Buddy Carter’s US Senate campaign is the first of many GOP bids to come

The dominoes are already starting to fall. Gov. Brian Kemp’s decision not to run for U.S. Senate was just three days ago, and other Republicans are rushing to fill the vacuum.

The first prominent GOP figure to jump in is U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter of St. Simons Island, who entered the race this morning with a pro-President Donald Trump ad that levels scathing criticism at Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff.

But he won’t be the last. Nearly a dozen other Republicans are considering bids, and some are closer than others to joining the contest.

It’s exactly the scenario party elders hoped to avoid by recruiting Kemp, who they saw as a consensus candidate with deep credibility on the right and a proven track record with swing voters.

Kemp said he would work with Trump and Senate GOP leaders to “ensure we have a strong Republican nominee who can win next November.” But getting all those leaders to unify behind a contender is no easy task. Just look back to the messy internal Senate battle between Republicans Kelly Loeffler and Doug Collins in 2020.

Carter’s bid also jump-starts what could be a messy race for his 1st District seat in southeast Georgia.

Recall that far-right conspiracy theorist Kandiss Taylor has already entered the contest. But party leaders are actively searching for a mainstream alternative.

One name that keeps coming up: state Rep. James Burchett of Waycross, one of the top Republicans in the chamber. And some are also buzzing about Jim Kingston, an insurance executive who is the son of former U.S. Rep. Jack Kingston.

Things to know

Good morning! Gov. Brian Kemp has six days left to either sign or veto bills passed by the state Legislature this year. He’s signed 63 bills into law so far and hasn’t vetoed anything yet. You can follow along with the AJC’s Legislative Navigator.

Here are three things to know for today:

Frontline complaint

Credit: Greg Bluestein/AJC

Credit: Greg Bluestein/AJC

In less than a decade, conservative activist Cole Muzio has become one of the most influential voices at the Georgia Capitol through his work with Frontline Policy Council and Frontline Policy Action. It’s also made him a top target.

Muzio’s groups are now facing a pair of complaints at the State Ethics Commission accusing it of skirting Georgia law. The most recent, filed last month and first reported by the Georgia Recorder, reaches all the way back to Gov. Brian Kemp’s 2022 reelection campaign.

Frontline Policy Action paid for a number of ads on social media backing Kemp in his rematch with Democrat Stacey Abrams. Independent expenditure groups can spend as much as they want on these ads, but only if they don’t coordinate with the campaign. If they do, the ads are considered campaign contributions and subject to state limits.

The complaint, filed by attorney Bryan Sells, accuses Frontline Policy Action of coordinating with Kemp’s campaign. They note the ads were made “with cooperation or consent of its Board of Directors,” which at that time included Brad Hughes, who was also the director of field services for Kemp’s campaign.

“Brad Hughes was both a member of Frontline Policy Action Inc.’s Board of Directors and an agent of Governor Kemp,” Sells wrote in the complaint.

A spokesperson for Kemp declined to comment. Chelsea Thompson, Frontline’s general counsel, said the group “will not be distracted by false attacks aimed at slandering our organization.”

“Participation in our board does not equate to campaign coordination,” she said. “We remain confident that our actions have fully abided with both the letter and spirit of the law.”

Rethinking parole

Credit: Jason Getz/AJC

Credit: Jason Getz/AJC

Georgia lawmakers have made it harder for people convicted of crimes to be paroled. But a bill on Gov. Brian Kemp’s desk would offer some convicts a pathway out of prison. It’s all because of what one Republican called “our evolved understanding of domestic violence.”

House Bill 582 would let a judge resentence someone if they have new evidence showing they were victims of domestic violence and that it played a “significant contributing factor” of their crime.

It means even people sentenced to life in prison could be paroled sooner, in some cases after 10 years behind bars. State Sen. Bo Hatchett, R-Cornelia, said it would “prevent survivors from serving long sentences for conduct needed for their own survival.”

Prior to 1995, Georgia convicts would be eligible for parole after just seven years, according to a report from The Sentencing Project. Today, people convicted of the most serious crimes have to wait 30 years before they’re eligible — a byproduct of the rise of tough-on-crime politics.

This bill, if it becomes law, would signal a small change in that thinking in the context of domestic violence. Advocates argue victims are often coerced into committing crimes.

Hatchett said when someone is faced with a decision of whether to protect themselves or commit a crime, “I don’t think they should be punished as harshly — or at least they should have the opportunity to paint the full picture.”

Kemp has until Wednesday to decide whether to sign the bill into law.

‘Have a good time’

Credit: Mark Schiefelbein/AP

Credit: Mark Schiefelbein/AP

What do you say to someone whose job is to manage one of the most complex and contentious geopolitical relationships on Earth?

“Have a good time.”

That was the advice from President Donald Trump when he swore in David Perdue as the next U.S. ambassador to China on Wednesday.

Perdue, a former U.S. senator from Georgia, is taking the job at a perilous time between the two powers. Trump’s tariffs on Chinese-made goods threaten to upend the global economy. And the two sides have been locked in a delicate dance over the future of Taiwan, where most of the world’s semiconductors are made.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is scheduled to meet with top Chinese officials this weekend for high stakes talks over Trump’s tariffs.

“What timing, David, what timing,” Trump said during an Oval Office ceremony on Wednesday. “Only you could have picked this timing.”

Perdue has plenty of experience with China. During his one term in the Senate, he met with Chinese trade representatives as a member of the Foreign Relations Committee. Before his time in the Senate, he lived in Singapore and Hong Kong, focusing on manufacturing.

But Georgia’s two Senators voted against Perdue’s confirmation, worried he would not push back against Trump’s tariffs. Perdue did not give any hints he would do otherwise.

“I want the world to know that I know this man personally, he loves this country and I am glad to be your man in China,” Perdue said.

Chopping block

Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC

Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC

A nonprofit founded by state Rep. Marvin Lim, D-Norcross, is among the most recent groups to learn that it has lost federal funding.

Lim wrote in an essay that the Trump administration terminated a Department of Justice grant for his Lucky Shoals Community Association. The grant was among a group of 365 terminated Department of Justice grants focused on aiding crime victims or preventing crimes in the first place.

“I especially feel like we’ve lost something greater here with the loss of this grant,” he wrote. “A way to address conflicts I hear arising all the time from my community, stemming from the fact that, while our society is the most diverse it’s ever been, we feel more disconnected than ever — even from our own neighbors.”

Lim said that he will appeal the decision and also consider how to operate his nonprofit with fewer resources going forward.

Listen up

Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC

Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC

Today on “Politically Georgia,” state Sen. Josh McLaurin, D-Sandy Springs, joins the show to talk about his new campaign for lieutenant governor and why he’s taking a statewide approach from day one. Plus, Tia Mitchell talks with AJC Editor-in-Chief Leroy Chapman about World Press Freedom Day.

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.

You can listen and subscribe to the show for free at Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.

Medicaid cuts

Credit: AP

Credit: AP

The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office released a report Wednesday that said millions of Americans could lose health care coverage if some of the reductions in Medicaid spending proposed by Republicans become law.

Some of the proposals wouldn’t affect Georgia because the state has not expanded its Medicaid program.

But the reconciliation bill could rollback Biden administration rules that made it easier to enroll people in Medicaid and limit provider taxes, which could cause millions of people nation wide to lose coverage. Both of those changes would impact Georgia.

Still, hard-liners like U.S. Rep. Andrew Clyde, R-Athens, are insisting on the plan for “structural Medicaid reform.” The panel that oversees Medicaid — the House Energy and Commerce Committee — is in charge of reducing spending by $880 billion. Most of that is expected to come from Medicaid cuts.

Clyde and Rep. Rich McCormick, R-Suwanee, also signed onto a letter Wednesday — first reported by Politico — that said they will vote against the reconciliation bill if it increases deficit spending. Under the current framework, the letter says $2 trillion in spending cuts are needed to create a budget neutral bill.

Today in Washington

Credit: AJC file photo

Credit: AJC file photo

Today’s birthday:

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Before you go

Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC

Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC

Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport revealed its first new Plane Train cars in 15 years on Wednesday. They’ll hit the tracks in early 2026.

That’ll do it for us today. As always, you can send your best scoops, gossip and insider info to greg.bluestein@ajc.com, tia.mitchell@ajc.com, patricia.murphy@ajc.com and adam.beam@ajc.com.