside the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, that preceded the mob storming the building.
Jason Thompson, another of Georgia’s RNC members, is in a three-way race with David Cross, a far-right election conspiracist who is the party’s second vice-chair; and Jason Frazier, who has challenged nearly 10,000 voter registrations under Georgia’s 2021 election law.
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Credit: AJC, AP
Credit: AJC, AP
COURT DATE. A federal judge has set a hearing for later today to consider former U.S. Rep. John Barrow’s challenge to a judicial watchdog agency that has warned him against centering his campaign for Georgia Supreme Court on a pledge to “preserve” abortion rights.
The hearing comes just days before Barrow and Justice Andrew Pinson face each other in a May 21 primary and one of the most extraordinary judicial races in recent Georgia history.
The lawsuit could have far-reaching consequences for how candidates for other judgeships wage their campaigns.
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JIMMY WHO? Former President Donald Trump has for months obsessively compared President Joe Biden to another Democrat, the ailing 99-year-old Jimmy Carter.
But at Trump’s New Jersey rally on Saturday, he mistakenly referred to the Georgia native as “Jimmy Connors,” the legendary tennis player. Oy.
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Credit: Steve Schaefer/AJC
Credit: Steve Schaefer/AJC
RIDIN’ WITH BIDEN. President Joe Biden visits Atlanta later this week to deliver the Morehouse College commencement address, the alma mater of one of Georgia’s highest-profile politicians, Democratic U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock.
As insider Greg Bluestein writes, Warnock has been instrumental in quelling the controversy around the selection of Biden as graduation speaker. Biden has drawn sharp criticism for his handling of the Israel-Hamas war, including during protests at college campuses across the state.
In an interview, Warnock said he “could not be more thrilled and honored” about Biden’s visit and that he is expecting a “timely, poignant, forward-looking message” for the Morehouse graduates.
Bluestein delves deep into the alliance between Biden and Warnock and how important Warnock’s support for Biden will be as the Democratic president tries to win the state again in the November election.
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Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
BACK THE BLUE. U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Atlanta, is kicking off National Police Week today with a pair of events that highlight legislation he has introduced to provide down payment assistance for first responders and teachers attempting to purchase homes.
The first event will be in McDonough. Later in the afternoon, Ossoff will be joined by U.S. Rep. Sanford Bishop, D-Albany, for a similar event in Columbus. Local elected officials and representatives from various law enforcement agencies will be on hand at both stops.
Between 25,000 and 40,000 people are expected to attend National Police Week events in Washington, representing departments across the nation. Ossoff’s news conferences are among the many localized events that will be held throughout the week.
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Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC
Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC
LISTEN UP. Today on the “Politically Georgia” radio show, DeKalb County CEO Mike Thurmond and former Georgia Attorney General Sam Olens give their takes on the news of the day. Also, Democratic strategist Rick Dent provides his insight on how presidential candidates are attempting to reach Georgia voters on the airwaves.
Listen live at 10 a.m. on 90.1 FM, at AJC.com and at WABE.org.
In case you missed it, Friday’s show featured U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter, R-St. Simons Island, discussing why he voted to table the motion to remove House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La. And Semafor congressional reporter Kadia Goba weighed in on U.S. Rep. Mike Collins’ controversial social media feed and the dysfunction among U.S. House Republicans.
Listen at Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
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MTG’S HOMEBASE. Constituents in U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s district offered mixed opinions last week when asked whether they supported the Rome Republican’s attempt to oust House Speaker Mike Johnson, our AJC colleague Michelle Baruchman reports.
Many of the northwest Georgians who were interviewed agreed that Johnson, R-La., should vacate his post, despite their inability to name any particular grievances or knowing much about Johnson’s background. However, others viewed Greene’s action as a self-serving, attention-seeking move that made them ashamed to be represented by her.
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Credit: Nathan Posner for the AJC
Credit: Nathan Posner for the AJC
HOUSE OF HORRORS? Insider Patricia Murphy is out with an opinion column criticizing two U.S. House members from Georgia who seem to embrace the notion of “there’s no such thing as bad publicity.”
Murphy unpacks the actions of U.S. Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Rome and Mike Collins, R-Jackson, and writes that their constituents deserve better from their elected officials. Greene has made headlines for weeks for her now failed bid to remove House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., from his leadership role. Meanwhile, Collins’ recent social media antics have been deemed inappropriate by many critics.
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TODAY IN WASHINGTON:
- President Joe Biden delivers remarks at the White House in celebration of Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month.
- The House and Senate return Tuesday.
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PROTESTS IN THE STREETS. Demonstrators supporting Palestinians in Gaza as well as those backing the state of Israel held dueling protests Saturday in downtown Savannah, marching through the streets and gathering for rallies in Johnson Square.
According to The Current, an online news organization based on the Georgia coast, about 200 people attended the “Free Palestine” protest and the counterprotest supporting Israel. The pro-Israel demonstrators taped flyers with photos of Israeli children kidnapped by Hamas during a raid last October to park benches.
The protests were the first large-scale demonstrations held in Savannah since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war. Small protests have been held on the Georgia Southern University Armstrong campus. Another took place outside the Savannah Civic Center during a visit by Vice President Kamala Harris in February.
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Credit: John Spink/AJC
Credit: John Spink/AJC
VOTER GUIDE. This is the final week 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.
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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.
