Large photos of House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries handing the speaker’s gavel to U.S. Rep. Mike Johnson and the embrace that followed served as the backdrop to U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s news conference Wednesday when she announced that she will force a vote next week on Johnson’s ouster.
At times angry and cursing, Greene, R-Rome, accused Johnson of “a slimy backroom deal with Democrats” and said the Louisiana Republican has allowed the Democratic Party’s agenda to prevail. And she said all members of the U.S. House should be forced to cast votes publicly on whether he should continue as leader.
“I think every member of Congress needs to take that vote and let the chips fall where they may,” Greene said. “And so, next week I am going to be calling this motion to vacate.”
While some Republicans hold out hope that either they or former President Donald Trump will change Greene’s mind over the weekend, she insisted she will call for that vote as soon as Monday.
Who will come out with the upper hand? Greene’s office is flagging a recent poll that shows she is more popular than Johnson among Trump’s supporters, also known as the GOP base.
The Economist/YouGov polling doesn’t get into the debate on whether Johnson should remain as speaker, but on the general question of favorability Greene did better than Johnson.
Among the nearly 600 Trump voters polled, 47% said they had a favorable opinion of Greene and 23% saw her unfavorably. Compare that to the 41% who said they saw Johnson favorably and 31% who said they had an unfavorable opinion of him.
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Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
PANITCH PANACHE. Democratic state Rep. Esther Panitch has long been at odds with her party over the deepening political divide involving the Israel-Hamas war. But that doesn’t mean she’s switching parties.
Senior Republicans have made overtures to Panitch, the lone Jewish member of the Legislature, to flip to the GOP as two other metro Atlanta Democrats have recently done: Mesha Mainor and Vernon Jones.
Panitch made clear Wednesday she won’t join a party with former President Donald Trump as its nominal leader. She called the former president a “Hitler admirer” who cozied up to dictators and sparked the Jan. 6, 2021 mob.
“Weigh in on my party at your own risk,” she said.
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ANTISEMITISM BILL. The U.S. House on Wednesday approved legislation that would create a federal definition of antisemitism, an effort to respond to the outbreak of pro-Palestinian protests at college campuses across the nation.
The bill passed overwhelmingly and with bipartisan support, but there were 71 Democrats and 21 Republicans who opposed the measure. Four Georgia lawmakers voted no: U.S. Reps. Andrew Clyde, R-Athens; Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Rome; Hank Johnson, D-Lithonia; and Nikema Williams, D-Atlanta.
U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter was among the members who spoke in favor of the bill prior to Wednesday’s vote.
“Our laws should clearly reflect that discrimination includes the indisputable antisemitic rhetoric calling for violence against Jews,” said Carter, a St. Simons Island Republican. “There are far too many inexcusable examples from this year alone, and this must stop.”
The four Georgia lawmakers who opposed the bill said it could infringe on free speech because of the way antisemitism is defined and there are better ways to deal with the issues on college campuses.
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Credit: Greg Bluestein/AJC
Credit: Greg Bluestein/AJC
MILESTONE FOR MACON. On a positive note, it’s taken years of work and real bipartisan effort, but the bill to create the Ocmulgee National Park and Preserve in Middle Georgia was introduced Wednesday.
U.S. Sens. Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock, both Atlanta Democrats, and U.S. Reps. Sanford Bishop, D-Albany, and Austin Scott, R-Tifton, are the lead sponsors of the measure, which seeks to more than double the footprint of the roughly 2,800-acre Ocmulgee Mounds National Historic Park.
The effort also includes a unique partnership with the Muscogee (Creek) Nation, whose ancestral lands are at the heart of the footprint of the proposed park and preserve.
There are still plenty of hurdles to clear, but the long-anticipated legislation has broad support.
Seth Clark, Macon’s Mayor Pro Tem, said, “This legislation bringing together our delegation is the counter-programming to partisanship Georgians and frankly Americans deserve,” he said. “When the Georgia delegation comes together to accomplish something, it gets done.”
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DISMAL TURNOUT. Only about 50,000 people cast ballots during the opening three days of early voting for Georgia’s May 21 primaries. That means turnout is hovering around 1%.
The abysmal participation rate so far isn’t a surprise. There is limited competition for U.S. House races, only a handful of swing legislative contests, and just one statewide race on the ticket — the nonpartisan judicial contest between State Supreme Court Justice Andrew Pinson and former U.S. Rep. John Barrow.
On the brighter side, state elections official Gabriel Sterling noted the low turnout means “your vote carries even more impact.”
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Credit: Elijah Nouvelage for the AJC
Credit: Elijah Nouvelage for the AJC
LISTEN UP. Speaking of that statewide judicial race, former Congressman John Barrow joins the “Politically Georgia” radio show today to explain why he is seeking to unseat Justice Andrew Pinson at the Georgia Supreme Court.
And state Rep. Ruwa Romman, a Duluth Democrat and the General Assembly’s only Palestinian-American, shares her take on the protests sweeping across college campuses in Georgia and nationwide.
Listen live at 10 a.m. on 90.1 FM, at AJC.com and at WABE.org.
In case you missed it, Wednesday’s show features Dov Wilker of the American Jewish Committee Atlanta, who discussed his concerns about the pro-Palestinian protests. Also, Justice Andrew Pinson talked about campaigning as an incumbent and how he plans to make his pitch to voters to keep him on the bench.
Listen at Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
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Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
‘SIN PAPELES, SIN MIEDO.’ Georgia immigration activists plan a march on the governor’s mansion today to protest the law signed Wednesday that mandates closer collaboration between local law enforcement and federal immigration officials.
The AJC’s Lautaro Grinspan reported on the backlash to House Bill 1105, crafted and passed in the wake of nursing student Laken Riley’s killing on the University of Georgia campus. The man charged in the slaying is a Venezuelan who entered the U.S. illegally.
Demonstrators rallied near the Georgia Capitol on Wednesday morning ahead of Gov. Brian Kemp signing the bill into law. They chanted “ni una deportación más” and “sin papeles, sin miedo” — “not one more deportation” and “no papers, no fear.”
Today’s march to the governor’s mansion will be followed by additional events to be held around the state Friday meant to mobilize the immigrant community and educate them about the new law.
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Credit: Courtesy photo
Credit: Courtesy photo
TODAY IN WASHINGTON:
- President Joe Biden travels to Charlotte to meet with the families of the law enforcement officers killed while serving a search warrant Monday and will also visit with those wounded during the ambush. In the afternoon, Biden delivers remarks on his economic agenda from Wilmington, North Carolina.
- The House is done for the week as members travel to New Jersey for the funeral of U.S. Rep. Donald Payne, a Democrat who died on April 24.
- The Senate has another procedural vote scheduled on the bill to reauthorize federal aviation laws.
- First lady Jill Biden hosts the first-ever Teachers of the Year State Dinner at the White House. Georgia Teacher of the Year Christy Todd is among the invited guests.
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Credit: AJC
Credit: AJC
VOTER GUIDE. Now that early in-person voting is underway, 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.
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DOG OF THE DAY. If your pooch is ready for his or her 15 minutes of newsletter fame, send them our way! Pups of any political persuasion considered, as are cats on a cat-by-cat basis. Horizontal photos are especially welcome. Send to patricia.murphy@ajc.com.
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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.
