Special session is a swan song for many Georgia politicos
The special legislative session that starts Tuesday will serve as a goodbye to many of the state's most prominent state politicians.
Gov. Nathan Deal called lawmakers back to Atlanta to provide more funding for Hurricane Michael victims and potentially approve a jet-fuel tax break, but it will also be a swan's song for the Republican and dozens of legislators who didn't stand for re-election or were ousted in last week's vote.
When lawmakers last gathered under the Gold Dome, way back in March, it may as well have been a different political era.
Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle was an unstoppable political force, fresh off winning favor from the gun lobby for blocking a tax break for Delta Air Lines. Brian Kemp was one of four other Republicans running for governor who were struggling to gain traction – and deprive Cagle of a feared outright victory.
Stacey Abrams was still locked in a fight with her former House colleague, Stacey Evans, for the party's nomination. Republicans still ruled the roost in the metro Atlanta suburbs.
And Deal was trying to manage fall-out from the legislative flirtation with a controversial adoption bill that unnerved the business boosters trying to attract Amazon's second headquarters.
Now, Kemp is clinging to a narrow lead in the race for governor after battering Cagle with the help of a secretly-recorded tape and a timely Donald Trump endorsement. Abrams is a hero to progressives around the nation for her closely-fought race.
Democrats flipped about a dozen seats in Atlanta's suburbs, ousting many of the remaining Republican moderates in the Legislature.
And Amazon? The Seattle-based giant recently decided to split its vaunted H2Q into two smaller projects – and neither is headed to Atlanta.
The next week or so will give a sweep of soon-to-be-former lawmakers an unexpected chance to say goodbye. Among them:
- State Sen. Josh McKoon, the Columbus Republican and "religious liberty" proponent who rankled lawmakers from both sides of the aisle with his push for ethics overhauls and outspoken conservative stances. He lost a bid for secretary of state.
- State Sen. Fran Millar, a Dunwoody Republican with a moderate/maverick streak and a knack for telling it like it is. He was defeated by Democrat Sally Harrell.
- Senate Pro Tem David Shafer, who came within a hair of winning the Republican race for lieutenant governor outright – then lost the runoff to Geoff Duncan. Shafer's open seat was won by Democrat Zahra Karinshak.
- State Rep. Deborah Gonzalez, an Athens Democrat who was one of her party's success stories in 2017 after she won an upset victory to represent an Athens-based seat long held by Republicans. The Republican she defeated last year, Houston Gaines, narrowly won last week.
- State Sen. Curt Thompson, a Tucker Democrat whose primary defeat to Sheikh Rahman was seen as a signal of progressive energy from the party's left flank.
- State Rep. Wendell Willard, long the no-nonsense Republican chair of the House Judiciary Committee and a mentor to dozens of younger lawmakers from both parties. He's retiring, and his open Sandy Springs-based seat flipped to Democrat Josh McLaurin.
- State Rep. Buzz Brockway, a Lawrenceville Republican and policy wonk known for his sharp wit and knack for bipartisan compromise. His open seat was flipped by Democrat Gregg Kennard.
- State Rep. Meagan Hanson, a moderate Republican who represented an uber-competitive Brookhaven seat that's see-sawed from one party to another over the past three years. She was defeated by Democrat Matthew Wilson, who earned Barack Obama's endorsement.
About the Author
Greg Bluestein is the Atlanta Journal Constitution's chief political reporter. He is also an author, TV analyst and co-host of the Politically Georgia podcast.
