Trump tells midterm voters to ‘pretend I’m on the ballot’
Today’s newsletter highlights
- Pete Buttigieg endorses Penny Brown Reynolds for secretary of state.
- Georgia Supreme Court rules against the Department of Public Safety.
- The Georgia Chamber backs Rick Jackson for governor.
Make believe
If U.S. Rep. Mike Collins needed to justify why he was one of the few Republicans in a competitive Senate race willing to trek to the GOP’s midterm convention in Dallas, the scene Wednesday night gave an answer.
The Republican Senate nominee landed a primetime national platform to unload on Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff, calling him a “man too weak and too vain to stand up for what’s right” during a fiery speech that cast the incumbent as an attention-seeking radical.
That came along with something Collins has wanted even more: signs that President Donald Trump’s enormous political war chest is finally headed Georgia’s way.
The Trump-aligned MAGA Inc. super PAC reserved about $1.3 million in Georgia advertising that could be used to bolster Collins. It could also be used to promote the president. Either way, Collins is happy.
“Love it,” Collins told The New York Times. “Two thumbs up.”
But the same night also illustrated the gamble Collins is making by wrapping himself so tightly around Trump.
The president did not namecheck Collins or Georgia Republican nominee for governor Rick Jackson in his nearly two-hour speech Wednesday night, even though he made mentions of several other GOP candidates in must-win races.
Trump urged Republicans to “pretend that I’m on the ballot” in November, effectively inviting voters to treat the midterms as a referendum on himself.
Democrats are only too happy to oblige, wagering that Trump’s sagging approval ratings — and his last-ditch gambit to offer American adults $5,000 if Republicans keep control of Congress — will weigh down the entire GOP ticket.
“For the life of me, I can’t figure out why these GOP nominees feel possessed to keep hanging out with Donald Trump with less than two months to go,” said Democratic state Sen. Josh McLaurin, the party’s nominee for lieutenant governor.
“It has moth-to-flame energy.”
Things to know
Good morning! The midterms are in 54 days. You have 25 days left to register to vote. Here are three things to know for today:
- A growing number of people in Georgia have stopped fighting their deportation cases and left the country via voluntary departure, Lautaro Grinspan reports.
- Georgia Republicans haven’t abandoned hard-fought culture war issues. But the party’s nominee for governor isn’t leading the charge this campaign cycle, Greg Bluestein reports.
- Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger Wednesday joined a bipartisan group of elected officials urging the U.S. Supreme Court to reject the Trump administration’s plans to use the U.S. Postal Service to vet voters for the November election, David Wickert and Caleb Groves report.
Georgia on his mind
Former U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg continues to focus on battleground Georgia ahead of a potential presidential bid.
His latest move: He told us this morning he’s formally endorsing Penny Brown Reynolds, the Democratic nominee for secretary of state.
“In the face of systematic attacks on voting rights and elections in Georgia, Judge Penny Brown Reynolds will lead with experience, courage and integrity,” Buttigieg said, adding that Reynolds is “ready to protect the right to vote and to work to give every Georgian a fair shot.”
Buttigieg has been steadily expanding his footprint in the state. He campaigned for U.S. House candidate Shawn Harris, endorsed Ossoff’s reelection bid and last month backed Keisha Lance Bottoms for governor. Now he’s reaching further down the ballot.
There’s a bigger 2028 subplot here, too. Buttigieg told us last month that anyone thinking about the Democratic Party’s future “ought to be paying a lot of attention to Georgia right now.” He clearly is.
Not so fast
In July 2021, the Georgia Department of Public Safety used two helicopters and a fixed-wing aircraft on a drug raid. The aircraft flew low to the ground and destroyed $37,000 worth of lawful hemp crops at a farm owned by Blue 42.
Blue 42 sued because the Georgia Constitution says “private property shall not be taken or damaged” without “adequate compensation.” But the courts ruled DPS was exempt because it was exercising its “police power.”
Wednesday, the Georgia Supreme Court reversed that decision.
“Police power” is a broad term that means more than just law enforcement. DPS argued Georgia law recognized a broad exemption for police powers. But the Supreme Court disagreed.
“The police power is so broad that a rule that exempts all exercise of that power would dangerously undermine private property rights,” Chief Justice Nels S.D. Peterson wrote for the majority.
Your turn
Our friends over at WANF are getting ready to host a major Oct. 6 debate for governor between Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms and Republican Rick Jackson. And they’re looking for some help from voters.
If you’re an undecided Georgia voter, you can apply to participate in the town hall-style debate at Assembly Atlanta with a chance to question the candidates directly.
The campaigns don’t get to pick the participants. WANF says its team will independently screen applicants from across the state.
So if you’re still genuinely torn between Bottoms and Jackson, here’s your chance to question them yourself.
An endorsement with backstory
Republican Rick Jackson just landed a major vote of confidence from Georgia’s business establishment.
The Georgia Chamber endorsed Jackson for governor Wednesday, citing the billionaire healthcare executive’s business experience and policy platform.
There’s some history here. The chamber pointedly stayed neutral in the 2018 showdown between Stacey Abrams and Brian Kemp, even as it made endorsements in other races.
Four years later, the chamber got off the sidelines early. It endorsed Kemp’s reelection bid in late 2021 as former U.S. Sen. David Perdue prepared to challenge him from the right and Abrams readied a rematch.
Now the group is sticking with the Republican column, backing Jackson as he tries to cast himself as the candidate best positioned to extend Kemp’s economic legacy.
Listen up
Today on the “Politically Georgia” podcast Greg Bluestein and Patricia Murphy dig into the competing strategies shaping Georgia’s Republican candidates. They also discuss what a strong performance by Ossoff would mean for Bottoms.
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.
Today in Washington
Today’s happenings:
- President Donald Trump will hold a rally in Arlington, Texas, then speak during the Republican Party’s midterm convention in Dallas.
- U.S. Rep. Brian Jack, R-Peachtree City, will speak at the GOP convention about his role as deputy chair of the National Republican Campaign Committee.
- The House and Senate return on Monday.
National Guard arrest
It’s been one year since Gov. Brian Kemp deployed the Georgia National Guard to Washington at Trump’s request. Now, the recent arrest of one of its members has become a rallying cry for those who are ready for them to leave.
Zion Mitchell, a 21-year-old Macon resident and member of the Georgia Army National Guard, was arrested last week and charged with pointing his service weapon at a fellow guard member during an argument while they were on break from patrol. He faces one count of assault with a dangerous weapon and another of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence.
Mitchell is being held in D.C.’s jail without bond, pending another court date later this month.
A spokesperson for the Georgia Guard declined to provide additional details about what occurred or if any military actions are being taken. But the incident is not being swept under the rug, the spokesperson said.
“The Georgia National Guard expects all service members to uphold the highest standards of professional conduct and safety,” the statement said. “We take all allegations of misconduct seriously and will continue to fully cooperate with law enforcement authorities as the legal process proceeds.”
Keya Chatterjee, an organizer with Free DC, an activist organization that has lobbied against the deployment, said Mitchell’s arrest proves their concerns are valid.
“This is outrageous and one of many reasons that Gov. Kemp should immediately remove his troops from D.C. schools and streets, and why gubernatorial candidates should clearly state whether, as commander in chief, they would remove Georgia troops,” Chatterjee said.
The 531 Georgia National Guard members on patrol in D.C. out of the total of 3,142 soldiers is the most from any state, according to a Tuesday report by the federal joint task force.
Both major party candidates for governor said if elected they will review the deployment and decide if changes are needed.
Shoutouts
Today’s birthday:
- State Rep. Karla Drenner, D-Avondale Estates.
- State Rep. Steven Meeks, R-Screven.
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
Tax collections for the month of August were up 3.5% compared with last year, Kemp announced Wednesday.
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.