GOP lawmaker loses job hours after he opposed Brian Kemp’s priority bill
Today’s newsletter highlights:
- State Rep. Esther Panitch won’t run against U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff.
- Bill would require drunken drivers to attend DUI school in person.
- Lawmaker revives proposal targeting deepfake political ads.
The Democrats who crossed party lines to vote for Gov. Brian Kemp’s legal overhaul aren’t the only ones feeling the heat. A prominent Republican legislator may have lost his job because he opposed the governor’s top priority.
State Rep. Vance Smith, R-Pine Mountain, isn’t commenting on what happened with his role as president and CEO of the Harris County Chamber of Commerce. But officials said he was ousted from the job on Friday, only hours after the House narrowly approved the measure without Smith’s support.
“It became obvious that we had different visions for the future success of our organization and its members and it was time for us to move forward in a different direction,” wrote the board’s chair, Theresa Garcia Robertson, in an email we obtained.
On Sunday, Garcia Robertson declined to comment on personnel matters but added that board members hold “Vance in high regard personally and appreciate his service to our community and his district.”
Garcia Robertson is the wife of state Sen. Randy Robertson, one of the top Republicans in the Georgia Senate.
Smith was one of at least eight House Republicans who voted against the Kemp-backed rewrite of litigation rules, which passed the House on Thursday with the bare 91 votes needed. On Friday, the Senate voted to send it to Kemp’s desk.
The three House Democrats who backed the measure are facing intense blowback for what party leaders compare to a betrayal. One of the three — state Rep. Mack Jackson of Sandersville — has flirted with switching parties.
Meanwhile, more retribution could be coming. Kemp vowed to back primary challenges against Republicans who opposed the measure. On Friday, he sidestepped a question about whether he’d make good on the threat.
Things to know
Good morning! We’re 11 days away from Sine Die, the final day of the legislative session. Here are three things to know for today:
- Lt. Gov. Burt Jones’ allies are trying to build support for his regulation-slashing Red Tape Rollback Act now pending in the Georgia House. A Landmark Communications poll of 500 likely voters commissioned by Americans for Prosperity shows broad bipartisan support for requiring legislative approval for new state regulations that could have a “major impact” on Georgia’s economy.
- State Sen. Brandon Beach’s signature will soon appear on U.S. currency after President Donald Trump named him the administration’s treasurer, Greg Bluestein writes.
- The AJC’s Jason Armesto writes about what Trump’s attempt to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education means for Georgia.
Tip sheet
State Ethics Commission Executive Director David Emadi plans to disclose today that he asked U.S. Justice Department officials to probe whether the New Georgia Project violated federal tax laws.
It comes after the voting rights group founded by Stacey Abrams agreed to pay $300,000 for illegally supporting her 2018 gubernatorial campaign — the largest fine ever assessed for violating Georgia campaign finance laws.
The Republican-controlled Georgia Senate recently announced plans to investigate Abrams and the group she founded. U.S. House lawmakers have also requested the investigative case file.
‘Hard no’
U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff held a “Rally for the Republic” in Atlanta on Saturday, with several questions looming about his 2026 contest.
Along with the unknown of who will jump into the race on the Republican side, questions have swirled about whether Ossoff could draw a Democratic primary challenger. That seemed a possibility last year after he left some in the Jewish community fuming over his vote to limit certain arms sales to Israel in its war in Gaza.
One rumored challenger, state Rep. Esther Panitch, told us she’s a “hard no” for a Senate bid against Ossoff. The Sandy Springs Democrat is the only Jewish member of the General Assembly, while Ossoff is Georgia’s first Jewish senator.
“I’m very happy where I am,” Panitch said. “If I sought higher office, I would not fulfill my goal for running in the first place, which is to have a Jewish member of the General Assembly.”
No Zoom for drunken drivers
A bill to crack down on drag racing now includes a proposal that would make it a little tougher for drunken drivers to get their licenses back.
House lawmakers last week amended Senate Bill 160 to raise the fees for DUI schools by $55 — the first increase in 12 years, according to state Rep. Alan Powell — and it requires drivers to attend the schools in person.
Powell said it takes two and a half days to complete the course, and most schools have been offering classes virtually since the pandemic. The Republican from Hartwell said it would be more effective for people to meet together in groups.
“The best I can describe it, it’s almost like going to an AA meeting,” Powell said, referring to Alcoholics Anonymous. “These folks talk about their behavior.”
The bill cleared the House Motor Vehicles Committee over some bipartisan objections. State Rep. Martin Momtahan, R-Dallas, said it would be difficult for people in rural areas to travel long distances to take the class. And state Rep. Rhonda Taylor, D-Conyers, said she believes in second chances.
“You can get online degrees now,” she said. “You’re removing the ability and limiting the ability for them to get the help that they need.”
But Powell was unmoved, saying driving under the influence of alcohol is a serious crime.
“This isn’t supposed to be easy,” he said.
Eying Disney?
While Georgia isn’t likely to develop its version of Disney World anytime soon, it is moving toward creating the type of special taxing districts that make it possible to build the “happiest place on Earth.”
State Rep. Ron Stephens, R-Savannah, wants Georgia to allow community development districts. Essentially, this lets local landowners come together and tax themselves to help pay for mega infrastructure projects.
These districts — or something similar to them — have been used most famously in Florida. They have helped develop the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando and The Villages — a massive retirement community near Orlando that has shaped the state’s politics by becoming a bountiful source of Republican votes.
Allowing these districts in Georgia would require voters to approve an amendment to the state constitution — something that won’t happen this year. The House Ways and Means Committee last week voted to advance the legislation, which chair Shaw Blackmon, R-Bonaire, said was part of a multiyear review process.
The point, Stephens said, is to make it so landowners can develop their property without having the county taxpayers pay for it.
“If you’ve got a large, very large, area that needs infrastructure needs that none of those counties has the wherewithal to come together, this fits perfectly with that,” he said.
Thanking Delta
Held captive by the Taliban for more than two years, one of the first things George Glezmann did when he stepped onto U.S. soil was to hold up a handmade sign thanking Atlanta-based Delta Airlines.
Glezmann was working as a Delta mechanic in Atlanta when, on a vacation in Afghanistan in December 2022, he was seized by the Taliban’s intelligence services. He was released Thursday and returned to the United States.
“Delta airlines, my family, they’ve been with my wife from day one doing everything possible to get me out with the government. Lots of gratitude for my company,” Glezmann told Fox News shortly after getting off the plane.
Glezmann said he made the sign, complete with Delta’s red triangle, in his cell on the day he was leaving.
Under the Gold Dome
The Legislature won’t meet today. But a few committees will try to sneak in some hearings as the clock ticks toward Sine Die next week. Some of today’s happenings:
- 1 p.m.: A Senate subcommittee meets to consider House Bill 268, the school safety proposal backed by House Speaker Jon Burns.
- 3 p.m.: The Senate Finance Committee meets to consider a number of tax bills.
Never say never
No bill is ever truly dead under the Gold Dome — even bills from previous sessions.
State Rep. Brad Thomas, R-Holly Springs, resurrected one of his failed proposals from last year by gutting Senate Bill 9 and replacing it with new language.
The old Senate Bill 9 would have made it a crime to use artificial intelligence to generate child pornography. The new Senate Bill 9 would make it a crime to publish deceptive information within 90 days of an election with the intent to create confusion about election administration or influence the result. For repeat offenders, it would be a felony.
The amendment mirrors a bill that he sponsored last year that dealt with fears that voters could be tricked by deepfakes, which include images, videos or robocalls that mimic the likeness of political candidates.
The amended measure could see a House vote as soon as Tuesday.
But that doesn’t mean the AI-child pornography measure is finished. A House bill, sponsored by Thomas, is nearly identical to the original Senate Bill 9 and is still alive in the Senate.
Listen up
Today on “Politically Georgia‚” Greg Bluestein and Patricia Murphy analyze U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff’s weekend campaign kickoff. Then, Tia Mitchell joins them to answer questions from the listener mailbag.
You can listen and subscribe to the show for free at Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
Today in Washington
- President Donald Trump will speak at the White House alongside Republican Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry and then participate in a Greek Independence Day Celebration.
- The House returns for evening votes.
- The Senate also returns this evening and will consider more of Trump’s nominees.
- The U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments on a voting rights case and another involving the deportation of an immigrant.
- U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., will hold a news conference in Atlanta on the impact of the state’s abortion ban.
Shoutouts
Today’s birthday:
- State Rep. Brian Prince, D-Augusta.
Belated birthday:
- Mark Peevy, chief of staff at the Technical College System of Georgia (was Sunday).
Want a birthday shoutout in the Politically Georgia newsletter? There’s a form for that! Click here to submit the shoutouts. It’s not just birthdays. We’re also interested in new jobs, engagements, birth announcements, etc.
One more thing
Former state Rep. Teri Anulewicz showed up in a New York Times’ retrospective of the George Foreman Grill over the weekend, saying she had one in her first Atlanta apartment. “I was a young woman,” she said, “who knew, thanks to always reading Cooking Light, that the boneless skinless chicken breast sat at the very top of the food pyramid for young women on a nonprofit salary.”
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.
About the Authors
Greg Bluestein is the Atlanta Journal Constitution's chief political reporter. He is also an author, TV analyst and co-host of the Politically Georgia podcast.
Tia Mitchell is the AJC’s Washington Bureau Chief and a co-host of the "Politically Georgia" podcast. She writes about Georgia’s congressional delegation, campaigns, elections and the impact that decisions made in D.C. have on residents of the Peach State.
Patricia Murphy is the AJC's senior political columnist. She was previously a nationally syndicated columnist for CQ Roll Call, national political reporter for the Daily Beast and Politics Daily, and wrote for The Washington Post and Garden & Gun. She graduated from Vanderbilt and holds a master’s degree in journalism from Columbia University.
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