Today’s highlights include:
- McBath again hints at 2026 run for Georgia governor.
- New signage coming to polling places for November election.
- Warnock gets kudos for his fashion sense.
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
As Vice President Kamala Harris took the stage at the Democratic National Convention amid rumors about a Beyoncé concert that was sadly not to Bey, Donald Trump dropped a bombshell of his own.
The former president posted a message of thanks on social media to Gov. Brian Kemp, his ally turned enemy turned something in between.
“Thank you to @BrianKempGA for all of your help and support in Georgia, where a win is so important to the success of our Party and, most importantly, our Country,” the post read.
And just like that, the one-sided feud that Trump reignited out of the blue a few weeks ago was over. At least for now.
Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC
Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC
The saga has been dizzying, to say the least. Trump left Republicans flabbergasted at his Aug. 3 campaign rally in Atlanta when he not only revived a fight against Kemp, whom he wrongly blames for his 2020 loss, but also attacked the state’s first lady, Marty Kemp.
Brian Kemp tersely demanded that Trump leave his wife out of the feud but otherwise fell in line, renewing his pledge to support the former president’s comeback bid.
On Thursday, Kemp went on Fox News to reinforce that promise. And he did something he sometimes avoids and directly invoked Trump’s name.
“We need to send Donald Trump back to the White House,” the governor told Sean Hannity.
Trump seems satisfied, as do Georgia GOP leaders who had tried to broker a compromise. But the real test is to come.
Will Trump blister and berate Kemp again? Will the governor deploy his vaunted political machine to help Trump, or keep it focused on a handful of legislative races?
And, perhaps most importantly: is the damage already done?
Credit: Ben Gray for the AJC
Credit: Ben Gray for the AJC
WATCH PARTY. If you were watching the Democratic National Convention around 10 p.m. Thursday, you may have caught a glimpse of some Atlanta supporters cheering enthusiastically from afar, the AJC’s Michelle Baruchman writes.
The Democratic Party zoomed a camera into a local Atlanta watch party, where about 250 people convened to hear Vice President Kamala Harris deliver her nomination acceptance speech to close the party’s convention.
Credit: Ben Gray for the AJC
Credit: Ben Gray for the AJC
Atlanta’s watch party was among roughly a dozen held in cities across the country that were projected onto screens inside the United Center.
The party was held at The Gathering Spot, a Black-owned membership-based co-working space near downtown. The attendees mostly consisted of field organizers and campaign volunteers, plus members of Harris’ Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority and other alumni of historically Black fraternities and sororities known as the Divine Nine.
Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC
Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC
FLOOR TALK. Georgia’s DNC delegates were seated on the floor of the United Center hours before Vice President Kamala Harris’ speech Thursday night. But the wait gave them plenty of time to reflect on the wild chain of events over the last four weeks that led to the historic first ahead of them.
“I’ve been waiting my entire life for this,” said state Senate Minority Leader Gloria Butler of Stone Mountain, the first Black woman to become a Senate leader in Georgia. Seated next to Butler was state Sen. Nan Orrock of Atlanta who said, “I smell victory.”
Former state Rep. Calvin Smyre, the longest-serving member of the Georgia legislature and a close Harris campaign ally, had been in conversation with campaign officials about their plans for the state that morning.
Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC
Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC
“The runway to the presidency comes through Georgia,” he said.
Asked if the campaign will invest in the state, Smyre replied, “I think you’ll see some movement right after this.”
Speaking of movement, Marcus Flowers compared this week’s convention to the energy seen during Barack Obama’s first convention.
“In 2008, the build up to Barack Obama’s historic run started as a 6 and built to a 10. But this, right out of the gate, we were on 10 with Harris,” said Flowers, who challenged U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Rome, in the 2022 election.
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Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC
Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC
HIZZONER. Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens wrapped up his first Democratic convention by speaking at the Georgia delegation’s breakfast meeting Thursday. Dickens told the delegates he can’t walk around Chicago without people talking about Georgia and what they need to happen in the November election. Namely a repeat of 2020, when Joe Biden became the first Democratic presidential candidate to win the state since the 1990s.
“Think back to 2020, and the desperation we had to display to be able to turn our state from red to blue in that election. We did a thing and it required all of us. We had to do it together, to the tune of Donald Trump still running around looking for them 11,900 votes. He’s still looking for votes in Georgia,” Dickens said.
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Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC
Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC
FINE THREADS. U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock’s speech at the Democratic National Convention earlier this week got delegates on their feet.
But the Georgian’s rhetoric wasn’t the only thing that got attention. Yesterday, Politico named the junior senator one of the “style icons” of the DNC.
From the report:
“It was refreshing to see Georgia Sen. Raphael Warnock take the stage this week in a cornflower blue suit, which he paired with a lavender foulard tie. Like House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), who wore a faintly checked suit at the RNC, Warnock demonstrated how easy it is to make a conservative outfit look a little more stylish by varying the fabric."
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Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
WHAT’D YA THINK? Five AJC Opinion section contributors offered post-speech analysis late Thursday following Vice President Kamala Harris’ DNC address. The group included former U.S. Rep. Carolyn Bourdeaux, John H. Eaves, Corey Ryan Forrester, Meagan Hanson and Sophia A. Nelson.
The reactions ran the gamut. Eaves, a Democrat and former Fulton County commissioner, labeled it “an epic speech for the ages.” Meanwhile, Hanson, a Republican and former state House member, knocked Harris for glossing over the effects of inflation during her time as vice president saying, “These are not grounds for a career promotion, but rather a termination.”
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Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
GEORGIA 2026. U.S. Rep. Lucy McBath has long been viewed as a likely Democratic candidate for Georgia governor when the job comes open in two years.
But the Marietta Democrat might have come closer than ever on Thursday to telegraphing her interest in the job. Her comments came in a “Politically Georgia” interview hours before she gave a primetime address at the Democratic National Convention.
Asked about her future plans, McBath repeated what she has long maintained: she’s focused on her job representing a swath of metro Atlanta in the U.S. House. But when pressed further, she allowed that she’s eyeing the possibility.
“I really believe that Georgia deserves leadership that is equitable and cares about the safety and welfare of every Georgian,” she said.
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Credit: Gary McCullough/AP
Credit: Gary McCullough/AP
ANY QUESTIONS? Criticizing the “liberal media” has been a key part of the Republican playbook for years, a strategy that has only intensified during former President Donald Trump’s time as the party’s standard bearer as he calls the media “fake news.”
With Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris giving little time to reporters, the Trump campaign has quickly tried to make it a campaign issue. It’s made for some awkward moments on the campaign trail with supporters who are used to bashing the press.
During a campaign stop on Thursday in Valdosta, Trump’s vice presidential running mate JD Vance made sure to take questions from reporters before a crowd of hundreds of supporters — but not before giving the crowd some instructions first.
Credit: Gary McCullough/AP
Credit: Gary McCullough/AP
“If it’s a fake news anchor, I would appreciate y’all letting them ask their question,” Vance said. “We can run them out of town after they ask their question.”
“Just kidding,” Vance quickly added.
“I’m not,” said a man standing next to the media pen.
Vance answered seven questions from a mix of local and national reporters, who were not interrupted.
Our AJC colleague Adam Beam was on the scene and has more from the rally in a story published Thursday.
***
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
CHA CHING. It took one month for Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris to nearly wipe out former Republican President Donald Trump’s fundraising edge in Georgia.
The vice president raised $2.4 million from Georgia donors in July compared to $900,000 for Trump.
Trump had raised about twice as much money from Georgians as the Biden campaign at the end of June. But by the end of July, the Trump campaign’s Georgia donations stood at $7 million while Harris’ fundraising was at $6 million, according to an analysis by the AJC’s Phoebe Quinton and Isaac Sabetai.
The totals come from individual donors who gave more than $200 directly to the campaigns. It does not include donations to super PACs.
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Credit: Mark Niesse/AJC
Credit: Mark Niesse/AJC
JUST SO YOU KNOW. Georgia voters will likely see signs at their polling places this fall reminding them that only U.S. citizens can vote.
Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger said Thursday signs will be posted in polling locations across the state that read:
“ONLY UNITED STATES CITIZENS MAY VOTE IN GEORGIA. IF YOU ARE NOT A UNITED STATES CITIZEN, IT IS A VIOLATION OF STATE AND FEDERAL LAW TO VOTE.”
Republicans have made it a priority to make sure noncitizens aren’t voting in Georgia elections, despite there being no evidence they ever have. A 2022 audit found no noncitizens voted, although it said 1,634 people with unverified citizenship tried to register to vote.
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Credit: Natrice Miller/AJC
Credit: Natrice Miller/AJC
KEMP IS LISTENING. Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp held the first of three “listening sessions” on Thursday as he prepares a push next year for a change to the state’s civil litigation rules.
Business owners told Kemp they are being crushed by increasing insurance costs and expenses associated with frivolous lawsuits, the AJC’s Rosie Manins reports.
If Thursday’s turnout is any indication, tort reform will be one of the top issues of the upcoming legislative session. In addition to Kemp, more than a dozen lawmakers and business representatives attended the meeting. They included Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, state House Speaker Jon Burns of Newington and Insurance Commissioner John King, all Republicans.
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Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
LISTEN UP. Today on “Politically Georgia,” U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock joins the show to talk about his week at the Democratic National Convention and reacts to Vice President Kamala Harris’ acceptance speech.
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 Thursday’s show, former Republican Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan talked about his DNC speech supporting Vice President Kamala Harris. And U.S. Rep. Lucy McBath, D-Marietta, previewed her speech focused on gun safety.
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TODAY IN WASHINGTON:
- President Joe Biden is on vacation in California.
- Vice President Kamala Harris has no public events on her schedule.
- The U.S. House and Senate are in recess until Sept. 9.
***
Credit: Adam Van Brimmer/AJC
Credit: Adam Van Brimmer/AJC
CASES DISMISSED. In a move sure to renew GOP criticism of Chatham District Attorney Shalena Cook Jones as a “rogue prosecutor,” Cook Jones announced Thursday the dismissal of five indicted murder cases.
She deemed the investigations of the killings as “compromised” because of the involvement of two Savannah police officers fired due to misconduct claims. The former officers were indicted in May, prompting a review of more than 50 cases they were involved in while on the force. The five murder cases included a triple homicide that happened in 2015.
The dismissals come as Cook Jones faces a heated reelection fight against one of her former assistant district attorneys, Andre Pretorius. She’s faced criticism throughout her tenure for negotiating plea deals to resolve cases involving violent offenses, particularly from Republicans, such as state House Rep. Jesse Petrea, who represents a swath of Chatham County.
When the General Assembly passed legislation in 2023 establishing the Prosecuting Attorneys Qualifications Commission, Gov. Brian Kemp signed the bill into law at the Chatham County Jail rather than in Atlanta where Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has been chastised by Republicans for her job performance or in Athens where Deborah Gonzalez has likewise been condemned.
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Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC
Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC
SWAMP FIGHT. The Georgia Environmental Protection Division still has yet to issue permits for a titanium mine proposed for property near the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge. EPD released drafts of the permits for public comment on Feb. 9 and the comment period ended in April.
In the meantime, opponents have continued their campaign against Twin Pines Minerals’ plans to mine near the nation’s largest blackwater wetland. This week they asked EPD to suspend the review due to unpaid taxes. Our AJC colleague Dylan Jackson reports Twin Pines owes Charlton County an estimated $365,000 in back taxes, including penalties.
A Twin Pines representative said the company is working with Charlton County to remedy the tax bill and is making payments.
Twin Pines’ 577-acre mining tract is three miles from Okefenokee’s southern boundary. The company also owns lands within 400 feet of the refuge’s edge.
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AS ALWAYS, Politically Georgia readers are some of our favorite tipsters. Send your best scoop, gossip and insider info to adam.beam@ajc.com, greg.bluestein@ajc.com, tia.mitchell@ajc.com, patricia.murphy@ajc.com and adam.vanbrimmer@ajc.com.
