Governor’s race: Duncan, Thurmond are first to reveal latest fundraising totals
Today’s newsletter highlights:
- State lawmakers delay public hearing on banking bill.
- An anonymous group reports spending $14 million criticizing Burt Jones.
- Roy Barnes and Nathan Deal call for nonpartisan probate judges.
Money matters
It’s put-up-or-shut-up time for Georgia’s gubernatorial hopefuls. And former Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan and ex-DeKalb CEO Michael Thurmond are the first major contenders to show their cards after Saturday’s fundraising deadline.
Duncan, the Republican-turned-Democrat, said he collected more than $1.1 million between his September launch and the Jan. 31 cutoff — a sum his campaign says includes more than 11,000 individual contributions. He didn’t say how much cash he had on hand.
“Every day the tent is getting bigger because everywhere I go there are more and more Democrats, independents and disgusted Republicans who are supporting the campaign,” Duncan said.
Thurmond’s filing shows he raised roughly $725,000 since entering the campaign in August. He loaned himself another $300,000. He ended with nearly $700,000 cash on hand.
The other main Democratic candidates — former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, former state Sen. Jason Esteves and state Rep. Ruwa Romman — have yet to report their fundraising totals.
Neither have the top Republican hopefuls: Attorney General Chris Carr, Lt. Gov. Burt Jones and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger.
Duncan is staking his bid on electability, betting Democrats will forgive his past support for GOP priorities and embrace his argument that he’s the party’s best shot in November.
Rivals are beginning to sharpen their attacks, with Esteves arguing Duncan’s record of backing abortion limits and other Republican causes will be a deal-breaker for many liberal voters who power the party’s base.
Things to know
Good morning! It’s Aerospace and Defense Day at the Georgia Capitol. Georgia Aerospace and Defense Alliance will have an F-35 simulator in the Capitol Rotunda. Gov. Brian Kemp plans to give it a test flight at 2 p.m., part of the alliance’s effort to highlight the industry’s $57.5 billion economic impact in the state.
Here are three other things to know for today:
- President Donald Trump said last week’s FBI raid of a Fulton County election warehouse will confirm his belief the election was stolen from him, the AJC’s David Wickert reports.
- Georgia Republicans are worried that voter fatigue, lingering unease over Trump and a fractured GOP field could put the state’s 14th Congressional District seat at risk, Greg Bluestein reports.
- State lawmakers advanced legislation that could strip some protections for people living long term in hotels, the AJC’s Matt Reynolds reports.
Banking battle
State lawmakers on Monday paused a fight over who will investigate a $140 million Ponzi scheme with deep ties to the Republican Party. But it would be a mistake to interpret the brief delay as a sign that the battle is over.
The House Banks and Banking Committee punted a public hearing on legislation that would strip Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger’s authority to investigate the fraud surrounding First Liberty Building and Loan.
The delay came after Noula Zaharis, assistant commissioner of securities in the secretary of state’s office, sent a letter to the committee outlining her concerns, just one of several recent letters raising alarms.
Zaharis noted the office’s securities division operates under laws governing securities, commodities, cemeteries and charitable solicitations. Shifting securities oversight to another agency, she wrote, would require that office to spend roughly $1 million hiring new staff to do work the secretary of state’s office is already performing.
“This is not government efficiency,” Zaharis wrote.
State Rep. Noel Williams Jr., the committee’s chair and the bill’s lead sponsor, said he delayed the hearing so he could spend more time digesting Zaharis’ letter. But he told us he remained committed to moving the investigative authority to the Department of Banking and Finance, saying 22 other states do it that way.
“We’re going to get something sensible,” said Williams, a Republican from Cordele. “We want to protect all Georgians.”
Mystery money
The mystery group behind the eye-popping attack ads targeting Lt. Gov. Burt Jones may just be getting started.
A few months ago, the $1 million ad spend by Georgians for Integrity was enough to draw headlines.
Now the group funded by anonymous donors reports spending nearly $14 million attacking the GOP candidate for governor, including a roughly $5 million buy for the month of February.
Jones and his allies have spent weeks trying to uncover the source of the barrage, deploying ethics complaints and legal threats. His supporters have pointed fingers at rivals, who deny any involvement. Still, the money trail remains murky and the group’s financier remain in the shadows.
Doctor visits
House Speaker Jon Burns is moving quickly on one of his legislative priorities this session: getting more health care workers in Georgia.
The House on Monday passed House Bill 659, which expands a cancelable loan program for doctors to include optometrists. While the legislation could make it easier for optometrists to set up shop in Georgia, state Rep. Gerald Greene, R-Cuthbert, has a larger goal.
“We hope and trust that this is the beginning of a process for an optometry school in the state of Georgia,” he said.
Greene said Georgia is one of the most populous states without an optometry school, meaning prospective eye doctors must do their training in places like Alabama or Tennessee.
Nonpartisan judges
Former Georgia Govs. Roy Barnes and Nathan Deal are teaming up once again to make politics in Georgia a little less partisan.
Barnes, a Democrat, and Deal, a Republican, sent a letter to state lawmakers recently urging them to make probate judges nonpartisan offices. The move would require placing a constitutional amendment on the ballot this fall, meaning Democrats and Republicans would have to come together to get the necessary two-thirds vote required for passage.
“Though we hail from different political backgrounds, we are united in our belief that Georgia’s courts — especially those closest to our citizens — must be impartial, professional, and above all, free from the undue influence of partisan politics,” they wrote.
House Resolution 251 has already passed the Judiciary Committee and is eligible for a vote in the House.
Under the Gold Dome
It’s day 11 of the legislative session. Some happenings:
- 10 a.m.: House and Senate convene.
- 1 p.m.: House Agriculture and Consumer Affairs Committee will meet to discuss but not vote on Senate Bill 33, the Georgia Hemp Farming Act.
- 1 p.m.: Senate Committee on Retirement meets to discuss Senate Bill 143, which would let certain members of the Georgia Firefighter’s Pension Fund retire at age 50. They’ll also discuss Senate Bill 150, which would extend a program allowing public school systems to employ certain beneficiaries of the Teachers Retirement System of Georgia as classroom teachers.
- 2 p.m.: House Public and Community Health Committee meets to discuss House Bill 717, which would regulate the administration of psychedelic-assisted treatment and therapy.
- 3 p.m.: State Rep. Soo Hong’s Judiciary subcommittee meets to consider House Bill 1076, which would create the felony offense of obstruction of a law enforcement officer with a motor vehicle. They’ll also consider Senate Bill 74, which would remove protections from librarians if minors are exposed to harmful materials.
Temporary help
Planned Parenthood Southeast is getting some management help from Los Angeles in the aftermath of a messy leadership fight.
Staff from Planned Parenthood Los Angeles will take over management of the Atlanta-based chapter that covers Georgia, Alabama and Mississippi. The management agreement is only temporary, with Renée Delphin-Rodriguez acting as managing director for the partnership.
“For patients, the most important question is simple: Can I still come to Planned Parenthood for care? The answer is yes,” Delphin-Rodriguez said in a news release.
The changes comes after Mairo Akpose resigned as Planned Parenthood Southeast’s interim president and CEO after current and former staff accused her of not fully supporting the agency’s stance on reproductive rights.
When the claims were made public in October, Akpose released a statement saying her Christian faith “grounds my belief in bodily autonomy and reproductive freedom — in every person’s right to access quality, compassionate care, including abortion care, and to receive accurate information that empowers them to make the best choices for their lives.”
Listen up
Today on the “Politically Georgia” podcast you’ll hear how voters are feeling about former U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s recent resignation. We’ll also discuss the wide range of candidates looking to replace her.
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.
Government funding
The U.S. House today will take a key procedural vote on government funding legislation that, if successful, will set up a vote this afternoon to end the partial shutdown.
The question for Speaker Mike Johnson is whether he can get virtually all of his fellow Republicans to support the measure since Democrats have made it clear that they will not provide any votes for it.
Some conservatives have indicated that they have problems with aspects of the bill, which includes full-year funding for agencies covered by five appropriations bills and two-weeks of stopgap funding for the Department of Homeland Security. Others have said they want to insert new language, like legislation creating national elections standards.
President Donald Trump on Monday said that he expects the House to pass the funding legislation without amendments to end the shutdown as soon as possible.
“We need to get the Government open, and I hope all Republicans and Democrats will join me in supporting this Bill, and send it to my desk WITHOUT DELAY,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “There can be NO CHANGES at this time.”
If all goes according to plan, Trump could have a bill on his desk to sign by dinner time.
Today in Washington
- President Donald Trump will meet at the White House with President Gustavo Petro of Colombia.
- The House could vote on a funding bill that would end the partial government shutdown underway since Saturday.
- The Senate will vote on more Trump nominations.
- Congressional Democrats will hold a forum on immigration enforcement. The brothers of Renee Good, who was killed by an U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer in Minnesota, are among those slated to testify.
Shoutouts
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Before you go
Georgia Republican lawmakers are moving to rework how the state conducts its elections, including using hand-marked paper ballots tabulated by machines.
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.
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