Chris Carr steps up criticism of Burt Jones as governor’s race heats up

Today’s newsletter highlights:

Test your knowledge of political news by taking our quiz.
Donald Trump was not awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
Georgia lawmakers are busy writing letters to each other.

Fighting words

Credit: AJC

Credit: AJC

The feud between Attorney General Chris Carr and Lt. Gov. Burt Jones keeps escalating. But rather than play out on the airwaves or on social media, the latest clash between the Republican rivals for governor unfolded in a more unconventional setting.

At a gathering of the Georgia Alliance of Community Hospitals on Thursday, Carr delivered one of the harshest attacks yet, accusing the lieutenant governor of using public office for gain.

“If you honor me by allowing me to be your next governor, unlike the lieutenant governor I will promise you this: I will not change the rules or rig the system to enrich myself or my family on your backs or the backs of our fellow Georgians,” Carr said.

The jab referred to Jones’ 2023 push to rewrite Georgia’s certificate of need laws, which regulate where hospitals can be built. That could have paved the way for a proposed 100-bed private hospital that was to be built on his father’s land near his hometown in Jackson.

Jones later dropped the plan. A year later, he helped engineer a bipartisan bill backed by Gov. Brian Kemp and House Speaker Jon Burns that rolled back some of the same restrictions.

Jones’ campaign hit back hard.

“The only people taking Chris Carr’s campaign seriously are the people on his payroll,” said Jones spokeswoman Kayla Lott. “They want him to stay in the race so they can make money, not because he is a serious candidate — because he is not.”

Friday news quiz

Credit: John McDonnell/AP

Good morning! It’s day 10 of the federal government shutdown. Early voting for the Nov. 4 elections starts next week. With so much going on, why not take a break and try our news quiz? You’ll find the answers at the end of the newsletter.

The third quarter federal fundraising deadline ended Sept. 30. Which Georgia U.S. Senate candidate raised the most money?

A) Derek Dooley.
B) Mike Collins.
C) Buddy Carter.
D) Jon Ossoff.

Attorney General Chris Carr has embraced many of President Donald Trump’s policies. What area has he disagreed with Trump?

A) Spending cuts in the “big, beautiful bill” Trump signed over the summer.
B) The federal immigration raid at Georgia’s Hyundai Metaplant.
C) Deploying the National Guard to cities for law enforcement.
D) Using the Department of Justice to investigate political opponents.

Partisan rancor is worse than ever during a federal government shutdown. But what two members of Georgia’s congressional delegation are working across the aisle together to pass legislation?

A) Marjorie Taylor Green and Hank Johnson.
B) Rick Allen and Lucy McBath.
C) Barry Loudermilk and Sanford Bishop.
D) Brian Jack and Nikema Williams.

Only one candidate for Public Service Commission showed up to a debate hosted by the Atlanta Press Club. Who was it?

A) Tim Echols.
B) Fitz Johnson.
C) Peter Hubbard.
D) Alicia Johnson.

Military paychecks

Credit: Eric Lee/The New York Times

Democrats have been pointing to the plight of millions of Americans facing higher health insurance costs to pressure Republicans during the government shutdown. But starting next week, the pressure could turn up on both parties in a big way.

Military service members will miss their first paycheck on Wednesday if the government shutdown continues. While all furloughed federal workers are going without pay, the image of troops struggling to get by would be a potent political symbol.

Some Georgia Republicans are already testing this line of attack.

“Democrats must abandon their partisan demands and reopen the government before they force military families to financially suffer because they were denied their rightful, hard-earned pay,” said U.S. Rep. Andrew Clyde, R-Athens.

But Georgia Democrats show no sign of giving in.

“I’m hoping the fact that all of my colleagues, whether they be Republicans or Democrats, understand that every single one of our constituents is affected by this government shutdown,” U.S. Rep. Lucy McBath, D-Marietta, said.

Peacemaker

Credit: Ariana Cubillos/AP

President Donald Trump was not awarded the Nobel Peace Prize today. But it wasn’t from a lack of trying.

He has been fixated on becoming the fifth U.S. president to be given the prestigious award. The most recent was former Democratic President Barack Obama, who was honored for his work on international diplomacy.

U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter, a Republican from St. Simon’s Island who’s running for the U.S. Senate, nominated Trump back in June, citing his diplomatic record and efforts to “advance peace through strength.”

And this week, state Sen. Steve Gooch, a GOP contender for lieutenant governor, launched his own effort to drum up support for Trump for the award — and win brownie points from MAGA voters.

Trump helped broker an historic ceasefire between Israel and Hamas this week. But the prize announced today was for actions taken in 2024. It went to Maria Corina Machado for her work promoting the democratic rights of people in Venezuela.

Flood the zone

Credit: Adam Beam/AJC

President Donald Trump used a “flood the zone” strategy in the first few weeks of his second term to keep his opponents off balance. Now, Democrats appear to be adopting a similar strategy during the government shutdown.

Our inboxes are clogged with notices about news conferences, Zoom calls and roundtables from Democrats wanting to talk about health care. Just this week:

The Democratic Party of Georgia held a press call to highlight two Georgia women who are only able to afford health insurance because of the subsidies that are set to expire.
U.S. Rep. Lucy McBath, D-Marietta, spoke to reporters in Atlanta along with labor and civil rights groups demanding Republicans extend the subsidies.
Democratic candidate for governor Geoff Duncan is traveling the state on a “Protect Georgians’ Health Care” tour.
State Rep. Bryce Berry, D-Atlanta, Georgia Conservation Voters Executive Director Brionté McCorkle and former Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure held a press call to talk about Trump’s health care spending cuts.

It’s easy to get lost in the partisan talking points. But one perspective stood out to us. Teresa Acosta, a single mom of three who participated in the Democratic Party’s press call, said any significant increase to her premiums would make caring for her diabetic son nearly impossible.

“I would have to choose,” she said. “Are we homeless or do we have health insurance? Do I feed my kids or do we have health insurance? Do I get my son’s insulin or not?”

More mailbag

With the federal government shut down, Georgia’s congressional delegation is staying busy by writing letters.

Democrats and Republicans have been busying blazing paper trails to each other as each side seeks to claim the high ground.

The latest example came this week when U.S. Reps. Buddy Carter, R-St. Simons Island, and Andrew Clyde, R-Athens, sent a letter to Georgia Democratic U.S. Sens. Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock.

While the House has taken the past two weeks off, the Senate has been meeting most days for futile attempts to reopen the government. Democrats, including Ossoff and Warnock, have refused to support the GOP plan because it would not extend health insurance subsidies set to expire at the end of the year. Likewise, Republicans have rejected the Democrats’ plan.

“We implore you to do the right thing and reopen the government,” Carter and Clyde wrote.

It’s the second letter the Democratic duo have received this week. Another one was signed by all of Georgia’s Republican members of Congress.

But it hasn’t convinced them.

“Washington Republicans continue to vote down a budget bill that keeps the government open AND funds health care. Why?” Warnock wrote on X Thursday.

Listen up

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Today in Washington

President Donald Trump will visit soldiers at Walter Reed Medical Center in Washington and receive his annual checkup.
The House and Senate will not meet.

Is Fani Willis next?

Credit: Bebeto Mathews/AP

A federal grand jury in Virginia indicted New York Attorney General Letitia James on Thursday after President Donald Trump urged the Department of Justice to prosecute her.

The indictment accuses James of mortgage fraud. But it is widely seen as retribution for James, who sued Trump for fraud and won a $500 million civil judgment that was later blocked by a federal appeals court.

“This is nothing more than a continuation of the president’s desperate weaponization of our justice system,” James said in a statement on X.

A lingering question now is whether Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis could be next. She led an investigation that resulted in a criminal indictment of Trump and more than a dozen others on racketeering charges related to his efforts to overturn Georgia’s 2020 presidential election results.

Last month, the Department of Justice subpoenaed Willis’ travel records. Little is known about whether Willis or someone else is the target of an investigation. But the subpoena raised concerns that the inquiry could be another possible case of political retribution.

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Before you go

Credit: Drew Kann/AJC

Answers to this week’s quiz:

D) Jon Ossoff. The Democratic incumbent has $21 million on hand after raising more than $12 million in the last three months. That’s more than all the Republicans in the race so far.
D) Using the Department of Justice to investigate political opponents. Carr said using the criminal justice system to go after the opposition “is not going to end well for any of us.”
B) Rick Allen and Lucy McBath. Their bill would provide exceptions to step therapy, an insurance practice requiring patients to try cheaper medications before they’ll pay for the treatment doctors have prescribed.
C) Peter Hubbard. The Democrat is challenging Republican incumbent Fitz Johnson.

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.

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