The MAGA Georgia glitterati is expected to be out in full force on Saturday when former President Donald Trump holds his first joint rally in Atlanta with his newly christened running mate U.S. Sen. JD Vance of Ohio.
Just as notable will be those who aren’t expected to attend: a trio of Republican incumbents Trump tried to oust two years ago after blaming Gov. Brian Kemp and his allies for his election defeat.
Attorney General Chris Carr and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger sent word through aides they won’t be attending; Carr cited a family obligation. Likewise, a Kemp aide also said the governor isn’t likely to join the rally at Georgia State University’s Convocation Center.
Credit: Ziyu Julian Zhu/AJC
Credit: Ziyu Julian Zhu/AJC
Insurance Commissioner John King — the fourth member of the GOP quartet who thwarted Trump-backed challengers in the 2022 primary — said through a spokesman that he does plan to appear at the event.
Kemp’s fraught history with Trump is the stuff of Georgia political lore, and he added to their saga this summer when he revealed he cast a blank ballot in the state’s primary rather than vote for the former president.
But he’s also maintained he will back Trump in November and trekked to the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee to press the case for down-ticket GOP candidates.
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Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
BEACH ON TRUMP. State Sen. Brandon Beach, R-Alpharetta, makes a case for former President Donald Trump’s return to the White House in a commentary posted this morning on AJC.com. Beach’s piece is timed to coincide with a Trump campaign rally in Atlanta scheduled for Saturday.
Beach criticizes Trump’s opponent, presumptive Democratic nominee Kamala Harris, for not focusing on the economy heading into the November election. He also alleges that the vice president misled the public about President Joe Biden’s mental fitness. Instead, he said, Harris “brought rappers and dancers to her campaign rally” held in Atlanta earlier this week.
More from Beach:
“Georgians want a president they can trust, not one who gaslights them and tells them that what they see and experience is not true. For almost four years, Harris has told us Biden is in good health while the economy gets worse and our nation's global standing deteriorates.
We all want a CEO to run this nation and get us back on track — to return us to prosperity and stop focusing on the nonsense."
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Credit: Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP
Credit: Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP
RUSSIAN PRISONER SWAP. President Joe Biden on Thursday celebrated the release of political prisoners held in Russia, including Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and security contractor Paul Whelan, who had been detained for nearly six years.
“Now their brutal ordeal is over, and they’re free,” Biden said in remarks at the White House.
He also said the prisoners’ release came as part of a multi-country effort that required cooperation and trust.
“The deal that made this possible was a feat of diplomacy and friendship,” he said. “Multiple countries helped get this done. They joined difficult, complex negotiations at my request.”
The exchange involved 24 prisoners from at least six countries, the Wall Street Journal reported. Another American journalist, Alsu Kurmasheva, was also among those released.
Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris greeted the three freed Americans after they landed at Joint Base Andrews on Thursday night.
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Credit: Ben Hendren for the AJC
Credit: Ben Hendren for the AJC
NO TAX CUTS. U.S. Senate Republicans blocked Democrats’ attempts to move forward with a tax cut package in a final act before the August break.
U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock, the Atlanta Democrat, was among those who blasted Republicans for blocking progress on the legislation that would have temporarily expanded the child tax credit and restored tax breaks for businesses.
“It’s beyond nonsensical that there are some who have previously preached about the importance of lowering taxes, but they are getting ready to vote down a tax cut for middle- and working-class families,” he said.
The White House said that 636,000 children would have benefitted from the new child tax credit. Sixty votes were needed to move forward on the bill in the Senate, but the final tally was 48-44.
Democrats also blasted U.S. Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, for skipping the vote to visit the U.S.-Mexico border in Arizona. Vance is the Republican vice presidential nominee.
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WARNOCK ON HOUSING. U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., is co-sponsoring legislation aimed at creating affordable housing for middle- and low-income Americans and improving military housing.
As our AJC colleague Matt Reynolds writes, almost a quarter of renter households in Georgia are low income and there is an estimated shortfall of 200,000 affordable rental homes available for those families, according to officials.
Warnock’s bill commits $550 billion to housing and would be funded by raising taxes on the wealthy and reverting to estate tax thresholds in place toward the end of the George W. Bush administration in the late 2000s.
An independent analysis by Moody’s Analytics said the new housing would bring down rents for lower-income and middle-income families by 10%. The senators said that would save families an average of $140 a month.
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Credit: Jenni Girtman for the AJC
Credit: Jenni Girtman for the AJC
LISTEN UP. Today on “Politically Georgia,” AJC education columnist Maureen Downey talks about the controversy surrounding State School Superintendent Richard Woods’ stance that an Advanced Placement African American Studies course taught in some Georgia schools violates state law.
The hosts also preview former President Donald Trump and running mate JD Vance’s rally in Atlanta on Saturday.
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, the team discussed former President Donald Trump’s short yet combative interview at a gathering of the National Association of Black Journalists.
Also, AJC investigative reporters Asia Simone Burns and Justin Price joined the show to discuss their blockbuster investigation into the dangerous practices of Georgia State Patrol officers who routinely conduct high speed chases that result in injuries and deaths to bystanders.
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Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
ANOTHER LOOK. The State Election Board reprimanded Fulton County earlier this year for the local election board’s sloppy work in counting the 2020 vote. Now, the state body wants to re-examine the investigation that determined Fulton officials had double-scanned 3,000 votes during a recount of President Joe Biden’s victory over former President Donald Trump.
As the AJC’s Mark Niesse reports, the board will review the case next week as it decides whether to approve an independent election monitoring team that Fulton agreed to as part of the earlier reprimand. The additional scrutiny comes after right-wing media personality Janelle King replaced Republican attorney Ed Lindsey on the board in May.
“A complete investigation is absolutely necessary to help Fulton County and prevent the recurrence of the same problems from the 2024 election,” Janice Johnston, a Republican board member, said during a meeting last month. “One might say that this case has been heard and decided, but it has not.”
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CORDELE BUST. A high-ranking elected official in Cordele, a south Georgia city located along Interstate 75, was arrested Wednesday on charges related to gang and drug activity.
Royce Reeves Sr., a city commissioner and the vice chair of the municipality’s governing body, was one of 24 suspects targeted by a Georgia Bureau of Investigation’s sting known as “Operation Shyne Down,” Macon TV station WMAZ reports.
Reeves is accused of being a member of the G-Shyne Bloods gang and participating in marijuana distribution, gang activities and RICO violations.
Reeves’ arrest is not his first run-in with legal trouble. In 2022, he was charged with obstructing a police officer and criminal trespass, leading Gov. Brian Kemp to suspend him from office while the case was being adjudicated.
Reeves has served on the Cordele Commission since 2014.
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TODAY IN WASHINGTON:
- President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris have no public events scheduled.
- The House and Senate are in recess until Sept. 9.
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Credit: Curtis Compton/AJC
Credit: Curtis Compton/AJC
CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION. Former President Jimmy Carter’s 100th birthday on Oct. 1 is fast approaching, and the Carter Center has announced plans for a musical gala to mark the milestone.
“Jimmy Carter 100: A Celebration in Song” will be held Sept. 17 at the Fox Theatre and feature musicians from a range of genres as well as celebrity guests.
Carter lives in Plains in southwest Georgia. His last public appearance came last November at the funeral of his wife, former first lady Rosalynn Carter. His grandson Jason Carter said the musical tribute is a fitting birthday gift.
“Whether it was on his record players, on the campaign trail, or on the White House lawn, music has been and continues to be a source of joy, comfort and inspiration for my grandfather,” Jason Carter said in a statement.
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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.
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