The Jolt: Democrat aims for swing metro Atlanta district in Georgia House

State Rep. Deborah Silcox lost the closest legislative race in Georgia in 2020, falling to a Democratic opponent by just 377 votes. Two years later, the Republican won a newly created north Atlanta district by a slightly more comfortable 1,496-vote margin.

Now the GOP incumbent is one of the most vulnerable legislators under the Gold Dome. Democrats want to make her pay for her support of Gov. Brian Kemp’s initiatives in an election year when Donald Trump could be back atop the Republican ballot.

Susie Greenberg on Tuesday announced her bid for the District 53 seat, which stretches through parts of Buckhead, Sandy Springs and Roswell. She pledged to support abortion rights, expand Medicaid and boost jobs for district residents.

“I decided to run for office because, like my neighbors, I’m fed up with my elected officials not doing their sworn duty to protect and serve our families,” Greenberg said. “So I’m doing something about it.”

Silcox didn’t immediately comment on the challenge. She has emerged as one of the governor’s key allies, and Kemp deployed his political machine earlier this year to reinforce her reelection bid. She also has distanced herself from Trump, endorsing former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley’s bid for the White House.

Credit: Courtesy photo

Credit: Courtesy photo

Although Silcox has carved out a conservative voting record, she also has broken ranks with her party. In 2019, she voted against Kemp’s anti-abortion legislation, tearfully telling colleagues that she was reflecting the values of her constituents.

Greenberg, meanwhile, is a well-known community volunteer who served on the board of Planned Parenthood Southeast. She telegraphed her intention to put abortion rights at the center of her challenge.

Her campaign announcement described Silcox as part of the GOP leadership team that “laid the groundwork to revoke a woman’s right to choose” in Georgia.

Greenberg also outlined a long list of endorsements that includes Georgia House Minority Leader James Beverly, D-Macon, and roughly a dozen other legislators. Among Greenberg’s backers is state Rep. Shea Roberts, the Democrat who defeated Silcox in 2020.

“She knows how to get things done,” Roberts said.

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Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC

POWER LUNCH. The Georgia Chamber’s annual congressional luncheon will serve up policy with a side of politics for the roughly 1,000 attendees who gather in Athens later today.

They’ll hear from Republicans and Democrats about their plans to continue to expand the state’s economy and help business owners.

Expect Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff to call for bipartisan cooperation on infrastructure investments and green incentives that have helped fuel an alternative energy boom in Georgia.

Credit: Natrice Miller/AJC

U.S. Rep. Drew Ferguson, R-West Point, and Chris Nunn, the head of the Georgia Department of Community Affairs, will discuss workforce housing initiatives.

And Gov. Brian Kemp is expected to tout new job growth and economic investments.

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Credit: Katelyn Myrick/AJC

THE ‘COLD, HARD, BRUTAL TRUTH.’ Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger couldn’t “find” then-President Donald Trump the “11,780″ votes needed to change the 2020 election result. Yet the state’s top elections official has pinpointed the 28,000 votes that cost Trump a victory over Joe Biden.

Raffensperger offered a frank defense of Georgia’s election system during a Monday speech to the Rotary Club of Savannah. Afterwards, he noted what he considers an atypical number of Georgians who cast ballots in the 2020 general election but declined to record votes in the presidential race.

“Those 28,000 votes are why President Trump came up short,” Raffensperger said, later calling the stat the “cold, hard, brutal truth.”

Raffensperger, who has been villainized by Trump and his Make America Great loyalists, touted the integrity of Georgia’s election system throughout his Savannah appearance. Speaking to media members after the luncheon, Raffensperger referenced everything from Hollywood blockbusters “Top Gun: Maverick” and “Draft Day” to Ronald Reagan and space missions to Mars in discussing what motivates voters on Election Day.

“You need a candidate who everyone is clamoring to vote for,” Raffensperger said.

Asked if he was alluding to Trump, Raffensperger took evasive action a fighter pilot would appreciate.

“I just hope that as a conservative we pick a nominee who we will be excited about,” he said.

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Credit: Steve Schaefer/AJC

‘TOTAL CLUSTER.’ The national media is starting to notice the wide open field in the 2026 Georgia governor’s race that we’ve been writing about for some time.

The Daily Caller News Foundation dialed up some Georgia GOP types and got plenty of colorful quotes about how competitive the race for governor could get in three years.

As we’ve reported, Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr is planning to run for governor in 2026 and several other Republicans are making early moves, including Lt. Gov. Burt Jones and former U.S. Sen. Kelly Loeffler.

Republican consultant Jay Williams handicapped the GOP race this way: “I think it’s just gonna be a total cluster in that primary, and everybody’s gonna get in that thing.”

For Democrats, U.S. Rep. Lucy McBath, ex-state Sen. Jen Jordan, DeKalb Chief Executive Michael Thurmond and Jason Carter, the party’s 2014 nominee, have shown interest.

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Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC

BOGUS. Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis’ decision on whether to indict former President Donald Trump and his associates still isn’t expected until the end of this week at the earliest.

As we await word from the prosecutor, the Washington Post has a timely reminder that Georgia was just one of seven states where Trump worked to secure a slate of fake electors.

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Credit: Natrice Miller/AJC

SUBPOENA TIME. Former Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan has been called to testify as a witness before a Fulton County grand jury that could deliver indictments against former President Donald Trump and his allies this month. At least three other Georgia figures have been summoned to speak to grand jurors.

One central figure in the Trump probe who hasn’t yet been subpoenaed is Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger. The state’s top election official acknowledged that status on Monday and said “I follow the law and I follow the Constitution” and would thereby comply if called to testify.

“Every office holder in this state does as well as the office of President of the United States of America,” he said.

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Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC

TODAY IN WASHINGTON:

President Joe Biden will deliver remarks on his administration’s conservation efforts and protections for natural resources from Red Butte Airfield in Arizona. He will also visit the Grand Canyon.
U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Rome, holds a town hall in Gordon County tonight.
The House and Senate are in recess for the rest of August.

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Credit: Nathan Posner for The AJC

DEFENDING SNAP. U.S. Rep. David Scott, the top Democrat on the House Agriculture Committee, led his colleagues on the panel in writing a letter to House Speaker Kevin McCarthy drawing a “red line” on any farm bill provisions that cut the federal nutrition program known as food stamps.

Some conservative Republicans want to implement new work requirements for childless adults who receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits. Every Democrat on the committee signed a letter warning McCarthy, a Republican from California, that such language could jeopardize the legislation passing in its customary bipartisan fashion.

Neither the House nor the Senate has released a draft version of the expected five-year farm bill reauthorization that could carry a price tag of more than $1 trillion. The food stamps program is one of the biggest components.

The letter from Scott, D-Atlanta, and the other Democrats says the lawmakers are willing to work with Rep. Glenn “GT” Thompson, the Pennsylvania Republican who chairs the House committee.

“The continued threat of making additional changes to SNAP eligibility or benefits is not helpful and even undermines Chairman Thompson as he works with his Democratic and Republican membership to bring a bipartisan farm bill out of the Agriculture Committee,” the letter says.

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BIG SPENDERS. Care in Action, an advocacy organization representing domestic workers, said it will prioritize Georgia, Arizona, Nevada and North Carolina in its voter mobilization efforts ahead of the 2024 election. The group also has events planned for South Carolina, the first southern state to hold a primary.

Care in Action has also joined a coalition of 20 labor unions for the “Care Can’t Wait Action” initiative. The group will spend $50 million to educate voters on universal child care, guaranteed paid and medical leave issues during the runup to the presidential contest.

NBC News reports the “Care Can’t Wait” campaign will advocate for parts of President Joe Biden’s Build Back Better legislation abandoned by the administration due to opposition from Republicans and even some moderate Democrats in Congress.

The initiative will include advertising, outreach to infrequent voters, town halls featuring candidates for president and U.S. Senate in battleground states, research and polling, NBC News said.

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PERSONNEL DEPARTMENT. In a twist, we’re excited to announce an addition right here at The Jolt.

Adam Van Brimmer has joined the expanding Jolt team as contributor and morning editor. Appropriately, he comes from the Savannah Morning News, where he was most recently deputy editor.

In addition to his Jolt duties, Adam will report on politics and business from Savannah and expand the AJC’s footprint to the beautiful Georgia coast.

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DOG OF THE DAY. With so many court cases and judges in the news, let’s add one more to the mix — meet Judge Judy Melton, who calls loyal Jolt subscriber Nancy Melton her person.

Like most judges, we’re told Judge Judy has a mind of her own. In fact, she’s so above the fray she may or may not care about being recognized in these pages.

We’ll take that challenge, Judge Judy. After a sidebar with our pawtners, we find you to be our Jolt Dog of the Day.

Send us your dogs of any political persuasion and cats on a cat-by-cat basis to patricia.murphy@ajc.com, or DM us at @MurphyAJC.

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AS ALWAYS, Jolt readers are some of our favorite tipsters. Send your best scoop, gossip and insider info to adam.vanbrimmer@ajc.com, patricia.murphy@ajc.com, tia.mitchell@ajc.com and greg.bluestein@ajc.com.