Anti-Donald Trump voters —“Never Trumpers” ― are putting all of their hopes in today’s New Hampshire primary on former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, the candidate they see as their last, best chance to keep the former president from sweeping to an easy win in the GOP presidential nominating contest.
With Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis now out of the race, a coalition of conservatives, Chamber of Commerce moderates, and Never-Trump independents are all pushing for Haley to hand Trump a loss before the campaign heads to her home state.
“I believe Donald Trump is a danger to democracy and a danger to America as we know it,” said Alicia Xanthopous, a lifelong Republican from Hampton Beach, New Hampshire. “I have said if there’s someone, anyone who can possibly beat him, I will support that person. I believe that person is Nikki Haley.”
Bernie Maciejeski, an independent from Hampton Beach, said he’s supporting Haley for one reason. “Anything besides Trump,” he said. Would he vote for Trump in November? “Never.”
With New Hampshire polls showing Haley picking up independent and moderate support, Trump has worked to paint her as a Democrat. “She has made an unholy alliance with RINOs, Never Trumpers, the globalists, the radical left and the communists,” Trump told an audience in Rochester on Sunday night.
Haley has responded in kind. “Every single thing that Donald Trump has said or put on TV has been a lie,” she told supporters.
In New Hampshire on election eve, Eric Tanenblatt, Haley’s national finance chairman, said Haley is ready to go on to South Carolina no matter what the outcome, although he’s confident she’ll do well with New Hampshire voters Tuesday.
“She’s got the funds raised, she’s got the organization, she’s all in,” he said.
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Credit: Natrice Miller/AJC
Credit: Natrice Miller/AJC
WILLIS BACKLASH. A Republican state legislator’s effort to create a new committee to investigate Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has a powerful backer.
Lt. Gov. Burt Jones indicated he supports state Sen. Greg Dolezal’s measure to create a Senate Special Committee on Investigations that would have the ability to subpoena witnesses and require testimony be given under oath. Dolezal, R-Cumming, introduced the legislation Monday.
“The Georgia Legislature has a responsibility to hold public officials accountable,” Jones said. “Recent reports have been deeply troubling and I appreciate Sen. Dolezal’s leadership on this issue.”
Jones has a long and complicated history with Willis, of course.
He was scrutinized by the special grand jury that Willis convened for participating as a pro-Trump elector and for his role in organizing legislative hearings that promoted conspiracy theories about the vote.
But a judge blocked Willis and her office from prosecuting Jones after finding that she had a conflict of interest because she hosted a fundraiser for his Democratic rival for lieutenant governor.
Dolezal’s special committee bill is the latest in a blitz of attempts at the state Capitol to reprimand Willis. Previous maneuvers include a formal complaint filed by senior Senate Republicans that asks a new state prosecutorial oversight commission to sanction her.
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Credit: Courtesy photo
Credit: Courtesy photo
FAMILY AFFAIR. Georgia Department of Public Safety Commissioner William “Billy” Hitchens had an “in” when he went before the House Public Safety budget subcommittee Monday to promote Gov. Brian Kemp’s State Patrol spending proposal.
Our budget guy James Salzer noted that Hitchens’ appointment to the department’s top job — as of Oct. 1 — didn’t coincide with a change in the leadership of the subcommittee. His father, Rep. Bill Hitchens, R-Rincon, who also used to head the state patrol, runs the subcommittee.
It’s not like either Hitchens needs a lot of help from the General Assembly. The House and Senate leadership very publicly promote a “Back the Blue” agenda and have pushed for bigger pay raises for law enforcement than other state employees in recent years.
During budget hearings last week, Salzer reports that Commissioner Hitchens told lawmakers $11,000 in raises the past few years have helped slow turnover. He said starting pay for troopers after graduating from trooper school is now $58,000 a year. But he also made an indirect plug for one of his predecessor’s proposals — a new pension system for troopers.
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BIDEN-HARRIS 2024. With President Joe Biden technically boycotting the New Hampshire primary, although he could still win via a write-in campaign, he and Vice President Kamala Harris will hold their first big joint rally of the year in northern Virginia.
It is no accident that this rally is being held in Virginia, a state where Democrats recently took control of both chambers of the legislature and are hoping to win back the governor’s office next year. Virginia is the battleground state where Democrats hope their message on abortion rights can make the difference in a close election.
On stage this afternoon, Biden and Harris are expected to hammer former President Donald Trump and other Republicans for their record on abortion, particularly the overturning of Roe v. Wade. The 2022 U.S. Supreme Court ruling has led conservative state leaders across the country, including here in Georgia, to restrict access to the procedure.
Credit: Patricia Murphy/AJC
Credit: Patricia Murphy/AJC
Biden provided a preview in remarks he delivered Monday as he convened a meeting of his White House Task Force on Reproductive Healthcare Access.
“I said on that day that Roe was overturned, the health and lives of women in this nation would now be at risk,” Biden said. “And that has unfortunately proven to be true. They have been at risk.”
Biden is not on the New Hampshire ballot because he backed the Democratic National Committee’s failed bid to change the order of the party’s primary calendar. The DNC sought to move the New Hampshire vote to later in the cycle and stage the first Democratic primary in South Carolina in the name of boosting the influence of more demographically diverse states earlier in the nominating process.
According to the U.S. census, New Hampshire’s population is 91% white and 1.59% Black. South Carolina, by contrast, is 69% white and 26% Black.
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LISTEN UP. With New Hampshire primary voters primed to go to the polls, the “Politically Georgia” radio show team had reports from the ground in the Granite State on Monday, including from a Dunkin’ parking lot.
Catch up at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts or wherever you listen to podcasts. And listen to Tuesday’s show live at 10 a.m. on WABE 90.1 FM, at AJC.com and at WABE.org.
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Credit: Courtesy photo
Credit: Courtesy photo
SAVANNAH MAYOR’S BOLD AGENDA. Van Johnson won reelection as Savannah’s mayor last November by an overwhelming margin, winning every precinct. Now three weeks into his second term, he told Savannah business leaders Monday to expect “big moves” ahead because “you never win playing small ball.”
Speaking to the Rotary Club of Savannah, Johnson laid out an agenda that includes significant investment in workforce development, taking action to address tourism’s impact on residents’ quality of life, redeveloping the downtown Savannah Civic Center site and “making decisions and moving on them.”
He portrayed Savannah as a growing economic engine within the state and “no longer a pimple on Atlanta’s behind.”
Johnson is in his 21st year in local elected office and has said his current term will be his last. He is considered a rising star within Georgia’s Democratic Party and is often mentioned as a candidate for higher office in the future.
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TODAY IN WASHINGTON:
- President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris hold a joint campaign rally in Virginia focused on abortion access.
- The U.S. Senate considers the nomination of Christopher Koos for the Amtrak board of directors.
- The House is adjourned for the week.
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Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
OSSOFF OFFICE HOURS. U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff’s constituent services days around Georgia continue with stops in Stockbridge and Fort Valley this week.
Representatives from Ossoff’s office and federal agencies, including Social Security, Medicare and Veterans Affairs, will set up at Stockbridge City Hall from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. today. A similar event will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday at St. Peter AME Church in Fort Valley.
Ossoff’s team has hosted more than a dozen of these events across the state. Ossoff is an Atlanta Democrat.
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MLK’S YOUNGEST SON DIES. Dexter Scott King, the youngest son of Martin Luther King, Jr., died Monday of prostate cancer, a diagnosis he had kept out of the public eye.
The AJC’s Ernie Suggs writes that Dexter King was the child who looked most like his iconic father and “who, as the caretaker of his family’s intellectual legacy, might have carried the heaviest burden.” He was just 7 years old when his father was assassinated.
Dexter King controlled the King Estate and considered himself the protector of the King family’s intellectual properties. It earned him some criticism, even among his siblings. He was living in California at the time of his death at age 62.
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Atlanta, was among the elected officials sending condolences to the King family. Warnock is pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church, a congregation once led by Martin Luther King Jr. and his father. Warnock said he was called to pray with the family on Monday.
“I prayed earlier today with the King family, and I join the citizens of our state, nation, and the global beloved community in extending my deepest condolences, strength, and solidarity to them during this time of remembrance and grief,” Warnock said in a statement.
The Georgia Congressional Black Caucus, Atlanta City Council and Atlanta Mayor Andrew Dickens also shared words of sympathy.
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Credit: Courtesy photo
Credit: Courtesy photo
DOG OF THE DAY. It’s time to meet ViVi (pictured) and Max Carr, the mini cavapoo and Yorkie mix canines who call Democratic operative and Politically Georgia newsletter subscriber Kip Carr their person.
Like a lot of kids today, Vivi and Max both have their own Instagram pages. But unlike a lot of kids today, their main hobby is spending time with their parents, specifically the Carrs.
For being this cute and still staying loyal to mom and dad, you’re our Dogs of the Day!
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.
