Former U.S. Sen. David Gambrell died last week after what his family said was a brief period of declining health. He was 91.
The Harvard-trained lawyer led the State Bar of Georgia, chaired the Democratic Party of Georgia and was a key ally of Jimmy Carter during his run for governor before then-U.S. Sen. Richard Russell’s death left an open seat in the United States Senate.
Carter, then the governor, surprised many by tapping Gambrell to the coveted post, where he helped pass a $250 million loan guarantee that helped the Lockheed Aircraft Corporation avert bankruptcy.
But Gambrell lost his bid for a full-term to an upstart Democratic state representative named Sam Nunn -- a race that Jim Galloway remembered last year during another Senate appointee’s race -- and Gambrell returned to his law practice in Atlanta to delve into interests that included history and genealogy.
His lifelong curiosity about family history led him to remote towns around the world. All of this culminated in his book, “Georgia Girl," which focused on the life and times of his ancestor Ann Grace in the years leading up to the Civil War.
David visited all 159 counties in Georgia and maintained friendships statewide. He spent many hours hunting and fishing in his adopted stomping grounds in Emanuel and Jefferson Counties, and thoroughly enjoyed bringing home wild turkeys to cook for Thanksgiving at Cooter Creek Farm. He also had an agrarian streak that inspired him to cultivate his side yard in Atlanta, startling visitors with urban cornrows and grapevines. For a while, he kept bees, and later made wine in his Buckhead Atlanta kitchen.
May his memory be a blessing.
***
The U.S. Department of Defense has launched an investigation into 6th District candidate Harold Earls over his campaign launch video, according to Military.com.
The Republican’s video prominently features images of Earls in uniform as a former Army officer, as well as footage of Arlington National Cemetery, grieving military families and servicemembers’ headstones. Military policy limits the use of imagery that could imply an endorsement by the Armed Services.
From the report:
Soldiers who served with Earls and spoke with Military.com called the use of Gold Star families in a political ad tasteless. All said that if Earls owned any of the footage himself, and used it without the families' consent, it would represent a violation of morals. It is unclear what specific regulations might have been broken, or what actions the Defense Department would realistically take if Earls were guilty of any rule-breaking.
While not really morally acceptable, it is allowed," a junior noncommissioned officer currently serving at the cemetery said in an interview with Military.com. “However, he did utilize footage of him walking through headstones and standing by the tomb. Those were shot when he had already left the Army and was not cleared with the cemetery. This is part of the footage that is currently being investigated and brought up the chain of command.
***
Piling on: Just hours after Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms held a press conference announcing she will not run for a second term, Gov. Brian Kemp took to the skies to highlight one of her biggest vulnerabilities -- violent crime in Atlanta.
Over the course of their terms, Kemp and Bottoms have tangled in court, on the airwaves and on the campaign trail, an acrimonious relationship that contrasted with the much rosier partnership their predecessors, Nathan Deal and Kasim Reed, enjoyed.
And though Kemp was careful not to gloat on Friday, he flew with the Georgia State Patrol on a helicopter to unveil a multi-agency statewide crackdown on crime led by state officials.
“People are frustrated and people want to see something done about it and that’s what we are doing,” he said upon landing.
Atlanta’s rising crime rate dogged Bottoms throughout her tenure. Though the mayor has acknowledged that the city needs to step up its efforts, she’s also pointed fingers at Kemp and Republicans for what she calls the state’s lax gun laws.
At a press conference earlier this month targeting the city’s crime, Bottoms urged lawmakers to require gun-owners to pass more stringent background checks and to ban more assault-style weapons.
“Until that happens, I’m so sad to say that this likely will not be the last time I stand here,” Bottoms said.
Kemp called foul, saying the same gun laws were on the books when crime was at a lower level. And he urged city law enforcement to launch a more aggressive crackdown.
“The state’s only got so many resources. There’s more Atlanta police than the entire State Patrol, and we’ve got to police the whole state, help all the local communities,” he said. “We’re doing what we can, but it’s going to be up to locals to do more.”
***
Gov. Brian Kemp will sign the recently passed overhaul of Georgia’s Citizens’ Arrest law at the Capitol Monday afternoon.
House Bill 479 passed the General Assembly this year in response to the shooting death of Ahmaud Arbery, when two white men pursued and shot Arbery as he jogged through a Brunswick neighborhood. Local prosecutors then initially declined to charge the men, citing the state’s existing citizens’ arrest statute to justify the killing.
Although this year’s legislative session was mired in conflict over the state’s new election law, the citizens’ arrest bill was a high-profile point of bipartisan agreement. HB 479 passed the state House unanimously and passed the state Senate with just one dissenting vote.
***
More from the governor’s desk: Gov. Brian Kemp announced Friday that Amazon is planning a massive new fulfilment center in Savannah. Once it’s up and running, the 640,000-square-foot facility will employ 1,000 workers. That’s on top of the 21,000 employees that Amazon already has in the state.
The Savannah center is expected to open in 2022, but is already accepting applications for the new roles there. The company announced that the minimum starting pay will be $15 per hour, with benefits.
***
U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff will unveil federal legislation Monday to prohibit states from banning individuals or organizations from giving water to people standing in line to vote.
The proposal is a response to Georgia’s new election law that bars individuals or outside groups from distributing food and water to people standing in line within 150 feet of a polling station. Poll workers may make water available.
In April, U.S. Rep. Nikema Williams introduced a bill with a similar theme. The “Stay in Line Act” would explicitly allow food and drink to be provided to voters while they wait in line at polling places during elections for federal office.
***
Citing a lackluster April jobs report, Georgia U.S. Rep. Barry Loudermilk said he will introduce legislation to end the $300 COVID supplement to weekly unemployment checks.
Some states, but not Georgia, have already said they will stop accepting the extra money for out-of-work residents during the coronavirus pandemic. The program is scheduled to end in September, but Loudermilk wants that to happen much sooner.
“So many small businesses in my area are at a breaking point,” Loudermilk, R-Cassville, said in a statement.
“While they have seen a steady rise in business over the past few months, many are nearing or exceeding their capacity to serve their customers because of the critical shortage of workers and the escalating cost of goods and materials.”
South Carolina and Montana will stop taking the bonus cash in June, with their Republican governors saying it has disincentivized people from finding jobs.
Studies of the $600 COVID-related supplement under the Trump Administration found people who received extra benefits did not have a lower rate of return to the workforce.
***
A cyberattack led to a shutdown last week of the main U.S. fuel pipeline on the East Coast, leading to fresh concerns about cybersecurity. The attack, which included the installation of ransomware, could keep the Colonial Pipeline offline for days. The pipeline is operated by a privately held company based in Alpharetta.
A lengthy shutdown could lead to a spike in fuel prices at neighborhood gas stations and shortages that could affect airlines and Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport. When a 2016 fuel leak shuttered the pipeline for more than a week, gas prices rose across the Southeast.
***
POSTED: One of your Insiders is up with a profile of state Rep. Bee Nguyen, the Democrat running to challenge Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger in 2022.
The Atlanta lawmaker would be the first Asian American elected to a statewide political office in Georgia history if she flips the seat held by Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, who gained national attention for refusing Donald Trump's demands to overturn his loss of the state in November's presidential race.
Nguyen said she would “ensure that all Georgians have the right to participate in our democracy and for Georgia to lead the country on voting rights — not on voter suppression." Under her watch, she added, the office would “prioritize accessibility, efficiency and equity.
***
The Alabama Legislature has passed legislation to honor Georgia’s late Rep. John Lewis by naming the highway between Selma and Montgomery after the Alabama-born Lewis.
HRJ 100, which now heads to Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey for her signature, will name a portion of Alabama Highway 8 (U.S. Highway 80), “The John R. Lewis Memorial 10 Highway.”
***
U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock has frequently referred to his mother, Verlene Warnock, in speeches when he noted the progress his family has made in a single generation.
“My mother, who as a teeneager growing up in Waycross, Ga., used to pick somebody else’s cotton,” Warnock said in his victory speech on Election Night. “But the other day, because this is America, the 82-year-old hands that used to pick somebody else’s cotton went to the polls and picked her youngest son to be a United States senator.”
This week, the senator wrapped up a statewide tour with a trip to Savannah to see his mom for Mother’s Day.
“Happy Mother’s Day! I am extremely grateful to be able to safely spend time again with my Mother, thanks to the vaccine,” he tweeted, alongside a picture of mom.
Happy Mother’s Day! I am extremely grateful to be able to safely spend time again with my Mother, thanks to the vaccine.
— Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock (@SenatorWarnock) May 9, 2021
If you haven’t already, get vaccinated so you can safely be with your loved ones again. And thanks to all the Mothers out there for all you do! pic.twitter.com/5lde6pvM2H
***
As always, remember that Jolt readers are also some of our favorite tipsters. Send your very best political tips, scoops and gossip our way to patricia.murphy@ajc.com.
