Get ready for three open-seat House races in Atlanta
means yet another open Atlanta House seat.
Margaret Kaiser, a 10-year veteran of the statehouse, said she plans to step down when her terms ends next year
. The race to succeed her has already begun, with local attorney and Democratic booster David Dreyer
on Twitter.
And LaDawn Jones, who was locked with Mayor Kasim Reed
, announced just before the session's end that
so she could spend more time with her family.
That might not be all. State Rep. Mike Jacobs, R-Brookhaven, is in the hunt for a judgeship. And a few other seats could open by 2016.
The fight for Brooks' seat will come even sooner. A special election will soon be scheduled to fill the remainder of his term.
And Todd Rehm over at Georgia Pundit notes at least one candidate is already waiting in the wings: Brooks' son Tyrone Brooks Jr.
The fact that the younger Brooks registered to raise campaign funds on March 25 indicates that Tyrone Brooks Sr. had already made the decision by then to step down from the Legislature. No date has been announced yet for the special election.
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Our colleagues over at PolitiFact have the final word on last week's crazy Sine Die ending that ticked well past midnight.
Their verdict: The session ends when lawmakers say it ends, not when the clock strikes 12:00 a.m.
Most years, the chambers do end their work before the witching hour. Legal experts in the state and nationally agree, though, that no such clock watching is needed.
Lawmakers meet for 40 legislative days, which end only when the chambers adjourn.
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Pew Research Center is out with a politically important look at the changing face of Georgia. Five counties have become majority-minority since 2000 -- including four among the fastest-dropping white populations in the country.
From our AJC colleague Jeremy Redmon:
"This trend stems from a flat or declining number of whites in each of these four Georgia counties … combined with a large and growing black population and a smaller Hispanic population that is also increasing in number," the report says. ...
Encompassing Savannah, Chatham County saw a 4.2 percentage point drop in its white population during the same time frame.
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Hillary Rodham Clinton will make a low-key announcement of her candidacy for president on Masters Sunday, CNN reports:
Her first stop will likely be to the early caucus state of Iowa, according to the source.
Observers see the likely visit to Iowa as a show of humility by Clinton, who came in third in the 2008 caucuses and who, so far, has dominated the likely Democratic field for 2016.
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Speaking of the Masters: Here's a fun read from the premium edition on how Georgia leaders use the tournament to woo business prospects. Scott Trubey and Bluestein garnered this from Roy Barnes:
"The other governors in growth states would offer to take the economic development prospects hunting for deer, elk or something like that," said Barnes, a Democrat who was governor from 1999 to 2003. "I would tell them, 'Would you rather sit in the cold and wait for something coming along to shoot, or go to the Masters?' It was never close."
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For the Where Are They Now file: former state Sen. Cecil Staton has been named the interim president of Valdosta State University, reports the Valdosta Daily Times.
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Turns out that Jack Kingston's Roadmaster is worth its weight in silver.
The American Association of Political Consultants held their annual banquet the other day, and gave out Pollie Awards for the best of the ads.
Kingston's Senate camp garnered two of these Oscars of political adsmithing.
His campaign earned a gold for "Best Use of Radio" in a Senate campaign for his "Call Me Maybe" spot. You can listen right here.
And his Roadmaster campaign was awarded a silver medal for best television/radio campaign for a GOPer.
In case you've forgotten, here's a reminder:
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.
