No. 96.
That's where Republican David Perdue will begin his U.S. Senate seniority climb. The Washington Post's Reid Wilson has the list of where the freshmen rank, which means everything from when Perdue can claim office space (his team is working out of a cramped basement for now) to when he can challenge for chairmanships in the coming years.
Previous service in the U.S. House, or as governor, cabinet secretary or vice president counts towards one's seniority. The tie-breaker is the size of your state by population -- which means political newbie Perdue will ride Georgia's eighth-highest population ahead of new senators from North Carolina, Iowa, Nebraska and Alaska.
The full list:
-- 91st: Sen.-elect Cory Gardner (R-Colo.), 4 years House service, Colorado 22nd in population. 92nd: Sen.-elect James Lankford (R-Okla.), 4 years House service, Oklahoma is 28th in population. 93rd: Sen.-elect Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), 2 years House service, Arkansas is 32nd in population. 94th: Sen.-elect Steve Daines (R-Mont.), 2 years in the House, Montana is 44th in population.
-- 95th: Sen.-elect Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), former governor. 96th: Sen.-elect David Perdue (R-Ga.), Georgia is the 8th-most populous state. 97th: Sen.-elect Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), North Carolina is 10th-most populous. 98th: Sen.-elect Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), from the 30th most populous state. 99th: Sen.-elect Ben Sasse (R-Neb.), who hails from the 37th-most populous state. 100th: Sen.-elect Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), whose state is the 47th largest by population.
In case you're wondering, Georgia's senior senator, Johnny Isakson, will be No. 33.
***
Perdue is leaving his position on the board of Alliant Energy, part of his required disentangling of business interests before taking office, the Wisconsin State Journal reports.
You may recall Perdue's Alliant post as the source of attacks that Perdue benefited from the stimulus. Makes you misty-eyed missing the campaign, don't it?
***
For more number-crunching on race and voter turnout, Jon Richards has an informative post over at Peach Pundit. A couple of charts he put together are particularly illuminating.
First, here's the voter turnout over the past three cycles:
Year Asians Blacks Hispanics Other Unknown White
2014 0.8% 28.7% 1.0% 0.7% 5.2% 63.5%
2012 1.0% 29.9% 1.3% 0.9% 5.5% 61.4%
2010 0.6% 28.3% 0.7% 0.7% 3.4% 66.3%
And here's the proportion of registered voters:
Year Asians Blacks Hispanics Other Unknown White
2014 1.4% 30.1% 1.8% 1.0% 7.7% 58.0%
2012 1.4% 30.0% 1.7% 1.1% 6.7% 59.2%
2010 1.3% 29.2% 1.5% 1.0% 5.2% 61.8%
So the demographic tide continues to move -- particularly in the likely minority-heavy "unknown" category -- but minority voters just don't turn out as well in midterms.
***
For the last few years, Chris Wigginton has been among a handful of Georgia State Patrol officers on Gov. Nathan Deal's security detail. At a Wednesday event honoring law enforcement heroes, he made a public debut in his new role.
Wigginton, a military veteran and long-time law enforcement officer, was approved last week as the director of the Georgia Public Safety Training Center. He replaces Tim Bearden, a former GOP lawmaker who told us he stepped down to take a private sector gig.
It's the latest domino in a significant staff shakeup following Deal's November victory, with the governor appointing new staff, including many loyalists, to at least 17 key positions since the election.
***
Don't expect Gov. Nathan Deal to jet off on a trade mission to Cuba.
He greeted the news that the U.S. would strengthen diplomatic ties with the Communist nation with apprehension.
"That's been an issue of controversy for a very long time," he said. "The Cuban-American population has been adamant about not doing anything to make life easier for the Communist regime."
***
Democratic strategist Tharon Johnson still hasn't decided yet if he's going to run to lead the state party. But he said Democrats took careful note of one Republican's maneuvering this month.
"Casey Cagle to me set the debate for the next four years on the gubernatorial side for Republicans," Johnson said. "I don't think it was a mistake for him to use the word transit."
He's referring to Cagle's plea to Republicans last week that "we cannot avoid the issue of transit." The embrace was seen by many Democrats as an olive branch ahead of negotiations over a push for new transportation revenue.
"That was a key signal to Democrats and independents," said Johnson.
***
Jack Kingston for governor in 2018? One Facebook group is already making that appeal.
It calls him the "Republican Statesman" of the field, which could include Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle, Secretary of State Brian Kemp, Attorney General Sam Olens and U.S. Reps. Lynn Westmoreland and Austin Scott.
Among the page's early "likes" is Col. Oscar Poole, the BBQ titan who had a late conversion to Gov. Nathan Deal's camp this year.
***
There's a reason Gov. Nathan Deal might be a bit squeamish about the news that Mercedes Benz is scouting Georgia for its new U.S. headquarters.
The car maker's current HQ is in New Jersey, home of Gov. Chris Christie, the Republican Governors Association chieftain and possible presidential aspirant who stumped several times for Deal on the campaign trail.
***
Rep. Tom Price, R-Roswell, is moving key staff to the House Budget Committee as he prepares to take over its chairmanship. From a press release:
Ryan Murphy will join the Committee as Communications Director. Murphy currently serves as Communications Director in Price's Washington office. Kelle Long, who currently serves as Director of Social Media in Price's Washington office, will join the Committee as Digital and Social Media Coordinator.
Kyle McGowan, who serves as Price's District Director, has been named Deputy Chief of Staff. Kyle Zebley, currently the Senior Policy Advisor in Price's Washington office, has been named Legislative Director.
About the Author
