Brad Raffensperger wants to ‘move on’ after Trump’s Fulton County case ends
Today’s newsletter highlights:
- Georgia lawmakers want an update on prison spending.
- Hurricane season ends without a major U.S. storm.
- Sandy Springs’ mayoral race has partisan overtones.
Raffensperger reacts
The demise of Fulton County’s election interference case against President Donald Trump and more than a dozen co-defendants left many of his Republican allies feeling vindicated. But in some ways, the reactions to last week’s news in the GOP is as complicated as the case itself.
Few were more central to the case against the president and his allies than Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger. Trump’s recorded demand that he “find” enough votes to overturn his 2020 defeat helped trigger the case, and Raffensperger was the first of dozens of witnesses to testify to the grand jury about the pressure.
Raffensperger is now a Republican candidate for governor and eager to close the book.
“The 2020 election is over, the struggle for a safe and affordable Georgia is here,” he said. “Finally, we can move on and focus on what really matters, the people of this great state.”
Meanwhile, Lt. Gov. Burt Jones — one of Raffensperger’s rivals for the GOP nomination for governor — heralded the end of a case that had once targeted him.
“The charade is finally over,” he posted on social media.
He was echoed by former Georgia GOP Chair David Shafer and state Sen. Shawn Still, who both had faced charges in the case. Josh McKoon, the current Georgia GOP chair, said he felt “a fierce sense of vindication for our brave patriots who endured this dark chapter or too long.”
Democrats, meanwhile, mourned the demise of a case that once seemed the most significant criminal threat that Trump faced. Some pointed squarely at Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis’ own missteps that led to her disqualification.
“Someone qualified and excellent better get ready to challenge DA Fani Willis in three years,” said Cathy Woolard, the former Atlanta City Council president. “Fulton County residents will be paying for her mistakes for years to come.”
Things to know
Good morning! We hope you enjoyed the Thanksgiving break. Runoff elections for various local government races are tomorrow. We’re 42 days away from the start of Georgia’s legislative session. And we’re 169 days away from the primary for U.S. Senate, governor and other races.
Here are three other things to know for today
- Fulton County taxpayers might have to pay the legal bills of President Donald Trump and his co-defendants in the recently dismissed election interference case, the AJC’s Tamar Hallerman reports.
- Brian Magerko, a professor of digital media at Georgia Tech, spoke with the AJC’s Michelle Baruchman about how to spot artificial intelligence in political ads.
- Ja’Quon Stembridge resigned as the Georgia Republican Party’s assistant secretary over the weekend, Greg Bluestein reports. He did not respond to a request for comment and GOP Chair Josh McKoon declined to offer details.
Follow the money
Earlier this year, the state Legislature agreed to spend $600 million on Georgia’s troubled prison system. Today, House lawmakers will check in to see how it’s going.
State Rep. Bill Hitchens, R-Rincon, will question Department of Corrections officials during a budget hearing this morning. He’ll be especially interested in whether state officials have made progress on replacing the locks on cell doors throughout the system.
Consultants hired by Gov. Brian Kemp noted earlier this year that the locks on many cell doors don’t work, allowing inmates to move freely through parts of the facility and making it easier for gangs to operate.
Department of Corrections Commissioner Tyrone Oliver told lawmakers in January it could take up to six years to fix all of the locks. But Hitchens and others want them to move faster.
“We just want to find out for certain what’s going on and where we stand and what we can look to in the future,” Hitchens said.
Dodged a bullet
The Atlantic Hurricane season ended Sunday and, for the first time in a decade, a major storm did not make landfall in the United States.
It was a welcome reprieve for the southeast states like Georgia, which are still dealing with the fallout from Hurricane Helene last year. Georgia farmers are still waiting on tens of millions of dollars from the federal government to help make up for their lost harvests.
The quiet season also delayed testing the federal government’s response to disasters, which many worried had been compromised following budget cuts from the Trump administration to the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
NOAA had predicted a busy hurricane season and they weren’t wrong. We ended up with 13 named storms, five of which developed into hurricanes. Hurricane Melissa hit Jamaica last month with 185 mph winds, tying a record for the strongest storm to ever hit land.
Sandy Springs showdown
Tomorrow’s runoff for Sandy Springs mayor is shaping up as an unmistakably partisan showdown — even though the race is technically nonpartisan.
Incumbent Rusty Paul, seeking a fourth term, is a former Georgia GOP chair and ex-Republican state legislator. He remains a dominant figure in what was once a rock-solid GOP stronghold but has grown increasingly competitive as Atlanta’s inner suburbs have shifted left.
His challenger, Dontaye Carter, is a progressive Democrat who lost decisively to Paul four years ago but returned with a far more formidable coalition.
He’s backed by former gubernatorial nominee Stacey Abrams, who has has volunteered for his campaign, and the Democratic Party of Georgia, which is steering activists to support his bid.
Carter is running on a populist message focused on halting rent hikes, capping property taxes, and rethinking corporate tax breaks — themes designed to energize a younger, more diverse electorate in the city of 108,000.
“With Republicans wreaking havoc in Washington, local elections matter now more than ever,” said Democratic Party of Georgia Chair Charlie Bailey. “Working families need leaders that are gonna stand up and fight for them, and we have a leader like that in Dontaye Carter.”
Paul, meanwhile, is leaning on Republican support, headlined by the endorsement of Gov. Brian Kemp.
But he also picked up a surprise boost from Council members Andy Bauman and Jody Reichel, two former candidates for mayor who finished third and fourth in the first round. And in a notable cross-the-aisle twist that we told you about last month, Paul is supported by state Rep. Esther Panitch, a Democrat who represents much of the city.
Listen up
Today on the “Politically Georgia” podcast Sam Foster discusses his narrow loss to four-term Marietta Mayor Steve “Thunder” Tumlin. Then, we answer your questions from the mailbag.
You can listen and subscribe to Politically Georgia for free an 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.
Visa changes
After apologizing for an immigration raid at a Hyundai plant in Georgia, the Trump administration took steps last week to approve more visas for South Koreans wanting to work in the United States.
The New York Times reports the State Department says it now has the capacity to conduct 5,000 more interviews at the U.S. embassy in Seoul. It said the move is part of President Donald Trump’s “commitment to U.S. reindustrialization by facilitating legitimate business travel.”
Meanwhile, the Trump administration paused issuing visas to people from Afghanistan over the weekend. The decision came after an Afghan national was arrested and accused of shooting two National Guard members in Washington. One of the Guard members died.
Today in Washington
- President Donald Trump will sign legislation. First lady Melania Trump will unveil the White House holiday decorations.
- The House has evening votes scheduled.
- The Senate will vote on more Trump nominations.
AME churches mourn
Bishop Reginald Jackson, the former head of roughly 500 African Methodist Episcopal congregations in Georgia, died suddenly last week. He was 71.
Jackson left Georgia last year to take on a new role leading a region that includes churches in Maryland, North Carolina, Virginia and Washington, D.C. In addition to being a spiritual leader, Jackson was deeply involved in politics and wasn’t afraid of sharing his Democrat-leaning perspectives.
During an appearance on the “Politically Georgia” podcast in February 2024, Jackson spoke about embracing activism in the pulpit.
“I remind people, the greatest period of growth in the history of the Black church was when the Black church was more socially active,” he said. “For example, during the Civil Rights Movement you couldn’t get a seat in the Black church anywhere on Sunday morning because the Black church was socially active. In fact, the leadership of the Civil Rights Movement came from the Black church.”
A public viewing and funeral service is scheduled for Dec. 12.
Shoutouts
Today’s birthday:
- State Rep. Gary Richardson, R-Evans.
Belated birthday:
- Jake Orvis, co-founder of First Edition Strategies (was Sunday).
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
With The Atlanta Journal-Constitution set to end its print edition on Dec. 31, editors, reporters and photographers reflect on their “big break” — the story that made them feel they belonged in the newsroom.
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.
About the Authors
Greg Bluestein is the Atlanta Journal Constitution's chief political reporter. He is also an author, TV analyst and co-host of the Politically Georgia podcast.
Tia Mitchell is the AJC’s Washington Bureau Chief and a co-host of the "Politically Georgia" podcast. She writes about Georgia’s congressional delegation, campaigns, elections and the impact that decisions made in D.C. have on residents of the Peach State.
Patricia Murphy is the AJC's senior political columnist. She was previously a nationally syndicated columnist for CQ Roll Call, national political reporter for the Daily Beast and Politics Daily, and wrote for The Washington Post and Garden & Gun. She graduated from Vanderbilt and holds a master’s degree in journalism from Columbia University.
More Stories
The Latest
