Today’s highlights include:
- Vice President Kamala Harris’ bus tour of South Georgia.
- A Democrat jumps into the 2026 race for governor.
- GOP vice presidential nominee JD Vance gets a do-over.
Key Georgia Republicans are condemning antisemitic remarks from a far-right Georgia GOP official who holds a party post. Others have stayed silent.
Attorney General Chris Carr said rejecting Kandiss Taylor’s hateful language “isn’t complicated” after a report by the Media Matters watchdog group found that she complained that Jewish people are “controlling everything” and alleged that unnamed politicians “pander to the Jews.”
“Statements or actions that even hint at antisemitism are wrong,” Carr told us. “Kandiss Taylor should do the right thing, apologize and make amends with the Jewish community, or resign her position because she does not represent the values of the Republican Party.”
He was echoed by state Rep. Scott Hilton, a Gwinnett County Republican and important ally to Gov. Brian Kemp. Hilton said Taylor’s comments “have no place in our party.”
Credit: Natrice Miller/AJC
Credit: Natrice Miller/AJC
Others have tried to steer clear of her hateful remarks. Georgia GOP Chair Josh McKoon has repeatedly declined comment, including after state Rep. Esther Panitch — the lone Jewish member of the Legislature — urged him to call out Taylor.
As for Taylor, she initially denied that she made the statements despite video evidence. On Wednesday, she said she regrets not making it “explicitly clear that I do not buy into antisemitic conspiracy theories.”
“I know that these conspiracy theories are used by the very people protesting on American college and university campuses in support of Hamas terrorists,” she said. “The last thing I would ever want to do is lend any credence to those evil efforts.”
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Credit: Jacquelyn Martin/AP
Credit: Jacquelyn Martin/AP
A GEORGIA MOMENT. Vice President Kamala Harris continues her bus tour through coastal Georgia on Thursday, with two more stops planned in the Savannah area followed by an evening rally at the city’s new arena.
Meanwhile, Republican Gov. Brian Kemp will be the honored guest at a fundraiser for Donald Trump just weeks after the former president berated him on his home turf, the AJC’s Greg Bluestein reports.
And if that’s not enough, Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, will appear in their first joint sit-down interview on CNN at 9 p.m. It was filmed in Georgia.
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Credit: Courtesy photo
Credit: Courtesy photo
2026 STARTS NOW. The founder and former lead pastor of Impact United Methodist Church in East Point says he is running for governor in 2026 as a Democrat.
The campaign won’t be easy for the Rev. Olujimi (Olu) Brown, who will likely face a host of better known and better funded Democrats in what’s expected to be a competitive primary, the AJC’s Shelia Poole reports.
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Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC
Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC
MARK YOUR CALENDARS. The Georgia Faith & Freedom Coalition has a loaded lineup for its annual dinner on Sept. 16.
Gov. Brian Kemp, U.S. Sen. Katie Britt of Alabama, Georgia U.S. Reps. Mike Collins and Barry Loudermilk, Attorney General Chris Carr and organization founder Ralph Reed are slated to speak.
And former U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, a one-time Democrat who could soon co-chair former President Donald Trump’s transition team, recently confirmed she’ll also join the dinner.
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AD WARS. The conservative advocacy group Veterans on Duty is financing a six-figure ad buy in metro Atlanta’s cable TV market pummeling Vice President Kamala Harris for the Biden administration’s withdrawal from Afghanistan.
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DEAD HEAT. New polling released Wednesday by Fox News shows a dead heat between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump in four battleground states, including Georgia. The numbers show Harris continuing to perform much better in a matchup with Trump, compared to President Joe Biden.
When Fox News polled Georgia voters in April, Trump led 51% to Biden’s 45%. In Wednesday’s survey, 50% of Georgians said they would support Harris and 48% for Trump.
Credit: TNS
Credit: TNS
The poll found Harris leading by 2 percentage points in Nevada and 1 point in Arizona while Trump was ahead in North Carolina by 1 point. All of these results are within the margin of error.
The difference, according to Fox’s reporting, is that while Trump’s support remains flat, Harris is surging with key constituent groups: women, Black voters and young voters.
“In addition, while Trump leads on top issues, more voters see Harris as the one who can unite the country — and who will ‘fight for people like you,’” the report said.
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Credit: Gary McCullough/AP
Credit: Gary McCullough/AP
ABOUT THAT DOUGHNUT SHOP. After an awkward encounter in a South Georgia bakery last week, Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance told his staff to be more careful when planning such visits in the future, according to an interview with NBC News.
The brief visit to Holt’s Sweet Shop in Valdosta was supposed to be a bright moment for Vance as he ordered doughnuts to deliver to some campaign volunteers. But the moment soured when an employee asked not to be filmed and did not respond well to Vance’s attempt at small talk.
“I just felt terrible for that woman,” Vance, a U.S. senator from Ohio, told NBC.
Vance had a do-over at an A&W in Big Rapids, Michigan, on Tuesday, and this time things were much smoother. With a crowd of supporters to greet him, Vance ordered a tray full of root beer floats and delivered them in front of the cameras.
“This is heavy, geez,” Vance said as he lifted the tray of floats, according to video of the event posted online by Forbes. “You’ve got to take them off my hands, though, or I’m going to drop them in front of the media.”
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Credit: Seeger Gray/AJC
Credit: Seeger Gray/AJC
ROGUE TWEET. A new social media account named for Georgia’s State Election Board appears to be the work of just one member: Republican Janice Johnston.
The account on X, with two posts signed by “Dr. Jan,” appeared after the board has been under fire from Democrats and voting rights groups for passing new rules before election results can be certified this fall. The Democratic Party sued the board Monday.
One post claims that the board will “provide maximum transparency,” but the account prohibits replies, and Johnston didn’t respond to a message Wednesday seeking comment.
“The State Election Board is committed to the General Assembly’s mission of ensuring that elections in Georgia are free and fair, but also legal, uniform, orderly, honest, and trusted. Thanks, Dr. Jan,” said the account’s first post, which garnered over 335 retweets and 650 likes as of Wednesday afternoon.
The account, called “GAStateElectionBoard,” is not an official account of the board, said Executive Director Mike Coan.
The board’s only Democratic Party member, Sara Tindall Ghazal, said she doesn’t have access to the account. It’s unclear if the other three Republicans on the board besides Johnston will use it.
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DOUBLE DIPPING. For all of former President Donald Trump’s talk of voter fraud, the statistics show it basically doesn’t exist — or it’s so rare as to not be statistically significant.
But two recent Georgia cases show voter fraud does happen, just not in the way you would expect.
Two men were indicted this month for voting twice during the November 2022 election. Each of them is accused of casting a ballot in Georgia and also in another state. The AJC’s Mark Niesse reports it’s the first known criminal prosecution for voting fraud in Georgia in recent years.
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Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
ABOUT THAT SWATTING. Remember when people were making fake 911 calls targeting Georgia politicians? Turns out it was a much bigger operation.
Late last year, armed police showed up at the homes of at least four Georgia state senators, Lt. Gov. Burt Jones and U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Rome, after someone called in fake emergencies.
Now, two foreign nationals — one in Serbia and the other in Romania — are facing federal charges that they collected the personal information of about 61 public officials and 40 regular people across the country to carry out this scheme.
Other victims included members of Congress, Cabinet-level executive branch officials, senior federal law enforcement agencies and state officials, according to reporting by the AJC’s Michelle Baruchman and Chris Joyner.
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Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
STAY OR GO? Is Jerica Richardson a member of the Cobb County Commission?
That may seem like a silly question for an elected official who has only a few months left of her four-year term. But a series of court rulings and commission votes have left the issue unclear.
The Republican-controlled Legislature drew Richardson, a Democrat, out of her district in 2022. The Democratic majority on the Cobb County Commission drew their own lines so Richardson could keep her seat.
Lawsuits happened, and the county lost. On Tuesday, the commission gave up its fight and voted to accept the state-drawn map. The county’s attorneys say that means Richardson has to leave. But in a separate vote, the commission refused to kick her out, the AJC’s Taylor Croft reports.
What happens now? Democratic state Rep. David Wilkerson, who represents Cobb County, says because Richardson still lives in the district as it existed when she took office, she can stay until a successor is elected in a special election next year.
“There’s no problem. Keep on moving, and quit creating more drama,” Wilkerson said of the county.
Richardson said she “will continue to serve until I cannot anymore.”
When is that, exactly? Stay tuned.
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Credit: Natrice Miller/AJC
Credit: Natrice Miller/AJC
LISTEN UP. Today on “Politically Georgia,” Democratic state Sen. Derek Mallow joins the show to preview Vice President Kamala Harris’ rally in Savannah. Then, state Sen. Nabilah Islam Parkes, D-Duluth, talks about the State Election Board.
You can 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 Wednesday’s show, state Rep. Debbie Buckner, D-Junction City, talked about the Harris-Walz campaign bus tour of South Georgia. And state Rep. Ruwa Romman, D-Duluth, discussed her work with the uncommitted movement during the Democratic National Convention.
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TODAY IN WASHINGTON:
- President Joe Biden has no public events on his schedule as he continues vacationing in Delaware.
- Vice President Kamala Harris is campaigning in coastal Georgia.
- The U.S. House and Senate are in recess until Sept. 9.
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ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL:
- Second gentleman Doug Emhoff will deliver remarks at a Democratic campaign event focused on the economy in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and at a campaign fundraiser in Ketchum, Idaho.
- Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, will tape a joint television interview that will air on CNN tonight at 9 p.m.
- In the afternoon, Harris will continue her bus tour in Southeast Georgia. She will make stops at two small businesses before meeting with campaign volunteers in Chatham County. Later, Harris will participate in a campaign rally at the Enmarket Arena in Savannah.
- Former President Donald Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, will deliver remarks on the economy, inflation and manufacturing this afternoon in Potterville, Michigan. Then he will hold a 7 p.m. town hall in La Crosse, Wisconsin.
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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.beam@ajc.com.
