Georgia House Democrats set to elect leaders for their new majority

Today’s newsletter highlights:

• A look at some of the write-in votes from this year’s election.
• Meet Darcy Castro, one of 44 new members of the state Legislature.
• Blue Dog Democrats grow ranks, aim to shape House agenda.

What we’re hearing

Georgia House Democrats are poised for a historic vote today as they prepare to elect a leadership team after flipping the chamber in last week’s election.

At the top is Carolyn Hugley, the longtime Columbus Democrat who spent more than two decades in the minority and is now poised to become Georgia’s first Black House speaker.

But the rest of the team is also coming into focus. The emerging slate includes three Black women, two Black men, an Asian American man, a white woman and a white man. It’s likely the most diverse lineup ever in a chamber that Republicans have controlled since 2005.

The details are still in flux, and lawmakers caution that some names could change before Thursday’s caucus elections. But Hugley’s nomination is all but certain, clearing the way for her formal election as speaker when the full House convenes in January.

There’s little opposition so far for the other top jobs.

State Rep. Stacey Evans of Atlanta is running for majority leader, the chamber’s No. 2 job, while Billy Mitchell of Stone Mountain is running for speaker pro tem. Sam Park of Lawrenceville aims to remain the party’s whip, Spencer Frye of Athens is seeking caucus chair and Imani Barnes of Tucker is running for vice chair. Robert Flournoy of Hampton is pursuing the treasurer’s post, while Anissa Jones of Macon is seeking secretary.

The only known contest so far is for chief deputy whip, where Bryce Berry of Atlanta and Angela Moore of Stonecrest are competing. That could change, too.

That leaves several other prominent Democrats out of the leadership picture. But there’s a reason for that: They could be in line for some of the chamber’s most powerful committee chairs.

We’re hearing longtime state Rep. Al Williams of Midway, a veteran of the last Democratic majority, could take over the Rules Committee. That’s the powerful panel that sets the agenda on the House floor.

David Wilkerson of Powder Springs, one of the chamber’s leading fiscal policy experts, could be in line to chair Ways and Means, which oversees tax legislation.

And Scott Holcomb of Atlanta, a prominent voice on legal issues, is among the possible contenders to lead the House Judiciary Committee.

Those decisions could prove every bit as consequential as Thursday’s leadership votes. Stay tuned.

Things to know

Good morning! Georgia’s legislative session begins in 60 days. Here are three things to know for today:

• Outgoing Lt. Gov. Burt Jones is floating a compromise to solve one of Georgia’s most divisive political issues: Medicaid expansion, Greg Bluestein reports.
• Georgia’s historic Democratic sweep was fueled partly by a surge of Latino voters, a remarkable turnaround for a voting bloc that helped President Donald Trump reclaim the state just two years ago, Bluestein and Lautaro Grinspan report.
• Democrats in Georgia’s congressional delegation stand to move into new leadership roles as their party takes control in the U.S. House and Senate in January, Tia Mitchell reports.

Write-in votes

Charles Minshew, the AJC’s deputy managing editor for data journalism, has been pouring over ballot images from last week’s election. These are essentially photos of ballots cast. They’re valuable because they can show us how many people split their tickets between political parties.

They can also give us a look into the unhinged minds behind some of the write-in votes.

One voter in Bulloch County wrote in “A SHARK” for county commissioner and “TRUMP’S DIAPER” for the state House.

At least one voter in Upson County wrote in “TRUMP SUCKS” for governor, while a DeKalb County voter wrote “DONALD TRUMP IS A PUTIN LOVER” for insurance commissioner, among other choices that cannot be printed in this newsletter.

In races across the state, 875 votes were cast for Jesus (God got 100). About 700 more were for some variation of “a Democrat,” while Mickey Mouse got 600 votes.

Trump wasn’t on the ballot, but he told voters to pretend he was. At least 120 people took that seriously, writing in Trump’s name for state House, state Senate, attorney general, labor commissioner, and Congress. But so far, we haven’t found any Trump votes for governor or U.S. Senate.

Other members of the Trump family receiving votes include Donald Trump Jr., Eric Trump and Barron Trump.

It’s worth noting that, in Georgia, write-in votes don’t count unless the candidate named on the ballot has been certified. None of the names we mentioned were certified, so they won’t show up in official vote counts.

Sorry, Putin.

Organizing principle

Darcy Castro first thought of running for public office back when she was a reporter for the now defunct Rockwall County News in Texas. She covered the small town of Heath, whose mayor at the time was John Ratcliffe. You might recognize that name. He’s now the director of the CIA.

“It’s wild,” Castro said.

Castro, a Democrat, is one of 44 new members elected to the Georgia Legislature this year. She defeated state Sen. Ed Setzler, who was one of 16 Republican incumbents to lose their seats across the House and Senate.

She grew up in Portland, Oregon, and has since lived in Arizona, Texas, Oklahoma, Connecticut, Massachusetts and, for the past six years, Georgia. She’s married to a commercial airline pilot and has four children.

Castro says she was attracted to politics not by the power, but because of the organization it requires.

“Politics is how we care for others around us and arrange our communities,” she said. “It’s something I’ve cared about for a long time.”

This year was her first run for office. She was hopeful, but also realistic about her chances against a 21-year incumbent. Now, she’ll be part of a robust Democratic minority in the state Senate. She wants to expand Medicaid and repeal a law that bans abortions once fetal cardiac activity is detected.

“We don’t have to litigate and get granular on the ethics of abortion because good people can disagree,” she said. “But we also need to get the government out of the OBGYN office.”

Listen up

Today on the “Politically Georgia” podcast it’s the final episode of “The Final Tally,” the AJCs three-part series with The Pulitzer Center detailing how Georgia became the epicenter of the fight over election administration, public trust and democracy.

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.

Blue Dogs are back

The ranks of the moderate Blue Dog Democrats had been dwindling in recent years. The late U.S. Rep. David Scott, in the years before his death, chose not to continue as a member of the caucus representing moderate members mostly from the South.

That left U.S. Rep. Sanford Bishop, D-Albany, as the sole Georgia Blue Dog. Last year, the caucus only had 10 members.

That has already changed as Democrats prepare to take control of the House. The Blue Dogs now have 21 members. And they are positioning themselves on the forefront of helping Democrats carry out the mandate voters handed them on Election Day.

U.S. Rep.-elect Sam Forstag of Montana posted a photo of them posing on and around a car parked in front of the U.S. Capitol.

“Get in losers, we’re fixing Congress,” he wrote in the caption, a reference to a quote from the movie “Mean Girls.”

Today in Washington

• Trump has no public events on his schedule.
• The House will vote on a bill regarding benefits for veterans.
• The Senate will take a procedural vote on a Trump nomination.

Shoutouts

Today’s birthdays: