Conservative groups denounce antisemitism ahead of Georgia GOP convention

Two of Georgia’s most influential conservative groups united this week to reaffirm that “antisemitism has no place in the Georgia GOP.”

But the Georgia Faith and Freedom Coalition and the Republican Jewish Coalition-Atlanta didn’t release the statement just because of the recent violence targeting Jewish Americans. It was also partly a response to activists, including David Cross, who is challenging Georgia GOP chair Josh McKoon at this weekend’s state party convention in Dalton.

Cross recently amplified a conspiracy theory critical of Israel that referred to a “cabal” leading the Jewish nation.

The statement from the two groups noted “a number of questionable statements have been made as we head into the GOP Convention.”

“Whether by innuendo or suggestion, antisemitic comments about Jewish individuals and/or Israel are beneath the dignity of our movement,” wrote Mack Parnell, executive director of the Georgia Faith & Freedom Coalition, and Chuck Berk, co-chair of the Republican Jewish Coalition-Atlanta.

Cross didn’t immediately respond to a question Tuesday seeking comment about the remark. But he’s not likely to get much traction during this weekend’s convention. McKoon is in a strong position to earn a second term as state party chair, especially after all nine of Georgia’s Republican members of Congress endorsed him on Tuesday.

It was a rare get for McKoon, as Georgia’s Republican delegation rarely unites behind anyone. They add to his growing list of supporters, which includes the biggest fish in the GOP world: President Donald Trump.

Things to know

Credit: AJC file photos

Credit: AJC file photos

Good morning! Here are three things to know for today:

Backing Musk

Credit: Ben Hendren for the AJC

Credit: Ben Hendren for the AJC

President Donald Trump’s relationship with Elon Musk has deteriorated in recent days, as shown by Musk’s sharp criticism of the administration’s spending bill as “a disgusting abomination.”

That puts U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene in a tough spot. The Rome Republican is a Trump superfan and also leads the House subcommittee connected with the Department of Government Efficiency initiative that Musk led before he left the administration last week.

In an interview on NewsNation’s “The Hill,” Greene said she “very much” supports Musk.

“I take no issue with anyone calling out the government. I think the American people, including Elon Musk, have the right to do that every single day,” she said. “I’m one of the people that ran for Congress because I was angry at Republicans. I wasn’t angry at Democrats.”

Of course, Greene took her own swipe at the “big, beautiful” bill this week, saying she would not have voted for it had she known it included a 10-year ban on states regulating artificial intelligence.

They grow up so fast

Credit: Courtesy photo

Credit: Courtesy photo

Georgia’s newest city has weathered its first political crisis — for now.

Mableton is one of a bunch of new cities that have popped up around Metro Atlanta in recent years, part of a cityhood movement that has prompted plenty of battles with county political establishments.

But the dispute between Mableton and Cobb County threatened to bring down painful state sanctions on not just the new city, but all of its neighbors as well.

Because city and county boundaries overlap, state law requires them to agree on who will do what — all to make sure taxpayers aren’t charged twice for things like code enforcement and business licenses.

The deadline to have these agreements in place was Saturday. But Cobb County’s agreement was delayed by a dispute with Mableton. The county wanted the city to pay them $26 million for things like police protection and road maintenance. The city wanted to pay $0.

They settled on $9.5 million, but not before the deadline to have the agreement signed passed. It looked like the county would be cut off from state grants and permits for the next 30 days. But a state judge on Tuesday ordered a stay in the sanctions since both parties now have a signed agreement.

The Cobb County agreement is only good for the next year, so we’ll be doing this all over again in 2026. Just think of it as the local version of the federal debt ceiling.

Redistricting redux

Credit: Ben Gray for the AJC

Credit: Ben Gray for the AJC

State Sen. Brian Strickland says he can win Georgia’s attorney general’s race, in part, because he’s held on to his Republican seat anchored in increasingly Democratic Henry County.

But Democrats might argue some of his success has to do with a hard-fought redistricting battle — a fight Strickland reminded voters of as part of his campaign’s official rollout this week.

As our AJC colleague Michelle Baruchman reported, voters in 2015 filed two federal lawsuits claiming the Legislature illegally removed people of color from what was then Strickland’s state House district to make it easier for him to win. Both lawsuits were defeated.

“Democrats threw everything they had at me in the ballot box and the courtroom, and I beat them every single time,” Strickland said in a campaign video.

Democrats and Republicans are likely to spend hundreds of millions of dollars in Georgia over the next election cycle, with most of that money directed at the state’s U.S. Senate race between incumbent Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff and a challenger that emerges from a potentially crowded Republican primary.

But Strickland is couching his campaign in those terms, too, warning voters in his video that the left will “come after us, trying to flip our state, rewrite our laws and silence our values.”

“Georgia needs an attorney general who is more than just a conservative. We need a conservative fighter who wins,” he said.

Tune into the “Politically Georgia” podcast Thursday to hear Strickland discuss his newly launched campaign.

Field trip

Credit: Ben Hendren for the AJC

Credit: Ben Hendren for the AJC

Georgia lawmakers agreed to spend more than $600 million to address its troubled prison system. Today, they’ll get an early peek at how it’s going.

Members of the Senate Public Safety Committee will visit the McRae Women’s Facility in South Georgia. It’s an official meeting of the committee, but that doesn’t mean you can attend. The “hearing” is in executive session, meaning the public isn’t allowed.

Committee chair John Albers, R-Roswell, told us that lawmakers will meet with the facility’s leaders and front-line staff to “help us evaluate the impact of our recent investments in the Department of Corrections and identify areas where continued support or improvement may be needed.”

“These visits are a standard and responsible part of the legislative process, allowing us to make informed decisions about public safety and criminal justice policy,” he said.

The facility was once a private prison housing federal inmates. It closed in 2022. The state Department of Corrections bought the prison for $130 million.

Chopping block?

Credit: Nathan Posner for the AJC

Credit: Nathan Posner for the AJC

As the U.S. Senate returns this week to start working on the House-passed “Big Beautiful Bill Act,” the Wall Street Journal is ranking a last-minute provision from Georgia U.S. Rep. Andrew Clyde as one of the most likely pieces to get scrapped.

Clyde, an Athens Republican who owns two gun stores, switched from a “no” to a “yes” once the House added the measure deregulating gun silencers and eliminating a tax on them. Clyde also pushed to accelerate new proof-of-work requirements for Medicaid recipients, which were also included.

But Senate rules allow members to object to any provision of a reconciliation bill that does not directly affect spending, triggering a review by the parliamentarian. Although Clyde said his addition fits the bill, look for a challenge from Democrats who will argue otherwise.

Listen up

Credit: George Walker IV/AP

Credit: George Walker IV/AP

Today on “Politically Georgia,” Alex Little, attorney for former reality TV stars Todd and Julie Chrisley, joins the program to discuss his clients’ recent pardon by President Donald Trump three years after they were convicted for bank fraud and tax evasion. AJC legal reporter Rosie Manins also joins the show to discuss the legal and political fallout.

Have a question or comment for the show? Email us at politicallygeorgia@ajc.com or give us a call at 770-810-5297 and you could be featured on a future episode.

You can listen and subscribe to the show for free at Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.

Disappearing sanctuary cities

A list of “ sanctuary jurisdictions” first published on Thursday that included six local governments in Georgia no longer appears on the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s website.

The list prompted widespread criticism after many of the called-out counties and cities questioned their inclusion, including some that have cooperated with the Trump administration’s immigration crackdowns, the Associated Press reported. There were also other errors, including misspellings.

The Georgia cities of Athens and Atlanta were on the initial list, as well as Athens-Clarke, DeKalb, Douglas and Fulton counties.

Today in Washington

Job Corps shutdown

Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC

Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC

Albany and Brunswick aren’t the only Georgia cities that would be impacted by the Trump administration’s decision to wind down the Job Corps program.

Leaders in South Fulton say eliminating the program would leave an unfinished job training and educational facility in their community.

South Fulton City Council member Helen Willis said eliminating the program “has created blight in the city of South Fulton.”

She and other local leaders will host a news conference today at the abandoned site along Roosevelt Highway in hopes of urging the federal government to restore the Job Corps funding and get construction back on track. In the absence of that, Willis is calling for the property to be reverted to the city for redevelopment.

Shoutouts

Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC

Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC

Today’s birthday:

Want a birthday shoutout in the Politically Georgia newsletter? There’s a form for that. Click here to submit the shoutouts. It’s not just birthdays. We’re also interested in new jobs, engagements, birth announcements, etc.

Before you go

Credit: Natrice Miller/AJC

Credit: Natrice Miller/AJC

Fulton County Commission Chair Robb Pitts, a Democrat, missed the invite list for the White House State Leadership Conference on Tuesday. But organizers say dozens of other bipartisan county commissioners from Georgia made it to the event, which featured visits by Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins and Kelly Loeffler, the leader of the Small Business Administration.

That’ll do it for us today. As always, you can send your best scoops, gossip and insider info to greg.bluestein@ajc.com, tia.mitchell@ajc.com, patricia.murphy@ajc.com and adam.beam@ajc.com.