Democratic criticism mounts over Hasan Piker comments
Today’s newsletter highlights:
- A Georgia lawmaker blames AI in part for a campaign finance reporting discrepancy.
- Mike Collins unveils new policy priorities in his Senate bid.
- Everton Blair Jr. makes history in Georgia’s congressional delegation.
Piker backlash grows
Add Georgia U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff to the growing list of Democrats condemning left-wing commentator Hasan Piker after he suggested that pro-Israel advocacy could fuel violence against American Jews.
Pressed on Piker’s remarks, Ossoff said through a spokesperson that the he “unreservedly rejects reckless and dangerous rhetoric suggesting that policy advocacy invites violence against the Jewish community or any community.”
“American Jews and all Americans must have the freedom and security to speak out and petition their government without fear of reprisal,” he added.
Ossoff, Georgia’s first Jewish U.S. senator, joins several prominent Democrats criticizing Piker over remarks comparing Israel to a “Jewish ISIS” and warning that outspoken support for the country could provoke antisemitic attacks.
“If Jews in America keep putting this idea out there that they are singularly invested in Israel, eventually someone is going to come around and take action, not against the state of Israel mind you, but against American Jews,” Piker said this week.
Piker, who commands a massive online following on the left, has drawn heat before for other incendiary remarks, including a statement that “Hamas is a thousand times better than Israel.”
U.S. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries issued a sharply critical statement this week condemning Piker’s remarks, as did U.S. Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey.
Piker called the blowback a “coordinated smear campaign,” and said his remarks aimed to warn listeners against conflating Judaism with Zionism.
The backlash is notable because Piker has used his enormous online audience to boost some Democratic contenders, including Michigan U.S. Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed. He’s also praised Ossoff as a “dark-horse” presidential prospect.
Ossoff’s criticism of the Israeli government has alienated some members of Georgia’s Jewish community. Others have recoiled from Republican U.S. Senate nominee Mike Collins, who has faced scrutiny over his son-in-law’s antisemitic social media posts.
Collins has said Piker’s praise of Ossoff helps him frame the election in stark terms.
“This race is simple: it’s America vs. the people who hate it.”
Things to know
Good morning! The midterms are in 68 days. You have 39 days left to register to vote. Here are three things to know for today:
- Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms and Republican Rick Jackson both say they will raise teacher salaries if elected governor, Cassidy Alexander reports.
- Former Gov. Zell Miller had some help from Dolly Parton for a literacy initiative in the 1990s, Greg Bluestein reports.
- The fate of Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens’ signature legislation aimed at tackling the city’s massive wealth divide now rests largely in the hands of the local school board, Shaddi Abusaid and Martha Dalton report.
AI troubles
Artificial intelligence apps can make your life easier. They can also cause trouble.
State Rep. Mitchell Horner, R-Ringgold, found that out with his latest campaign finance report. The report showed he made more than 100 payments to himself totaling more than $10,000 and filed incorrect addresses for 43 transactions.
Horner told the Chattanooga Times Free Press part of the problem was an AI tool he uses filled in the wrong column on a spreadsheet and attached incorrected addresses to businesses.
The newspaper reported Horner has since amended his report. But Robert Nolen, chair of the Catoosa County Democratic Party, filed an ethics complaint.
AI has caused some trouble in the courts recently. The Georgia Supreme Court suspended a Clayton County prosecutor earlier this year after she used AI to file briefs that were filled with phony case law.
Policy pivot
Collins is starting to put more policy meat on the bones of his U.S. Senate campaign.
This week, the Republican nominee highlighted two proposals he says would be priorities in Washington:
- The VORTEX Act, aimed at reducing veteran overdose deaths by improving coordination between the Department of Veterans Affairs and community providers and preventing duplicate opioid prescriptions.
- The PERMIT Act, which Collins says would speed up federal permitting for housing and infrastructure projects and cut regulatory delays.
The rollout comes as Collins tries to shift more of the race toward policy and away from the personal and partisan attacks that have dominated much of the campaign.
Jackson’s plan
Bluestein reported this week how Gov. Brian Kemp appears to be bucking the national trend by embracing data center development at a time of deep voter skepticism of the projects. Now, Jackson is laying out his vision for the industry.
In an opinion essay published this morning by the AJC, the Republican nominee for governor laid out five conditions data center projects must meet to be approved:
- Local support
- Local financial benefit
- No higher utility bills for residents.
- Any tax incentive or other agreements must be transparent and enforceable.
- Must meet strict environmental standards.
Listen up
Today on the “Politically Georgia” podcast Greg Bluestein talks with former Democratic Secretary of State Cathy Cox and former Republican state Rep. Scot Turner about the growing distrust of Georgia’s elections and the challenges facing the state’s next election officials.
You can listen and subscribe to “Politically Georgia” for free on Apple Podcasts, 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.
Blair becomes the first
When Everton Blair Jr. is sworn in next week, he will become the first Black openly gay man elected to Congress from the South.
“As Republicans try to silence the will of voters — especially Black voters in the South — and attack LGBTQ+ rights across the country, Rep.-elect Blair’s victory is proof that progress is possible,” the national Democratic Party wrote in a post on Instagram.
The LGBTQ+ Victory Fund, a political organization that has long backed Blair, called his win “a milestone for representation and a moment worth celebrating.”
Blair won the special election runoff Tuesday night to complete the late U.S. Rep. David Scott’s term in office, defeating Scott’s daughter Marcye Scott. He will be in office through the end of the year, spending roughly nine weeks total casting votes in Washington when accounting for various recesses.
Today in Washington
- President Donald Trump will speak at a fundraiser in Houston supporting Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s U.S. Senate campaign.
- The House returns Monday.
- The Senate is out until mid-September.
Shoutouts
Kudos:
- State Rep. Scott Hilton, R-Peachtree Corners, won the Torchbearer for Education award from the Professional Association of Georgia Educators (PAGE) for his leadership to keep cellphones out of Georgia classrooms.
- State Rep. Regina Lewis-Ward, D-McDonough, was recently appointed to the Clayton State University Alumni Board of Advisors.
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
A former staffer for Collins shared images in June and July on his X account of a swastika and one that depicts himself in Ku Klux Klan robes, the Washington Post reports.
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.