Rick Jackson, Brian Kemp unite for first time since GOP primary

Today’s newsletter highlights:

• Takeaways from the Georgia Chamber’s annual congressional luncheon.
• Jon Ossoff endorses Abdul El-Sayed, Michigan’s Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate.
• Anthony Fauci faces a contempt-of-Congress vote today.

New alliance

Republican nominee for governor Rick Jackson (right) speaks with moderator Brian Robinson during the Georgia Chamber's annual Congressional Luncheon in Athens on Wednesday. (Hyosub Shin/AJC)

It could have been even more awkward when Gov. Brian Kemp united with Republican Rick Jackson for the first time since the billionaire became the GOP nominee to succeed him.

After all, Kemp’s last-minute decision to back Lt. Gov. Burt Jones in the GOP primary instead of Jackson ended in a humbling defeat — the second of the governor’s unsuccessful endorsements this cycle.

Plus, Jackson spent much of the campaign railing against the status quo, ruffling GOP establishment feathers along the way.

Instead, their joint appearance Wednesday was a fairly ho-hum affair.

The two held a news conference on the sidelines of the Georgia Chamber’s annual congressional luncheon in Athens, marking the informal debut of their new alliance.

Kemp praised Jackson’s backstory and said his business know-how would help everyday Georgians overcome the “remnants” of President Joe Biden’s economic policies.

“He worked hard. He’s smart. He’s created thousands of jobs, given opportunity to thousands of Georgians, and has the character to be our next governor,” Kemp said. “And also the heart. And that’s what people need.”

Jackson returned the favor, repeating a favorite campaign line that Georgians should erect a monument to Kemp for his leadership through the coronavirus pandemic.

“I’m going to try my best to be at least as good and build off that legacy,” Jackson said. “You not only solved COVID, but you had to overcome odds.”

So the awkward, clearing-the-air part may be over.

The more consequential question is what comes next: how Jackson plans to deploy Kemp, how enthusiastically the governor embraces the role and whether their political operations will mesh.

Jackson is already building a massive campaign apparatus separate from both the Georgia GOP and Kemp’s own machinery. But the governor remains a valuable campaign asset.

Other takeaways:

• Jackson put to bed any speculation that as governor he would reignite efforts to wrest control of Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport from the city of Atlanta, Sophia Eppley and Tia Mitchell report.
• Jackson said local communities should have control over whether to accept data centers — “full stop” — while pitching them as a way some rural counties could potentially eliminate property taxes in some communities. “And we’ve got to educate people on the data centers,” he said. “I think there’s a lot of misinformation.”
• He promised to create a major venture-capital and private-equity pool for Georgia businesses, though it’s not yet clear how it would be funded.
• He repeated his opposition to a full-scale Medicaid expansion, instead pushing for a federal block grant from the Trump administration to give state officials to spend it as they see fit.

Things to know

U.S. Rep. Mike Collins speaks during Wednesday's Georgia Chamber Congressional Luncheon in Athens. (Hyosub Shin/AJC)

Good morning! The midterms are in 89 days. Here are three things to know for today:

• Two Republican mayors from the reddest parts of Georgia are breaking ranks to back Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff’s reelection bid, Greg Bluestein reports.
• Republican colleagues of U.S. Rep. Mike Collins, the GOP nominee for Senate in Georgia, defended his handling of his son-in-law’s white nationalist social media posts, Tia Mitchell reports.
• A state judge has approved Fulton County officials’ request for a temporary order to collect property taxes after a delay in certifying this year’s tax digest, Martha Dalton reports.

Flashback

Gov. Brian Kemp (right) speaks as moderator Chris Clark, president and CEO of the Georgia Chamber, listens during the Georgia Chamber Congressional Luncheon on Wednesday in Athens. (Hyosub Shin/AJC)

Kemp’s pitch for Jackson at the Georgia Chamber’s annual congressional luncheon felt like a throwback.

“When people think about their governor, they want somebody that is successful, they want somebody that knows that you feel their pain and you understand what they are struggling to go through every day,” Kemp said.

It was former President Bill Clinton who famously said “I feel your pain” in response to a heckler during a 1992 presidential campaign stop. Kemp, of course, was referring to Jackson’s rough upbringing in Georgia’s foster care system.

But more than that, Kemp said he believed Jackson would continue his philosophy of “giving money back to the taxpayers.”

“I believe that man can keep this going. And that’s why I’m supporting him,” Kemp said.

More highlights

Democratic nominee for governor Keisha Lance Bottoms (right) gets a hug from moderator Tharon Johnson, founder and CEO of Paramount Consulting Group, after speaking during the Georgia Chamber Congressional Luncheon on Wednesday in Athens. (Hyosub Shin/AJC)

Democratic nominee for governor Keisha Lance Bottoms, Collins and the four people in line to become the newest members of Georgia’s congressional delegation were also in the lineup during the Georgia Chamber’s Congressional Luncheon on Wednesday.

A few notes about what we heard:

• Bottoms noted she and Kemp have areas where they agree, and if elected she won’t attempt to dismantle everything he’s done. “Those things that are working well, we’ll continue to do. It’s not salacious when we’re getting along (and) when we’re working together. Usually, it makes the news on those things that we disagree on.”
• Collins provided the welcome and noted that this year’s luncheon was taking place in his congressional district. “I look forward to working with everyone in this room and across our state to deliver leadership that makes Georgia more affordable, more prosperous, and a better place for every family,” Collins told the crowd.
• Republicans John Cowan, Houston Gaines, Jim Kingston and Democrat Jasmine Clark are all their party’s nominees for U.S. House seats that they are likely to win given the partisan leanings in their respective districts. The three talked about their backgrounds and how that will inform their time in Congress, if elected.
• Former U.S. Rep. Drew Ferguson, who decided against running for reelection in 2024 and is now a lobbyist, had some of the best lines of the day as he encouraged the future lawmakers to not let partisanship get in the way of working together. “When Georgia speaks as one voice under the dome in D.C., it is a powerful thing,” he said.

Michigan ties

Abdul El-Sayed leaves a news conference at the Spirit of Detroit after winning the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate in Michigan on Wednesday. (Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP)

Shortly after Abdul El-Sayed defeated the Democratic establishment to win Michigan’s U.S. Senate primary, Ossoff offered the progressive nominee his support.

“The primary is in the past and the nominee has my support,” the Georgia Democrat said.

Collins quickly seized on the endorsement, using it to reinforce his strategy of painting Ossoff as an out-of-touch liberal.

“Ossoff’s done pretending,” Collins said. “Openly backing the progressive socialist who pushed ‘defund the police’ and beat the party establishment in Michigan. The act is over.”

It’s another example of how Collins intends to nationalize the race by trying to make the Democratic Party’s most liberal figures Ossoff’s running mates, whether the senator likes it or not.

Listen up

"Priced Out in America," a new series hosted by CNN anchor and chief domestic correspondent Phil Mattingly, examines the structural pressures behind an array of issues including rising housing costs. (Hyosub Shin/AJC)

Today on the “Politically Georgia” podcast Patricia Murphy and Tia Mitchell talk with CNN anchor and chief domestic correspondent Phil Mattingly about “Priced Out in America,” his series examining the structural pressures behind rising housing, healthcare and childcare costs.