It’s never too early to position yourself for the next election cycle, and there are plenty of signs that key Georgia Republicans could be setting the stage for future runs.
Let’s start with Gov. Brian Kemp, who is not just making waves for his pushback against former President Donald Trump and his allies in the state GOP. He’s also keeping one eye on Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff by drawing sharp battle lines over green energy incentives that could factor into a 2026 challenge. And a role on a national ticket is not off the table either.
The term-limited governor has no Republican heir apparent, though several of the biggest names in state politics are stepping up their efforts to position themselves for a potential run for governor in 2026.
Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC
Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC
Former U.S. Sen. Kelly Loeffler, a Kemp appointee to the U.S. Senate, drew the governor and nearly all of the state’s top GOP leaders last week to her Greater Georgia awards ceremony — along with plenty of rank-and-file legislators who won office with her support.
Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger has been working to raise his national profile even further, with appearances in recent weeks in Arizona, Chicago and Washington — the latter at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner over the weekend.
Credit: Natrice Miller/AJC
Credit: Natrice Miller/AJC
And then there’s Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, who is making moves that have alternately baffled and intrigued senior Republicans, as he has lined up early against the Kemp administration on key policies.
Kemp and Jones butted earlier this year over Jones’ push to deregulate hospitals with a proposal that could financially benefit his family. That was defeated after a sustained lobbying push from Kemp aides and Sonny Perdue, the head of the higher education system.
In a parting shot, Jones helped secure a $66 million budget cut to the state’s colleges and universities, triggering threats of tuition hikes. Now Jones is playing to conservatives by scrutinizing what colleges are spending on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. Jones’ latest move follows similar efforts in Virginia and a report by the conservative Heritage Foundation about DEI spending in higher education.
Why is Jones’ taking on a governor with some of the highest approval ratings in the country? We suspect he’s aligning himself with culture warriors in the mold of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, even if it means alienating Kemp and other GOP leaders.
Plenty of Democrats have their eye on the governor’s mansion, too. Stay tuned for those names soon.
***
Credit: Daniel Varnado for the AJC
Credit: Daniel Varnado for the AJC
COBB DA ON DA OVERSIGHT. The Marietta Daily Journal reports that Cobb County District Attorney Flynn Broady Jr. came out swinging last week against the recently passed bill to create a panel with state control of local district attorneys.
Flynn told the Grits & Issues breakfast that he will join legal efforts to overturn the law if Gov. Brian Kemp signs it. From the MDJ:
Broady said the Georgia legislature should understand that if Cobb voters wanted a Republican district attorney, they would have elected one. But they didn't.
“You want something different. You want us to focus on public safety and making our communities safer, and that's what we're going to do," he said.
Broady also said the medical exceptions in the state’s new abortion law should be broadly interpreted for women. But he also refused to rule out bringing prosecutions against doctors for performing an abortion.
“I can't say that, because suppose some hack goes out and commits an abortion and kills someone," he said. “Someone who wasn't authorized or trained or wasn't prepared to do an abortion the way it should be done if it was legal. No, if you're going to do that, I'm going to prosecute you, but if you're going to a hospital, if you're going to a reputable doctor and getting an abortion, no, I'm not, because those health issues that you are addressing by having an abortion…you are the one who should be making that decision. That's the kind of discernment I have as your district attorney."
***
PUNCH LINES. The White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner brought out journalists, members of Congress, and bold-faced names in Washington Saturday night to support journalism scholarships and First Amendment freedoms.
U.S. Rep. Nikema Williams (D-Atlanta), Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens, and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger were on hand for the black tie event. Even your Jolt team turned out for the cause.
https://twitter.com/bluestein/status/1652457847748194305
But Georgians may have made a bigger splash as the punch lines for some of the night’s lighthearted moments.
“I want everybody to have fun tonight, but please be safe,” said President Joe Biden. “If you find yourself disoriented or confused, you’re either drunk — or Marjorie Taylor Greene.”
Headliner Roy Wood, Jr. from “The Daily Show” included the Fulton County investigation into former President Donald Trump in his routine. “That one’s got some kick to it,” he said.
And U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock got a mention, too.
“The Democrats should be flattered that they thought y’all were smart enough to rig an election,” he said. “Warnock needed a runoff to beat a werewolf.”
It wasn’t just Republicans getting skewered. Biden joked about his own advanced age, while Wood took a swipe at the president even before he started. “Mr. President, I think you forgot some of your classified documents up here.”
***
Credit: Nathan Posner for the AJC
Credit: Nathan Posner for the AJC
BLACK FARMERS. U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock was featured on ABC’s “This Week with George Stephanopolous” Sunday for the federal program he helped create nearly two years ago to create a debt relief program for Black farmers.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has admitted that racism historically played a major role in Black farmers being turned down for government loans that were often approved for white farmers.
The Warnock bill passed as a part of the American Rescue Plan, but legal challenges immediately blunted its impact, with thousands of farmers saying they’re still waiting for help to arrive.
“I want to see USDA get the farmers the relief that we passed through legislation. It is taking entirely too long,” the Georgia senator told ABC. Another planting season has come and gone.”
***
Credit: Rebecca Breyer for the AJC
Credit: Rebecca Breyer for the AJC
MEDICAL MARIJUANA. Georgia’s first two medical marijuana dispensaries opened Friday after years of delays.
The AJC’s Mark Niesse reported that the stores in Marietta and Macon are operated by Trulieve Georgia, one of the state’s two licensed cannabis companies.
It’s the culmination of eight years of fits and starts since lawmakers voted to allow patients to use the drug, but failed to provide a way for them to legally purchase it.
Since then, dispensaries have been delayed by years of debates, lawsuits and disputes over licenses granted to Trulieve and Botanical Sciences, Niesse wrote. Botanical Sciences is expected to open its first location this month.
***
Credit: Screenshot
Credit: Screenshot
SCARY SITUATION. Former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms said a stray bullet hit a room in her home where her nephew was sleeping.
He was in the bed inches away,” she wrote on Twitter. “We are grateful that God protected him.”
Bottoms wrote that someone fired a gun in the air, possibly from miles away. In her post, she encouraged gun owners to act responsibly with the reminder, “What goes up must come down.”
***
TODAY IN WASHINGTON:
- President Joe Biden will kick off Small Business Week by holding an event at the White House featuring award winners from all 50 states, including Ken Taunton, president & CEO of The Royster Group and Georgia’s Small Business Person of the Year.
- The U.S. Senate has confirmation votes scheduled.
- The U.S. House is in recess this week.
***
Credit: AJC staff photo
Credit: AJC staff photo
SAD NEWS. The longtime mayor of Roswell, Pug Mabry, died on Friday at the age of 95. Mabry served as mayor for more than three decades, from 1966 to 1997.
And we’re sending our deepest condolences to friend of the Jolt and former Atlanta Journal Washington correspondent, Charlie Hayslett, whose wife Judy Calhoun Hayslett passed away last week after a brief illness.
***
Credit: Courtesy photo
Credit: Courtesy photo
DOG OF THE DAY. It’s time to meet Lulu Jones, the no-nonsense cat who is our Dog of the Day.
Lulu lives in Oconee County, where she calls Jolt subscribers Toni and Chris Jones her people. Toni is a retired teacher, while Chris is retired from his government affairs job with Verizon. But Lulu keeps them both on their toes, along with any local bulldogs that need a lesson in cat power. And we’re told she’s a frequent Politically Georgia listener, so she’s smart on top of it all.
Send us your pups of any political persuasion — and cats on a cat-by-cat basis, to patricia.murphy@ajc.com, or DM us on Twitter @MurphyAJC.
***
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.
About the Authors
