When Gov. Brian Kemp needed an outside boost during his reelection campaign in 2022, the Republican Governors Association stepped up.
The RGA launched an ad blitz last year to help Kemp fend off a Donald Trump-backed primary challenge, an unprecedented move. And it poured money and resources into Kemp’s rematch against Democrat Stacey Abrams in the general election.
Now Kemp is stepping up his involvement in the GOP group. He was elected Thursday to serve as the organization’s vice chair in 2024 when 11 gubernatorial races are up for grabs, including a competitive contest in neighboring North Carolina.
Kemp called the group “the most effective political organization in the country” and said he looked forward to working with Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee, the incoming chairman.
Look for Kemp to leverage his role as he seeks to stay in the national conversation in 2024 and beyond.
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Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
SINE DIE! Lawmakers didn’t throw piles of confetti or have the regular fanfare to mark the occasion, but the state House and Senate did adjourn sine die Thursday after a fraught court-ordered redistricting session to redraw the state’s legislative and congressional maps.
With a midnight deadline looming, the House earlier gave final approval to a controversial new congressional map that creates a majority-Black district in west Metro Atlanta, while making U.S. Rep. Lucy McBath’s 7th district majority-white and heavily Republican.
The day featured a bitter debate over what “minority” means since federal Judge Steve Jones did not define the “minority opportunity” districts that he said could not be eliminated in this month’s redistricting process. Democrats argued that minority coalitions should be considered part of a minority opportunity district, while Republican mapmakers said that’s never been legally established.
We’ll be one step closer to finding out what Jones thinks on Dec. 20, when he’ll hold a hearing to review Georgia’s new legislative and congressional district lines.
Look for the House and Senate to gavel back in Jan. 8, 2024 for the second year of this legislative session.
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Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
LISTEN UP. Cobb County Commissioner Jerica Richardson joined the “Politically Georgia” podcast Thursday to discuss her run for the 6th Congressional District.
The Democrat said she won’t make a decision about what’s next for her campaign until Judge Steve Jones renders his verdict on whether the newly drawn state maps are legal under the Voting Rights Act. Richardson says they’re not.
Also on the show, the AJC’s Tamar Hallerman talked about her team’s scoop on the list of 200-plus potential witnesses for the election interference trial, now slated to begin in August 2024, and fellow insider Greg Bluestein dialed in from Tuscaloosa with a report on Wednesday’s GOP debate.
Listen and subscribe at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, or wherever you listen to podcasts.
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TEAM TRUMP, ROUND TWO. Former President Donald Trump’s allies are already floating the names of loyalists who could serve in his administration if he wins a comeback victory.
Axios reports that U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene is likely to be in the conversation to be Trump’s potential vice president or a member of his cabinet. But an even more surprising name that popped up is that of Jeffrey Clark.
Credit: File photo
Credit: File photo
A former assistant attorney general, Clark is seen as a contender for a top Justice Department slot. He’s also currently facing criminal charges in Fulton County’s election interference case against Trump and his allies.
He has pleaded not guilty to charges that he conspired to undermine President Joe Biden’s victory by seeking to pressure Georgia officials to take steps to reverse Trump’s defeat.
As Axios notes, he would be the “rare person to be considered for a future administration while under indictment.”
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ANOTHER DAY, ANOTHER CENSURE. Members of the U.S. House voted mostly along party lines in censuring Rep. Jamaal Bowman, the New York Democrat who pulled a fire alarm while Congress was voting on legislation to avoid a government shutdown in September.
Initially, Bowman said he pulled the alarm after coming across a door that was unexpectedly locked. He eventually pleaded guilty to a local criminal code violation and apologized, although he insisted all along he was not trying to delay the vote.
Georgia’s delegation split strictly along party lines with all nine Republicans in favor of censuring Bowman and all five Democrats opposed. The final tally was 214-191, including three Democratic “yes” votes.
Until recently, censures were rare in Congress and reserved for serious offenses. Prior to this year, the House had only used this formal disciplinary measure 24 times. But in 2023 alone, the Republican-controlled House has censured three Democrats: Bowman, Rep. Adam Schiff of California over comments about former President Donald Trump and Rep. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan over her anti-Israel rhetoric.
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TROUBLE IN CHATHAM. Controversy-plagued Chatham District Attorney Shalena Cook Jones faces more disciplinary action today when the State Ethics Commission holds a hearing involving allegations she’s failed to properly file campaign contribution and financial disclosure forms since her election in 2020.
Jones told the Savannah Morning News the missing forms were an “administrative oversight.” The ethics complaint case is expected to be settled today via a consent agreement.
Credit: Courtesy photo
Credit: Courtesy photo
The hearing marks the second time in six weeks Jones has been reprimanded. In November, a federal judge sanctioned the first-term DA for her attempts to evade a deposition in a sexual discrimination lawsuit in which she is a defendant.
Jones has been beset by a mass exodus of more than 25 assistant district attorneys during her tenure and drawn scrutiny for striking plea deals in 27 of 40 murder cases in 2021 and 2022.
Today’s hearing comes two days after Jones confirmed her intention to run for reelection in 2024. She has already drawn two challengers.
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Credit: Natrice Miller/AJC
Credit: Natrice Miller/AJC
TODAY IN WASHINGTON:
- President Joe Biden delivers remarks on his Investing in America infrastructure agenda in Las Vegas. Tonight, he attends a campaign reception in Santa Monica, California.
- The House and Senate are done for the week.
- U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., hosts a news conference in Marietta to discuss expanded access to breast cancer screenings for veterans through mobile mammography.
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Credit: Natrice Miller/AJC
Credit: Natrice Miller/AJC
A VERY COLLINS CHRISTMAS. Each holiday season, lawmakers with offices on the second floor of the Longworth House Office Building compete in a door decorating contest.
The rivalry is cutthroat at times, with an inflatable snowman slain under mysterious circumstances a few years ago. This year, U.S. Rep. Mike Collins has gone all in.
The freshman GOP lawmaker from Jackson made a name for himself with his funny and sarcastic social media posts during the House speaker election process that followed Rep. Kevin McCarthy’s ouster in October. He has translated that into an 1980s-themed display that incorporates his roots in trucking, his disdain for President Joe Biden and his love of memes. The decor includes an animatronic Santa with a naughty list, a Christmas tree with Georgia beer cans as ornaments and a life-size Mariah Carey cutout.
We aren’t sure on the judging criteria, but if the winner is determined by dedication to theme and how many elements one can squeeze onto a 20-foot stretch of real estate, then Collins will win by a landslide. But if the judges are looking for Christmas cheer and good tidings to all, then they may look to the door of Collins’ Georgia colleague, Rep. Rich McCormick, R-Suwanee, and his more subdued decorations down the hall.
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Credit: Ben Gray for the AJC
Credit: Ben Gray for the AJC
YOUNG DEMS GALA. The Young Democrats of Atlanta have announced a sellout for tonight’s annual “A Blue Christmas Gala” featuring five guests of honor.
The list includes former United Nations Ambassador and Atlanta Mayor Andrew Young, Grammy Award-winning rapper 21 Savage and YouTube Music executive Rachel Jackson. Rounding out the list are two people with ties to U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock: senior advisor Meredith Lilly and former spokeswoman Jaylen Black, who is now working for an advocacy organization.
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Credit: Courtesy photo
Credit: Courtesy photo
DOG OF THE DAY. Speaking of season’s greetings, meet Gracie Steigerwalt, the COVID-era cat who helped her people celebrate the first night of Hanukkah on Thursday.
We’re told Gracie’s favorite person (you know cats pick favorites) is 12-year-old Gavin Steigerwalt. Along with loving Gavin and major holidays, a reliable source tells us Gracie also enjoys being fed, brushed and catered to by the lady in the house, Dr. Amy Steigerwalt. She chairs Georgia State University’s political science department when she’s not dealing with the cat.
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.
