One of the most interesting takeaways from the CNN poll of registered Georgia voters published Monday wasn’t the slight lead that former President Donald Trump holds over President Joe Biden.
Deeper into the crosstabs, the poll also showed that Trump has a 26-point edge among voters who didn’t cast a ballot in 2020, and that a thin majority of those who voted three years ago now say they will side with Trump in next year’s election.
Biden narrowly captured Georgia in 2020, becoming the first Democrat to do so in nearly three decades. But his supporters worry that his coalition of liberals, moderates, suburban swing voters and disaffected Republicans will be difficult to rebuild.
The CNN survey echoes an earlier Atlanta Journal-Constitution poll that indicated the scale of Biden’s challenge. Even so, there were bright spots for the president.
Perhaps the biggest: A slim majority of Georgia voters approve of Fulton County’s election interference case against Trump and his allies. And 47% of respondents said Trump should be disqualified from the presidency if the charges prove to be true.
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Credit: TNS
Credit: TNS
MYSTERY MAILER. One of President Joe Biden’s largest weaknesses, according to the CNN poll, is voters’ lack of confidence in his basic ability to do the job. In the survey, 66% of Georgians say he does not have the “sharpness and stamina” to lead the nation.
Recent anti-Biden mailers that hit the president on attributes like “mental sharpness” reinforce that idea. A tipster sent along one mailer delivered to Cobb County voters Monday from a group called “Duty to America.”
Who is behind Duty to America? That’s not clear, as neither the Federal Election Commission nor the IRS has a record of the group. The mailer includes a QR code that links to a simple website with no identifying information, other than to say it’s backed by “citizens who love America.”
As far as anonymous mailers go, this one is pretty straightforward, with negative messages about “Bidenomics” and “working Americans.” But it’s a reminder that direct-to-voter messaging for 2024 has already begun, and it’s not always clear where it’s coming from.
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Credit: Katelyn Myrick/AJC
Credit: Katelyn Myrick/AJC
OVERSIGHT OUT. A bipartisan coalition of prosecutors has dismissed its lawsuit challenging the state’s new oversight commission after the Georgia Supreme Court effectively put the legislation on hold.
But DeKalb District Attorney Sherry Boston, one of the plaintiffs, said she is ready to renew the legal challenge if GOP lawmakers overhaul the measure in next year’s legislative session, as they are expected to do.
“We stand ready to fight any new efforts to undermine the work of Georgia’s district attorneys and silence the voters who elected us,” said Boston.
The state’s top court last month refused to approve rules and regulations for the Prosecuting Attorneys Qualifications Commission, which was granted power to investigate, sanction or oust district attorneys who were accused of flouting their duties.
In a six-page ruling, the court said it had “grave doubts” about whether it had the constitutional authority to approve the set of rules and code of conduct — and outstanding questions over which branch of government oversees the state’s district attorneys and solicitors.
Gov. Brian Kemp and his allies made the overhaul a top priority earlier this year, and state Rep. Houston Gaines, R-Athens, has vowed to rewrite the measure in hopes of resolving the court’s issues.
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Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
SCHOOL VOUCHERS VOW. State GOP lawmakers who championed the failed “Georgia Promise Scholarship Act” in the 2023 legislative session will push for the private school voucher program again when the Legislature convenes in January.
The AJC’s Ty Tygami outlines the renewal efforts of Senate Bill 233 led by Sen. Greg Dolezal, R-Cumming. Last session, 16 Republicans voted against the bill that would give $6,500 a year to families of students who leave a low-performing public k-12 to enroll in private school or attend home-school.
The 2024 legislative session is part of the current General Assembly biennial, meaning measures that didn’t pass in 2023 can be resurrected in 2024 without being reintroduced. The session begins Jan. 8.
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Credit: Courtesy photo
Credit: Courtesy photo
NUNN WARNING. Michelle Nunn, the CEO of Atlanta-based CARE USA, has co-authored an opinion piece in the New York Times calling for immediate humanitarian relief in Gaza.
Nunn, a former candidate for U.S. Senate in Georgia and daughter of former Democratic U.S. Sen. Sam Nunn, has never been one for hyperbole or overstatement. So it caught our attention to see her weigh in with this stark warning about Gaza’s potentially “apocalyptic free fall” as the Israel-Hamas war continues:
The harrowing events unfolding before us are shaping a global narrative that if unchanged, will reveal a legacy of indifference in the face of unspeakable suffering, bias in the application of the laws of conflict and impunity for actors that violate international humanitarian law.
The U.S. government must act now — and fight for humanity.
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OPENING PRAYER. Rabbi Peter Berg of The Temple — the storied Atlanta congregation — will deliver the U.S. Senate’s opening prayer today ahead of the sixth night of Hanukkah.
He was invited by U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff, who has deep ties to The Temple. Ossoff is the first Jewish U.S. senator in state history and celebrated his bar mitzvah at the synagogue, Atlanta’s oldest.
Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC
Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC
And he was sworn into office in 2021 using a book of Hebrew scripture once owned by Rabbi Jacob Rothschild, who led The Temple for decades.
According to Howard Mortman, a C-SPAN executive and author of “When Rabbis Bless Congress,” Berg is the first Georgia rabbi to serve as guest chaplain in Congress since 1999 and the first Georgia rabbi to fill that role in the U.S. Senate since 1966.
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RUDY VS. RUBY. A trial is underway in Washington, D.C., to decide how much Rudy Giuliani should pay for falsely accusing two former Fulton County election workers of voting fraud in the 2020 election.
Our AJC colleague David Wickert is in the courtroom all week to cover the trial of former President Donald Trump’s attorney. The hearing could also factor into the Fulton County election interference case against Trump and 14 remaining co-defendants.
But despite the legal challenges facing Giuliani — who was already found liable for defaming Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss — the former New York mayor was unrepentant outside the courthouse.
Asked if he regrets what he said about the two Georgia poll workers, he responded, “Of course I don’t regret it.”
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LISTEN UP. Tune in today as “Politically Georgia” welcomes its first 2024 presidential contender, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, to the radio show and podcast. Christie discusses the state of the GOP primary race with just five weeks left until voting starts.
Later, the AJC’s Ariel Hart comes on to explain why Georgia could expand Medicaid after a decade-long debate.
“Politically Georgia” airs live every weekday at 10 a.m. on WABE 90.1 FM, at AJC.com and at WABE.org. Catch the podcast version at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts or wherever you listen to podcasts.
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TODAY IN WASHINGTON:
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy makes a last-ditch effort for more U.S. funding. He meets with senators and House Speaker Mike Johnson as well as with President Joe Biden. The two presidents will also participate in a joint news conference.
- Rabbi Peter Berg of The Temple, Atlanta’s oldest synagogue, delivers the U.S. Senate’s opening prayer.
- The Senate votes on confirmations and also to advance the final compromise version of the National Defense Authorization Act.
- The House Rules Committee decides whether to bring to the floor legislation authorizing an impeachment inquiry of President Joe Biden.
- Rep. Nikema Williams, D-Atlanta, participates in a virtual news conference highlighting the upcoming open enrollment deadline for health care coverage.
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AFRICA STRATEGY. While foreign policy conversations often focus on U.S. allies and perceived threats in Asia and Europe, the continent of Africa is home to nations with emerging influence.
U.S. Rep. Austin Scott, R-Tifton, moderates a panel today focused on how countries such as China and Russia are engaging in Africa, and the effects of that influence on the region and the world. Rep. Jimmy Panetta, a California Democrat, will be on the panel alongside other foreign policy experts.
The event is hosted by the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative think tank in Washington.
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Credit: Courtesy photo
Credit: Courtesy photo
DOG OF THE DAY. ’Tis the season, people. So it’s time to meet Hammy Daniel, the Santa-hat wearing cat who calls state Rep. Lauren Daniel, R-Locust Grove, his person.
Although Hammy is the star of the show in this photo, he doesn’t have the house to himself. Along with Daniel and her husband, Hammy also shares the couch with four Daniel children. The youngest, Zane, has already met the entire Georgia House of Representatives, since he tagged along with his mom to every day of the special legislative session this month.
Although the members were nice, we suspect none of them compared to Hammy.
Send us your dogs of any political persuasion and location, and cats on a cat-by-cat basis, to patricia.murphy@ajc.com, or DM us at @MurphyAJC.
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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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