From Democrat to MAGA: Doug McKillip launches political comeback attempt

Today’s newsletter highlights:

• Why Georgia is waiting on Congress to ban taxes on tips.
• House Speaker Jon Burns appoints 16 study committees.
• U.S. Rep. Andrew Clyde says he’ll vote “no” on budget bill.

MAGA comeback

Former state Rep. Doug McKillip, a Republican from Athens, is running for the state Senate. He is pictured at the Legislature in 2012.

Former state Rep. Doug McKillip stunned his colleagues 15 years ago when he switched to the GOP less than a month after Democrats elected him to lead their House caucus. Now, he’s staging a political comeback — this time as a MAGA conservative.

McKillip, an Athens attorney who lost a GOP primary after his party switch, is seeking the state Senate seat vacated by Republican Bill Cowsert, who is running for attorney general. His announcement came with a promise of a cash infusion — and a pro-Donald Trump message.

“President Trump and Governor Kemp have proven that when we take on the radical left with bold, unapologetic leadership, conservatives win,” McKillip said. “That’s precisely what I did in the State House and what I will do in the State Senate.”

It’s one of the more dramatic political reinventions in a Capitol that’s seen plenty. Once a rising Democratic star, McKillip was part of the wave of lawmakers who flipped to the GOP after Republican gains in the 2010 election.

The response from Democrats was swift and scathing. Party leaders branded him a “turncoat” and ended a news release with a dictionary definition of “traitor.” Then-party Chair Jane Kidd demanded a recall vote.

A stunned Stacey Abrams, newly elected as the House Democratic leader, said the defections were a chance for the party to “introduce” itself to Georgians again.

McKillip brushed off the backlash, saying he was getting “five to one positive reaction.” He went on to sponsor new restrictions on late-term abortions that then-Gov. Nathan Deal signed into law. He lost to attorney Regina Quick in the 2012 primary by less than 100 votes.

Now McKillip is back, pitching himself as a Trump-aligned conservative with deep pockets and unfinished business.

He’s pledged to spend $400,000 of his own money, saying it will help him “earn the trust of voters instead of begging for campaign contributions when our families and businesses are still battling Biden’s inflation.”

Things to know

Daniel Blackman is a Democratic candidate for Public Service Commission.

Good morning! Here are three things to know for today:

• President Donald Trump’s proposed cuts to homelessness programs have advocates worried it could make the problem worse, the AJC’s Reed Williams reports.
• The AJC’s Caleb Groves reported last month that a Democratic candidate for the Public Service Commission changed his official address just in time to file for the election. Now, Daniel Blackman is facing a formal eligibility challenge to his candidacy.
• The mother of an Atlanta-area woman says her pregnant daughter, who was declared brain dead more than three months ago, has been kept alive on life support to comply with Georgia’s abortion law, the AJC’s Maya T. Prabhu reports.

Taxes on tips

Sen. Greg Dolezal, R-Cumming, was the primary sponsor of Senate Bill 2.

A bill to exempt tips from state income taxes did not make it out of the Georgia Legislature this year. What happened this week in Congress explains why.

Georgia Republicans were quick to file legislation this year that mimicked President Donald Trump’s campaign promises. That included ending taxes on tips, a proposal so popular that even Vice President Kamala Harris backed it, too.

But the Republican sponsor of the bill, state Sen. Greg Dolezal of Cumming, withdrew the proposal before state lawmakers could vote on it. He suspected that Republicans in Congress would do the same thing in such a way that would make Georgia’s exemption unnecessary.

That’s what happened this week. House Republicans advanced legislation that would create a federal tax deduction equal to the size of the tipped income. Because the deduction is “above-the-line,” it means it would not count toward taxpayers’ adjusted gross income. Put simply: there would be no income for Georgia to tax.

The proposal cleared the U.S. House Ways and Means Committee this week. But it still has a long way to go. If it doesn’t make it, Dolezal said he would bring his state proposal back again next year.

More details about the federal proposal:

• The exemption would not apply to a “highly compensated employee,” meaning people who earn at least $160,000 per year.
• The deduction would end after 2028.
• To qualify as a tip, the payment must be voluntary and determined by the payor.

Heads up

Randell Trammell is founder and president and CEO of the Center for Civic Engagement.

Randell Trammell, the chief executive of the Center for Civic Engagement, is planning to soon launch a GOP campaign for state school superintendent. Incumbent Richard Woods was first elected in 2014 and has told activists he’ll seek a fourth term.

Expect Republican state Rep. Will Wade of Dawsonville, a close ally of Gov. Brian Kemp, to seek the seat vacated by Senate Majority Leader Steve Gooch, who announced a MAGA-tinged run for lieutenant governor this week.

Study season

House Speaker Jon Burns, R-Newington, appointed 16 study committees that will meet through the year.

The Georgia Legislature is only in session for about three months each year. But House Speaker Jon Burns isn’t giving lawmakers much of a break in the off season.

Burns appointed 16 (!) study committees this week that will meet over the rest of the year. These panels won’t approve legislation. But their work offers a glimpse of the issues that Republicans will push ahead of the 2026 midterms.

Here’s a look at some of the issues lawmakers will study:

• Election procedures. The State Election Board famously upended Georgia election policies and procedures in the weeks leading up to the 2024 presidential election. Now, lawmakers plan to take a look themselves. Chair: Tim Fleming, R-Covington.
• Medical marijuana and hemp. Most Georgians want marijuana to be legal, according to the latest AJC poll. But the Republican-controlled Legislature isn’t there yet. Exploring marijuana for medical purposes would be their first step. Chair: Mark Newton, R-Augusta.
• Gaming. Like marijuana, polls show most Georgians want sports betting to be legal. This committee will examine the economic benefits versus “societal ills” that could come from it. Chair: Marcus Wiedower, R-Watkinsville.
• School attendance. The number of chronically absent students from Georgia schools surged to about 20% after the pandemic, and it hasn’t come back down. This committee will examine the root causes and come up with recommendations. Chair: Chris Erwin, R-Homer.
• Legitimation. Under Georgia law, women who aren’t married have sole custody of their children. Aside from marrying the mom, fathers can establish legal rights through a process known as legitimation. This committee will study ways to improve that process to make it more affordable and accessible. Chair: Carter Barrett, R-Cumming.

Emergency calls

State Rep. Will Wade, R-Dawsonville, sponsored the bill to upgrade Georgia's 911 systems, which the governor signed into law.

Georgia’s decades-old 911 systems, which have struggled to manage the volume of emergency calls from people in crisis, are set for an upgrade.

Gov. Brian Kemp recently signed House Bill 423, a measure that would initiate a multibillion-dollar overhaul of the state’s antiquated 911 infrastructure.

The law will encourage call centers across Georgia to modernize and speed up 911 emergency systems. The state budget includes $5.7 million to help.

The law comes after an investigation by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution last year found an alarmingly high number of callers were left waiting for a 911 operator to answer.

This upgrade could mark a turning point for response times in areas that have failed to answer 911 calls in a timely manner.

The technology, Next Generation 911, would include improved audio, more precise locations from callers and the ability to share video calls, according to the National Emergency Number Association, a nonprofit organization that focuses on 911 operations and policy issues.

When someone calls into an overwhelmed 911 center or one that’s lost power, that call would immediately be rerouted to operators elsewhere in the state.

State Rep. Will Wade, R-Dawsonville, who sponsored the proposal, said it would help bring counties that have not yet adopted the technology “fully into the 21st century.”

Not so beautiful?

U.S. Rep. Andrew Clyde, R-Athens, wants to see more changes in the budget reconciliation bill.

President Donald Trump’s “big beautiful” budget reconciliation bill could stall in a key House committee today in part because of opposition from Georgia Republican U.S. Rep. Andrew Clyde.

“I’m a NO on advancing the budget reconciliation bill out of the Budget Committee in its current form,” Clyde said.

Things change quickly on Capitol Hill, but as things stood last night there were enough Republicans willing to vote “no” with Democrats that could stall the bill.

Clyde, a Republican from Athens, said he wants language added to remove the federal tax on firearm suppressors. Plus, he wants the cuts in Medicaid spending to go further by revising the formula used to determine the amount states pay.

Earlier in the week, Clyde was a “maybe” who was still hoping to work with House leadership to get to a “yes.” But the Athens Republican said on Thursday that he plans to vote against the reconciliation bill when the House Budget Committee meets at 9 a.m. today.

“I’m actively involved in negotiations to improve this package, and I’m hopeful that we will do so quickly in order to successfully deliver on President Trump’s agenda for the American people,” he said.

Listen Up

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Today in Washington

• President Donald Trump will finish his trip to the Middle East.
• The House and Senate have no more votes scheduled for the week.
• The House Budget Committee will vote on whether to advance the reconciliation bill to the floor.

Shoutouts

Marci McCarthy has received an appointment from President Donald Trump.

Today’s birthday:

• Jennifer Snow, a nurse practitioner in Milledgeville and a reader of this newsletter

Transitions:

• Marci McCarthy, chairman of the DeKalb County Republican Party, is the new director of public affairs for the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency within the U.S. Homeland Security Department. McCarthy was appointed by President Donald Trump.
• Gainesville megachurch pastor Jentezen Franklin was appointed by Trump to the Religious Liberty Commission, an advisory board of faith leaders.

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