Bill White didn’t just give up on his plan to break away the “City of Buckhead City” from Atlanta. He also burned a few bridges on his way out of town.
Our AJC colleagues Riley Bunch and Tamar Hallerman reported that White is throwing in the towel and plans to bolt the city for the north Georgia mountains and, perhaps later, Florida.
He noted that without Gov. Brian Kemp’s support, his movement has no chance of reaching a referendum. Kemp’s top lawyer raised grave legal concerns with the secession days before it was rejected in the Senate.
What didn’t make the story were the series of comments White made about Kemp’s inner circle.
Credit: Steve Schaefer/AJC
Credit: Steve Schaefer/AJC
He said David Perdue’s endorsement of cityhood during the 2022 primary ultimately hurt their cause because “the Kemps ended up being very angry with us for that. And I think they’re very petty people.”
Still, he said he thought Kemp might ultimately support the referendum amid support from some rank-and-file Republicans. He said he believed he had the votes to pass it in the Senate before the legal memo surfaced.
“When the governor inserted himself in a shady, sleazy, backdoor kind of way, then the result was clear,” White told our colleagues.
Kemp’s staff didn’t comment, but even at the time, Senate leaders did not think they had the votes to pass the referendum days before the memo was released. One told us at the time it was ”doomed.”
White’s willingness to rip Kemp at the end of the process is an about-face from the days when he was a Kemp donor and frequently praised the governor and first lady on social media.
Former Kemp aide Cody Hall said the ultimate failure of Buckhead City belongs to White, not the governor.
“Bill White didn’t have the votes in the legislature and couldn’t answer basic questions about his pet project that he’s milked donors for hundreds of thousands of dollars to fund over the last few years. That’s not the governor’s problem — that’s Bill White’s problem.”
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SOLAR CREDIT. Vice President Kamala Harris’ visit to Dalton today to announce a high-dollar order of solar panels from the expanding Qcells complex is sure to be the latest in an ongoing partisan tug-of-war over the state’s thriving EV industry.
Democrats are keen to take credit for projects like the $2.5 billion expansion of Qcells, the plant Harris is promoting later today.
They tie the new investments to President Joe Biden’s signature climate change and health care law, which provides $10 billion in tax credits for new solar manufacturing facilities and billions for other clean energy.
Indeed, Qcells has also credited the federal legislation for its upcoming expansion. But the company has also praised Gov. Brian Kemp’s policies that have helped lay the groundwork for a surge in new EV developments across the state.
Harris is scheduled to tour the Qcells plant in Dalton this afternoon, where she’ll announce the company is part of what officials described as the largest community solar purchase in U.S. history.
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HALEY’S HAUL. While the national media has been going wall-to-wall with former President Donald Trump’s spiraling legal troubles, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley has been quietly raising more than $11 million since launching her presidential bid six weeks ago.
The eight-figure haul was thanks to a series of fundraisers she’s held across the country, including in Georgia last month.
The New York Times cited longtime GOP moneyman Eric Tanenblatt, who hosted one of those donor gatherings. He said the numbers “solidify” Hayley as a serious contender.
“It is a robust number,” he told the newspaper. “I don’t think anyone should underestimate her.”
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MTG’S NEW MAN. U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene conducted a series of interviews from the back of an SUV after leaving the chaotic scene of her pro-Donald Trump rally in New York on Tuesday. But one particular exchange with the host of a conservative network had the internet abuzz.
After concluding her chat with Right Side Broadcasting Network’s Brian Glenn, Greene leaned in for a kiss on the forehead and smiled as she planted one of her own near his chin.
That kind of familiarity goes beyond the normal reporter-source boundaries. “Standard journalism practice: kissing goodbye,” one Twitter user said sarcastically with a snippet of the video.
But Glenn isn’t just a journalist to Greene; her office confirmed that he is her boyfriend.
And her team said he wasn’t just getting the scoop on the rally, he was “making sure she felt comforted after the crazy event in the park.”
Greene’s divorce with ex-husband Perry Greene was finalized in December.
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TODAY IN WASHINGTON:
- President Joe Biden departs for Camp David this afternoon to begin his Easter holiday weekend.
- The U.S. House and Senate are on an Easter and Passover recess until April 17.
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Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC
Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC
ABRAMS IN THE CLASSROOM. Former candidate for Georgia governor Stacey Abrams, who remains one of the Democratic Party’s most recognizable figures, is joining the faculty of Howard University in Washington, D.C. The university announced Wednesday that she will be the inaugural Ronald W. Walters Endowed Chair for Race and Black Politics.
The endowed chair is named for a longtime Howard professor who also was behind one of the nation’s first lunch counter protests in 1958 and later served as an adviser to the Rev. Jesse Jackson.
The move answers the speculation about Abrams’ next steps after she lost her rematch against Republican Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp in November. Kemp won with 53% of the vote, improving on his performance against Abrams from their first matchup in 2018, Abrams lost by fewer than 55,000 votes. She has said that she has not ruled out another run for office.
Abrams said she will remain a resident of Georgia and commute to Washington to conduct research, hold talks and perform other functions for the university. She also announced last month that she is joining the D.C.-based Rewiring America as senior counsel.
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Credit: Tyson Horne/AP
Credit: Tyson Horne/AP
FROM ONE LEROY TO ANOTHER. Congressman Buddy Carter took to the House floor recently to recognize The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s new editor-in-chief Leroy Chapman.
“Leroy will be the AJC’s first Black editor-in-chief in the newspaper’s 155-year history,” Carter said. “I congratulate Leroy on this wonderful honor. I look forward to his continued success at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. By the way, this comes from another LeRoy.”
The Pooler Republican’s full name is Earl LeRoy Carter.
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Credit: Courtesy photo
Credit: Courtesy photo
DOG OF THE DAY. With Easter fast approaching, it’s time to meet Belle and Apollo Sullivan, our rabbits of the day.
These two bunnies belong to AJC subscriber Lori Sullivan, who was one of the first to reach out when we put out the call for dogs or cats to feature in the Jolt. “How about a political rabbit?” she asked.
We say yes, because if we know anything about Georgians and their politics, it’s that diversity is key.
Send us your pups of any political persuasion — and Easter bunnies, cats, and other furry favorites — to patricia.murphy@ajc.com, or DM us on Twitter @MurphyAJC.
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AS ALWAYS, Jolt readers are some of our favorite tipsters. Send your best scoop, gossip and insider info to patricia.murphy@ajc.com, tia.mitchell@ajc.com and greg.bluestein@ajc.com.
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