Democrat Jerica Richardson kicked off her U.S. House campaign Thursday amid a swirl of uncertainty, as a pending court case could transform the 6th District into a swing seat — or keep it as the GOP stronghold that Republican lawmakers intended when they redrew Georgia’s legislative maps in 2021.
But the Cobb County commissioner said in an interview she’ll run for the post no matter what.
“I made the decision based upon the lines where they are today,” she said shortly after her launch party in Alpharetta. “We’re watching the court case, but I’m still running regardless.”
That case is a two-week federal trial that wrapped Thursday. Plaintiffs claim Georgia GOP lawmakers illegally weakened the voting power of Black Georgians with the 2021 redistricting.
Credit: Nathan Posner for the AJC
Credit: Nathan Posner for the AJC
If U.S. District Judge Steve Jones rules for the plaintiffs, lawmakers could be forced to reshape several districts, including the 6th, which stretches from the Fulton County suburbs to rural Dawson County. That could make first-term U.S. Rep. Rich McCormick, R-Suwanee, vulnerable in the 2024 election.
McCormick’s seat was held by a Democrat, Rep. Lucy McBath, prior to redistricting. The redrawn map tilted the district to the GOP’s favor, and McBath ran for and won a neighboring district in 2022 to remain in Congress. McBath is a Marietta resident.
Richardson isn’t the only Democrat with designs on the seat. State Sen. Josh McLaurin is said to be in the mix, too, particularly if a redrawn district centers on north Fulton County. And McBath’s allies say she hasn’t ruled out switching districts, depending on how the maps align.
Richardson, who announced her candidacy last week, said Thursday she would work to expand health care access, boost infrastructure and increase benefits for veterans. She mostly avoided hot-button issues.
At her Thursday event, she also won the endorsement of Bob Christian, a Democratic business executive who lost to McCormick last year and had filed paperwork to challenge him again in 2024.
But unless the contours of the district lines change significantly, Richardson knows she’ll need the votes of more than just Democrats. McCormick won in 2022 with 63% of the vote.
“We’ll have to win over those Republican voters one vote at a time,” she said. “There is no shortcut to real community, or to building those bonds.”
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Credit: Kenny Holston/The New York Times
Credit: Kenny Holston/The New York Times
LISTEN UP: It’s been a roller coaster week in Washington, D.C., with the House and Senate’s return from the August recess. In the Friday episode of the Politically Georgia podcast, we’re looking at where Georgia members stand on talk of a possible government shutdown.
Plus, how a federal redistricting trial could open the door to changes to Georgia’s legislative maps, and what the indictment of Hunter Biden on gun charges means for Democrats’ reelection strategy in 2024.
Listen and subscribe at Apple Podcasts, Spotify or Google Podcasts.
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BUDGET CHAOS. The spending bill dysfunction is not limited to the U.S. House. On Thursday, the U.S. Senate also hit a snag in trying to pass appropriations legislation, which doesn’t bode well for avoiding a government shutdown at the end of the month.
The Senate had hoped to obtain unanimous consent to package three of 12 spending bills together into a “minibus” and begin voting on amendments. Roll Call reports that U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson, a Wisconsin Republican, blocked that effort and is insisting the 12 bills be debated one by one, echoing a call from conservatives in both chambers.
Credit: Samuel Corum/The New York Times
Credit: Samuel Corum/The New York Times
The Senate adjourned for the weekend without determining if there will be another attempt to move forward with the “minibus” or if the three parts will be taken up individually.
House members also went home Thursday without any progress on the appropriations front and plenty of mixed messages about what hardliners actually want.
In a morning meeting behind closed doors, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy reportedly delivered an obscenity-laced rebuke of his critics and dared them to try to oust him.
McCarthy also told representatives to expect to stay in Washington, D.C., for as long as it takes to iron out a plan to fund the government. Lawmakers are already predicting they will be working through next weekend and, if there is a shutdown on Oct. 1, they won’t be given days off until it’s resolved.
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Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC
Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC
KEEP UP. The legal maneuvers in the Fulton County election interference case against former President Donald Trump and 18 others accelerated this week.
With all the moving parts, we’ll update you periodically with the latest developments. You can stay on top of the case via the ”Trump Georgia Indictment” section on AJC.com and by signing up for the “The Trump 19″ weekly newsletter at ajc.com/newsletters.
Our AJC colleagues filed these stories this week:
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PUSHBACK. Sharpsburg Mayor Blue Cole got an earful earlier this week for signing on to a letter along with 44 other Georgia mayors asking Gov. Brian Kemp to address gun violence in the state.
The Newnan Times-Herald reports that a city council member called the letter “Democratic talking points” and took Cole to task for signing it without the council’s approval.
Cole responded that he didn’t need the council’s permission to sign a letter. More from the Times-Herald:
Cole reminded council members that the letter was sent out the same day a student was arrested at East Coweta High School for possessing a loaded handgun. “And you want to fuss at me for signing a letter that talks about reducing gun violence?" Cole asked.
Sharpsburg is a tiny town — population 349 — in eastern Coweta County.
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Credit: Natrice Miller/AJC
Credit: Natrice Miller/AJC
TOO LATE. AJC ethics guy James Salzer reports that the Georgia Ethics Commission found probable cause to believe Democratic state Sen. Sheikh Rahman broke campaign finance laws during his 2022 reelection campaign. An election, by the way, in which he didn’t have a Republican opponent.
The commission said there were grounds to find that Rahman failed to file campaign disclosures on time or disclose expenditures in about 20 cases. The Lawrenceville lawmaker submitted some of the filings only in the past few days.
Rahman said he had a good excuse: he has major heart issues and he told the commission he has been on several medications to treat the problem.
Commissioners noted that he still served during the 2022 legislative session — and that he took a political trip to Washington, D.C., during that period.
And in November 2022, he joined an economic development committee trip to Germany and England that cost taxpayers more than $100,000. That trip was led by then-Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan and longtime Senate GOP leader Butch Miller, both of whom were about to leave office.
Rahman next faces an administrative law judge to resolve the case, unless he works out a deal with the commission. Any resolution could bring a hefty fine.
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Credit: Jason Getz/AJC
Credit: Jason Getz/AJC
TARDY FOR THE PARTY. The Georgia Ethics Commission also accepted a consent decree Wednesday from state Rep. Mesha Mainor, the AJC’s James Salzer reports. Mainor, a Democrat-turned-Republican from Atlanta, made national news when she switched parties in July.
The commission cited her for not filing three campaign reports during 2022 and for failing to submit a personal financial disclosure on time. She agreed to pay $1,125 for the violations.
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TODAY IN WASHINGTON:
- President Joe Biden has no public events scheduled.
- The U.S. Senate and House are done for the week with both scheduled to return on Monday.
- First lady Jill Biden will be in Atlanta to meet with scientists at Emory University, highlighting the first project funded through the new Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health.
- Later, the first lady will meet with the Georgia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.
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AUTO WORKER STRIKE. The United Auto Workers labor union put its members on strike last night at three assembly plants after it couldn’t reach an agreement with the “Big Three” automakers — Ford, General Motors and Chrysler parent Stellantis.
The strike creates a new headache for President Joe Biden, who calls himself “the most pro-union president in American history.” There could be real implications on the economy, and not just in Michigan, Missouri and Ohio where these first facilities are located.
Citing an August report from the Anderson Economic Group, the New York Times reported that a 10-day strike would create $5.6 billion in losses. Around $3.5 billion is in the 146,000 UAW workers’ lost wages and the resulting slowdown in production. The other $2.1 billion is what consumers will face by higher costs, reduced activity at dealerships and supply chain issues for car parts and repairs.
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Credit: AP/The Birmingham News
Credit: AP/The Birmingham News
FOUR LITTLE GIRLS. Sixty years ago today, a bomb planted by racists into the basement of 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama killed four girls ages 11 to 14.
Events to mark the day are happening in Alabama and beyond today, but here at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution we often bring back the words of former executive editor Eugene Patterson. He penned his most famous piece, “A Flower for the Graves,” after he learned of the tragedy.
A Negro mother wept in the street Sunday morning in front of a Baptist Church in Birmingham. In her hand she held a shoe, one shoe, from the foot of her dead child. We hold that shoe with her.
Every one of us in the white South holds that small shoe in his hand.
It is too late to blame the sick criminals who handled the dynamite. The FBI and the police can deal with that kind. The charge against them is simple. They killed four children.
Only we can trace the truth, Southerner — you and I. We broke those children's bodies.
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Credit: Courtesy photo
Credit: Courtesy photo
DOG OF THE DAY. When they say all relationships take hard work, maybe they’re thinking about these two lookers, Coco and Kiba Brimer?
Coco and Kiba are both husky rescues who call AJC subscriber Cheryl Brimer their person. They all live in Marietta, where a reliable source tells us Cheryl uses an elaborate fur-management system to stay on top of all that husky hair.
Here, Coco and Kiba are waiting for Cheryl to finish reading The Jolt, which really is the most pure form of love.
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, Jolt readers are some of our favorite tipsters. Send your best scoop, gossip and insider info to adam.vanbrimmer@ajc.com, patricia.murphy@ajc.com, tia.mitchell@ajc.com and greg.bluestein@ajc.com.
