If you are a certain candidate on the November ballot, this is precisely the headline that you didn't want to see: "Feds probe GOP nominee for Georgia insurance commissioner."
From the piece by AJC colleagues Rhonda Cook and James Salzer:
A federal grand jury has subpoenaed state work records of Jim Beck, the former insurance lobbyist and state staffer who won the Republican nomination for Georgia insurance commissioner in May.
Beck is a former chief of staff to Insurance Commissioner Ralph Hudgens, but was disavowed by the incumbent in the primary. Again, from the AJC article:
A spokeswoman for the U.S. attorney based in Atlanta declined to comment on the investigation of Beck, who has been the subject of media reports over holding state and private-sector jobs at the same time.
These paragraphs also spark interest:
He listed owning more than a dozen pieces of property, valued at $1.5 million. One of his rental properties was the subject of news reports after investigators from Hudgens' office and local officials said it appeared someone torched it last year. Beck had it insured through his underwriters association.
As of the end of March — the last time candidates had to file reports — Beck had collected $1.16 million in contributions to his campaign, almost all of the money coming from personal loans or donations from his bank account.
Beck, who says he has no idea why federal prosecutors are interested in him, earned 60 percent of the GOP primary vote on May 22, sparing himself a runoff – and sending the race for insurance commissioner off-script. Hudgens' pick for the job was Jay Florence, one of his staffers, who received much financial support from the insurance industry – but tallied only 21 percent of the vote.
Florence had tried, but failed, to generate interest in Beck's multiple jobs. From a May 14 post on his campaign Facebook page:
Georgians need an Insurance Commissioner they can trust. Former high-ranking, Democrat staffer, Jim Beck has a dirty past. Click the story below to watch him run from the cameras when he is confronted.
But like Hudgens, Beck has a strong following among religious conservatives, a key faction in GOP primary. He’s a former head of the Georgia Christian Coalition.
One could say that a federal grand jury probe into the GOP nominee is a gift to Democrats, but their side of the contest has also had its hairpin turn.
Many Democrats had relished the prospect of Cindy Zeldin, the executive director of Georgians for a Healthy Future, as their nominee in a contest that they saw turning on a push for the expansion of Medicaid. Instead, insurance agent Janice Laws took 62 percent of the vote. Neither Zeldin nor Laws had run for office before, but Zeldin was deemed to have the better resume.
A Libertarian candidate, Donnie Foster, will also be on the November ballot.
***
In the race for attorney general, Democrat Charlie Bailey is trying to tap some of the angst over the federal grand jury investigation detailed above. From a Tweet this morning:
We need an experienced prosecutor as AG who will investigate and prosecute when wrongdoing is uncovered, no matter who may have committed it. Maybe if @ChrisCarr_Ga focused on his official duties instead of spending time at luxury resorts he would have time to do it. #gapol
Luxury resorts? That's a reference to a CBS News report of a "lavish" Kiawah Island, S.C., fundraiser hosted by Republican Attorneys General Association, where the minimum buy-in for lobbyists was $125,000. It aired last week.
Georgia’s incumbent attorney general, Republican Chris Carr, who sits on RAGA’s executive committee, can be heard speaking at the outdoor event, offering his thanks to donors: “We can't do what we do without your help… Look, the other side has been very energized, and there's no two ways about it."
The CBS report notes that the RAGA has raised $20 million to back state Republican attorneys general across the nation, compared to $9 million for the Democratic Attorneys General Association.
We hit the Carr campaign up for a response to Bailey. From campaign advisor Heath Garrett:
"Chris Carr is proud to be a leader in and have the support of the Republican Attorneys General Association, the NRA and especially the support of companies that employ hundreds of thousands of Georgians. Attorney General Carr's liberal Democrat opponent will not have a shred of credibility on this subject until he disavows his membership in and all contributions from all Democrat-affiliated organizations."
Garrett noted that, even as Bailey was criticizing Carr, the Democratic Attorneys General Association was sending out a fundraising letter on behalf of the group’s candidate in Georgia.
***
President Trump's recent trade battles have freaked out many Georgia farmers who rely on exporting their crops to faraway places like China. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue has taken it upon himself in recent months to assure farmers that the White House has their backs, but he and the president have been vague about what they specifically would or could do to shield producers from the effects of a trade war.
On Tuesday, however, the former Georgia governor did tip his hand ever so slightly. Per Reuters:
He said Trump had authorized him to protect farmers from economic harm caused by trade fights and he hoped to have a plan in place by the time farmers begin their fall harvest if no resolution has been reached.
"We will not allow agriculture producers to bear the brunt of China's retaliation as we defend our own interests as a nation," Perdue said.
Perdue said at a news conference the Commodity Credit Corp (CCC) could be one of the major tools used in any plan to compensate farmers hurt by the trade fight. The CCC has broad authority to make loans and direct payments to U.S. growers when prices for corn, soybeans, wheat and other agricultural goods are low.
***
U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., will be under the D.C. microscope this afternoon as a panel he oversees a public vetting of the Trump administration's new pick for secretary of veterans affairs. The Senate VA Committee's confirmation hearing for Robert Wilkie comes a day after the Washington Post released a sprawling profile that includes several divisive details about Wilkie's past, including his work with the Sons of Confederate Veterans and former U.S. Sen. Jesse Helms, a critic of Martin Luther King Jr.
Isakson's support will be crucial for getting Wilkie confirmed, and while he previously has sounded positive notes about the pick ,he's also kept his powder dry. Isakson told the Military Times on Tuesday that Wilkie discussed many of the issues detailed in the Post piece with him during a private meeting weeks ago and that he wasn't particularly concerned:
"Any time you find out about things ahead of time instead of after the fact, you know you have a good person," Isakson said. "There's nothing in there I see, unless you want to make something out of the history of our country and where he came from, there's no issue."
"There's nothing to preclude him from doing a good job or working for veterans."
***
U.S. Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., is speaking out about his recent move to block Georgia Supreme Court Justice Britt Grant and other Trump judicial nominees for federal judgeships. Tariffs are at the root of his move. From Roll Call:
[Flake] said trade policy needed a congressional response, particularly with the president using national security provisions to impose tariffs on U.S. allies including Canada and Mexico, as well as NATO partners in Europe.
"The Senate ought to bring legislation to the floor that says hey, we're going to push back here," Flake said. "The European Union exporting cars to the U.S. does not represent a national security threat."
Flake's hold on Grant's nomination for an Atlanta-based circuit court position has angered Georgia Sens. Johnny Isakson and David Perdue.
***
U.S. Rep. Drew Ferguson, R-West Point, is ready to see Democratic colleague Maxine Waters leave Washington. The Georgia Republican called on Waters to resign after she said that Donald Trump supporters deserve to be publicly shamed for their votes.
“Anyone who threatens public officials and those trying to protect Americans should not have a voice in Congress,” said Ferguson. “We should pray that God remove the hatred from her heart and help her find peace -- but she has to go.”
***
The Republican gubernatorial campaign of Brian Kemp says rival Casey Cagle's latest ad spending shows he's on the ropes. But the lieutenant governor says he's doing just fine.
Kemp said Cagle “quietly reduced” his television buy in statewide markets by about $250,000 last week, and pegged it to ongoing fallout from the secret recording where Cagle said he backed a “bad” measure to undercut a rival.
“They want their contributions to be used for advertising - not legal fees,” said Kemp spokesman Ryan Mahoney.
Cagle’s team indicated they’ve shifted money to redeploy later in the campaign. He has the financial edge, with nearly $2 million in ad spending for Cagle compared to about $1 million for Kemp.
“We will have a fully funded campaign, unlike Brian Kemp,” said Cagle aide Scott Binkley, “even though he has illegally amassed large sums from industries he regulates in clear violation of Georgia law.”
***
U.S. Rep. Karen Handel, R-Roswell, has sought to stay out of the fray as a pair of Democrats battles it out for the chance to take her on in November. But perhaps we should consider a thread from her Twitter account yesterday as an opening salvo as she gears up for the general election.
In a series of posts marking her one-year anniversary as a member of the U.S. House, the Roswell Republican highlighted her votes on the tax overhaul, opioid and school safety bills, as well as the feds recently announcing $184 million in grants to go toward toll lanes on Ga. 400.
***
Ben Jealous, who won the Democratic nomination for Maryland governor last night, shares more than a progressive ideology with Stacey Abrams. He also shares a deep friendship with Abrams, the Democratic candidate for governor in Georgia. Abrams even brought him to a 2014 state dinner at the White House as her guest.
***
We've unlocked the mystery of who plays "Jake" in Brian Kemp's ads. Hint: It's not really a teenager who is trying to date his daughter.
Some sleuthing found that the actor, who has appeared in two provocative ads for Kemp’s gubernatorial campaign, is Jantzen McDonald, who has appeared in the Georgia-made show “Ozark.”
***
Two high-profile guests are now joining the Democratic National Committee's I Will Vote gala in Atlanta on July 19. U.S. Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey and Rep. Cedric Richmond of Louisiana, who chairs the Congressional Black Caucus, will attend. Other guests include gubernatorial nominee Stacey Abrams, U.S. Rep. John Lewis of Atlanta and former U.S. Attorney Eric Holder.
