As the presidential race moves on to South Carolina, so too does Donald Trump’s march to the Republican nomination.
The former president won 54% of the vote Tuesday in the New Hampshire primary. Following the convincing 11 percentage point win, even Republicans who had supported Trump’s GOP rivals, such as Georgia U.S. Rep. Rich McCormick, are lining up behind the front-runner.
“I am calling on my fellow conservatives to join me in uniting behind Donald Trump for president,” said McCormick, the Suwanee Republican who previously endorsed Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ challenge to Trump. DeSantis withdrew from the race following the nation’s first nominating contest in Iowa.
Credit: Nathan Posner for the AJC
Credit: Nathan Posner for the AJC
Trump’s last rival standing, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, vowed to continue her campaign through the Feb. 24 vote in her home state. But it will be Trump who enters with a major edge.
Trump has dominated South Carolina’s elections over the past two presidential cycles. Polls show him capturing nearly two-thirds of GOP support over Haley, who was twice elected the state’s governor before Trump tapped her in 2017 to join his presidential administration.
Over the next month, she’ll have to convince wary donors, activists and voters to stay on her side. McCormick’s backing of Trump — who supported McCormick’s opponent in the 2022 primary — reflects the uphill battle Haley will face.
South Carolina could only be the start of Haley’s challenges. There was a reason her supporters considered moderate New Hampshire, with its huge number of independent voters, her most favorable political terrain.
The GOP voters she’ll encounter in the upcoming races, including Georgia’s March 12 primary, are far more likely to be conservative, evangelical and rural, all voter blocs that tend to favor Trump.
The AJC’s Greg Bluestein reports one longtime Trump backer, U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Rome, called for Haley to drop out of the race even before the votes were counted in New Hampshire.
“We support (Trump’s) policies. Any Republican that isn’t willing to adapt these policies, we are completely eradicating from the party,” Greene told MSNBC. “It’s up to Nikki Haley what she does.”
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Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
DUNCAN STANDS FIRM. As more high-profile Republicans begrudgingly shift their support to former President Donald Trump, at least one is continuing his staunch opposition: former Georgia Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan.
In an opinion piece addressed to Georgia Republicans and published this morning in the AJC, Duncan writes that Trump is incapable of leading in the “right way” and that America “remains on a collision course for the sequel no one wants,” a reference to a presidential election rematch pitting Trump against President Joe Biden.
The Georgia GOP primary is March 12.
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Credit: Courtesy Leah Aldridge
Credit: Courtesy Leah Aldridge
GEORGIA GRANITE. You didn’t have to go far in New Hampshire this week for it to feel like home, since more than a few Georgians trekked to the first-in-the-nation primary to stump for their candidates.
U.S. Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Rome, and Mike Collins, R-Jackson, both headed north to stump for former president Donald Trump, while Nikki Haley booster Eric Tanenblatt was spotted multiple times in a weather-appropriate wool cap.
Former Trump backer Leah Aldridge was all over the state knocking on doors for “Georgia Women for Haley.” And another Georgia politico who asked not to be identified took vacation time — not to pick a candidate, but to check off a bucket list item of seeing the New Hampshire hoopla first hand.
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Credit: Bob Andres/AJC
Credit: Bob Andres/AJC
BACK UP PLAN. Georgia Republican leaders have a response plan should there be an attempt to remove former President Donald Trump from Georgia’s presidential primary ballot.
One of the options involves asking the Republican National Committee to allow for the selection of delegates by caucus instead of a primary ahead of the Milwaukee convention. That would mean staging a separate caucus in the summer.
Georgia GOP chair Josh McKoon said the party doesn’t anticipate a major challenge to Trump’s candidacy, but officials won’t be caught off guard if one arises.
“If such a challenge was seriously entertained, we would take all steps necessary to insure Georgia Republicans are able to vote for the candidate of their choice, including staging a caucus as our delegate selection process,” said McKoon.
He added that it’s “outrageous that Democrats, who have falsely alleged election interference by Republicans, are actively engaged in a scheme to try to determine who Republicans can select as their nominee for president.”
Democrats and other Trump critics have sought to invoke the 14th Amendment to bar Trump from the ballot in 2024. The Colorado Supreme Court invoked the U.S. Constitution’s insurrection clause last month to disqualify him from that state’s election.
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Credit: Casey Sykes
Credit: Casey Sykes
UNDER THE GOLD DOME:
- 7 a.m.: Committee meetings begin.
- 10 a.m.: The House gavels in.
- 10 a.m.: The Senate convenes.
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Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
OVERSIGHT FIGHT. Georgia’s top elections official ripped a House Republican measure that would give the State Elections Board greater supervision of the Secretary of State’s office.
Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger’s attorney fired off a two-page letter that warned “there is no precedent for an unelected board of political appointees” to be granted oversight authority over an executive branch agency.
“Giving a board of unelected bureaucrats unchecked power over the state’s executive branch is a dangerous policy proposal,” read the letter from Charlene McGowan, Raffensperger’s general counsel.
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
“This authority could easily be weaponized by political activists seeking to use the State Election Board to punish political opponents or prevent the lawful certification of election results, harming the integrity of Georgia’s elections,” she added.
The State Election Board last month voted against investigating Raffensperger for his oversight of an audit of the 2020 presidential election. The board also unanimously voted to ask the General Assembly to clarify whether it has the power to police the secretary of state.
The Senate Ethics Committee voted Tuesday to advance oversight legislation. The committee’s chairman, Sen. Max Burns, R-Sylvania, pitched Senate Bill 358 as an effort to “continue safeguarding our elections, increasing transparency and building on our efforts to increase voter participation at every turn.”
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Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
BEACH SHUTDOWN. Republicans are once again probing for new ways to scrutinize Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis amid allegations she engaged in “misconduct” with the special prosecutor she hired to oversee the Donald Trump election interference case.
Republican state Sen. Brandon Beach, a Trump ally from Alpharetta, sent state Inspector General Nigel Lange a formal request this week to investigate “questions of the use of funds for lavish trips” involving Willis and Nathan Wade.
“If there were taxpayer funds used for these personal trips,” said Beach, who testified before the special grand jury that Willis convened, “I believe this to be fraud upon the court and the taxpayers of Georgia.”
Lange promptly shut down Beach’s request saying, “District Attorneys in Georgia serve as elected constitutional officers as part of the judicial branch. This office is not empowered to conduct investigations into these members.”
But it was yet the latest GOP attempt to reprimand Willis, efforts that ramped up after Trump codefendant Michael Roman claimed she and Wade had an inappropriate relationship.
Willis pushed back against allegations that Wade was not suited to help handle the prosecution of Trump but hasn’t yet formally responded in court.
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Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
VOUCHING FOR VOUCHERS. The annual Faith & Freedom Coalition luncheon in Atlanta is usually a showcase of the top conservative priorities for the evangelical base.
So it was telling this year that Republican leaders focused on expanding the state’s school voucher program after a revolt from GOP House lawmakers doomed the measure last year.
“I know we’re going to get school choice done this year,” said Lt. Gov. Burt Jones.
Gov. Brian Kemp shared a sense of urgency to “get a bill passed and signed into law this session” to allow families “more freedom and choice when it comes to child education.”
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LISTEN UP. Tuesday’s episode of the “Politically Georgia” radio show included a live report from New Hampshire, where voting was underway; a look at the latest in the Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis investigation from Tamar Hallerman; and a remembrance of Dexter King, the son of Martin Luther King, Jr. and who died earlier this week.
You can hear that episode at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts or wherever you listen to podcasts. And listen to Wednesday’s show live at 10 a.m. on WABE 90.1 FM, at AJC.com and at WABE.org.
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Credit: Nathan Posner for the AJC
Credit: Nathan Posner for the AJC
TRANSIT PLAN. Local transit authorities from across America and their Washington-based advocacy organizations lined up to applaud Congressman Hank Johnson after he introduced legislation that, if signed into law, would provide a huge infusion of federal dollars for bus and rail lines.
The Lithonia Democrat’s Stronger Communities Through Better Transit Act bill would allocate $20 billion in matching federal grants annually for four years. The money would be distributed to every transit agency that currently receives federal dollars proportionate to their operating costs, meaning bigger agencies such as MARTA would be in line for more of the cash. But Johnson’s bill would also increase the dollars going to rural transit agencies.
“Transit in our communities is as essential as food on our tables, clothes on our backs and a roof over our heads,” Johnson said in a news release about the bill’s introduction. “This kind of funding is a game-changer for Atlanta and communities across the nation.”
Despite the widespread support from industry insiders, environmental groups such as the Sierra Club and House Democrats — the legislation has over 60 co-sponsors — Johnson’s bill is likely to stall. Republicans hold the House majority and are finding it difficult to get even must-pass legislation to the finish line.
🚌 @RepHankJohnson's Stronger Communities Through Better Transit Act is a game changer, and we're proud to support it.
— Sierra Club (@SierraClub) January 18, 2024
✔️$20B annually for public transit
✔️Boosts operating budgets
✔️More buses & trains
✔️Helps underserved communities pic.twitter.com/URzhfzRFAy
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TODAY IN WASHINGTON:
- President Joe Biden delivers remarks at a campaign event in Washington.
- The U.S. Senate votes on judicial nominations for judgeships in Indiana and South Carolina.
- The House is adjourned for the week.
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Credit: Courtesy photo
Credit: Courtesy photo
DOG OF THE DAY. Having a best pal makes everything better. Just ask Mimi and Zoe Welday. These two rescues found their forever friends in each other.
Mimi is an Australian cattle dog-mystery mix, while Zoe is a German shepherd-beagle mix.
Credit: Courtesy photo
Credit: Courtesy photo
A reliable source tells us they spend their days romping together in the backyard, playing with their people, and reading the Politically Georgia newsletter. We’re not 100% sure about that last part, but flattery will get you everywhere around here.
Mimi and Zoe call AJC subscribers Vallory and Russell Welday their people and they all live in Clarkdale.
Send us your dogs of any political persuasion and location, and cats on a cat-by-cat basis, to patricia.murphy@ajc.com, or DM us at @MurphyAJC.
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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.
