Georgia’s Ralph Reed has never left the political mix after he burst onto the national scene as the leader of the Christian Coalition in the 1990s. But he’ll take center stage this weekend as his Duluth-based Faith & Freedom Coalition hosts the largest gathering of 2024 GOP presidential hopefuls so far this year, including former President Donald Trump.
The group’s annual convention, which starts today in Washington and runs through Saturday night, will also hear pitches from Trump’s top rivals, including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former Vice President Mike Pence, businessman Vivek Ramaswamy, and others. They’ll all be making their case to capture the crucial Christian conservative voters that Reed has long been key to.
The event coincides with the one-year anniversary of their biggest victory to date — the decision of the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade, which Reed told the Associated Press is a “serendipitous coincidence.”
But more than that, Reed said he wants the event to get presidential hopefuls laser-focused on what they can do for evangelical voters in the future — not taking a victory lap for what’s already happened.
“But we’re certainly going to do everything that we can, as an organization and as a pro-life and pro-family movement, to give our candidates a little bit of a testosterone booster shot and explain to them that they should not be on the defensive,” Reed said in the AP interview. “Those who are afraid of it need to, candidly, grow a backbone.”
Reed and his group of two million members are seen as kingmakers for the GOP nomination, so look for the non-Trump speakers to make the case that they are the most reliable to push social issues even further to the right as president, including abortion restrictions.
But they’ll have to get religious conservatives to leave Trump’s side first. A series of 2024 polls have shown a majority of conservative voters staying loyal to the former president, even as he faces multiple criminal indictments from New York to Florida. A primary reason for their support: Trump’s appointment of the same conservative Supreme Court justices who overturned Roe v. Wade.
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Credit: Jason Getz/AJC
Credit: Jason Getz/AJC
LISTEN UP. Our Friday edition of the Politically Georgia podcast is looking at politics closer to home, including new battle over Georgia’s Dominion voting machines. AJC Editor-at-Large Kevin Riley and metro columnist Bill Torpy join the pod to discuss that, a new hope for opponents of Atlanta’s public safety train center, and their Who’s Up and Who’s Down for the week.
Listen at at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, or Stitcher.
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POST-DOBBS INACTION. When the Supreme Court ruling leaked indicating that Roe v. Wade would be overturned, Democrats tried to pass federal legislation protecting abortion access. They kept trying after the decision became official and in the months leading up to the midterms, but to no avail.
Divided government is the reason. Senate Republicans used the filibuster to block Democrats’ attempts to pass a law reinstating federal protections for the procedure, and such a measure could not pass today in the House where Republicans are now in the majority.
On the other side of the aisle, conservatives found Democrats’ control of the Senate and White House an impediment to passing a federal abortion ban.
But one interesting thing that has happened in the year since the Dobbs decision is that Republicans’ priorities have also shifted.
The discussion on a nationwide abortion prohibition hasn’t disappeared, but there is disagreement among fellow Republicans over whether it’s necessary or politically astute to push forward.
Read more here on where Congress stands one year since the reversal of Roe v. Wade.
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Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC
Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC
CARR CHARGES. A decision to charge an attorney with the Southern Poverty Law Center with domestic terrorism after being arrested observing protests for the Public Safety Training Center was the subject of a serious disagreement between Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr and DeKalb County District Attorney Sherry Boston, the Intercept reports.
Georgia-based journalist George Chidi wrote in the Intercept:
Georgia Bureau of Investigation, or GBI, Director Michael Register, an appointee of Republican Gov. Brian Kemp, reported the exchange at a Georgia Board of Public Safety meeting in April. After confirming the state planned to pursue controversial racketeering charges against those arrested following a concert at the site on March 5, Register added that “Dekalb County wanted to drop the charges on the attorney from the Southern Poverty Law Center who was arrested from this incident, and the Attorney General said no.
Carr’s office declined to comment on the charging decision, while Boston’s office also declined to comment on an ongoing case. They did say this, though:
“While the Attorney General can prosecute these cases without input from the Office of the DeKalb County District Attorney, DA Boston and our team continue to advocate for charging decisions that align with the alleged actions of each individual defendant, as well as the mission and values of the DeKalb DA’s office.”
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MODI SHOUT OUT. India’s Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, touted his country’s growth and economic successes during his address to a joint session of Congress Thursday.
And in celebrating what he described is a joint interest between the U.S. and India in preserving strong democracies, he cited two of the most lionized leaders of the Civil Rights movement, who were also Georgians.
“Over two centuries, we have inspired each other through the lives of great Americans and Indians,” Modi said. “We pay tribute to Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr. We also remember many others who worked for liberty, equality and justice. Today, I also wish to pay a heartfelt tribute to one of them — Congressman John Lewis.”
Later in the evening, Martin Luther King III was among the invited guests to a state dinner in Modi’s honor at the White House. His father often cited Gandhi as an inspiration for his commitment to nonviolent protest to bring change.
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GUN BILL BLOCKED. U.S. Rep. Andrew Clyde’s legislation to prevent the federal government from regulating pistol braces died in the Senate on Thursday.
The Senate voted 49-50 against the measure with all Democrats opposed.
Fellow Georgian, U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock, issued a fiery statement after the vote.
“Politicians need to be less loyal to the deep pockets of their gun lobbyist friends, and more loyal to the will of the American people who want Congress to enact widely popular, common-sense gun safety reforms,” Warnock, a Democrat, wrote on social media.
In a lengthier statement, Warnock added, “The shooter who murdered precious children in a Nashville school just in March was only the most recent in a line of mass shooters who was armed with a pistol brace in carrying out their despicable crimes.”
Clyde’s pistol brace legislation was fast tracked as part of a deal between far-right lawmakers and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy to end a revolt that kept the chamber from taking votes for nearly a week.
In his own statement after the Senate vote, Clyde wrote in part, “We will not forget this shameful betrayal.”
Along with being a Republican member of Congress, Clyde owns two Georgia gun stores and a vast government contracting business selling guns and munitions, which also sell pistol braces.
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TODAY IN WASHINGTON:
- The U.S. Senate has begun a two-week recess surrounding the July Fourth holiday.
- The House has one last bill to consider this morning before beginning its holiday break.
- House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries will head an event with other Democrats to mark one year since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.
- President Joe Biden and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi meet with business executives, then in the evening Biden will attend a political event with abortion rights groups.
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SAD NEWS. We’re sending our deepest condolences to former Georgia Labor Commissioner Mark Butler, who announced on social media Thursday that his wife, Chantell, died after a battle with cancer.
“She loved taking care of her family and strangers alike,” he wrote.” Also, she had a very mischievous sense of humor that made us all laugh.” She was 49.
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Credit: Courtesy photo
Credit: Courtesy photo
DOG OF THE DAY. If you think all farm dogs are big, tractor-riding Labs or herders, it’s time to open your mind to Bigly Burgamy, a six-year-old Shih Tzu.
Bigly calls Farm Bureau Public Relations Director and loyal Jolt reader Kenny Burgamy his person. The Burgamys live in Macon, where Bigly actually spends less time riding on tractors and more time going on walks and barking at other dogs on television. We support your choices, Bigly, and you’re our 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 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.
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