House Speaker David Ralston will once more face competition in May to retain his solidly-conservative north Georgia seat.
Margaret Williamson said in a statement to the hyperlocal site Fetch Your News that she would square off against the Blue Ridge Republican in the GOP primary.
“I have actively participated in legislative issues, in support of or in opposition to, learning all the way,” she said. “Now I intend to use this experience and acquired knowledge to enter into the process as a candidate.”
Williamson said she has filed her notice of candidacy, but it is not yet online at the website of the agency formerly known as the State Ethics Commission.
Williamson was part of a 2014 tea party effort to oust Ralston by backing local wrestling coach Sam Snider. Snider lost that effort, and a second one in 2016. Williamson's husband, John Williamson, unsuccessfully challenged state Sen. Steve Gooch, R-Dahlonega, in 2016. Margaret Williamson chaired her husband's campaign.
That would imply that Williamson intends to run to Ralston’s right -- perhaps taking issue with “religious liberty” liberty legislation that the House speaker has opposed.
Ralston may not have the overt support of state GOP leaders in the May 22 contest, but he will have their very loud silence.
"The party can't and won't be involved in primaries, but I don't have to think challenges like this are a good idea,” said Georgia GOP chair John Watson. “Speaker Ralston has helped keep Georgia a GOP stronghold and time and again advanced our conservative priorities. Were this football, I wouldn't recommend challenging Kirby Smart either."
***
The Republican gubernatorial campaign of Casey Cagle on Wednesday issued a press release in which the lieutenant governor said "any Medicaid waiver should include a work requirement."
“I have long believed that work requirements for benefits build good faith with the taxpayers who fund these programs,” Cagle said.
One can argue whether work requirements are actually effective. The point is that a GOP candidate for governor has endorsed, at least in principle, an expansion of Medicaid coverage in Georgia
***
Apple has announced it would hire 20,000 more people in the next five years - and create another campus. The tech giant's plans could trigger a smaller-scale version of the Amazon sweepstakes now underway. The Seattle-based firm's hunt for a second headquarters is the talk of the economic development community -- and Atlanta is said to be a main contender. (GB)
***
U.S. Rep. Karen Handel, R-Roswell, on Wednesday appeared at a closed-door meeting in Washington, apparently organized by the National Republican Congressional Committee, to talk about running a campaign in an anti-Donald Trump atmosphere. From Politico.com:
Leaders believe that Handel's success shows that Republicans can win — even as Trump's approval ratings remain underwater. Her campaign proved to Republicans that they can tie Democratic candidates to unpopular party leaders, even in districts where Hillary Clinton ran roughly even or ahead of Trump in 2016. Handel, for instance, frequently suggested Ossoff would be a "puppet" of Pelosi and her "San Francisco values."
The word we're getting through Democratic contacts is that, while Handel may be using his name to spark fundraising, Jon Ossoff is unlikely to seek a rematch when qualifying rolls around in March. But two other, announced Democrats are already boasting of some fundraising success:
Bobby Kaple, a former Atlanta TV anchor, said he's raised about $255,000 since he entered the race in mid-October through the end of the year. He did not yet report how much cash he has on hand.
And another political newcomer, businessman Kevin Abel, raised $200,000 since he jumped in the contest in late October. He also contributed about $50,000 of his own cash to the campaign. His cash on hand was also not immediately available.
***
What's got Republican strategists on edge? Pieces like this from the Associated Press:
A small-town medical examiner has given Democrats across the country another shot of hope heading into the fall election by upsetting a Republican legislator in a conservative Wisconsin state Senate district.
Patty Schachtner's victory Tuesday over state Rep. Adam Jarchow marks the 34th legislative seat that has flipped from Republican to Democrat nationwide since President Donald Trump took office last year, according to the national Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, signaling backlash against Trump could fuel a Democratic wave in November.
Republican Gov. Scott Walker, who is running for a third term in November, sounded a warning bell, firing a flurry of tweets late Tuesday urging Republicans to "wake up."
He told reporters Wednesday morning in Milwaukee that dissatisfaction with national politics influenced Schachtner's win. He stopped just short of blaming Trump or GOP congressional members.
***
As Jamie Dupree of WSB Radio notes, we'll have a better gauge of President Donald Trump's impact on 2018 pretty quickly. The president today is in west Pennsylvania, stumping for the Republican candidate Rick Saccone, who is trying to win a March 13 special election for Congress. The district went for Trump by 17 points in 2016.
***
The staff of U.S. Sen. David Perdue is taking issue with an Insider column posted on Sunday, after Perdue's appearance on morning news shows. The column attempted to explain why, for the sake of preserving his legislation, the senator might have turned a blind ear to President Donald Trump's opinions on accepting immigrants from Africa and Haiti.
One line in the column said that, under Perdue’s plan for merit-based immigration, “entry would be granted to those who, according to some government standard, fit a particular national need.”
From Perdue’s office:
"People [would] be admitted purely based on a point system, which would be enacted by the government but not tailored to a specific group of people, industry, or need."
The column also stated that, because Trump’s alleged remarks went to policy -- an expression of immigration by race forbidden by federal mandate -- “acknowledging Trump’s remarks, even with an accompanying condemnation, could call into question the underlying purpose of Perdue’s own bill.”
From Perdue’s office:
"The RAISE Act would remove barriers for people wanting to immigrate to our country so individuals are welcomed based on their own merit, regardless of the country where they are from.
"In current federal immigration law no country can receive more than 7 percent of the green cards given out per year. Countries that are disadvantaged by this cap are China, India, Mexico, the Philippines and Vietnam."
***
A calendar item: The annual January march in support of the repeal of state laws permitting abortion, sponsored by Georgia Right to Life, will begin at 11 a.m. Friday with a prayer service at Liberty Plaza, located on Capitol Avenue across the street from the State Capitol.
