The U.S. House remains leaderless as Rep. Steve Scalise of Louisiana withdrew his name from consideration for the chamber’s top post after he failed to win enough support from fellow Republicans. He was the party’s nominee for roughly 30 hours.
The chaos surrounding Scalise’s abrupt exit left key Georgia Republicans exasperated.
“It makes us look like a bunch of idiots,” U.S. Rep. Austin Scott of Tifton told CNN.
Credit: Vino Wong /AJC
Credit: Vino Wong /AJC
U.S. Rep. Rick Allen was among the majority of House Republicans who backed Scalise. He was also one of the more than 200 GOP lawmakers who voted to keep Speaker Kevin McCarthy before his ouster earlier this month.
Allen, who lives in Augusta, said it does not bode well for the party that majority rule no longer appears to be a guiding principle. Scalise ended his bid after it became clear he lacked enough Republican support to win a floor vote.
“If you don’t rule by majority, you’re gonna have chaos,” Allen said Thursday night.
Republicans will reconvene this morning for yet another closed-door session to talk about the rules of engagement and prepare for another round of nominations. But Rep. Mike Collins said he had a new idea for picking the next leader.
“We should just have a lottery,” the Jackson Republican posted on social media. “If you lose, you have to be speaker.”
The first-term lawmaker also quipped that he may have his turn by Halloween, adding “Plenty of time to get my flyers ready.”
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LISTEN UP. Two of your Jolt reporters had press gallery seats at the U.S. Capitol for the House speaker saga. Tia Mitchell and Patricia Murphy offer an insider’s view in the latest edition of the Politically Georgia podcast and tell us where Georgia lawmakers stand, including an interview with Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Rome.
If you have a question or comment for the podcast, send it our way. Call the 24-hour Politically Georgia Podcast hotline at 404-526-AJCP. That’s 404-526-2527. We’ll play back your question and answer it during the listener mailbag segment on a future episode.
Listen at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts — or wherever you get your podcasts.
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SENATE WATCH. When U.S. Senate Republicans gather this weekend at Sea Island, Gov. Brian Kemp will be on hand — an appearance that will surely stoke more speculation about a potential 2026 Senate run.
Kemp’s aides confirmed several tips we received that the second-term governor will join the National Republican Senatorial Committee gathering at the ritzy seaside resort.
“The governor and first lady look forward to welcoming the NRSC to Georgia,” said Kemp adviser Cody Hall.
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
Coming off last November’s gubernatorial reelection win, Kemp is a top GOP contender to face Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff in 2026. Kemp hasn’t ruled out a bid, though he’s said he’s focused on helping the GOP defeat President Joe Biden next year.
We’re also told that former U.S. Sen. Kelly Loeffler will attend the Republican gathering. Loeffler, too, could seek to return to Washington, D.C., though she’s more likely to run for governor should Kemp decides to wage a Senate campaign.
Another likely candidate for higher office won’t be there: Lt. Gov. Burt Jones has weekend plans to coach his son’s football team.
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PRAYER BOOED. The war in Israel and Gaza has left Jewish communities around the world grieving and distraught. So when U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock could not be at a rally for Israel in Sandy Springs earlier this week, the Ebenezer Baptist Church pastor sent a video greeting offering a prayer for peace instead.
In the nearly four-minute video, Warnock said he stands “in solidarity” and prays that God will be with them “as the people of Israel reel in the pain of unspeakable loss, grief for which there really are no words.”
Warnock made no mention of Hamas, the militant group that conducted the terror attacks, and we’re told boos were audible in the crowd, particularly when he prayed for the day when “all children will know they are all children of the living God, Jews and Palestinians, red, yellow, Black, brown and white.”
A spokesman for Warnock said the remarks were made in the senator’s “pastoral role.” More specifically, the video was not sent from his Senate office, where policy statements are produced.
The situation is a reminder that Warnock’s dual roles as a U.S. senator and senior pastor sometimes conflict. While a pastor would typically pray for peace, a U.S. senator would have a much different message following what President Joe Biden has labeled a terrorist attack on one of the country’s closest allies.
For that, Warnock posted a message on his Senate Facebook page on Monday morning before the rally for Israel.
“The heinous acts of violence visited upon the people of Israel by Hamas — mothers, children, and seniors, including American citizens — were horrific and are rightly condemned by all who believe in human dignity and seek a lasting peace,” Warnock wrote. “What these events make clear is that there are those who fear peace and seek to sabotage it at any cost. We must not let them win.”
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TRUST ISSUES. Georgia swing voters trust President Joe Biden over former President Donald Trump in handling the Israel-Hamas conflict, according to focus groups queries by the analytics firm Engagious.
A panel of Georgians who voted for Trump in 2016 and Biden in 2020 said they believe “Biden would be less impulsive in his decision-making regarding the war than Trump if he were in the White House,” according to Axios, a news media outlet owned by Cox Enterprises, the parent company of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
The Georgia focus group was comprised of 11 voters: four who identify as Democrats, three as Republicans and four as independents.
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Credit: Christina Matacotta for the AJC
Credit: Christina Matacotta for the AJC
EDUCATION SUMMIT. Stacey Abrams will be a featured guest today during a White House-sponsored summit on equity in education.
The Power Up Series is a partnership between the White House Initiative on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence, and Economic Opportunity for Black Americans and Discovery Education. Panel discussions and workshops have featured Department of Education officials and other White House representatives.
DeKalb Schools Superintendent Devon Horton and Gwinnett Superintendent Calvin Watts are also on the program for the local event, to be staged in Suwanee.
Abrams is scheduled to speak this afternoon as part of a fireside chat around the theme, “representation matters.”
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Credit: File photos
Credit: File photos
KEEP UP. Every Friday, The Jolt offers a brief recap of the week’s development in the Fulton County election interference case against former President Donald Trump and 18 others. This week, we offer more than the story links below — we point you toward the latest episode of the “Breakdown” podcast and a lively debate between two lawyers over television cameras in the courtroom.
You can stay on top of the case via the “Trump Georgia Indictment” section on AJC.com and by signing up for the “The Trump 19″ weekly newsletter.
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Credit: NYT
Credit: NYT
TODAY IN WASHINGTON:
- President Joe Biden travels to Pennsylvania to announce seven regional clean hydrogen hubs selected to receive $7 billion funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
- U.S. House Republicans start again on nominating speaker candidates.
- The U.S. Senate is out of session and returns Monday.
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POOLER APPOINTMENT. A city council candidate in the fast-growing Savannah suburb of Pooler got a jump on the November election last Friday when she was appointed to fill a seat vacated by an ailing councilman.
Shirlenia Daniel is among 10 candidates for six council posts and will now run as an incumbent. Council member and mayoral candidate Karen Williams labeled Daniel’s appointment “improper and subversive to the will of the voters” in an interview with the Savannah Morning News.
By law, the city has 45 days to fill the vacancy, meaning a winner of the Nov. 7 election could have been appointed to fulfill the term.
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Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC
Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC
PET-PALOOZA. Not to editorialize, but The Jolt’s favorite official state event is happening next Saturday, Oct. 21. That’s when first lady Marty Kemp hosts her fifth Pet Adoption Day and Georgia Grown Festival at the Governor’s Mansion.
Kemp’s adoption days have helped more than 120 dogs, seven cats, and one lucky hamster find new homes. One privileged pooch even became a state employee.
The event will also include products marketed through the Department of Agriculture’s Georgia Grown program, meaning they are, of course, grown in Georgia.
According to Best Friends Animal Society, 174,560 pets entered shelters in Georgia in 2022 alone. DeKalb County announced yesterday that every slot at its animal shelter in Chamblee is full.
The first lady’s event begins at 10 a.m. and is open to the public — especially for Georgians ready to give a pet a forever home, she said.
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Credit: Courtesy photo
Credit: Courtesy photo
DOG OF THE DAY. Speaking of forever homes, today’s Dog of the Day found hers with Jolt devotee Jean Mahood.
Daisy is originally from South Georgia but eventually found her way to Atlanta through a network of pet rescues. The nine-year old Chihuahua now spends her days watching Jean work with Braver Angels, the country’s largest grassroots organization committed to depolarization. And with those ears, a reliable source tells us Daisy regularly listens along to the Politically Georgia podcast.
Good dog, Daisy!
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, 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.
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