Georgia Democrats prepare to revive long-stalled Stone Mountain measures

Today’s newsletter highlights:

• Test your knowledge with our news quiz.
• A longtime funeral director wins a state House seat.
• Meet the lawmakers who will lead Georgia House Democrats.

A new opening

The debate over Stone Mountain’s Confederate legacy barely registered in Georgia’s elections. But don’t mistake a quieter campaign season for the end of the fight.

Soon, the 2027 legislative session could give advocates their best opening in years.

Democratic state Reps. Billy Mitchell and Mary Margaret Oliver are preparing to revive two long-stalled measures backed by the DeKalb County delegation.

One would eliminate a state law requiring Stone Mountain Park to maintain a Confederate memorial and instead direct the park to “educate the public about the natural history of the mountain and its environment.”

The other would designate Memorial Drive as Veterans Memorial Drive.

Neither measure gained traction, or even a hearing, under Republican control. But Democrats will soon run the House, and Mitchell, a Stone Mountain Democrat, has just been nominated to become the next speaker pro tempore, one of the chamber’s most powerful posts.

There are still formidable obstacles. Republicans retain control of the Senate, and Democrats may not want to wade into this battle fresh off reclaiming the Georgia House and the Governor’s Mansion.

But Oliver said both measures have the support of the DeKalb County delegation, a formidable voting bloc. They also have the backing of the Stone Mountain Action Coalition, whose members argue the park should celebrate the mountain’s grandeur rather than the Confederacy.

“The fight continues to free Stone Mountain from that peculiar version of history that supports white supremacy,” said J. Marcus Patton, a coalition member.

Friday news quiz

Good morning! How closely did you follow the news this week? Find out by taking our quiz. You’ll find the answers at the end of the newsletter.

State election officials found a discrepancy in the vote totals in a southwest Georgia county. What happened?

• A) About 45 people appeared to cast ballots who were not citizens of the U.S., prompting a U.S. Department of Justice investigation.
• B) Local election officials found a missing memory card full of votes that were not counted. The new votes changed the result of a state House race.
• C) A batch of ballots from two precincts were counted twice, prompting a recount in a state House race.
• D) About 230 ballots were lost because of a human error, prompting a lawsuit asking for a redo of some local elections.

Gov. Brian Kemp this week announced a Black man will oversee what prominent Civil War-related area?

• A) Pickett’s Mill Battlefield State Historic Site.
• B) Jefferson Davis Memorial State Historic Site.
• C) Stone Mountain Memorial Park.
• D) Alexander H. Stephens State Historic Park.

What metro Atlanta TV station brought in the most revenue from political ads during the midterm elections?

• A) WSB-TV.
• B) Atlanta News First.
• C) FOX 5 Atlanta.
• D) 11Alive.

Republican Lt. Gov. Burt Jones is leaving office in January, so he won’t be around for Georgia’s divided government next year. But this week, he floated a compromise proposal for what issue?

• A) Recreational marijuana.
• B) Sports betting.
• C) Medicaid expansion.
• D) Income taxes.

Answering the call

Bradley B. Anderson has always loved sirens, so as a young man he trained to become an EMT. One night, he had a nice conversation with a woman while taking her to the hospital. But as soon as they arrived, she had a medical emergency and died.

Anderson was shocked. He stayed with the family until the funeral director arrived. That’s when he found his true calling

“Don’t call me beforehand. Call me afterwards. I can do that,” he said.

Anderson has been a funeral home director for 29 years. In January, he’ll be one of 44 new members of the Georgia Legislature.

He wasn’t part of the Democratic wave, but Anderson was still disruptive. He ousted 12-year Republican incumbent Bill Werkheiser during the primary. Anderson won comfortably on Election Day in November.

He’s not a newbie to elected office. He was the Tattnall County coroner for five years, much of it during the coronavirus pandemic. It took him three tries to win the seat. But he only needed one try to get into the state House.

Anderson will join the Republican caucus as they move into the minority. But he said that won’t change how he operates.

“When my phone rings at 2 a.m., I never asked the family if they were a Democrat or Republican,” he said. “I was there to serve, and that’s what I’ll do as a state legislator.”

House Freedom Caucus

U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan, a co-founder of the super conservative House Freedom Caucus, was elected this week to lead House Republicans as they move into the minority.

But that doesn’t mean his former comrades on the Freedom Caucus are declaring mission accomplished. They gathered for a news conference this week to encourage Republicans to push forward with an aggressive lame-duck agenda, cutting taxes and cracking down on immigration before they lose their majorities.

U.S. Rep. Andrew Clyde, R-Athens, is among the Freedom Caucus members who are encouraging Congress to cancel scheduled breaks and work through the holidays so they can get more done before the transition of power on Jan. 3.

“We’re calling on Republicans from both chambers, while we still have the majorities, to finish the work and deliver the results we owe the American people,” Clyde said. “We urge our colleagues to take action to strip the crazed Democrats of key leverage points before they wreak havoc on our great nation.”

The winners are …

To the victors go the spoils. Soon-to-be majority state House Democrats elected their new leadership slate for the 2027-2028 Legislative session Thursday, including their pick for the first Democratic speaker of the House in more than two decades.

Democrats nominated Minority Leader Carolyn Hugley, D-Columbus, to be their nominee for speaker of the House, along with Mitchell to be speaker pro tempore.

The caucus also elected state Rep. Stacey Evans, D-Atlanta, as majority leader, state Rep. Sam Park, D-Lawrenceville, as majority whip, and state Rep. Bryce Berry, D-Atlanta, as chief deputy whip.

State Rep. Spencer Frye, D-Athens, was elected caucus chair, while state Rep. Imani Barnes, D-Tucker, was elected caucus vice-chair, and state Rep. Anissa Jones, D-Macon, was elected caucus secretary. Finally, state Rep. Robert Flournoy, D-Hampton, was the was the pick for caucus treasurer.

Formal elections for speaker and speaker pro tem will take place on Jan. 11, the first day of the next Legislative session.

Following the vote, Evans said Democrats’ priorities will focus on the needs of Georgia families, including Medicaid expansion, healthcare, education, transportation, and child care.

“I happen to be an optimist and think that there are a lot of Republicans who really want to focus on families, too,” Evans said. “And more than anything, to change the tone and tenor that has taken over in our politics.”

She predicted Republicans would share many of those priorities in the narrowly divided chamber and,

Listen up

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PFAS caucus

U.S. Rep. Clay Fuller, R-Lookout Mountain, has launched a bipartisan caucus interested in addressing pollution caused by so-called “forever chemicals” known as PFAS.

In Northwest Georgia, which Fuller represents, the multibillion-dollar carpet industry has been blamed for allowing runoff of toxic PFAS chemicals that contaminated drinking water. Many health problems, including cancer, have been attributed to PFAS.

Fuller himself is a survivor of thyroid cancer, and he suspects PFAS contributed to his illness. Joining him as founding members of the Southeastern PFAS Caucus are U.S. Reps. Laurel Lee, R-Fla., Darren Soto, D-Fla., Brian Mast, R-Fla., and Deborah Ross, D-North Carolina.

“This issue is deeply personal to me,” Fuller said in a news release. “PFAS eradication and cleanup is one of the most pressing issues for our district and our people. I have been fighting to solve this issue since arriving in Congress, and one important step in that fight is building a bipartisan coalition.”

Today in Washington

• President Donald Trump has no public events on his schedule.
• The House and Senate are done for the week.

New perch

Longtime Georgia Senate aide Ines Owens isn’t leaving the Gold Dome with Lt. Gov. Burt Jones. She’s getting a new job as senior policy adviser to Senate President Pro Tem Larry Walker III.

Owens is a familiar face in Capitol circles. She spent four years running the Senate Press Office and previously worked in government affairs for Emory University and Emory Healthcare, Grady Health System and the Association County Commissioners of Georgia. She joined Jones’ administration in 2023 and most recently was his legislative and communications director.

The move comes at a pivotal moment for Senate Republicans. Walker is preparing to help steer a narrow 29-27 GOP majority as Democratic Lt. Gov.-elect Josh McLaurin takes office, setting up a potential power struggle over control of the chamber.

Shoutouts

Today’s birthday:

• Georgia Court of Appeals Justice Stephen Dillard.

Belated birthday:

• Athens-Clarke County Mayor Kelly Girtz (was Thursday).

Upcoming birthdays:

• State Rep. Butch Parrish, R-Swainsboro (Saturday).
• State Rep. Sandra Scott, D-Rex (Saturday)
• Sydney Horwitz, communications specialist in the Georgia Senate Press Office. (Saturday)
• Mo Thrash, lobbyist (Saturday)
• Danica Thompson, vice president of McGuireWoods Consulting (Saturday)
• Gabriel Sterling, former chief operating officer for the Georgia secretary of state and founder of Sterling Innovative Solutions. (Saturday)
• State Sen. Sheikh Rahman, D-Lawrenceville (Sunday).
• Former U.S. Rep. Drew Ferguson (Sunday).

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.