PG A.M.: New polls show ‘Harris honeymoon’ and tight Georgia presidential race
The race for president is already tightening now that Vice President Kamala Harris is the Democratic Party’s de facto nominee.
Separate national polls conducted for Reuters and NPR both showed Harris and former President Donald Trump locked in a neck-and-neck race now that President Joe Biden has ended his campaign.
A Landmark Communications poll of 400 likely Georgia voters — the first conducted in the state since Biden’s withdrawal — also showed a razor-tight matchup.
In a head-to-head matchup, Harris polled with about 47% compared with Trump at 48%. That’s well within the margin of error of five percentage points for the poll, which took place on Monday.
With third-party candidates included, Harris polled at 44% and Trump at 46%. Independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. nabbed 4% and the rest of the contenders totaled around 1%. Some 4% are undecided.
A closer look at the crosstabs shows that Harris has solid support among Black voters (80%), Democrats (89%) and a plurality of independents (41%).
Landmark President Mark Rountree said that Harris may be a “mixed bag nationally” as her base of support and opposition cuts differently than Biden’s. But in Georgia, where roughly 30% of voters are Black, she could have an opening.
“Harris may have a few opportunities here that she might not have in other swing states,” said Rountree, who does consultant work on behalf of Republican clients.
Trump campaign pollster Tony Fabrizio warned in a memo of a “Harris honeymoon” that could send her numbers soaring. But he predicted it would be short-lived as “voters will refocus on her role as Biden’s partner and co-pilot.”
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HARRIS ENTHUSIAM. Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign on Monday saw the highest number of volunteer sign-ups this election cycle on the day after she announced her White House run.
More than 1,000 people raised their hand to help her effort in Georgia, the AJC’s Michelle Baruchman reports. The campaign also plans to open several more offices in the Atlanta area this weekend.
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OSSOFF MUM. U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff, an Atlanta Democrat, declined to name a specific person he’d like to see selected as Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate on the Democratic ticket in November.
“It’s up to Vice President Harris. I’m confident she’ll make a sound decision. Kamala Harris is prepared for the presidency. She is ready to win. She has my full support,” Ossoff said Tuesday at a committee hearing in Decatur.
Ossoff shrugged off questions about whether he’d consider seeking the No. 2 job.
“I am not even entertaining that kind of speculation. I’m focused on doing a great job for my constituents in Georgia. I look forward to working with the vice president and future president Kamala Harris on the interests in Georgia and the United States,” he said.
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SECRET SERVICE FAILURES. The director of the Secret Service resigned Tuesday in the aftermath of the assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump.
The resignation came on the heels of a contentious committee hearing on Monday where lawmakers on both sides of the aisle expressed frustration with the responses they heard from Kimberly Cheatle, who became the Secret Service director in 2022.
Her resignation is unlikely to stop the ongoing investigation into the circumstances around the shooting, which left one man dead. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., on Tuesday announced the formation of a bipartisan task force to investigate the assassination attempt.
Later this morning, the House Judiciary Committee holds a hearing on oversight of the FBI to focus in part on the agency’s response on the day of the attack.
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DELTA INVESTIGATION. As Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines continues to cancel hundreds of flights days after an IT system meltdown, the federal government is launching an investigation.
The AJC’s Kelly Yamanouchi reports the U.S. Department of Transportation has opened an investigation into Delta “to ensure the airline is following the law and taking care of its passengers during continued widespread disruptions.”
Hundreds of thousands of passengers have been affected by canceled and delayed flights since the meltdown began Friday with a technology outage that plagued Microsoft users around the world. About 60% of Delta’s most critical systems are Windows-based and were rendered inoperable, according to the airline. The problem came from a faulty security update from a company called CrowdStrike.
Delta canceled more than 500 flights on Tuesday, according to FlightAware.com, including more than 200 to or from its largest hub, Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport.
Members of Congress are launching investigations of their own. U.S. Rep. Nikema Williams, D-Atlanta, sent letters to Federal Aviation Administration head Michael Whitaker and CrowdStrike CEO Gregory Kurtz asking them to explain what they were doing to mitigate the disruptions and prevent similar occurrences in the future.
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LEGISLATIVE WINS. As members of Congress wind down their work before the August recess, several members of Georgia’s delegation are logging some key victories.
- U.S. Rep. Lucy McBath’s bill that would amend restitution guidelines to make them applicable beyond just victims of crimes was approved by the House on Tuesday and now heads to President Joe Biden’s desk to be signed into law. McBath is a Marietta Democrat.
- U.S. Rep. Mike Collins, R-Jackson, is celebrating the provisions he was able to add to the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) approved by the House on Monday. His amendments included resources for a study on deepening the Port of Savannah and another provision that could help lower hydropower utility rates for customers like those in Elbert County. The WRDA now faces approval in the Senate.
- U.S. Rep. Nikema Williams, D-Atlanta, also had amendments approved for the Water Act, including flood studies in College Park and increasing the size of environmental programs in Atlanta and East Point.
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ABORTION HEALTH. Georgia doctors and medical experts warned members of a U.S. Senate subcommittee Tuesday of the dangers related to the state’s abortion law. The legislation, which bans most abortions once fetal cardiac activity can be detected, took effect two years ago this month.
The risks were outlined during a hearing of the U.S. Subcommittee on Human Rights, chaired by U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga. The medical professionals told senators that although the Georgia statute contains an exception to allow for abortions in certain circumstances, it is often difficult to determine whether a patient qualifies for those provisions under the law, the AJC’s Michelle Baruchman reports.
Dr. Nisha Verma, a Georgia OB-GYN, said she has tended to patients who were in the process of miscarrying a fetus. However, sometimes there is still cardiac activity — a heartbeat — present for a few moments longer.
“We are having to wait until later in that process, until they get sicker, until they have more bleeding, until they have an infection until we can intervene,” she said.
The law also deters would-be doctors from practicing in Georgia, said Dr. Aisvarya Panakam, a Georgian and first-year medical resident. The state faces a shortage of medical specialists, including OB-GYNs, yet she chose to look for a program elsewhere because she was not confident she could provide patients the kind of medical care they need given the law.
Dr. Aisvarya Panakam tells the heartbreaking story of a patient who nearly died after being unable to get the care she needed in Georgia.
— Ossoff's Office (@SenOssoff) July 23, 2024
"Georgia's abortion ban jeopardized her life by delaying her access to care. She survived. Others have not." [2/Thread] pic.twitter.com/JvGVQr7BIs
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LISTEN UP. Today on “Politically Georgia,” former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms talks about supporting Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign for president now that President Joe Biden has stepped aside.
The team will also speak to former Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan, whose latest column for the AJC praises Biden’s decision. A Republican, Duncan endorsed Biden’s candidacy earlier this year.
Listen live at 10 a.m. on WABE 90.1 or follow “Politically Georgia” on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
Tuesday’s episode was a recording of the live show in Savannah featuring U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., taped Monday night.
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CLASS DISMISSED. School district leaders across Georgia are protesting State School Superintendent Richard Woods’ recent decision not to approve an African American Studies course taught in 33 schools last academic year.
Georgia schools can still offer the class but the state will not provide funding for it.
The superintendent’s decision comes amid continuing pushback from some conservatives, including those in the Georgia General Assembly and Gov. Brian Kemp, against so-called “wokeness” and the teaching of what they label “divisive concepts,” such as critical race theory, in schools. Woods is a Republican serving his third term as state school superintendent.
Raymond Pierce, president of the Southern Education Foundation, told the AJC that Woods is “embracing the politics of hate.”
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TODAY IN WASHINGTON:
- President Joe Biden delivers a prime-time address from the Oval Office about his decision to withdraw from the presidential race.
- Vice President Kamala Harris gives a keynote speech at the national convention of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc.
- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addresses a joint session of Congress.
- The House may take more votes on appropriations legislation.
- The Senate Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs Committee holds a hearing on a bill by Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., that would prohibit members of Congress from trading stock in individual companies.
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ATHENS RECALL. Athens-Clarke County Mayor Kelly Girtz can’t challenge an attempt to recall him from office, but the man behind the push to remove Girtz must redo his recall petition, a Superior Court judge has ruled.
Judge Judge J. David Roper released the judgment Tuesday, four months after a conservative activist, James DePaola, launched the recall effort. DePaola’s crusade is tied to what he perceives as Girtz’s support for undocumented immigrants, which includes the Venezuelan man facing criminal charges in connection with the February slaying of nursing student Laken Riley near the University of Georgia campus.
According to reporting by the Athens Banner-Herald, DePaola must now collect 21,405 verified signatures within the next 44 days to trigger a recall election.
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SAPELO REFERENDUM. Voters in McIntosh County, located along the Georgia coast, will decide whether bigger residences can be built on Sapelo Island, home to one of the country’s last Gullah-Geechee communities.
The referendum will be held Oct. 1 and follows a petition drive prompted by a zoning ordinance change made in September 2023. Organizers collected more than 2,300 signatures — and more than 1,800 from registered county voters — resulting in McIntosh County Probate Court Judge Harold Webster ordering the referendum.
The McIntosh County Commission has challenged the referendum effort in court, claiming the citizens referendum powers included in the Georgia Constitution do not apply to zoning actions.
Should the vote go forward, it would be the second citizens referendum held in recent years. A vote blocking the development of a private spaceport in Camden County was held in March 2022.
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AS ALWAYS, Politically Georgia readers are some of our favorite tipsters. Send your best scoop, gossip and insider info to greg.bluestein@ajc.com, tia.mitchell@ajc.com, patricia.murphy@ajc.com and adam.vanbrimmer@ajc.com.
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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.
Adam Van Brimmer is a journalist who covers politics and Coastal Georgia news for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
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