We know Georgia is destined to be a pivotal battleground state in the 2024 presidential elections. But is it a must-win for Republicans? Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie thinks so.
In making a case for Republicans to reject former President Donald Trump’s comeback, Christie told the conservative Ruthless podcast this week that the map looks bleak for Republicans if the GOP nominee fails to capture Georgia next year.
“It’s over if you don’t win Georgia,” Christie said. “Look, I know there’s a way you can get to 270 without Georgia as a Republican. But if you win those other states, you would have won Georgia because there’s a lot of similar dynamics. To me, Georgia is the very best example.”
He then told a story about supporting Gov. Brian Kemp in early 2021, when other Republicans were souring on Kemp’s reelection chances. When Christie predicted Kemp’s victory on ABC News in December 2021, he said George Stephanopoulos told him off air, ‘You’re out of your mind.’” He wasn’t the only one.
From Christie:
“I was at RGA that November of '21. And I had three guys who are consultants in Georgia who I have a lot of respect for, who said to me, ‘Governor, we love you. You're way out on a limb for Kemp here. He cannot win in the primary.'
“… I said to them, ‘I love you guys but you know what, none of the three of you have ever been governor. I have. And I know what an incumbent governor can do when he's smart and he's motivated to shape a race for reelection. And Brian Kemp was masterful."
We put out feelers to see who those advisers were and, not surprisingly, no one fessed up. A few even ruled themselves out, including Nick Ayers, a former David Perdue consultant who said he wasn’t even at the RGA event that Christie mentioned.
But in late 2021 — around the same time Perdue entered the race — that sense of Kemp’s impending doom was widespread. Even some of the governor’s supporters were privately agonizing about his chances.
Now, that seems a distant memory. Kemp defeated Perdue by more than 50 points, won the general election by more than seven, and now has approval ratings over 60% in an Atlanta Journal-Constitution poll in January. A Morning Consult poll out this week put him in similar territory, ranking him the 11th most popular governor in the country.
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GOP REBUKE. The Republican chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee said comments made by U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Green, R-Rome, during a hearing Wednesday were out of order, cut her microphone and struck her words from the record.
It was a rare admonition of the firebrand lawmaker by a member of her own party.
Greene was criticized for repeatedly calling Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas a “liar” while questioning him on the fentanyl drug crisis. U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson, the top Democrat on the panel, stepped in and requested that Greene’s words be taken down from the record, and Chairman Mark Green of Tennessee agreed.
“It’s pretty clear that the rules state you can’t impugn someone’s character,” Green said. “Identifying or calling someone a liar is unacceptable in this committee and I make the ruling that we strike those words.”
Haiyun Jiang/The New York Times
Haiyun Jiang/The New York Times
Earlier in the hearing, Greene accused U.S. Rep. Eric Swalwell, a California Democrat, of having an intimate relationship years ago with a Chinese spy. Those comments were allowed to stand, despite Democrats’ objections. The hearing stopped at several points as Greene’s colleagues dealt with her insults.
CNN later reported that a source said Chairman Green was unhappy with Rep. Greene’s outburst and planned to request she be removed from the committee if something similar happens again. But Greene stood by her comments and said she had already had her own conversation with Speaker Kevin McCarthy.
“I don’t know how we’re ever going to accomplish anything when we can’t call people a liar when they’re lying,” Greene told CNN.
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DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA. The U.S. House voted mostly along party lines Wednesday to overturn new police accountability standards adopted by the Council of the District of Columbia.
H.J. Res. 42 is sponsored by U.S. Rep. Andrew Clyde and is one of several bills he has introduced to let Congress overturn local laws passed in D.C., something made possible by the district’s unique non-state structure.
AP
AP
Every Republican in Georgia’s delegation supported the measure. All Democrats were opposed except for U.S. Rep. David Scott, who missed the vote. In total, 14 Democrats voted with all Republicans.
“By passing my resolution, this body has firmly rejected the Council’s anti-police law, reaffirmed our support of heroic law enforcement officers, and underscored the importance of protecting Americans’ safety in Washington,” Clyde, R-Athens, said in a statement after the vote.
But unlike a previous measure that dealt with new D.C. sentencing guidelines, the bill passed Wednesday may not have enough votes to pass in the Senate. And even if it did, President Joe Biden has vowed to veto it.
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Arvin Temkar/AJC
Arvin Temkar/AJC
HALF TIME. We were reminded several times before the Legislature gaveled out in March that “it’s a two year session,” meaning bills introduced this year can still be considered next year when lawmakers return to the Capitol.
One bill Democrats are hoping to see action on in 2024 is House Bill 842, a measure from state Rep. Marvin Lim, D-Norcross, to roll back the state’s “stand your ground law.”
WXIA’s Doug Richards has the details on the “Georgia Shoot First Act,” which is designed by Lim to encourage the exact opposite.
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TODAY IN WASHINGTON:
- The U.S. House will vote on legislation to prohibit transgender girls from competing in girls sports.
- President Joe Biden will host Colombian President Gustavo Petro at the White House.
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T.J. Kirkpatrick/The New York Times
T.J. Kirkpatrick/The New York Times
DRAG SHOW OFF. An “all-ages drag show” scheduled in Forsyth County has been canceled.
But not before U.S. Rep. Rich McCormick announced that he would host counterprogramming to occur at the same time.
The original “Family Fun Show” was planned for Sunday at Forsyth County’s public Sexton Hall in Cumming. But organizers said this week they’d called it off amidst a community outcry. Fox 5 Atlanta reported that about 150 tickets had been sold for the event, which was to feature “face painting, a kids’ dance-off, and more.”
McCormick, R-Suwannee, began advertising his event titled “Forsyth Family Fun Day” on Monday before the drag show cancellation was widely publicized.
“I will not sit idly - at home or in Washington - when radical individuals or organizations attempt to target and indoctrinate our children,” he wrote on Twitter. “In response to the lewd drag queen performance next weekend, I am hosting this event as a constructive, healthy alternative for families.”
Attacking drag shows and transgender issues are increasingly popular tactics in conservatives’ culture wars.
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NEW ROLE. Simone Edmonson has been named Georgia’s first mental health parity officer, Capitol Beat reports.
The position was created by House Bill 1013, the mental health care overhaul passed last year by lawmakers. Along with requiring insurance companies to treat mental health care as they do physical health care, the law puts Edmonson in charge of monitoring and reporting on companies’ compliance.
An insurance industry veteran, one of her first tasks is preparing a report for the governor and lawmakers about how various insurers are meeting HB 1013′s new parity requirements.
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Miguel Martinez/AJC
Miguel Martinez/AJC
NEW GIG. Former Congresswoman Carolyn Bourdeaux has joined the Gateway85 Community Improvement District’s management team as a consultant on special projects.
Bourdeaux will focus on expanding the number of electric vehicle charging stations in the area and improving Jimmy Carter Boulevard.
The Suwanee Democrat served one term in Congress before losing the 2022 Democratic primary to fellow incumbent U.S. Rep. Lucy McBath.
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Courtesy photo
Courtesy photo
DOG OF THE DAY. We strive to give equal time here at The Jolt. So an email from a subscriber pointing out a possible bias toward dogs and Dawgs led to some introspection.
Although this is a canine-forward feature, we’re always open to feline faces. So it’s high time to meet Chainsaw the Cat. Chainsaw comes to us from Jolt subscriber Dr. Cathy Harmon-Christian. And judging from Chainsaw’s demeanor, Chainsaw could hold her own against one of the Jolt’s many labradoodles any day. Congratulations, Chainsaw!
Send us your pups of any political persuasion — and cats on a cat-by-cat basis, including interested Auburn Tigers, 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.
