Not long ago, one of the state’s dominant political questions was whether Gov. Brian Kemp — or any Republican — could win over the ever-fractious base ahead of a November race against Stacey Abrams.
With Donald Trump’s target on his back and a formidable threat from David Perdue, even Kemp’s most devoted loyalists were hunkering down for a drawn-out battle for GOP votes that would stretch long beyond the primary.
But after humiliating Perdue in May, the Trump-fueled rift in the party may be on the mend. The former president has eased off his attacks against Kemp, and the governor’s plea to circle the wagons appears to be working.
The Georgia AARP poll released this week is only the latest indicator. It found a whopping 95% of likely GOP voters are backing Kemp - slightly more than the proportion of Republicans supporting Senate hopeful Herschel Walker.
If the trend holds, it could vindicate the governor’s approach to a former president who once made defeating Kemp a top mission – and whose angry attacks once sparked activists to shower the governor with boos at party gatherings.
Careful not to alienate die-hard Trump supporters, Kemp avoiding bashing the ex-president even as Trump dragged his name through the mud and blamed him for his 2020 defeat.
“Kemp slayed the giant by not fighting it,” said Dan McLagan, a Republican consultant. “He focused on doing the job rather than yelling on cable TV and Twitter. That’s what people want in a governor: results.”
Miguel Martinez /miguel.martinezjimenez@ajc.com
Miguel Martinez /miguel.martinezjimenez@ajc.com
State Rep. Houston Gaines, a close Kemp ally, said that “between a dominating primary win and the thought of Abrams as our next governor, it’s pretty clear that Republicans are in lockstep.”
Will it remain that way? Though a diminished force in Georgia, Trump could break the peace treaty at any moment and cause headaches for Kemp. His lies about election fraud could again dent GOP turnout.
Democrats expect the GOP infighting to ramp up. Jake Orvis, a Democratic strategist, predicted that the Trump-fueled fissures in Georgia Republican politics will only deepen.
“While candidates solidifying their base after a primary is normal,” he said, “the GOP civil war resulted in Perdue repeatedly insulting the governor and the nomination of a football player turned atmospheric scientist.”
As for Kemp, his campaign said Republicans are united behind his record of “fighting - and winning - for hardworking Georgians and are working hard to beat Stacey Abrams for the second time this November.”
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LISTEN UP. It’s time for the end-of-the-week edition of the Politically Georgia podcast.
We’ve got a look at how inflation is threatening Democrats’ fortunes, Herschel Walker’s not-so-great week; and our new expanded listener mail bag.
Listen, rate and subscribe.
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Steve Schaefer/AJC
Steve Schaefer/AJC
PUSHING BACK. Pummeled with attacks from Gov. Brian Kemp and his allies over her stance on public safety, Stacey Abrams has launched a new counteroffensive.
She filmed a direct-to-camera ad outlining her proposal to hike pay for certain law enforcement officers and her plan to reduce violent crime.
“Brian Kemp wants you to be afraid of me,” she said in the ad. “Why? Because he thinks it will distract Georgians from the truth.”
It closes: “Brian Kemp wants to bash me for my honesty and lie about my record, but my parents taught me to tell the whole story. And that’s the truth.”
The ad was accompanied by a series of glowing quotes from current and former law enforcement officials that included Charlie Bailey, a former prosecutor who is the Democratic nominee for lieutenant governor.
“We don’t need more guns on our streets – but Kemp’s criminal carry law is making us less safe by putting guns in the hands of lawbreakers,” Bailey said. “Only Stacey has a comprehensive plan to make us safer.”
Another voice of approval came from Douglas County District Attorney Dalia Racine, who said Abrams’ plan will give law enforcement the “resources to combat violent crime, hold offenders accountable and keep our communities safe.”
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ETHICS WATCH. A group that supports an overhaul of federal campaign finance laws wants federal prosecutors to investigate Republican Senate nominee Herschel Walker.
In a complaint filed with the Justice Department, End Citizens United said Walker submitted a personal financial disclosure which omitted details of more than $3 million worth of business dealings from his company, H. Walker Enterprises.
Walker filed an amended financial disclosure earlier this year after the same group filed a separate complaint. ECU President Tiffany Muller said Thursday that the updated filing still didn’t provide all the required information.
“He’s still not reporting the many sources of that $3 million, which clients he got it from, what he did for that money, and what financial relationships he maintains with those clients to this day,” Muller said.
Walker spokeswoman Mallory Blount said the revised complaint was aimed at distracting voters from high inflation and allegations that U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock improperly used campaign funds to pay legal expenses.
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ABORTION BACKLASH. Many leading companies have had a muted response to the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to end federal abortion rights. Others have taken a different approach.
Sarah Riggs Amico, the Democratic nominee for lieutenant governor four years ago, shared with us the letter she sent to employees of the Jack Cooper logistics firm she runs.
“I want to assure you that Jack Cooper is working to ensure that you and your family will continue to have equitable access to comprehensive healthcare, including reproductive care, regardless of your state of residency.”
Amico said she was overseeing a review of the company’s healthcare and legal policies. Her firm is also considering ways to help employees access reproductive healthcare if they live in a state that bans abortions.
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BIPARTISAN PALS. U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff continues to make friends in unlikely places.
The Democrat recently bonded with Agriculture Commissioner Gary Black, a Republican, at a Gainesville poultry lab where he touted bipartisan efforts to boost the industry.
And he earned support from Insurance Commissioner John King, another GOP official, for legislation that would upgrade local fire stations that he plans to tout at a stop Friday.
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DEFENSE BILL. The U.S. House passed the National Defense Authorization Act with a 329-101 bipartisan vote.
But that means nearly one-fourth of lawmakers were a “no” on legislation that outlines policy and spending levels on military and national defense -- and amounts to one of the few measures that Congress manages to pass on time each year.
Five of Georgia’s 14 delegation members were opposed. The sole state Democrat to vote “no,” U.S. Rep. Nikema Williams, said she opposed the increase in spending. The final version of the bill included $37 billion more in funding than what President Joe Biden initially requested.
Bob Andres/AJC/TNS
Bob Andres/AJC/TNS
“Excessive defense spending prevents us from investing in the people we serve,” Williams said. “It detracts resources from affordable housing, making childcare more accessible, bringing healthcare to everyone, and building the infrastructure of tomorrow.”
Four Georgia Republicans opposed the measure: U.S. Reps. Jody Hice, Andrew Clyde, Marjorie Taylor Greene and Barry Loudermilk.
Clyde said he was disappointed the package included language that boosted green energy initiatives and allowed the Washington mayor to call up the National Guard.
Greene’s office directed us to Twitter posts that included misleading or inaccurate descriptions of the measure.
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TODAY IN WASHINGTON:
- The House will vote on two abortion bills that have little chance in the Senate: one would create federal protections for abortion and another guarantees the right to travel for abortions.
- President Joe Biden’s trip continues in Israel, and later today he will head to Saudi’s Arabia.
- The Senate is out.
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ANOTHER ROUND. Earmarks are back again as Congress works through the appropriations process, and we have a round up of what members of Georgia’s delegation have requested.
As was the case last year, only two of the state’s eight Republicans in the House are participating in the process. Reps. Barry Loudermilk and Buddy Carter each submitted requests for projects in their districts, just as the state’s six Democrats in the House and two U.S. senators did.
The projects run the gamut. There are road and water funding requests, health care clinics, parks and lots of funding for higher education among the delegation’s requests.
Read more here and also find links to the entire lists submitted by Georgia lawmakers.
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WARNOCK REBUKE. U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock sent a letter this morning to Senate Leader Chuck Schumer and Republican Leader Mitch McConnell blasting the partisan bickering over China competition legislation.
“This historic bipartisan legislation is too vital to be used to score political points, and employing tactics to derail this critical and overwhelmingly bipartisan bill is shameful,” Warnock writes. “Americans need leadership, not political gamesmanship.”
Warnock’s letter does not go into specifics about who he blames for the slowdown in negotiations. But recently comments by McConnell, a Republican from Kentucky, have led to serious doubts about the future of this legislation.
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TNS
TNS
STATUE STALLED. We told you this week about the state of Florida’s new statue in the U.S. Capitol, which would replace a Confederate general with one that honors educator and civil rights activist Mary McLeod Bethune.
That made us wonder about the fate of the effort to swap Georgia’s statue of Alexander Hamilton Stephens – who served as vice president of the Confederacy – with a statue of the late civil rights hero John Lewis.
A measure authorizing the Lewis statue cleared a state House committee last year but didn’t reach a final vote in 2022. That means the process must be restarted next year.
We reported at the time that the Lewis pick may not have been “unifying” enough for some GOP lawmakers.
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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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