Morning, y’all! I have aphantasia, which means I can’t visualize anything, nor can I “hear” anything in my head, like a song or an internal monologue. And yet, I still have songs stuck in my head all of the time! Where are they? What are they doing in there if I can’t hear them? If I don’t mentally exorcise “I Believe I Can Fly” soon, it’s going to be a problem.
Let’s get to it.
A HIGH-STAKES RUNOFF IN GA’S 14TH
Today is the runoff in the special election to replace former U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene in Georgia’s 14th congressional district.
It’s a weird one, and not just because Greene left her seat a year early after a public falling-out with President Donald Trump and MAGA Republicans.
Two elections, two timelines:
- Today’s special election is only to finish out Greene’s term until the end of the year.
- November’s midterm elections will determine who holds the seat for the next full term.
Rs and Ds are both feeling their way forward:
- Clay Fuller is today’s Republican contender and the likely winner if the deep-red district holds its colors. He handily won the party nomination from a crowded GOP field in a March primary.
- Shawn Harris is today’s Democratic nominee. Powerful Dems have rallied behind him, and he’s leaned on populism over partisanship during his campaign. The party hopes Republican infighting and Greene’s surprise exit may crack the conservative northwest Georgia bloc.
- Both Fuller and Harris could be on the midterm ballot as well.
- If Fuller doesn’t capture a convincing victory, it could signal blood in the water to other Republican contenders who lost to him in the special election primary.
- On the flip side, even if Harris loses, Democrats will be looking for lessons to refine his campaign for the midterms.
🐘 READ MORE: Why Fuller’s under pressure
🫏 READ MORE: The details of Harris’ political gambit
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THE DATA CENTER SITCH, REVISITED
I included this story briefly in Monday’s newsletter but decided it needed a little more attention.
Remember those bills moving through the Georgia Legislature that would have protected consumers from rising energy costs from data center expansion or curbed the multimillion-dollar tax breaks that have turned Georgia into a veritable data center cabbage patch?
For all the talk, nothing passed through both chambers.
- A state data center lobbyist thanked Gov. Brian Kemp and state legislators “for their efforts to ensure Georgia remains a key market for industry investment.”
- Environmental groups called the inaction “disgraceful.”
- A legislative director for the Sierra Club argued the continued tax breaks “are going to the richest people and the richest companies in the history of the world.” (The perks will also drain an estimated $2.5 billion from Georgia’s 2026 tax revenue.)
Could there be movement in the future?
House Speaker Jon Burns praised House Bill 1063, which would have set requirements for power utility contracts with data centers. Though it didn’t pass the Senate, Burns said it is “something the House will continue to work on during the interim.”
Fun facts:
- Data centers can use 10 to 50 times as much power as a typical similarly sized office space.
- Georgia Power says it expects to spend more than $52 billion on expansions through 2030, mostly to support data center demands. Because the Legislature didn’t act, there’s nothing stopping them from foisting those costs onto consumers.
🔎 READ MORE: Other reactions, context about data center legislation
MUST-KNOW POLITICS AND BUSINESS
💰 A top GOP super PAC pledged a record $44 million to defeat U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff in Georgia’s midterms. It’s the Senate Leadership Fund’s largest investment ever in Georgia outside of runoff elections. Meanwhile, Republican front-runners in the race are still vying for Trump’s endorsement.
⚖️ Fulton County has inquired whether the Department of Justice’s criminal and civil divisions coordinated improperly before the FBI’s seizure of 2020 election materials early this year. The inquiry is part of the county’s ongoing efforts to prove the raid was not legally justified.
☀️ Could plug-in solar catch on in Georgia? Unlike costly rooftop solar, plug-in solar is more compact and plugs into an outlet, eliminating the need for hardwiring. It’s already a thing in Europe, and fans say it could help Georgians save on energy costs.
WHAT THE GEORGIA GUIDESTONES HAVE TO DO WITH THIS YEAR’S MIDTERMS
You’ve been listening to the AJC’s podcast “Who Blew Up the Guidestones,” yes? You totally should be. A new episode drops today.
Even if you haven’t, you may know the name Kandiss Taylor.
- Taylor’s long-shot 2022 campaign for Georgia governor featured the memorable and curiously ordered slogan, “Jesus, Guns and Babies.”
- Taylor also hated the Georgia Guidestones, a cryptic granite monument erected in Elberton in 1980. As part of her campaign, she pledged to remove the Guidestones.
- Someone beat her to it when the monument was blown up on July 6, 2022. However, Taylor was swept into the aftermath. Her stance made her a person of interest, and she endured a harrowing swatting attempt at her home.
Oh, and now she’s running for Congress in Georgia’s first district. U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter currently holds the seat.
🔎 READ MORE: Taylor says Guidestones gave her a ‘palpable sense of evil’
NEWS BITES
Atlanta Dream acquires two-time All-Star Angel Reese in trade
YES. The two-time WNBA All-Star and 2023 NCAA champ joins several other All-Stars on the Dream’s roster. Welcome to Atlanta, Angel!
Pimiento cheese recipes and facts to celebrate the Masters
Pimiento cheese is more polarizing in our newsroom than I thought it would be. Thoughts?
Which is better, juicing or blending? Thoughts on a common wellness debate
I was unaware people felt strongly one way or another. Consider me educated!
A Masters ’26 trivia quiz covering 90 years at Augusta National
Oooh, we love a quiz. Let’s do one together:
Name the first left-handed winner of the Masters
a. Phil Mickelson
b. Mike Weir
c. Bubba Watson
Answer at the bottom!
ON THIS DATE
April 7, 1917
Husband Murderous When Denied Eggs, So She Killed Him. Athens, Ga. — ... W.E. Smith ... was killed by his wife, aged 25, and that the shooting was in self-defense and justifiable. The evidence disclosed that Smith demanded eggs for his breakfast and that the wife had set all her eggs and could not comply with the request. It is said he then attacked her and pursued her about the house with an open knife ... As she passed out the door she seized a shotgun standing against the wall, and when he had chased her to the yard fence, she turned and warned him.
This has the makings of a whole Reba McEntire song. (Oh, and the U.S. entered World War I a day before, on April 6, 1917.)
ONE MORE THING
Quiz answer: Mike Weir was the first left-handed Masters champion, donning the green jacket in 2003. Pimiento cheese sandwich if you got it right, unless you’re lactose intolerant. In that case, it’s your punishment for getting it wrong.
Thanks for reading to the very bottom of A.M. ATL. Questions, comments, ideas? Contact us at AMATL@ajc.com.
Until next time.
About the Author
AJ Willingham is an National Emmy, NABJ and Webby award-winning journalist who loves talking culture, religion, sports, social justice, infrastructure and the arts. She lives in beautiful Smyrna-Mableton and went to Syracuse University.
