Burt Jones’ campaign pivots to MARTA safety after deadly attack
Today’s newsletter highlights
- A Washington nonprofit puts Social Security predictions in perspective.
- The fallout from the First Liberty scandal reaches Georgia’s Republican runoff for lieutenant governor.
- Some of the Democratic Party’s biggest names are lining up behind Josh McLaurin.
Safety concerns
The brutal murder of a 66-year-old woman on a MARTA train over the weekend has transit officials dealing with fears abut the system’s safety just weeks ahead of the FIFA World Cup. Now, they’ll have to contend with the politics, too.
Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, one of two Republicans in a contentious runoff for governor later this month, pledged this week that if elected he would deploy Georgia State Patrol troopers to MARTA trains if necessary to keep people safe.
“Atlanta is hosting the World Cup this summer and this is an embarrassment and a tragedy,” Jones added.
The killing is similar to the killing of Iryna Zarutska on a train in Charlotte last year. That incident quickly spread through the right-wing media universe as evidence of what they said was Democrats’ abdication of public safety.
Vice President JD Vance even discussed the option of sending in the National Guard. That didn’t happen, but President Donald Trump did send in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to Charlotte, part of his nationwide crackdown.
The Trump administration hasn’t reacted yet to this incident. But Jones’ response offers a preview of the attacks likely to come against Democratic nominee Keisha Lance Bottoms, whose tenure as Atlanta mayor was marred by an increase in violent crime during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Things to know
Good morning! Here are three things to know for today:
- Georgia’s 10 leadership committees raised $6.7 million so far this year. But pending lawsuits could stop them in the future, the AJC’s David Wickert reports.
- Some on the left are clamoring for U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff to run for president in 2028. Patricia Murphy says it’s not happening.
- MARTA has postponed the planned launch of its new train cars, the AJC’s Sara Gregory reports.
Gut check
We’ve been awash in warnings about the Social Security program for decades, and the glut of doomsday predictions can make it difficult to know what’s at stake. Now, a Washington nonprofit wants to put it all in perspective.
The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget has released a state-by-state breakdown of what would happen if the Social Security trust funds were to go insolvent. Here are the numbers for Georgia:
- The average retiree would lose $487 per month.
- More than 1.7 million Georgians would be impacted, or 15.6% of the population.
- Total benefits lost: $9.8 billion, a 1.1% share of the state’s economy.
How likely is this to happen? The latest annual report put the go-broke date at 2034. But the committee estimates the Trump administration’s “big, beautiful” budget law will bump that date up to 2032.
If the fund does go insolvent, the committee estimates Social Security beneficiaries would face an across-the-board cut of about 24%.
Investment scrutiny
The fallout from the First Liberty scandal is now reaching Georgia’s Republican runoff for lieutenant governor.
At a May debate, state Sen. Greg Dolezal was pressed by rival state Sen. Steve Gooch about his ties to the Newnan-based firm at the center of what federal regulators have described as a massive Ponzi scheme.
Dolezal responded that he had “received zero business funds” from First Liberty. He said his company, Renewed Vision, never did business with the firm. And he said he was the first elected official to return campaign contributions linked to First Liberty’s network.
But newly filed records show the court-appointed receiver is examining roughly $600,000 in investments connected to Dolezal and another company he operates, GRD Ventures.
Dolezal said the money stemmed from a bridge-loan investment tied to a specific project, not from the promissory notes that federal investigators say were used to raise money from hundreds of investors.
He said he had no role in recruiting investors or selling First Liberty notes and has not recovered his investment.
“Like so many, I was taken advantage of by First Liberty,” Dolezal said. “My hope is that those responsible are held fully accountable and that every Georgian impacted by this scheme is made whole.”
McLaurin’s momentum
Some of the party’s biggest names are lining up behind state Sen. Josh McLaurin in the runoff for lieutenant governor. Ossoff endorsed McLaurin on Tuesday, joining U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock and two-time Democratic gubernatorial nominee Stacey Abrams.
The backing comes after a bruising Atlanta Press Club debate in which McLaurin blasted former state Sen. Nabilah Parkes for resigning her seat shortly after launching her bid, casting her as a political opportunist. Parkes fired back that she entered the race because she believed McLaurin was running a campaign destined to lose.
Will the big-name blessings put McLaurin over the top in the June 16 runoff? He was the leading vote-getter in the May primary by a whisker. But turnout remains one of the biggest wild cards. The party’s marquee contests are already settled, leaving down-ballot races to compete for attention against Republicans.
Listen up
Today on the “Politically Georgia” podcast AJC politics reporter Riley Bunch joins the show to talk about Georgia’s latest primary runoff debates and what the performances could mean ahead of the June 16 runoffs.
You can listen and subscribe to “Politically Georgia” for free on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube 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.
‘Good trouble’
The John & Lillian Miles Lewis Foundation’s fundraising gala Tuesday night brought out a who’s who of Democratic leaders who once served alongside the late U.S. Rep. John Lewis in Washington.
Held near both the White House and the U.S. Capitol, remarks from former U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and current House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries tied present day efforts to combat the dismantling of the Voting Rights Act to Lewis’ life work on the issue of voter access and protections.
Ossoff, who got his start in politics working as an intern for Lewis, said a recent Supreme Court ruling that weakened the Voting Rights Act presents new challenges but also a chance to embody lessons that Lewis taught.
“It is more important than ever, given the state of our union, that we keep the congressman’s spirit close,” Ossoff said. “That we ensure his example shines on all of us and is sustained.”
Today in Washington
- Trump will sign executive orders and host a dinner at the White House.
- The House will vote on a war powers resolution to limit more strikes in Iran. It could also take action on a war powers resolution to remove troops from Lebanon and a bill expressing support for Ukraine.
- The Senate will vote on legislation to reimplement environmental protections blocked by the Trump administration, and there could be procedural votes on the reconciliation bill funding immigration enforcement.
Shoutouts
Want a birthday shoutout in the Politically Georgia newsletter? There’s a form for that. It’s not just birthdays. We’re also interested in new jobs, engagements, birth announcements, etc.
Before you go
We’ve been chuckling at news releases from Derek Dooley’s U.S. Senate campaign urging people to come out and see “Derek Dooley & the Kemps.” It sounds more like a concert than a campaign.
That’ll do it for us today. As always, you can send your best scoops, gossip and insider information 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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