Two prominent voices from both sides of the aisle joined “Politically Georgia” to recap lessons learned from Tuesday’s runoff races.
Former President Donald Trump’s pull was shown through his endorsement of former aide Brian Jack in the 3rd Congressional District race.
Jack handily beat his runoff opponent, former state Senate GOP leader Mike Dugan, who had hoped his ties to the community would give him the edge in the race.
Republican strategist Stephen Lawson said Jack was able to use his extensive connections to capture the contest in the west Georgia district.
“I think he had an established network, not just from growing up in Peachtree City, but also across the district and the country,” Lawson said. “When you were the political director for a former president, you’ve got a significant Rolodex.”
Jack is now a heavy favorite to win his November contest against Democrat Maura Keller in the district that the Republican-led General Assembly drew to favor GOP candidates.
A little further south in the 2nd Congressional District, Chuck Hand, who boasted about his participation in the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, lost his race to former U.S. Education Department official A. Wayne Johnson.
But Johnson faces an uphill battle against Democratic incumbent Sanford Bishop of Albany, who has held that seat for more than three decades.
“I think that will be Sanford Bishop’s seat until he decides that it’s not,” said Lawson, a former adviser to Georgia House Speaker Jon Burns.
Credit: Special
Credit: Special
On the other side of the aisle, Tuesday turned out to be a tough day for some of Georgia’s top Democratic leaders, who saw candidates they endorsed in high-profile local runoffs go down in defeat.
Retiring state Senate Minority Leader Gloria Butler weighed in.
“You know, endorsements don’t mean that everybody is going to follow your lead,” Butler said.
The Stone Mountain Democrat endorsed former Commissioner Larry Johnson in the race for DeKalb County CEO.
“My endorsement for Mr. Johnson was personal,” Butler said. “I’ve known him about 30 years, and so we’ve been on the ground.”
Johnson ultimately lost to former Commissioner Lorraine Cochran-Johnson. With Cochran-Johnson’s win, five Black women are now poised to lead metro Atlanta county commissions.
“Women are pushing, they’re pushing to take their seat at the table, and we’re taking our seats at the table, and I’m glad to see it,” said Butler, who was the first woman to lead either caucus in the Georgia Senate.
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
Lawson and Butler also offered insights on the race to the White House.
Next week, in the CNN debate between Trump and President Joe Biden, Lawson hopes that Trump will have a forward-looking message for America.
“If he focuses on the present and the future and not the past, I think that will be a win for Donald Trump,” he said. “I think that would be a win for many people who are probably on the fence.”
Oppositely, Butler hopes the Biden campaignemphasizes his record heading into the fall.
“They’ve got to get the message out,” Butler said. “They’ve got to talk more about the kinds of things that he has already done.”
Friday on “Politically Georgia”: The team welcomes Melita Easters of WIN List, a political action committee that focuses on electing Democratic women, and U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn, a Democrat from South Carolina.
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