Jan Jones, the No. 2 Republican in the Georgia House, is in such a safe district that no Democrat ran against her in the 2022 midterm. When she last faced a general election opponent in 2020, she won by 32 points.
But Democrats are banking on an epic political shift in the north Atlanta suburbs where Jones has long dominated. A federal lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of GOP-drawn legislative district maps wrapped up last week, and a judge’s ruling could reshape several boundaries, including those of the territory Jones holds.
In anticipation of the district becoming more competitive, a challenger has launched a campaign against Jones. Debra Shigley, an employment attorney and former journalist, announced her bid Monday and paints Jones as out of touch.
Credit: Courtesy photo
Credit: Courtesy photo
She said she entered the race to oppose Republican-led efforts to expand school vouchers, restrict abortions and roll back gun limits.
“I want to make it more affordable to raise a family in our district. As the daughter of two public school educators, I want our kids to go to the best schools in the nation,” said Shigley. “I am running because I don’t hear our district’s voice represented at the Capitol. I’m ready to change that.”
Shigley faces a tall order flipping the district, which spans parts of Roswell, Milton and Alpharetta. Jones, who calls Milton home, was the first-ever female speaker of the House and remains one of the most powerful lawmakers under the Gold Dome.
She has played a role in the passage of almost every significant piece of legislation over the past decade. She has particularly focused on workforce training and education measures popular with conservatives.
But an overhaul of the political lines could boost Shigley, who is expected to lean on her community ties. She is active in the local PTA and Planned Parenthood Southeast. Her campaign said she’s the first Black Jewish woman to seek legislative office in state history.
Shigley enters with support from key Democratic leaders in a race that starts with a primary against Anthia Carter, who lost to Jones in 2020. Among Shigley’s backers are state Rep. Esther Panitch, a Sandy Springs resident and the only Jewish member of the General Assembly, and DeKalb District Attorney Sherry Boston.
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Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
LISTEN UP: Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens sat down with us for a special episode of the Politically Georgia podcast on Friday.
Topics included the continued controversy over the proposed Atlanta Public Safety Training Center and the petition to call for a referendum that would put the training center on the voter ballot. He also discussed recent RICO charges for more than 60 people protesting the center and why some of his fellow Democrats are raising questions about it all.
Listen and subscribe to our podcast for free at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or Google Podcasts.
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SENATE RETREAT. Tensions were high as Senate Republicans met behind closed doors at Sea Island for a two-day GOP caucus retreat last week. As we’ve noted, the Fulton County indictments have roiled the chamber, turning colleagues into outright enemies.
Chief among the antagonists is state Sen. Colton Moore, a Trenton resident who has led the charge for a politically impossible and probably illegal call to punish Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis.
In a wrap-up letter, the caucus noted that 32 of its 33 members “understand that it is impossible” to call a special legislative session to impeach Willis. But senators said they would take other steps to “defend Georgians against the weaponization and politicization” of the justice system.
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
Two working groups were assigned to “help the wrongly accused clear their names” and scrutinize “wasted law enforcement resources” in Willis’ office. Willis has said the office has ample resources to devote to other cases, and that she followed the law by bringing the charges.
According to Sen. Shelly Echols, R-Alto, the caucus discussed filing amicus briefs regarding charges against some of the co-conspirators. Amicus briefs are legal filings from individuals or organizations not party to a case that offer information, expertise or insight into an issue.
Echols told WDUN radio show host Martha Zoller in an interview last Thursday that some of those under indictment “were just exercising their constitutional right” by attending the December 2020 meeting where 16 Republicans signed an election certificate falsely declaring Donald Trump won the Georgia election. Three of those alternate electors — state Sen. Shawn Still, former state GOP chair David Shafer and Cathleen Latham — are awaiting trial in the election interference case.
Still and Echols are legislative office suite mates at the Georgia Capitol.
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Credit: Natrice Miller/AJC
Credit: Natrice Miller/AJC
PUSHING BACK. U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock on Friday sent a letter to Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens asking pointed questions regarding the city’s handling of petitions for a referendum on the proposed public safety training center.
The AJC’s Riley Bunch reports that the Democratic senator outlined concerns such as the city’s decision to use signature-matching as part of the petition verification process. He wants answers by Sept. 25.
Separately, Stacey Abrams told Bunch she backs putting the issue on the ballot for voters to decide. In a Politically Georgia podcast interview that posted Friday, Dickens told the AJC that he consulted with both Abrams and Warnock when he devised his approach to the petitions.
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Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC
Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC
ABRAMS CASH. Weighing in on the proposed Atlanta Public Safety Training Center isn’t the only way Stacey Abrams is tiptoeing back into the Georgia political scene.
Abrams, a Democrat, has sent several recent fundraising appeals for One Georgia, the leadership committee that helped finance her failed 2022 bid for governor.
The committee, which can tap unlimited campaign contributions, collected more than $59 million for Abrams’ campaign during the 2022 midterm race. She sent an email Friday thanking supporters — then adding a twist.
“But our journey isn’t over. One Georgia needs your continued support to navigate these turbulent times,” read the note. “With you by our side, we can ensure every voice resonates, and our democracy thrives.”
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Credit: Nathan Posner for The AJC
Credit: Nathan Posner for The AJC
DIVIDED DELEGATION. A group of U.S. House Republicans released a proposal late Sunday that would provide temporary funding to the government after Sept. 30 and forestall a shutdown while a long-term spending plan is ironed out.
This bill cuts spending to non-defense agencies and includes border security language backed by conservatives. The measure is a compromise effort meant to appease both hardline Republicans and more moderate GOP members.
But several Republicans are already saying they won’t support it, making the stopgap bill unlikely to pass the House.
With a shutdown increasingly likely, members of the Georgia delegation have offered contrasting viewpoints on the possibility of shuttering the government.
Credit: Nathan Posner for The AJC
Credit: Nathan Posner for The AJC
U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter is no GOP hardliner. But the Pooler Republican says a shutdown might be necessary to send a strong message about what many conservatives believe is too much government spending.
But U.S. Reps. Rick Allen of Augusta and Barry Loudermilk of Cassville said a shutdown should be avoided at all costs.
Meanwhile, U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Rome, describes a shutdown as counterproductive even while she threatens to support one if she doesn’t get her way on demands to slash U.S. military aid for Ukraine.
U.S. Rep. Andrew Clyde, R-Athens, said he would support exactly the type of stopgap funding legislation that Republicans proposed Sunday night. But he has indicated anything short of that would be unacceptable.
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TODAY IN WASHINGTON:
- President Joe Biden is in New York City where he will attend United Nations General Assembly meetings later in the week. He is headlining two campaign fundraisers tonight.
- The U.S. Senate and House return for votes this evening. Appropriations bills to fund the government beyond Sept. 30 are the main topics of discussion.
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NEW MONEY. Georgia Democrats will get a financial boost later this month with a Washington, D.C. fundraiser hosted by Clayton Cox, vice president of federal government relations for McGuire Woods, a political consulting and lobbying firm.
Cox is a past national finance director for the Democratic National Committee. He most recently worked on Atlanta’s almost-got-it bid to land the DNC’s 2024 convention.
The D.C. fundraiser will go toward the Democratic Party of Georgia’s federal account. And since they’ll be the beneficiaries of any state party spending for federal races, all seven members of the Democratic congressional delegation are expected to attend.
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CAPITOL ROOTS. Former U.S. Rep. Lindsay Thomas served in Congress from 1983 to 1993, but he’s still finding ways to make Capitol Hill more productive.
Specifically, he has made a hobby of gathering acorns from the oak trees surrounding the Capitol and transplanting them in Georgia. The Washington Post recently featured a lengthy profile on Thomas’ acorn expertise, with specific attention to the Georgia pronunciation of the word “akern,” and the crucial tidbit that he distributes them to worthy friends back home.
The entire piece is well worth a read.
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Credit: Courtesy photo
Credit: Courtesy photo
DOG OF THE DAY. We have some breaking news for you, Jolt Nation. In a Dog of the Day first, one of the adorable, adoptable dogs we highlighted has now been adopted by two Jolt readers.
The lucky dog is Ariel, the 10-month-old frisky fox terrier-Labrador mix featured here two weeks ago. Ariel lived in a Cobb County shelter for more than two months before becoming AJC reporter Maya T. Prabhu’s latest foster pup.
After reading about Ariel, Judge Robert Rodatus and Nancy DuPree, along with their dog Bandit, met up with Maya over the weekend and adopted Ariel.
That means our Dogs of the Day today have to be our Jolt readers, specifically the Rodatus family, for giving Ariel a forever home.
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.
