Raphael Warnock bemoans ‘sense of betrayal’ after Donald Trump’s victory

The Georgia Democrat took to the pulpit Sunday for the first time since Donald Trump’s comeback victory with a message that was both sobering and uplifting to his flock. He started by asking his congregation whether they feel “a little shaken right now.”

“How could we be here again? Makes me want to holler. Throw up both my hands. Huge segments of the American population, I believe, are so shaken by their own fears that they decided to have yet another dance with the ugliest parts of our complicated American story. Makes me want to holler, throw up both my hands. Yet here we are,” Warnock said.

Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC

Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC

And then, as his congregation fell silent, he added:

“I didn’t come this morning to sugarcoat it. This is hard. This hurts. Deep disappointment. Even a sense of betrayal because this is about so much more than an election. It’s about the character of the country. I said before the election that this election is not about who he is, or who she is, but about who we are. Clearly, we got some spiritual work to do.”

Warnock said the outcome “feels like grief” and that many are feeling unsafe from “the tone from the top that is unleashing pure evil into the atmosphere right now.” But he said a new movement can come from it.

“We’re getting ready. Because this won’t be the first time we have to save America,” he said. “It comes in fits and starts. Sometimes, the democracy expands, but at other times it contracts. But any woman who has given birth knows, contractions are necessary for new birth.”

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Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC

Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC

GOOD MORNING! We’re 63 days away from the start of the Georgia legislative session. State government is closed for Veterans Day.

Here’s three things to know for today:

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Credit: Miguel Martinez-Jimenez/AJC

Credit: Miguel Martinez-Jimenez/AJC

DEMOCRATS’ DISARRAY. The calls for U.S. Rep. Nikema Williams to step down as the chairwoman of the Democratic Party of Georgia grew louder over the weekend.

Two days after a range of elected officials, donors and activists went public with their pressure to oust Williams as the party’s leader, the Young Democrats of Georgia penned an open letter echoing the criticism.

“For several years, the Georgia Young Democrats have been denied funding from the Georgia Democratic Party. In part, this speaks to their failure to raise money on the whole, but it also speaks to their refusal to invest in youth organizing,” read the letter.

It went on to accuse the party of neglecting efforts to “mobilize young voters, expand our presence in rural areas, and engage with communities that are pivotal to securing a Democratic future in Georgia.”

Williams and her allies point to the party’s work flipping Georgia in 2020 and helping to elect U.S. Sens. Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock in 2021. She has said the party needs a “course correction” but that internal discussions should play out in private.

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Credit: Steve Schaefer/AJC

Credit: Steve Schaefer/AJC

JONES ON JONES. Georgia state senators will be keeping up with the Joneses next year.

Republican Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, who doubles as the Senate president, will continue as the chamber’s top leader next year. Joining him will be state Sen. Harold Jones II, whom Democrats elected last week as the new Senate minority leader.

While they share a name, the two Joneses are worlds apart politically. Burt Jones is widely expected to run for governor in 2026, meaning he’ll likely champion conservative legislation that could help him in a competitive Republican primary. That includes a bill aimed at stopping transgender women from competing in student athletics.

Still, Harold Jones said he was optimistic about Democrats advancing their agenda next year. The Augusta representative noted the caucus dealt with a similar scenario in 2017 and 2018, when then-Republican Lt. Gov Casey Cagle was running for governor.

Jones said he did not see a “measurable change” in Cagle’s leadership during the time, although Cagle did take the lead on several controversial measures, including a private school tax credit bill.

And last week, Burt Jones signaled he was open to considering expanding Medicaid in Georgia, which has been a priority for Democrats.

“We’re on the right path, quite frankly, to getting that done,” Harold Jones told our AJC colleague Adam Van Brimmer. “We’re Democrats. We’re the minority party. We understand it takes time. Sometimes we’re willing to wait it out to make sure we do what’s right for people in Georgia.”

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Credit: Stephen B. Morton for the AJC

Credit: Stephen B. Morton for the AJC

CLEAN PORTS. The Georgia Ports Authority will use a $48.7 million federal grant to outfit four ship berths in its Savannah and Brunswick terminals with shore power. That means vessels would plug in to the electrical grid while in port rather than burn diesel fuel to operate onboard systems.

The grant will also fund the purchase of 16 electric-powered jockey trucks which move cargo containers around the port site.

The improvements are projected to significantly cut emissions, a priority for the ports. Cleaner air is particularly important in Savannah, where port facilities abut residential neighborhoods.

The money comes from the Inflation Reduction Act championed by President Joe Biden and is part of the Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean Ports Program. The EPA has awarded nearly $3 billion in grants to 55 applicants across 27 states. Georgia’s shore power project “sets a standard for ports nationwide,” said EPA regional administrator Jeaneanne Gettle during a ceremony Friday at the Ports Authority’s headquarters in Savannah.

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Credit: TNS

Credit: TNS

ANOTHER SETTLEMENT. Georgia is getting more money as part of a major opioid settlement. This time it’s from Kroger, one of the nation’s largest grocery store chains, which also operates pharmacies.

Kroger agreed last year to pay $1.37 billion to settle lawsuits from 30 states alleging its business practices contributed to the opioid crisis. That settlement was finalized last week. Georgia’s share will be $55 million.

Most of the money, or 60%, will go to Georgia’s general fund. The rest of it will go to the Georgia Opioid Crisis Abatement Trust, which will distribute the money regionally.

“The opioid crisis knows no economic, geographic, or demographic boundaries, and it continues to have a devastating impact on families and communities throughout our state,” Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr said.

Georgia also received settlements from AmerisourceBergen, CVS, Cardinal Health, Janssen, Johnson & Johnson, McKesson, Teva and Allergan, Walgreens and Walmart.

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PARTY TIME. President-elect Donald Trump tapped former Georgia U.S. Sen. Kelly Loeffler to lead his inaugural committee.

Loeffler and her husband, Jeff Sprecher, are among Trump’s largest campaign donors. They donated $1 million to help pay for the Republican National Convention this year.

Gov. Brian Kemp appointed Loeffler to the U.S. Senate in 2019 to replace then-retiring Sen. Johnny Isakson. But Loeffler did not stay in Washington as she lost to U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock in the 2021 special runoff election.

Since then, she started the group Greater Georgia, which focused on registering conservative voters.

Loeffler is also considered a contender for a job in the Trump administration.

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INAUGURATION TICKETS. People interested in attending the President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration must secure tickets in advance through a member of Congress.

Lawmakers have already started posting links for constituents to request tickets, but the information isn’t always easy to find. Here are a couple links from Georgia delegation members:

Trump will be sworn in as the nation’s 47th president on Jan. 20, which also happens to be Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

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Credit: Ron Williams

Credit: Ron Williams

LISTEN UP. Today on “Politically Georgia,” strategist and consultant Fred Hicks joins the show.

Be sure to download the AJC’s Politically Georgia podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. Episodes are uploaded by noon each day, just in time to have lunch with us. You can also listen live at 10 a.m. EDT on 90.1 FM WABE. Have a question for the show? Give us a call at 770-810-5297.

On Friday’s show, former Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan offered his take on where never-Trump Republicans stand after the election. Then, former Democratic state Rep. Brenda López Romero and Republican state Sen. Jason Anavitarte of Dallas talked about the Latino vote. And the hosts answered questions from the listeners’ mailbag.

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Credit: Alyssa Pointer/AJC

Credit: Alyssa Pointer/AJC

VOTERS HAVE SPOKEN. Leaders in Gwinnett and Cobb counties must regroup after voters once again rejected a 1% sales tax increase to expand public transportation options.

County leaders have not indicated they plan to try again anytime soon, the AJC’s Sara Gregory and Alia Pharr report. In Gwinnett County, voters have now rejected three proposals in five years.

Still, more cars are jamming roadways in the two counties each year. The Atlanta Regional Commission says a quarter million people will move to Gwinnett County in the next 25 years while about 150,000 to go to Cobb County.

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Credit: Haiyun Jiang/The New York Times

Credit: Haiyun Jiang/The New York Times

TODAY IN WASHINGTON:

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Credit: Natrice Miller/AJC

Credit: Natrice Miller/AJC

SHOUTOUTS. Belated birthday:

Want a birthday shoutout in the Politically Georgia newsletter? There’s a form for that! Click here to submit the shoutouts. It’s not just birthdays. We’re also interested in new jobs, engagements, birth announcements, etc.

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AS ALWAYS, send your best scoops, gossip and insider info to greg.bluestein@ajc.com, tia.mitchell@ajc.com, patricia.murphy@ajc.com and adam.beam@ajc.com.