Lyle Larson, a state representative from San Antonio, Texas, has sent several Georgia leaders a pair of cheap sunglasses with this message affixed: "Rotate the presidential primary, because Georgia should have its day in the sun."
for what he calls a fairer presidential primary system in 2020 that would oust Iowa from its perch as the first state to vote. Here's a snippet of what he wrote to Georgia GOP head John Padgett:
Georgia, with its complexity of federal issues, interface with the USDA and EPA on agriculture and energy issues, and home to an international city, is far better suited to hold forums for candidates than its neighbor to the north."
Upending the party primary system is something of a passion project for Larson. He was behind a state legislative push last year to move the Texas primary to a date that would have positioned Texas ahead of every other state except Iowa and New Hampshire.
That effort drew a strong rebuke from leaders of both parties worried about rules that penalize states that defy the primary schedule. This attempt, too, is sure to be an even steeper uphill climb. Padgett's spokesman, meanwhile, did not immediately respond about his stance on the request.
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Possibly you don't remember Jake Knotts, a state senator from South Carolina. He's the fellow who called Gov. Nikki Haley a "raghead," and he's about to jump into the GOP presidential fracas. From the Washington Post:
On Wednesday, the two Republicans whose inflammatory rhetoric has been considered poison pills by the GOP establishment, will appear together at a Trump rally in Lexington, S.C. Knotts said he will formally endorse Trump's presidential candidacy and is organizing what he called "a good, old-fashioned, chicken bog" barbecue to support him.
You’ll remember that, earlier this month, Haley was the Republican pick to reply to President Barack Obama’s State of the Union address. She used the opportunity to warn against “the siren call of the angriest voices.”
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When the GOP presidential party turns South, we're likely to see more of Debbie Dooley, the tea party activist who admired House Speaker David Ralston so much that she moved into his north Georgia district – in an attempt to oust him. In an op-ed for Breitbart.com, Dooley declared herself a Trump fan:
As one who has recently changed her views on issues after in depth investigations, I truly believe Donald Trump is now embracing conservative ideology and will be a strong fighter for conservative principles. He has a track record of winning and has already won in relegating Republican establishment darling Jeb Bush to underdog status despite hundreds of millions of dollars in his war chest.
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Some conservatives weren't too pleased when state Sen. Fran Millar openly predicted that Georgia would embrace a Medicaid expansion.
The Dunwoody Republican said last week on GPB's "Lawmakers" that his party should come to grips with the fact that the program will inevitably grow now that it's survived a series of Supreme Court challenges. He added that it could also boost struggling rural hospitals.
That led the Georgia chapter of the conservative Americans for Prosperity group to fire this salvo:
"Sen. Millar's assertion that Medicaid can improve access for rural families sounds nice, but it's stranger than fiction: in state after state, expansion has closed or hurt rural hospitals. If he is interested in providing Georgia families with access to healthcare, then he should focus on getting government out of the way."
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State Rep. Mike Dudgeon, R-Johns Creek, announced Monday that he would not be standing for re-election. The lawmaker cited his growing role in a booming high-tech company. From his Facebook page:
"Fundamentally, I do not have time to do my business job and political job and have any kind of work-life balance."
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We told you Monday of state Sen. Donzella James' effort to re-name Old National Highway in south Fulton County for the Rev. Creflo Dollar, he of the prosperity gospel. His mega-church stands just off that byway.
But local writer George Chidi points us to this counter-petition, which includes this argument:
Renaming this road for a living person who profits from his fame adds just the right spice of government legitimacy as an advertising appeal for Dollar's quasi-commercial financial activities. It also exposes the people of South Fulton County -- and Georgia! -- to enduring ridicule, which may be compounded by Dollar's future activities.
Our bet is that James' Senate Resolution 805 will be allowed to marinate for a while.
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We now have two candidates in the race to replace U.S. Rep. Lynn Westmoreland, and may soon have three.
Drew Ferguson, mayor of West Point, on Monday announced his candidacy for the Third Congressional District. Ferguson is a dentist by profession. From the press release:
"We are a conservative place, and I want to put conservative principles to work for the whole district like we have in West Point where we have cut taxes and utility rates while creating an economic development boom."
State Sen. Mike Crane, R-Newnan, announced his candidacy for the state last week. Another possible bid could come as soon as this week from Jim Pace, a Fayette County businessman with close ties to Chick-fil-A’s Don Cathy.
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Ending Spending, the conservative Super PAC that surprised many in Georgia by slamming U.S. Rep. Phil Gingrey's bid for the Senate in 2014, is back with another provocative target.
The New York Times reports that a spot being aired by the ESA Fund -- which is affiliated with Ending Spending -- is working to boost Hillary Clinton. Sort of. Here's a snippet:
A "super PAC" founded by the former TD Ameritrade executive Joe Ricketts is spending more than $600,000 on a television ad in Iowa lashing Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont as "too liberal" in the final days of his close race against Hillary Clinton in the state's caucuses.
The spot, being aired by the ESA Fund, describes Mr. Sanders's policy positions on a range of issues, such as tuition-free college and single-payer health care, saying that it amounts to a flood of new government spending. There will be tax increases on Wall Street, big businesses and the "super-rich," the ad goes on to say.
The spot is expected to be backed by $600,000 in spending on television ads, and there will be additional expenditures on radio and digital advertising.
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Are you a Georgian traveling to Iowa or New Hampshire over the next two weeks to knock on doors, work in phone banks or volunteer for presidential campaigns? If so, shoot our AJC colleague Katie Leslie a note at kleslie@ajc.com. She would love to hear from you.
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Mark Rountree of Landmark Communications has sent us a poll of residents of St. Simons and Sea islands, where an incorporation move has been bubbling. From the press release:
According to the survey, conducted January 18-19, 61% of Island voters wish to settle the incorporation issue this year with a definitive public vote, while just 33% do not want a referendum to be held.
"Incorporation has been discussed on these islands for the last 20 years and island voters appear to be ready to settle this issue with a binding vote in 2016," says Rountree.
The incorporation survey was conducted on behalf of the Citizens for Saint Simons Island and Sea Island and has a margin of error of 5.5 percent.
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