Today’s newsletter highlights:
- Why Georgia lawmakers rarely overturn a governor’s veto.
- Steve Gooch launches campaign for lieutenant governor.
- Brent Cox and the Atlanta Falcons champion girls’ flag football.
Plane pain
Credit: Alex Brandon/AP
Credit: Alex Brandon/AP
Republicans have shown they will defend President Donald Trump on just about anything. But his plan to accept a $400 million luxury jet as a gift from Qatar has pushed past the limits of even the most vocal MAGA supporters.
The deal has drawn rebukes from the likes of GOP Senate heavyweights John Thune, Rand Paul and Ted Cruz. And it’s even prompted backlash from the far-right influencer crowd, including Laura Loomer and Ben Shapiro.
But so far, Georgia’s Republican congressional delegation has been unwilling to join the chorus of criticism, prompting a strong rebuke from Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff on Wednesday.
“This is maybe the most grotesque public display of corruption and contempt for the Constitution in modern presidential history,” said the Atlanta Democrat who is up for reelection next year.
“The fact that he wants to take this jet for himself for his personal use after his presidency is even more offensive, and every Republican official and candidate in Georgia has a duty to answer on the record whether they stand by the Constitution or are blindly loyal to President Trump.”
Several Republicans in Georgia’s delegation were willing to talk about what could be the largest gift from a foreign nation to a U.S. president in history. But their answers are unlikely to satisfy Ossoff.
- Rick Allen: “I don’t know if that government can give it to this government. I know he can’t take it personally. As I understand, it’s going to be a gift to the Department of Defense,” the Augusta Republican said.
- Buddy Carter: “I trust his judgment. And I think probably he’s passed it through ethics and everything,” said the St. Simons Island Republican and newly minted U.S. Senate candidate.
- Mike Collins: The Jackson Republican initially declined to comment, saying he did not know enough about the issue. But after this newsletter published, he sent along a statement saying: “I trust the president’s judgment to make deals with foreign nations. That’s what we elected him to do, and he has the power through the American people to get it done.”
- Marjorie Taylor Greene: “I’m asking for details on it,” the Rome Republican said.
- Brian Jack: “I trust the president’s judgment on foreign policy, always have,” the Peachtree City Republican said.
Things to know
Good morning! Gov. Brian Kemp’s veto period is over, but there’s always something to look forward to. The primary for the Public Service Commission election is just 33 days away.
Here are three things to know for today:
- Kemp signed a law that could allow President Donald Trump to recoup millions of dollars of legal costs from taxpayers in the Georgia election interference case, the AJC’s David Wickert and Maya T. Prabhu report.
- Despite all of the turmoil in the stock market, assets in the Teachers Retirement System of Georgia are up 6.8% as of April 30, Wickert writes.
- U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene is calling for a presidential pardon of Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer convicted of killing George Floyd. Chauvin was convicted in both state and federal court, so a potential pardon likely would not mean he would go free.
Vetoes that stick
Credit: Justin Taylor / The Current GA
Credit: Justin Taylor / The Current GA
Gov. Brian Kemp vetoed seven bills on Wednesday — and you can bet that’s the end of the discussion.
While state lawmakers have the power to override the governor, they rarely do. Between 2010 and 2020, Georgia governors vetoed 442 bills passed by the Legislature. Lawmakers did not override any of them, according to Ballotpedia. You have to go back 17 years to find the last time Georgia lawmakers defied the governor.
There are many reasons for this trend, some political and others mathematical. It takes a two-thirds vote to override a veto, and for most of the past two decades neither party has had that majority (although Republicans have come close). It means an override would require cooperation between Republicans and Democrats, which isn’t easy to do.
The politics are more delicate. House Minority Caucus Whip Sam Park, D-Lawrenceville, said overriding a veto requires “broad consensus and political courage.”
“With Republicans in control, it’s rare to see lawmakers put principle over party — especially when doing what’s right means challenging their own governor,” he said.
Vetoes over policy differences are not as common. Some lawmakers ask the governor to veto their bills. Other times, the governor notes a technical problem with the language. House Majority Leader Chuck Efstration of Mulberry said lawmakers respect the governor’s role, but they’ve also told him “that each measure passed by the House is important to House members.”
“In moments like these, preserving the autonomy and independence of the House in passing good policy is always my top priority,” he said.
Of course, it’s also harder to override a popular governor. Kemp’s approval rating in the latest AJC poll was more than 60%. No one wants to take that on.
Gooch first
Credit: Screenshot, Georgia Senate
Credit: Screenshot, Georgia Senate
Gov. Brian Kemp signed state Sen. Steve Gooch’s bill on Wednesday creating an “America First” license plate. Gooch celebrated by launching his campaign for lieutenant governor with a vanity plate showcasing a potential design.
A news release from Gooch’s campaign showed a plate with the letters “Gooch4LG” atop the words “America First candidate for Lt. Governor.”
Gooch called himself a die-hard MAGA supporter, but he apparently doesn’t like it when we call him that.
“The liberal Atlanta Journal-Constitution and other media outlets mockingly call me a MAGA champion at the State Capitol — and I wear that as a badge of honor,” he said.
Gooch is the first Republican to formally enter the race. Other potential contenders include Senate President Pro Tem John Kennedy of Macon, state Sen. Greg Dolezal of Cumming, and Agriculture Commissioner Tyler Harper. State Sen. Blake Tillery of Vidalia has already filed paperwork to raise cash for a potential campaign.
Democratic state Sen. Josh McLaurin launched his campaign last week.
Heads up
Credit: Courtesy of Georgia Ports Authority
Credit: Courtesy of Georgia Ports Authority
Expect the Army Corps of Engineers to release a work plan this afternoon that makes dredging the Port of Brunswick a priority after Georgia lawmakers helped secure $35.3 million for the project.
A key player in this effort is U.S. Rep. Mike Collins of Jackson, who leads the Water Resources Subcommittee and has pushed to deepen the port, the nation’s busiest for automobiles and heavy equipment cargo.
In recent years, officials have expanded the terminal’s acreage, contracted with a highly efficient group of dockworkers and eased accessibility with links to rail and I-95.
But delays in dredging the federally managed Brunswick River shipping channel have threatened the port’s supremacy.
Senate probe
Credit: Nathan Posner for the AJC
Credit: Nathan Posner for the AJC
Georgia Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff said his investigation into corporate landlords and out-of-state companies is moving forward, though he has no timeline for potential legislation.
Ossoff, who is up for reelection next year, shared new research on Wednesday showing that institutional investors now own 30% of metro Atlanta’s single-family rental homes.
The Atlanta Democrat said investigators have early proof of “deliberately complex ownership structures that perhaps make it deliberately difficult to analyze the real structure of the market.”
“We’re working right now to fully expose the depth and the nature of the problem,” he said.
Flag football
Credit: Courtesy photo
Credit: Courtesy photo
Georgia lawmakers spent a lot of time talking about girls’ sports this year — but it was mostly about limiting who could play. Today, state Rep. Brent Cox and the Atlanta Falcons are looking to expand opportunities for girls to play flag football.
The Republican from Dawsonville — a former high school football coach — is holding a news conference at Mercedes-Benz Stadium to urge more Georgia high schools to start girls flag football teams.
The Georgia High School Association has officially sanctioned girls’ flag football since 2020. Since then, about 300 of the association’s 457 schools have started teams with the help of grants from the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation. (Shoutout to Southeast Bulloch High School, which has won four of the five state championships in Division 1.)
Today’s event is an extension of House Resolution 347, which urged Georgia high schools to establish girls’ flag football programs. And it’s also an attempt to create a pipeline of players who could compete for the U.S. national team during the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, when the sport will make its debut.
“The hope is we create a pathway for these girls to compete but then hopefully we create some Olympians as well,” Cox said.
Listen up
Credit: TNS
Credit: TNS
Today on “Politically Georgia‚” the hosts highlight the most consequential bills that Gov. Brian Kemp signed this year. Plus, they’ll discuss the latest developments in the GOP primary to challenge U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff in 2026, including Gov. Brian Kemp’s recent trip to Washington to huddle with President Donald Trump about who to endorse in the race.
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.
Today in Washington
- President Donald Trump’s trip to the Middle East continues with a stop in Abu Dhabi.
- The House will vote on legislation relating to protecting the safety of law enforcement officers.
- The Senate will vote on a Trump nomination and on legislation backed by Democrats seeking information from El Salvador on its treatment of detainees from the United States.
- The Supreme Court will hear arguments related to a challenge of Trump’s executive order repealing birthright citizenship.
Shoutouts
Transition:
- Jason Mashburn, a veteran Republican strategist who has worked for Gov. Brian Kemp and former U.S. Sen. Kelly Loeffler, has launched the Mash Dynamo firm with two other political operatives.
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.
Before you go
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
Demonstrators rallied on Wednesday against Kennesaw State University’s elimination of its Black studies major and diversity, equity and inclusion programs. They gathered outside of the University System of Georgia building in Atlanta, where a Board of Regents meeting was being held.
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.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated with a comment from U.S. Rep. Mike Collins.
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