Burt Jones’ kickoff for governor is 2020 rebels’ revenge

Today’s newsletter highlights:

Senate runoff election falls during Rosh Hashana.
Terry England steps down as Jon Burns’ chief of staff.
Tea party group pushes citizenship checks for voter registration.

Payback

Credit: Abbey Cutrer/AJC

Credit: Abbey Cutrer/AJC

Before Lt. Gov. Burt Jones took the stage on Tuesday night to kick off his campaign for governor, some of his closest allies stepped up to the podium to warm up the crowd in a full-circle moment thick with irony.

Two of the highest-profile spots were reserved for his former Republican colleagues in the state Senate — Brandon Beach of Alpharetta, who has gone on to become the U.S. treasurer, and state Sen. Greg Dolezal of Cumming, who is prepping his own 2026 bid for lieutenant governor.

They were once among the handful of state Senate renegades punished by then-Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan for backing President Donald Trump’s attempt to overturn Georgia’s 2020 election results.

The payback from Duncan came on the second day of the 2021 legislative session. He stripped Jones of his Insurance and Labor Committee chairmanship and bounced Beach from his leadership role atop the marquee Transportation Committee.

Dolezal, meanwhile, was exiled to a low-profile committee that previous party outcasts had occupied.

At the rally this week, Beach and Dolezal leaned into those memories, lacing their speeches with reminders of their 2020 stances — a signal that Jones won’t shy away from his own role in that election as he campaigns for governor.

“We both got punished, we lost our chairmanships, but we never wavered,” Beach said.

It’s a stark contrast with Gov. Brian Kemp, who resisted Trump’s pressure campaign in 2020 and has since told voters he’s focused on the future, not the past.

Although Jones and his allies paid a price for their loyalty to Trump at the time, they now stand near the top of a remade Republican order. With Trump back in the White House and the party firmly in his thrall, those who remained loyal in 2020 are now being rewarded with appointments, endorsements and more influence than they ever had before. Call it the revenge of the renegades.

Things to know

Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC

Good morning! It was 62 years ago today that Georgia native Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his iconic “I Have A Dream” speech during the March on Washington.

Here are four other things to know for today:

A judge has fined the Fulton Board of Commissioners $10,000 per day until unless they appoint two Republican nominees to the county election board, the AJC’s Caleb Groves reports.
The Trump administration ousted the new head of the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But Susan Monarez says she has not been formally fired and will not resign, the AJC’s Ariel Hart reports.
New federal data shows immigration arrests have spiked to 5,670 in Georgia during the first six months of the Trump administration, compared to 1,570 arrests during the last six months of the Biden administration, the AJC’s Lautaro Grinspan reports.
U.S. Rep. David Scott, D-Atlanta, is running for a 13th term in office amid concerns about his health, which has limited his public appearances and his activities in Washington, Tia Mitchell reports.

Bad timing

Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC

The Sept. 23 runoff election in state Senate District 21 falls during the High Holy Days, which begins with Rosh Hashana, the Jewish new year. The timing is raising concerns among the state’s Jewish community that it could limit turnout. One of the two candidates in the runoff, Debra Shigley, is Jewish.

“Our Jewish community should never have to choose between religious observance and civic participation,” the Jewish Community Relations Council of Atlanta said in a statement. “We strongly urge election officials to ensure this oversight is never repeated.”

The JCRC urged voters to take advantage of early and absentee voting ahead of the election, regardless of the candidate they’re supporting.

Shigley, a Democrat, finished with 39.5% of the vote on Tuesday, while Republican Jason Dickerson was the second highest finisher, with 17,4%. Since neither reached 50% plus one vote, state law requires the top two finishers advance to a runoff.

National Guard

Credit: J. Scott Applewhite/AP

Gov. Brian Kemp isn’t preparing to send Georgia National Guard troops to Washington, Chicago or any other target of President Donald Trump’s anti-crime orders. But he isn’t closing the door on it either.

“Certainly, if we’re asked to do that — we stay in communication with the White House on issues like that — we’ll be glad to talk to him about that mission,” Kemp told the AJC in an interview. “We haven’t been asked yet, but we’re always ready to serve if needed.”

With the long-running feud between Kemp and Trump over, the governor has plenty of good reasons to stay in the president’s good graces. One of them: his aides are still holding out hope the president endorses U.S. Senate candidate Derek Dooley.

Speaker’s staff

Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC

Terry England, chief of staff to Georgia House Speaker Jon Burns, is stepping down while recovering from spinal injuries suffered following an accident at his Barrow County farm earlier this year.

In a note to lawmakers on Wednesday, Burns said England will shift to a new role helping finalize plans for a new legislative office building. Veteran political operative Chris Riley, who has been filling in for England, will stay in the job permanently.

“We are confident in a smooth transition and remain committed to serving you with the same level of support and dedication,” Burns wrote.

Riley is no stranger to Gold Dome maneuvering and political wrangling. He was the longtime deputy to former Gov. Nathan Deal, serving as his chief of staff during the Republican’s entire eight-year run. This year, he helped Burns muscle through key legislation, including an overhaul to civil litigation rules.

Now Riley’s return positions Burns as an even bigger power player at the state Capitol, with open races looming for governor, lieutenant governor and other top offices putting other influential posts in flux.

“This move shows Speaker Burns plans to stick around and provide serious leadership and stability during a period when almost every other major office is about to change hands and a lot of state senators are hitting the exits,” said Brian Robinson, a longtime Riley confidant who was Deal’s chief spokesman.

“You won’t find a source of more institutional knowledge or mastery of the levers of power in the building. And that’s a tremendous asset to Burns and the House.”

Status quo

Georgia lawmakers have tightened the rules around civil lawsuits in recent years because they want to limit what they say are frivolous legal challenges that drive up the costs of health care and insurance coverage.

This week, the Georgia Supreme Court signed off on their thinking.

The family of a mentally disabled woman argued she should have more time to file a medical malpractice lawsuit. Georgia law often gives mentally disabled people more time to make these decisions, but there’s an exception for medical malpractice lawsuits over fears of driving up costs.

Lawyers for the woman argued research has shown the effect of medial malpractice lawsuits on health care costs are “largely theoretical.” But the court declined to weigh in on whether that’s true, instead agreeing with a previous decision that “these types of policy decision fall within the purview of the legislature and not the courts.”

“These are policy decisions which the General Assembly is uniquely situated to address,” Justice Benjamin Land wrote for the court. “Courts may not substitute our policy preferences for theirs.”

Listen up

Credit: Abbey Cutrer/AJC

Today on the “Politically Georgia” podcast we’re breaking down Lt. Gov. Burt Jones’ campaign launch for governor, his deep ties to President Donald Trump and what that means for the GOP race.

We’ll also talk about how Jones’ candidacy could reshape city-state relations in Atlanta, from Buckhead cityhood to airport control, and why Mayor Andre Dickens is carefully navigating federal politics as he heads into his reelection campaign.

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

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.

Citizenship voter checks

Credit: Olivia Bowdoin for the AJC

A nationwide tea party bus tour rolled into Atlanta on Wednesday to urge Congress to pass the SAVE Act, which would require proof of citizenship to register to vote.

The conservative push for citizenship verification outside the Georgia Capitol highlighted widespread public support for allowing only U.S. citizens to vote. Liberal opponents say it would burden millions of Americans who don’t have a passport, lost their birth certificate or changed their names after getting married.

“The SAVE Act will ensure that we require that we must show proof of citizenship to register to vote. It’s pretty simple legislation,” said Jenny Beth Martin of Tea Party Patriots Action. “Chances are, most people you talk to are going to agree with you on this issue.”

An audit by the secretary of state’s office last year found 20 non-citizens were registered out of 8 million voters in Georgia. The state’s voter lists are routinely checked against federal citizenship records.

The rally attracted roughly three dozen people, the AJC’s Mark Niesse reports. No members of Congress attended.

Martin said the SAVE Act could pass next month if lawmakers attach it to another bill, such as the National Defense Authorization Act or spending legislation. But approval would likely require bipartisan support to reach at least 60 votes in the Senate and overcome a potential filibuster by Democrats.

Trump today

President Donald Trump will receive an intelligence briefing and sign executive orders.

Shoutouts

Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC

Today’s birthdays:

State Rep. Dar’shun Kendrick, D-Lithonia.
State Rep. Tremaine Teddy Reese, D-Columbus.

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.