The special legislative session that just ended wasn’t just an effort by Georgia Republicans to redraw political boundaries to preserve their majorities. State GOP leaders also seized the opportunity to force Democrats to take stands on divisive issues.
Over the seven-day session, Republicans engineered votes on a pair of resolutions that condemn the Oct. 7 terror attack by Hamas, praise Israel’s conduct in the war and offer unconditional support for the controversial Atlanta public safety training center.
Each passed by overwhelming margins with bipartisan support but caused considerable friction among Democrats. While only a handful of Democrats voted “no,” dozens more abstained. There was even talk in the Georgia House of a walkout in protest.
Gov. Brian Kemp and his allies also used the session to deploy plans to accelerate an income tax break, staging a Capitol press conference just before lawmakers convened that featured dozens of Republican lawmakers — and not a single Democratic official.
And that’s on top of the main focus of the special session, which Kemp called after a federal judge ruled Georgia’s political maps illegally weaken the power of Black voters.
The new boundaries, which put several Democratic incumbents in peril, were drawn with a goal to provoke a broader legal fight over the Voting Rights Act.
While some GOP elected officials insisted the resolutions were apolitical, seasoned strategists see them for what they are: an effort to force Democrats on the record over touchy issues that could come back to haunt them in next year’s election.
“Democrats are getting a taste of what they and the media have done to every Republican since 2015,” said Brian Robinson, a top deputy during Gov. Nathan Deal’s administration.
“We constantly get asked to respond to something Donald Trump said or did because our political opponents know that drives a wedge between MAGA voters and more traditional Republicans,” Robinson said.
Expect the votes to factor into 2024 races, when vulnerable Democrats will face stiff competition to keep their seats. Cody Hall, a top Kemp adviser, suggested the governor’s political machine could soon target Democrats who abstained.
“If you’re a Georgia Democrat who walked on this vote because you thought doing so wouldn’t hurt you at the ballot box,” Hall said, “think again.”
‘A small gesture’
Many Democrats were caught off guard last week when Republicans arranged a speedy vote on a resolution that condemned Hamas along with “dangerous rhetoric in the U.S. and abroad that suggests Israel bears responsibility” for the attack.
It made no mention of the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip that worsened under Israel’s retaliatory airstrikes, leaving thousands dead and most of the area’s 2.2 million residents displaced.
Republican state Sen. Matt Brass, who introduced the Senate measure, called it a “small gesture honoring our alliance with Israel.” When the House considered a similar measure, a parade of Democrats expressed sympathy for Palestinian civilians caught in the crossfire.
State Rep. Ruwa Romman, the lone Palestinian American in the Legislature, was one of more than 30 Democrats who refused to vote on the measure. She said Republicans simply want “to score political points and foment further division.”
An Atlanta Journal-Constitution poll released this month highlighted the growing political rift over Israel. While two-thirds of Georgians say supporting Israel should be a U.S. national security priority, younger liberal voters are more likely to oppose the idea.
Credit: Arvin Temkar
Credit: Arvin Temkar
There’s also a Democratic rift over the $90 million training center, which has drawn fierce opposition from environmentalists, left-leaning activists and others who object to devoting more public resources to law enforcement.
State Rep. Saira Draper, an Atlanta Democrat who represents the site where the complex would be built, lamented what she called a false choice: A “yes” vote could alienate voters who have legitimate concerns about the project, while a “no” vote could be framed by GOP adversaries as opposition to public safety.
“You’ve probably got the attack ads drafted up and ready to print for 2024,” she said on the House floor.
The resolutions could also cause political headaches for upcoming primary battles.
State Rep. Teri Anulewicz was just drawn into the same Cobb County-based district as a fellow Democrat, state Rep. Doug Stoner. She voted “yes” on the pro-Israel resolution while Stoner abstained.
“I can vote yes on the resolution while also reflecting there is a tragedy right now in Gaza,” said Anulewicz, who said it also sent a signal that Georgia opposes antisemitic incidents that have plagued her community. “Savvy voters understand what Republicans are trying to do here.”
Credit: Natrice Miller/AJC
Credit: Natrice Miller/AJC
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