Josh McKoon wants GOP US Senate candidates to stop fighting one another

Today’s newsletter highlights:

• Test your knowledge with our news quiz.
• Far-right activists target Georgia campaign event.
• Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock vote with Republicans.

Come together

Republican candidates for the U.S. Senate (left to right): U.S. Reps. Buddy Carter and Mike Collins, and former football coach Derek Dooley.

The Republican race to challenge Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff has already taken a nasty turn. Georgia GOP chair Josh McKoon doesn’t want it to get worse.

“We do not need to spend the next six months tearing each other apart,” he said.

“The focus needs to be on why Jon Ossoff needs to go,” he added. ”We need to do everything we can to stop spending money attacking Republicans because it will make what is a difficult task even more difficult next November.”

There’s a history here, of course. In 2020, then-Republican U.S. Sen. Kelly Loeffler faced an insurgent challenge from then-U.S. Rep. Doug Collins, sparking a brutal internal fight that split the GOP and pulled both contenders toward the party’s flank.

His name? Jon Ossoff.

Friday news quiz

Grover Norquist, president of Americans for Tax Reform, testified at an August state Senate committee hearing in Atlanta.

Georgia House Speaker Jon Burns this week joined his counterparts in four other states to push back against some of President Donald Trump’s policies. What were they?

• A) Immigration raids on farmworkers.
• B) Trade policies impacting the timber industry.
• C) Cancellation of some clean energy projects.
• D) Demolition of the East Wing of the White House.

Republican Lt. Gov. Burt Jones signed a pledge this week to oppose all tax increases. Out of 236 state lawmakers in Georgia, how many of them have also signed the pledge?

• A) 120
• B) 46
• C) 0
• D) 15

More than $24 billion of clean energy projects have been canceled across the country this year following funding cuts from the Trump administration. Where were the bulk of these projects located?

• A) States that voted for former Vice President Kamala Harris.
• B) California and Texas.
• C) The Pacific Northwest.
• D) Republican congressional districts.

Cities across Georgia were closely watching arguments before the state Supreme Court this week. What potential ruling is making them nervous?

• A) Making them liable for road maintenance decisions that contribute to vehicle wrecks.
• B) Banning fees to pay for stormwater collection systems.
• C) Giving the state Legislature power to overrule zoning decisions.
• D) Restricting their ability to raise property taxes.

‘Band of bigots’

State Rep. Ruwa Romman, D-Duluth, is a Democratic candidate for governor.

A meet-and-greet set for this weekend at an Alpharetta coffeehouse featuring about a dozen Muslim candidates for Georgia office is drawing unwanted attention.

Romman’s campaign responded with a plea for donations to cover “unexpected security costs” because Loomer “and her band of bigots are now targeting the event.”

Crossing the aisle

U.S. Sens. Jon Ossoff (left) and Raphael Warnock are both Georgia Democrats.

Throughout the federal shutdown, Georgia’s two U.S. senators have steadfastly stood with their Democratic colleagues in refusing to reopen the government unless Congress agreed to extend expiring health insurance subsidies. But on Thursday they were among the few Democrats to vote with Republicans on a related matter.

U.S. Sens. Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock joined Pennsylvania U.S. Sen. John Fetterman as the only Democrats to vote with Republicans on a bill that would have paid federal employees still working during the shutdown. The bill failed because it did not have enough votes to overcome a filibuster.

“Essential workers shouldn’t be punished because Washington Republicans chose to shut down the government,” Warnock said.

Ossoff highlighted “military servicemembers, TSA workers, and air traffic controllers” among the people who are working without pay.

“While President Trump continues to insist Georgians face massive increases in health insurance premiums, and shuts down the government to get his way, Georgians are grateful for the work and dedication of every public servant,” he said.

Taylor’s time

Former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms is a Democratic candidate for governor.

Aides said Ned Miller, who helped launch the former Atlanta mayor’s gubernatorial bid, returned to Maryland earlier this month for family reasons.

“We’re glad to have Rashad as our campaign manager, leading our strong team to elect Keisha Lance Bottoms as Georgia’s next governor,” Bottoms spokeswoman Cynthia Davis said.

Taylor has deep roots in Georgia politics. He was Bottoms’ chief strategist and ran her successful 2017 mayoral runoff campaign.

He was also a senior aide to former Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed, a strategist for President Joe Biden’s 2020 campaign and has advised dozens of local and legislative candidates.

Prove it

Attorney General Chris Carr (at microphone) is a Republican candidate for governor.

Attorney General Chris Carr is backing a proposed rule change that would make people prove they are U.S. citizens when registering to vote in federal elections.

It’s illegal for non-U.S. citizens to vote. The current voter registration form requires people to check a box declaring they are U.S. citizens and warns of legal consequences for lying. But Carr and others say “this ends up being little more than an empty threat because enforcement is nearly non-existent.”

“I think every state should verify citizenship like Georgia does,” Raffensperger said.

An audit by Raffensperger’s office last year found that 20 non-U.S. citizens had registered to cast ballots in Georgia. Of those 20 – out of 8.2 million registered voters – nine had actually voted.

Raffensperger said he conducted the audit to ensure only U.S. citizens were voting. Critics say the audit showed the citizenship requirements aren’t necessary, adding they would be burdensome and could disenfranchise legitimate voters.

Listen up

Today in Washington

• President Donald Trump departs this evening for Malaysia, the first stop in a multiday trip across Asia.
• The House is in an indefinite recess during the government shutdown.
• The Senate is done for the week.

Isakson symposium

Former U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson died Dec. 19, 2021. He was 76.

The University of Georgia’s Johnny Isakson Symposium on Political Civility held it’s first ever event in Washington this week.

U.S. Sens. Chris Coons, D-Delaware, and Thom Tillis, R-North Carolina, participated in a moderated discussion.