From Maine to Alaska, former President Donald Trump dominated the vote in 14 of the 15 Super Tuesday states and amassed enough delegates to put him on the precipice of winning the Republican presidential nomination.
His lone GOP rival, Nikki Haley, is expected to suspend her campaign in a 10 a.m. news conference, according to reports from multiple national media outlets citing sources close to the former South Carolina governor.
Haley avoided a clean sweep by salvaging a victory in Vermont. But she declined to address supporters Tuesday night and her campaign hasn’t scheduled any events in Georgia ahead of next Tuesday’s primary or anywhere else.
A Haley campaign spokeswoman did issue a statement late Tuesday night referencing the results: “Today, in state after state, there remains a large block of Republican primary voters who are expressing deep concerns about Donald Trump. That is not the unity our party needs for success.”
With a rematch between Trump and President Joe Biden all but set, Haley’s wipeout raises the question: Where will her voters, who accounted for more than 40% of those casting ballots in some states, go now?
She’s attracted a mix of old-guard Republicans, never-Trumpers, independent voters and disaffected Democrats. It’s a voting bloc that resembles the same quirky coalition that proved decisive in Georgia’s last race.
Remember the swing voters who cast ballots for both Republican Gov. Brian Kemp and Democratic U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock in 2022, propelling the two incumbents to victory?
The proverbial Kemp-Warnock voter could again play a pivotal role, and where they break on the likely Biden-Trump rematch in November could help decide another race, this one for president of the United States.
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TRUMP TRIUMPH. A trio of well-known Georgia Republicans were among the Donald Trump loyalists partying with the former president at his victory celebration Tuesday night at his Florida Mar-a-Lago Club.
U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, Agriculture Commissioner Tyler Harper and Lt. Gov. Burt Jones were all spotted at the Super Tuesday party, where the former president called the United States “in many ways a third-world country.”
“We’re a third-world country at our borders, and we’re a third-world country at our elections,” Trump said.
Greene, a Rome Republican, Jones and Harper could all benefit from Trump’s largesse in the future if he wins his comeback bid, either by doling out endorsements for statewide office in 2026 or a potential administration appointment.
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BOURDEAUX ON BIDEN. President Joe Biden amassed Super Tuesday victories and will visit Atlanta this weekend ahead of next Tuesday’s Georgia primary. At least one state Democrat foresees a difficult general election cycle ahead for the incumbent.
Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC
Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC
Former U.S. Rep. Carolyn Bourdeaux writes in an opinion column published this morning at AJC.com that Biden will need “a miracle” to win the state in November. Bourdeaux, who served one term in the House, notes the “passion” behind the multi-ethnic and multiracial Democratic coalition that propelled Biden to victory in 2020 has “evaporated.”
From the piece:
“... Democrats also need to recognize they have turned their backs on a critical constituency that could deliver real political and policy victory. And to win again in Georgia, they are going to have to find a way to win them back."
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HEALTH CARE HACK. A serious cyberattack is causing major disruptions in care at hospitals across Georgia and the country, the AJC’s Helena Oliviero reports.
The American Hospital Association (AHA) called it “the most significant cyberattack on the U.S. health care system in American history.” Anna Adams, a spokeswoman for the Georgia Hospital Association, told Oliviero that the hack was “very serious” with far-reaching impacts and appears to be quickly growing into a crisis.
The AHA said patients nationwide have struggled to get access to care and billions in payments to providers have been halted, threatening the financial viability of hospitals, health systems and physician offices.
The attack has also jeopardized the security of patients’ information and is delaying some prescriptions and paychecks for medical workers.
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Credit: TNS
Credit: TNS
LISTEN UP. Political strategist Rick Dent and Emory professor Andra Gillespie join the “Politically Georgia” radio show today for a recap of Super Tuesday.
Listen live at 10 a.m. on WABE 90.1 FM, at AJC.com and at WABE.org.
If you missed it, Tuesday’s episode featured Athens-Clarke County Mayor Kelly Girtz, who pushed back on criticism of his administration and discussed how the wider community is responding to the death of nursing student Laken Riley. Girtz also said he still wants Athens to be welcoming to immigrants regardless of status.
U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock also joined the show live to discuss the silent pro-Palestine protest at Ebenezer Baptist Church on Sunday and why he still is fighting to pass a federal voting law named for John Lewis. A portion of Warnock’s interview will air again during today’s broadcast.
Find that show and other previous episodes on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
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Credit: Casey Sykes for the AJC
Credit: Casey Sykes for the AJC
UNDER THE GOLD DOME:
- The House and Senate are out of session for a packed committee workday. Floor sessions resume Thursday.
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WILLIS PROBE. Among the committees meeting at the state Capitol complex Wednesday is the Senate’s special investigative committee examining Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis.
The Senate created the special committee earlier this session, complete with subpoena powers. Today’s agenda includes hearing testimony from Ashleigh Merchant, the Cobb County attorney who is representing defendant Michael Roman in the election interference case against former President Donald Trump and others.
Merchant filed the original motion to have Willis disqualified from the Trump case based on the DA’s at-the-time unknown romantic relationship with special prosecutor Nathan Wade.
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Credit: Natrice Miller/AJC
Credit: Natrice Miller/AJC
LAKEN RILEY ACT. The U.S. House is poised to take a procedural vote today on legislation that would require immigrants accused of theft and shoplifting to be detained. The measure also gives states the authority to sue the federal government if immigration laws aren’t enforced.
This bill, which was fast-tracked to the floor just one week after being introduced by Georgia Rep. Mike Collins, is named after Laken Riley, the 22-year-old nursing student killed in Athens last month. A Venezuelan man who entered the U.S. illegally has been charged in her death.
“No family should ever have to endure this type of pain, and we must do everything possible to keep Americans safe,” Rules Chairman Tom Cole, R-Okla., said during discussion Tuesday.
Credit: Nell Carroll for the AJC
Credit: Nell Carroll for the AJC
Republicans, who hold a slim majority in the House, have the numbers to advance the bill. But it will go nowhere in the Senate where Democrats are in control.
House Democrats accused their GOP colleagues of using Riley’s slaying to further an agenda that paints Democrats as wrong on immigration policy while simultaneously refusing to consider the bipartisan border security legislation proposed in the Senate.
“I am appalled that we have people in Congress and on this committee who are using such a horrible crime to score political points,” said Rep. Jim McGovern of Massachusetts, the top-ranking Democrat on the Rules Committee. “It’s beyond the pale.”
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GOVERNMENT FUNDING. A slate of six appropriations bills needed to fund federal agencies could be voted on in the House later today. Congress faces a Friday deadline to pass those budgets to avoid a partial government shutdown.
The package is being called a “minibus” since the bills are bundled together but is smaller than an “omnibus” since there are six appropriations bills being negotiated separately.
The pending legislation allocates $467.5 billion to various agencies, funding them until the end of the fiscal year on Sept. 30.
Funding for the agencies covered by the remaining six bills runs out March 22.
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WATER FIGHT. The federal government has moved to block a water permit for a mine planned near the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recently notified the Georgia Environmental Protection Division, the permitting agency for the proposed mine, that drawing as much as 1.4 million gallons of water a day from area groundwater supplies could harm the refuge and is therefore unlawful.
The challenge is the latest involving plans by Alabama-based Twin Pines Minerals to open a mine less than 4 miles from the edge of the Okefenokee. Twin Pines’ interest in the site dates to 2019, and state regulators issued draft permits for the project last month. Final permitting is set to begin in April.
Twin Pines hopes to mine titanium dioxide, a whitening agent used in the manufacture of sunscreen, toothpaste, paint and other products.
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Credit: Kent Nishimura via TNS
Credit: Kent Nishimura via TNS
TODAY IN WASHINGTON:
- President Joe Biden has no public events on his schedule as he prepares for Thursday’s State of the Union address.
- The House takes a procedural vote on the Laken Riley Act and also could vote on government funding legislation.
- The Senate has more confirmation votes lined up.
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Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
ARE THEY QUALIFIED? It’s qualifying week for Georgia’s 2024 elections, marking the drop-dead time for candidates and elected officials to register for the primaries.
The AJC has a handy tracker for the truly obsessed. The tool shows which candidates filed paperwork for Georgia’s upcoming congressional and legislative races.
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Credit: Natrice Miller/AJC
Credit: Natrice Miller/AJC
OSSOFF OFFICE HOURS. U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff’s staffers will host their latest constituent services event from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. today at the Gwinnett Library in Norcross.
The session allows Georgians to interact with the senator’s office to resolve issues with Medicare, Social Security, veterans services, obtaining passports and visas, and other federal government functions.
Ossoff’s team will be at the Eatonton City Hall from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday for a similar event.
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Credit: Courtesy photo
Credit: Courtesy photo
DOG OF THE DAY. If the upcoming elections have you feeling like a basket case, meet Abel Schmidt, the solace-seeking black cat who calls AJC subscriber Lee and Paul Schmidt his people.
The Schmidts are not only newspaper and newsletter subscribers but also DOTD frequent fliers, having landed three previous pets in this feature. A reliable source tells us the entire Santa Fe-based brood reads Politically Georgia before dawn Mountain Time each weekday morning, although Abel is usually doing it from the safety of the bottom of the laundry pile. Who can blame him?
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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