There were some chuckles in the crowd when Gov. Brian Kemp staked a second-term goal in his inaugural speech Thursday of making Georgia the “electric mobility capital of America” — and then immediately said the state would be “keeping our foot on the gas” to meet the goal.
But the Republican governor’s ambition to grow the green energy industry in Georgia is serious business. And Kemp could take more steps soon to lure electric vehicle companies in the future, including new tax breaks for the industry, promises to bolster infrastructure and workforce training initiatives.
So far, the electric mobility industry, meaning electric transportation from e-bikes to cars and rail and everything in between, accounts for 35 new manufacturing projects across Georgia valued at $23 billion. Together, they promise to create at least 28,000 new jobs, Kemp said at his inauguration, and spin off more supplier-related jobs every day.
Those workers will need training for their jobs, places to live, schools for their kids, roads to drive and parks to relax — all projects that require help from lawmakers and local leaders.
The industry is set to grow further in Georgia during Kemp’s second term, with a string of newly announced projects that a few years ago would have ranked among the largest in state history. They include headline-grabbing projects from Freyr Battery, Archer Aviation and, most recently, a $2.5 billion Qcells expansion in Dalton and Cartersville.
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Natrice Miller/AJC
Natrice Miller/AJC
LISTEN UP. We’re talking about all of the highlights from the inauguration on the Friday episode of the Politically Georgia podcast, now in your podcast feeds. We’re also taking a deep dive into why in the world Kemp is traveling to the Swiss Alps next week, and answering your questions from the Politically Georgia mailbag.
Listen and subscribe for free at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, or Stitcher.
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DONE AND DONE. It might have been the iconic moment of the inaugural ceremonies at the Georgia State Convocation Center, as Gov. Brian Kemp administered the oath of office to Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and shook hands afterward.
Kemp and Raffensperger, both Republicans, have been two of former President Donald Trump’s most reviled political enemies for the last two years. Despite Trump’s fury at them, or maybe because of it, they both began their second terms in office Thursday.
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KEMP’S NEW GEORGIA PROJECT. One theme of the day that was impossible to miss was the governor’s emphasis on including diverse Georgians during his inaugural program, despite his party’s predominantly white make up.
Kemp asked Justice Carla Wong McMillian of the Supreme Court of Georgia to administer his oath of office. When Kemp appointed McMillian to the bench in April of 2020, she became the first Asian Pacific American to serve on any state high court in the South.
AJC
AJC
Also center stage Thursday was John King, the Mexican-born former Doraville police chief whom Kemp appointed to be the state insurance commissioner in 2019. King won election to a full four-year term last year and became the first Latino ever elected statewide in Georgia.
Kemp included that detail as he administered the oath of office to King, who then received a standing ovation and the loudest applause of the day.
A close second was Timothy Miller, the Morehouse College tenor and voice professor who sang “God Bless America,” as he famously does during Braves’ games, and also brought the inaugural crowd to its feet.
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Casey Sykes for the AJC
Casey Sykes for the AJC
UNDER THE GOLD DOME, Legislative Day 4:
- 10:00 a.m.: The House gavels in;
- 10:00 a.m.: The Senate convenes.
Watch House & Senate floor action live here.
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Natrice Miller/AJC
Natrice Miller/AJC
NEW GAVELS. Republican Lt. Gov. Burt Jones announced Thursday the senators who will chair committees this session.
Naming committee leaders is one of Jones’ key powers as the president of the state Senate.
Our colleague Maya Prabhu has the list of new chairs, including Jones’ allies appointed to two top committee. She also notes the distance Jones has traveled since he was stripped of his own committee chairmanship just two years ago by then-Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan.
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NEW PAGES. If you’re at the state Capitol this session, you may notice more young faces as the House page program returns for the first time since it was suspended during the COVID pandemic.
WABE’s Rahul Bali reports that House Majority Leader Chuck Efstration (R-Dacula) announced the return of the pages this week as the House passed its new rules.
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NEW CITY? A new internal poll for Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens has good news for the mayor, who is now one year into his job.
The poll, conducted by 20-20 Insight, found that Dickens has a high job approval rating so far, with 69% of city of Atlanta voters rating him “excellent or good.” Another 17% say he’s done a “fair” job, with 7% saying he’s done a poor job so far.
Steve Schaefer / AJC
Steve Schaefer / AJC
The most important number for our purposes, as the General Assembly gets underway, is the portion of the poll narrowed down to voters who live in the area of the proposed Buckhead City. On the question of cityhood, 61% opposed creating a Buckhead City, while 34% would vote to create a new city.
As we always remind you, take all internal polling with a grain of salt. The Dickens poll has a 3.7% margin of error, with a 4.8% margin of error for the Buckhead portion, because of the smaller sample size.
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AJC
AJC
FERGUSON PROBE. The Georgia secretary of state’s office has opened an investigation into whether U.S. Rep. Drew Ferguson (R-The Rock) voted illegally during last year’s midterm elections.
That probe was launched the day after The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that Ferguson voted in-person in Troup County during last year’s primary, general and runoff elections, despite having moved to a different home in Pike County, roughly 63 miles away.
It is illegal in Georgia for voters to cast a ballot in a county where they don’t have a residence.
Ferguson’s spokesman has repeatedly blamed the votes he cast in Troup County on an “administrative error” without explaining what would have caused the congressman to vote in a county where he no longer lives.
Ferguson also did not update his voter registration to reflect his new address in The Rock until late 2022.
The secretary of state’s office would not provide details about a complaint it received about the matter, but said it investigates anytime someone files the proper paperwork. The findings will be presented to the State Election Board, which has the power to levy fines of up to $5,000 per violation of election laws.
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Chip Somodevilla via The New York Times
Chip Somodevilla via The New York Times
THE CLEAN UP. U.S. Rep. Hank Johnson caught some heat Thursday for remarks he made to a reporter questioning the timing of news that President Joe Biden may have improperly retained classified documents following his time as vice president.
Johnson, a Lithonia Democrat, told Fox News’ Chad Pergram that he was “suspicious of the timing of it.” That led to widespread criticism that the congressman was spreading unfounded conspiracy theories about the documents.
Later in the afternoon, Johnson issued a new statement that pivoted away from questioning the source of the news that the documents were still in Biden’s possession.
Instead, Johnson applauded Attorney General Merrick Garland’s decision Thursday to appoint a special counsel to investigate the matter. But Johnson also drew a contrast between Biden’s situation and that of former President Donald Trump.
“The Trump document case is an open and shut case and should proceed without delay to a final and just resolution,” Johnson said. “There remains much we don’t know about the Biden document discoveries, and it’s too early to reach any conclusions. I am confident, however, that the process has begun to ensure that we get to the truth, and that justice will be done.”
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TODAY IN WASHINGTON:
- The U.S. House and Senate are out of session for the week.
- President Joe Biden is meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida at the White House.
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KING HOLIDAY. President Joe Biden will travel to Atlanta on Sunday to speak at Ebenezer Baptist Church’s Sunday services in the same pulpit where the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and his father ministered and where Biden ally, U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock, now serves as senior pastor.
Biden is coming to mark Martin Luther King Jr. Day, although a separate service will happen Monday, too.
Since Monday marks 40 years since it became a national holiday, U.S. Rep. Sanford Bishop led a group to pass a Congressional resolution recognizing that anniversary. The measure has more than 75 cosponsors.
“January 15th would have been his 94th birthday, and this year is the 40th anniversary of the law that established the MLK Holiday,” Sanford, an Albany Democrat, said in a news release. “Let us recommit ourselves to his life’s work to bring people together to build one ‘Beloved Community’ at peace with itself.”
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SCHEDULING NOTE. And speaking of the MLK holiday, The Jolt won’t publish Monday, but will be back with you on Tuesday for all of the political news for state budget week.
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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.
