Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s opponents already hope a range of legal issues will keep him off the presidential ballot in Georgia. A New York legal challenge could add to the independent candidate’s mounting concerns.
A judge will soon decide whether Kennedy illegally listed a New York address as his residence in a case that his critics say could bolster challenges in other states.
The nonjury New York trial in Albany centers on whether the Katonah address he used in his qualifying petitions is his legal address. Critics say the location is the residence of a friend he used in order to avoid a constitutional prohibition on a presidential and vice presidential nominee coming from the same state.
Credit: Hans Pennink/AP
Credit: Hans Pennink/AP
Kennedy’s running mate, Nicole Shanahan, lives in California, where Kennedy has also lived with his wife, actress Cheryl Hines, since 2014.
As the New York case aims to disqualify Kennedy from appearing on that state’s ballot, Georgia officials tell us Kennedy used the same Katonah address to file to run in Georgia, too. It’s not immediately clear whether a successful challenge in New York would affect his candidacy here.
A separate legal challenge to Kennedy’s Georgia candidacy, along with other third-party candidates, remains active.
According to The New York Times, Kennedy took the stand this week and swore that he is renting the bedroom in the friend’s home in Katonah, which is about 45 miles north of Manhattan. Even so, he also testified that he only slept there once due to his busy campaign schedule. He acknowledged that all of the furniture in the room belongs to his friend.
Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC
Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC
The trial follows a week’s worth of press coverage of a video in which Kennedy discusses a 2014 incident involving a dead bear cub he found in rural New York and left in Central Park as a prank. He told reporters after the trial this week the bear was not the first animal he has picked up off the side of the road. In fact, he has a “freezer full of roadkill.”
Kennedy’s unorthodox presence in the race is giving both leading presidential campaigns anxiety, since he could draw voters from both major parties. A new AARP poll of Georgia voters released Thursday showed Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump tied in Georgia in a head-to-head match-up. But when included in the poll, Kennedy pulled in about 7% of the vote and tipped the race slightly in Trump’s favor. In a close November contest, that 7% could have a massive impact.
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AD WARS. Vice President Kamala Harris is up today with a new TV ad that seeks to turn a vulnerability into a strength.
The ad launched in Georgia and other battleground states and contends the Democrat backed the “toughest border control bill in decades.” She promises to hire thousands more immigration agents if elected president.
It’s a reference to the vow she made during her Atlanta campaign rally that she would revive a bipartisan border security measure that former President Donald Trump helped scuttle earlier this year.
“Fixing the border is tough,” says the ad. “So is Kamala Harris.”
Expect to see the 30-second spot on local broadcast and cable TV during shows that attract key Democratic and swing blocs of voters. Think “The Bachelorette,” “The Daily Show” and “Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta.”
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FAMILY FEUD. In a Mar-a-Lago news conference on Thursday, former President Donald Trump launched another volley of attacks against Gov. Brian Kemp even as senior Republicans in Georgia try to move beyond the revived tiff.
Meanwhile, U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., indicated that Kemp is ready to move on.
The South Carolina Republican said on Fox News last night that the governor pledged to devote his formidable ground-game machine to Trump’s campaign while at a Senate fundraiser at former U.S. Sen. Kelly Loeffler’s mansion on Wednesday.
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FARM BILL FEARS. More than 1,500 business and political leaders from across the state packed the Georgia Chamber’s annual congressional luncheon in Athens earlier this week. One of the messages they heard from bipartisan federal lawmakers was about the press to reup the farm bill.
With a presidential election looming and long-term spending measures pending, legislators worry that the $1.25 trillion measure won’t make the cut before the end of the year.
The last five-year farm bill passed in 2018 and a reauthorization stalled in September 2023. Congress has passed short-term extensions, the latest of which expires at the end of September.
Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC
Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC
The main reason Congress has been unable to pass an extension is partisan divisions over whether initiatives such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or food stamps, should be cut. Democrats say they will not support legislation that slashes funding for the safety net program, and House Republicans have hesitated to bring their version of the bill to the floor for a vote.
U.S. Rep. David Scott of Atlanta, the top-ranking Democrat on the House Agriculture Committee, was among the members of his party who blasted the GOP legislation last week, noting the Congressional Budget Office said that proposal would increase deficit spending.
“Farmers need a farm bill this year and time is running out,” Scott said in a statement last week. “It’s time to stop complaining about CBO. It’s time to stop blaming delays on appropriations. It’s time to stop waiting for the Senate.”
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Credit: Mark Niesse/AJC
Credit: Mark Niesse/AJC
POLL SIGNAGE. Georgia voters are accustomed to being greeted by friendly poll workers when they enter precincts to cast ballots on Election Day. This cycle, they may also encounter signs that read “Vote: US Citizens Only.”
The State Election Board voted Thursday to send the posters to all 159 county election boards with a note encouraging them to display the signs this November. Our AJC colleague Caleb Groves attended the meeting and reports voting rights groups panned the move as unnecessary and said the signs could intimidate legitimate voters.
Georgia checks the citizenship status of residents when they register to vote, and voters are required to provide ID before voting in each election.
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Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
SUBPOENA POWER. A legal challenge is brewing over whether a Georgia Senate panel can use a subpoena to compel Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis to testify as it investigates Willis’ prosecution of former President Donald Trump and his allies in a 2020 election interference case.
The Senate Special Committee on Investigations is probing whether Willis had any conflicts of interest or misspent any public funds, including during vacations with her former romantic partner Nathan Wade, who she hired as outside counsel to help with the case. The committee chairman, Sen. Bill Cowsert, R-Athens, wants to question Willis, a Democrat, on the matter.
The AJC’s Tamar Hallerman talked to legal experts who said the Senate panel’s subpoena power is untested and would likely need to be settled in the courts.
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Credit: Courtesy photo
Credit: Courtesy photo
ATHENS SHOWDOWN. Kalki Yalamanchili is officially on the November ballot in his bid for the Athens-Clarke County district attorney’s post.
Our AJC colleague Fletcher Page reports the secretary of state’s office has verified enough voter signatures for the independent candidate to challenge Deborah Gonzalez, the embattled incumbent. Yalamanchili nearly doubled the minimum requirement to qualify.
Yalamanchili previously worked more than five years as a prosecutor. He’s currently in private practice and is an adjunct professor of law at the University of Georgia.
Credit: Nell Carroll for the AJC
Credit: Nell Carroll for the AJC
Critics of Gonzalez, including Gov. Brian Kemp and State Rep. Houston Gaines, R-Athens, have accused her of being soft on crime, incompetent and ineffective. Yalamanchili has described the district attorney’s office under Gonzalez as “a disaster,” pointing out staffing shortages and accusing the office of mishandling violent offenses.
Gonzalez defended her record during an April town hall on crime and safety. Overall crime in Athens was down 2% in 2023 from the year before, including a 7% drop in violent crime, while arrests increased 16%, according to data provided by the county.
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Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
LISTEN UP. Today on “Politically Georgia,” U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff talks about his bill now signed into law that creates new oversight for federal prisons. He also weighs in on the 2024 presidential contest.
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 Thursday’s episode, Republican strategist Stephen Lawson talked about the damage former President Donald Trump’s attacks on Gov. Brian Kemp may do to party unity and Trump’s efforts to win Georgia.
Then, State Sen. Nikki Merritt, D-Grayson, joined the show to discuss State School Superintendent Richard Woods’ reversed decision about certifying the Advanced Placement African American Studies curriculum taught in several Georgia high schools.
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Credit: TNS
Credit: TNS
TODAY IN WASHINGTON:
- President Joe Biden has no public events on his schedule.
- Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, campaign in Phoenix.
- The House and Senate are in recess until Sept. 9.
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Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
THE GATHERING. Atlanta-based radio talk show host Erick Erickson has once again drawn an impressive number of Republican political stars for his annual conservative conference. The Gathering opened with a reception on Thursday at the Grand Hyatt Buckhead. The question-and-answer sessions with the politicos run today and Saturday.
Erickson interviewees include U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson, U.S. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and Florida Gov. Ron DeSentis.
Also on the docket are several GOP leaders who double as targets of criticism for former President Donald Trump, the Republican nominee for president. Appearing are Gov. Brian Kemp, Attorney General Chris Carr and former Vice President Mike Pence.
Insider Greg Bluestein has more on The Gathering in a story that published this morning at 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.
