Gov. Brian Kemp plans to take a longer range view on a new effort to curb “frivolous” lawsuits and limit enormous jury awards.
We’re told the governor now views his initiative to rewrite the state’s litigation rules as a multiyear effort, meaning that what supporters call “tort reform” isn’t likely to cross the finish line during the 2024 legislative session, which opened Monday.
The decision marks a dramatic turnabout for Kemp, who surprised corporate executives at the Georgia Chamber’s annual meeting in August by vowing to reshape regulations guiding plaintiffs’ litigation.
A few months later, Kemp’s political allies launched a six-figure media campaign that included targeted digital ads warning Georgians of “senseless regulations that drive up insurance prices.” It seemed a sure sign that Kemp would go all out to pass the changes.
So what happened? Key Republicans, business executives and lobbying groups couldn’t get on the same page over a big comprehensive package, several officials said, and there’s little appetite for a piecemeal approach.
Instead, lawmakers and advocates were told to expect Kemp to lay out a framework to gather more insurance industry data and litigation details to pave the way for a fresh effort in 2025.
And remember: nothing is ever dead in the Legislature until the final gavel at session’s end, likely in early April. There’s a chance a more targeted litigation-related measure gains traction over the next few months.
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Credit: Casey Sykes for the AJC
Credit: Casey Sykes for the AJC
UNDER THE GOLD DOME:
Look for a delayed start to allow members to attend the Georgia Chamber’s annual Eggs & Issues breakfast. Following that:
- 11 a.m.: The House gavels in.
- 1 p.m.: Committee hearings begin, including a 1 p.m. hearing from the House Democratic Caucus on Medicaid expansion.
- 2 p.m.: The Senate convenes.
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Credit: Courtesy photo
Credit: Courtesy photo
AH, YOUTH. Baby-faced C.J. Pearson may look like a political novice, but the 21-year-old has been involved in politics for half his life. And this week, the Augusta-area native announced he will run in the special election to replace state Rep. Barry Fleming, the Harlem Republican who is leaving the House to assume a judgeship.
Pearson burst onto the political scene at the tender age of 12 by making viral, in-your-face videos attacking then-President Barack Obama. His biting rhetoric quickly earned him a place on the Georgia GOP’s radar as a young Black spokesman for a party desperate to attract young voters and minorities.
Since then, Pearson has led a string of conservative groups, attracted vast social media followings, dabbled as a political operative and served as a commentator for the conservative PragerU outlet.
He dropped out of the University of Alabama last year, three semesters shy of graduating, telling Fox News that school was “force-fed indoctrination.” He then moved to Los Angeles to join PragerU. But his family calls the Augusta suburbs home, and he said he’s now back there full-time to run for state office.
“The people of my district don’t want to elect just another Republican to this seat; they want to elect a conservative who knows how to fight like the future of our country is on the line. Because it is — make no qualms about it,” Pearson said.
Along the way, Pearson has made plenty of enemies. He served as campaign manager for Vernon Jones, the ex-Democrat whose disastrous far-right campaign against Gov. Brian Kemp imploded.
Moments after word came out about Pearson’s run, we heard from a handful of Republicans who said they would walk through glass to defeat him — and said they expect to line up behind one of the three other Republicans who announced their bids for the seat.
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Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC
Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC
LISTEN UP. With the 2024 legislative session underway, GOP House Majority Leader Chuck Efstration of Auburn joined the “Politically Georgia” radio show Tuesday to lay out GOP priorities for the year.
Democratic strategist and former Stacey Abrams political director Justin Kirnon called in later to talk about what Democrats need to do to win Georgia in 2024.
Catch up on 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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BATTLE FOR THE 6TH. Cobb County Commissioner Jerica Richardson will stay in the race for a newly drawn, solidly Democratic west Atlanta congressional district — even as it puts her on a collision course with one of the state’s leading Democrats.
Richardson’s announcement sets up a likely primary battle against U.S. Rep. Lucy McBath, who said last month that she will switch to the 6th Congressional District race after Republican legislators drew her out of her suburban seat for the second time in two years. McBath is a Marietta Democrat first elected to Congress in 2018.
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
The decision was a surprising move by Richardson, a Democrat who earlier told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that she wouldn’t run against a Democratic incumbent. But it may have been spurred by a court ruling this week that upheld a separate GOP-drawn Cobb map that ousted her from her commission seat.
How does Richardson reconcile her decision? She noted that she was already in the 6th District race — she entered the contest in September, when the district was drawn for a solid GOP win. By that view, Richardson isn’t running against McBath, she’s simply still running for the 6th District seat.
That didn’t sit well with some Democrats, who expressed shock and dismay about the potential for a nasty intraparty fight for a party star. Said one senior party figure: “There’s likely not a bigger primary crime that could be committed in Georgia this year.”
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Credit: AJC file photo
Credit: AJC file photo
THIRD IS THE WORD. It’s not often that a candidate releases a poll with someone else leading a race, but state Rep. David Jenkins’ campaign has done just that.
The internal poll of 433 likely Republican voters tested the waters in the crowded GOP primary in the open 3rd Congressional District race.
Former state Senator Mike Dugan topped the survey at 33%, while “America First” businessman Jim Bennett got 30% support, and Jenkins rounded out the top three with 20%. Importantly, the Jenkins campaign noted that two other candidates in the race, former state Rep. Philip Singleton and GOP operative Brian Jack, trailed with 13% and 4% support.
Internal polls should always be taken with a grain of salt, but a top-three standing is something to tout in a contest that could easily go to a runoff between the two highest vote getters on Election Day.
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Credit: TNS
Credit: TNS
DUGAN’S SENATE SEAT. Renae Bell became the latest Republican to qualify to replace former state Sen. Mike Dugan, the Carrollton Republican who is running for Georgia’s 3rd Congressional District.
Bell is a Tallapoosa Housing Authority commissioner and chair of the Greater Haralson Chamber of Commerce. Her husband Jerry is the superintendent of the Haralson County school district.
Other contenders for the seat include former state Rep. Tim Bearden, who launched his campaign last week.
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Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC
Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC
TARGETING TRAFFICKING. First lady Marty Kemp celebrated the opening Tuesday of a 24-bed facility in Gwinnett County designed to help sex trafficking victims transition back into society.
Kemp was joined by members of the GRACE Commission, the panel she leads that vets new ways to punish perpetrators of the crime and safeguard victims.
The new Lawrenceville complex, known as Grace’s Place, will be run through a private firm under the Department of Human Services. It will house male and female victims of sex trafficking crimes who are between the ages of 13 and 17.
The facility is part of a spate of initiatives by Kemp to target the scourge. Gov. Brian Kemp last year signed a measure that increases the penalty for business owners who don’t post notices that detail how human trafficking victims can get help.
Other measures include a trio of 2021 laws that gives victims new power to sue for damages against traffickers and requires more education about how to prevent the crime.
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Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC
Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC
VP FACETIME. Vice President Kamala Harris made the 10th trip of her tenure to Georgia on Tuesday to meet with a coalition of voting rights activists. U.S. Reps. Nikema Williams, D-Atlanta, and Lucy McBath, D-Marietta, also joined the panel.
Harris told the crowd that, before the main event, she met with election workers to thank them for their service and reiterate her support for legislation to protect them from interference and harassment.
Two former Fulton County poll workers, the mother-daughter team Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss, have become national poster children for this effort. President Joe Biden acknowledged them during both of his recent speeches on protecting democracy.
Harris also spent time backstage with venture capitalist Arian Simone, whose Fearless Fund is the target of a lawsuit to restrict corporate diversity initiatives. Simone updated Harris on the status of the case and predicted the matter would likely end up in the U.S. Supreme Court.
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Credit: Ben Gray for the AJC
Credit: Ben Gray for the AJC
TODAY IN WASHINGTON:
- President Joe Biden has no public events scheduled.
- The House votes to consider U.S. policy towards China and Taiwan.
- The Senate holds a confirmation hearing on Karoline Mehalchick to be United States District Judge for the Middle District of Pennsylvania.
- The House Homeland Security Committee holds a hearing on the potential impeachment of Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.
- U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai hosts an economic summit in Duluth to connect Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander community members with federal agencies and resources.
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Credit: John Spink/AJC
Credit: John Spink/AJC
ROAD SAFETY. A poll of neighborhood driving safety concerns conducted by Meeting Street Research for the advocacy group Give School Kids a Brake had an interesting takeaway.
Drunk driving still tops the list of concerns, followed closely by road rage. In the third slot, was drivers speeding in school zones. That polled higher than speeding, pedestrian safety and running red lights.
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PERSONNEL DEPARTMENT. Congratulations to GPB’s Sarah Kallis, who has taken on the coveted role of Capitol correspondent for the “Lawmakers” show.
She’ll file daily reports to “Lawmakers” anchor Donna Lowry, who is also a FOPGAM (that’s Friend of Politically Georgia A.M.). The long-running “Lawmakers” kicked off its 54th season this year.
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Credit: Courtesy photo
Credit: Courtesy photo
DOG OF THE DAY. It’s been a week, people, and it’s only Wednesday.
So we bring you Hyde and Levi Swan, two Alpharetta pups who prove that fresh air and a best pal are all you really need in this life to be truly happy. Levi and Hyde call Gracie Swan their person.
A reliable source tells us this photo was snapped as the two newshounds were listening to the “Politically Georgia” podcast, which is a sure way to get into our pages. But the best way is to make us smile before dawn. Mission accomplished, you two!
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.
