What to expect from Brian Kemp’s State of the State address
Today’s newsletter highlights:
- Why some Democrats voted against Jon Burns for House Speaker.
- Uber weighs in on push for new limits for civil lawsuits.
- U.S. Senate makes some changes to the proposed Laken Riley Act.
Today is Gov. Brian Kemp’s State of the State address, and you can expect two major developments.
The first is his most forceful push yet for legislation to limit certain types of lawsuits and the big verdicts they sometimes generate. It might not be heavy on specifics, but the second-term governor plans to use his attention-grabbing speech to pressure lawmakers to go along.
The second is his budget blueprint. Kemp has already laid out plans to dip into the state’s $16.5 billion surplus to finance a $1 billion tax refund and dole out another $1 billion for infrastructure projects. He’s expected to lay out far more details about his spending priorities.
As he weighs a potential U.S. Senate bid in 2026, Kemp’s national clout is growing. He was recently elected chair of the Republican Governors Association and reforged a tenuous alliance with President-elect Donald Trump after years of feuding.
And he remains one of the most popular political figures in Georgia. About 61% of registered Georgia voters approved of his job performance in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution poll released this week.
But political capital is a precious resource, and this year might be the best chance to push through complicated and divisive legislation. By 2026, the races for his job and other statewide offices will be in full swing, prompting all-out jockeying from ambitious lawmakers.
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GOOD MORNING! It’s the fourth day of Georgia’s legislative session. Many will be watching today to see whether House Speaker Jon Burns tries to prevent state Sen. Colton Moore, R-Trenton, from entering the House chamber to hear Gov. Brian Kemp’s State of the State address. The AJC’s Maya T. Prabhu and Greg Bluestein have all the details on that dispute.
Here are three things to know for today:
- Days before President-elect Donald Trump returns to the White House, a new AJC poll finds a majority of Georgia voters feel optimistic about their economic prospects under the incoming administration, Drew Kann and Zachary Hansen report.
- Kemp wants to make the parents and legal guardians of children 6 and younger eligible for the state’s Medicaid program, Bluestein and the AJC’s Ariel Hart report.
- Federal regulators have backed off a proposed speed limit along the Georgia coast that was meant to protect endangered whales, the AJC’s Adam Van Brimmer reports.
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NAY. Jon Burns was reelected as Georgia’s House Speaker earlier this week by a huge majority, with all Republicans and most Democrats voting for him. But the 21 “no” votes from Democrats were a departure from the unanimous support the congenial Burns got from House members just two years earlier.
That vote in 2023 came two months after former House Speaker David Ralston unexpectedly died. Democrats at the time agreed to vote by acclamation for Burns as a show of respect to both Ralston and the new speaker during the emotional return to the Capitol.
But on Monday, dissent came from the House Democratic leadership looking to send a message about their agenda, as well as individual members still angry about a series of GOP attack mailers during the 2024 campaign.
“The position for (Democratic) leadership was to vote ‘no’ to demonstrate that we have competing priorities,” said Minority Whip Sam Park, D-Lawrenceville.
Park also said that feelings were still raw about the mailers from the GOP House leadership committee against a handful of Democratic incumbents, including state Rep. Jasmine Clark, D-Lilburn. The Clark mailer included a photo of her 16-year-old daughter that had originally been posted on her campaign’s social media.
Although Burns apologized to the Gwinnett County Democrat and said the staff who created the mailer did not know it was her daughter in the image, Clark said she still voted against Burns because of it.
“It was just completely unnecessary to include my minor child,” Clark said. “I think it is very possible to run a campaign successfully without having to be nasty and that was a very strong reason why I decided to not vote in favor of the speaker.”
In response to the vote, Burns said, “I am honored to have the continued trust and support of the vast majority of the members in the House — including 55 of my Democrat colleagues. But, the only thing I’m keeping score of is how many wins we’re delivering for the people of Georgia.”
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COLLATERAL DAMAGE. Much of Wednesday’s coverage about the largest ethics fine in Georgia history focused on Stacey Abrams, the two-time Democratic nominee for governor who benefited from illegal campaign spending by a voting rights group she founded.
But another prominent Georgia Democrat was also caught up in the scandal: U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock.
Warnock was board chair of the New Georgia Project in 2018 when the group violated state law by not disclosing it spent millions of dollars backing Abrams’ unsuccessful campaign.
While Warnock led the group during that time, he released a statement through his office saying that “compliance decisions were not a part of that work.”
Some Republicans weren’t buying that. Jacob Hawkins, a Republican consultant who has run a nonprofit foundation and been involved with advertising for various large tax-exempt lobbying groups, said no leader of a charitable nonprofit would be unaware of laws and regulations around electioneering and political messaging.
“It’s at the forefront of your operations, understanding what you can and cannot do,” he said. “Senator Warnock must answer for these violations.”
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COMMITTEE SHUFFLE. Lt. Gov. Burt Jones announced a bunch of new committee chairs in the state Senate this week, mostly Republicans. See if you can follow along: Sam Watson replaced Max Burns at Ethics, Burns replaced Billy Hickman at Higher Education, Hickman replaced Clint Dixon at Education and Youth, and Dixon replaced Frank Ginn at State and Local Government Operations. Two Democrats also retained their committee chairmanships.
That left Ginn as the odd man out. He declined to comment on why he lost his chairmanship. But it wasn’t all bad for the Danielsville Republican. He’s the new vice chair of the Economic Development and Tourism Committee. And he retained his seats on the powerful Appropriations and Rules committees, although Sen. Ben Watson, R-Savannah, replaced him as vice chair of Rules.
Other moves of note:
- New Senate Democratic Whip Kim Jackson of Pine Line received coveted spots on both the Appropriations Committee, which oversees state spending, and the Rules Committee, which decides what bills make it to the Senate floor.
- Republicans Blake Tillery and Greg Dolezal, two of the most powerful people in the chamber for their roles as chair and vice chair of the Appropriations Committee, added to their influence by landing spots on the Judiciary Committee, which handles the courts, civil liberties and constitutional issues.
- Newly elected Democratic state Sen. Kenya Wicks, a 30-year veteran of the U.S. Army, secured a plum spot on the Public Safety Committee.
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TODAY UNDER THE GOLD DOME:
- 10 a.m.: House and Senate convene.
- 11 a.m.: Gov. Brian Kemp delivers his State of the State address.
- 7 p.m.: Senate Democratic Leader Harold Jones II, D-Augusta, responds to Kemp’s speech on Georgia Public Broadcasting.
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UBER’S COMING. There’s a big name pushing for an overhaul of Georgia’s litigation and insurance regulations, and we’re not just talking about Gov. Brian Kemp.
Ride-hailing giant Uber is pushing to lower a portion of the coverage it is required to carry for its contract drivers in Georgia — and the amount it would pay riders after certain accidents. The California-based company emailed its customers to engage them in the fight over Georgia’s “out-of-control auto insurance.”
“Did you know that every ride you take in an Uber is covered by a commercial auto insurance policy?” the email to riders says. Since those insurance costs are passed on to riders and make up as much as 24% of each ride, the email warns: “As insurance costs continue to rise, Uber fares will get more expensive, making rides unaffordable for riders like you.”
A spokesperson for Uber told the AJC that because of “lawsuit abuse” Georgians are paying more for each trip. “We appreciate Governor Kemp and the legislature’s commitment to tackling this issue on behalf of all Georgians.”
If lawmakers suddenly start hearing from Uber-loving college students about torts and insurance rates, now they know why.
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LISTEN UP. Today on “Politically Georgia,” the hosts will preview Gov. Brian Kemp’s State of the State address and talk to the AJC’s City Hall reporter, Riley Bunch, about the unlikely partnership between the Republican governor and Atlanta’s Democratic Mayor Andre Dickens.
Be sure to download the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. Have a question for the show? Give us a call at 770-810-5297. Episodes are uploaded by noon each day, just in time to have lunch with us. You can also listen live at 10 a.m. EDT on 90.1 FM WABE.
On Wednesday’s show, the AJC’s Maya T. Prabhu talked about the latest AJC poll results. And U.S. Rep. Lucy McBath, D-Marietta, discussed her recent vote for the Laken Riley Act.
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TODAY IN WASHINGTON:
- President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden will attend a traditional farewell ceremony thrown in his honor by the nation’s armed forces.
- The House will vote on legislation that would allow for the deportation of immigrants living in the country without legal permission who are convicted of or admit to committing a sex crime, domestic violence, stalking, child abuse or neglect.
- The Senate will continue consideration of the Laken Riley Act.
- U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., and members of the Senate Banking Committee will hold a confirmation hearing for Housing secretary nominee Scott Turner. Later, Warnock will attend the Finance Committee confirmation hearing for Scott Bessent, nominated to serve as Treasury secretary.
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SHOUTOUTS. Transitions:
- Max Ernst is the new chief of staff for U.S. Rep. Nikema Williams, D-Atlanta. Ernst had a similar role for former California U.S. Rep. Katie Porter. He replaces Melanee Farrah, who is now director of federal affairs for New York City Mayor Eric Adams.
- Austin Birchell is Williams’ new press secretary. He replaced Ed Hula, who is now a spokesman for the Georgia Chamber of Commerce.
Belated birthday:
- Roger Sendelbach (was Wednesday), a faithful reader of this newsletter
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.
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AS ALWAYS, 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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