Gov. Brian Kemp and his allies may have won the GOP civil war in last year’s midterm. But this weekend’s county GOP meetings offered a reminder that tensions between Republican factions in the state are still simmering.
The uber-conservative Georgia Republican Assembly and its allies mounted a series of successful operations against local leaders they deemed too moderate or ineffective.
Ahead of this weekend’s meetings, GRA head Alex Johnson urged supporters to send a message to “the political industry and their sycophants” who blindly back establishment Republicans over ideological purists.
According to Johnson’s tally, his group scored wins by electing party leaders in Catoosa, Chatham, Cherokee, Coweta, DeKalb, Fayette, Fulton, Habersham, Spalding and Whitfield counties.
There were a few flashpoints. In Chatham County, GRA-backed delegates engineered a far-right takeover of the local party. Among the defeated were a group of more mainstream candidates who pushed a big-tent message.
Ken Yasger, a military veteran who ran for second vice-chair, framed his campaign as an antidote to “bigoted” views on LGBTQ inclusion and calls for a ban on abortion even in the case of rape or incest. He was soundly defeated.
“The Chatham County Republican Party is lost,” Yasger said. “It’s now a locked room instead of a welcoming tent, which the moderates like myself were trying to achieve.”
Credit: Curtis Compton
Credit: Curtis Compton
Jeanne Seaver, a Savannah activist who ran for lieutenant governor, disputed that characterization. She said each of the victorious contenders “wanted to grow the party and unite.”
In Cherokee County, GRA-backed contenders swept leadership posts after a roughly nine-hour meeting. Former state Rep. Scot Turner noted he’s “lived through difficult and contentious county conventions — but never a (crap) show like this.”
(He used spicier language, but this is a family newsletter.)
And in Cobb County, three longtime delegates with mainstream leanings were challenged by Nathaniel Darnell, the anti-abortion advocate who recently maligned the late House Speaker David Ralston.
One of them is Jason Shepherd, the former Cobb GOP chair who felt he was being targeted for his pro-Kemp statements. He shared a private text he sent to Darnell: “Next time you try to take a pound of flesh, find a better butcher.”
Another is Brittany Ellison, a leader of the Cobb Young Republicans who confronted Darnell at the Saturday convention after he tried to remove her from the delegate list. Her name was later restored, though she won’t forget the slight.
“I’ve never been disrespected like that before,” she said.
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NAME CHANGE ON HOLD. That was fast. We told you Friday about the confusion and outrage that resulted from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers notifying local leaders that Lake Lanier and Buford Dam could be undergoing a name change.
Well, that’s no longer happening for now. Just hours after Tia Mitchell’s article, the corps reached out to her with an update: “The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is pausing any actions related to project renaming pending further guidance from the Department of the Army.”
Earlier in the week, the corps had said that Lake Lanier and Buford Dam were among the Department of Defense assets whose names may need to change because of a 2020 federal law that said bases and facilities named after people who served in the Confederate Army would need new monikers.
Local groups and even some members of Congress criticized any name changes, but up until Friday morning the Corps seemed to be barreling ahead.
The Corps’ Mobile, Alabama, office sent stakeholders an email on Friday morning providing a timeline for the name changes and outlining the process. And it launched a webpage soliciting public feedback.
But just hours later, the “pause” was announced. The language on the webpage is now revised.
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Credit: Natrice Miller/AJC
Credit: Natrice Miller/AJC
UNDER THE GOLD DOME, Legislative Day 32:
- 8 a.m.: Committee hearings 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
BUDGET BILL. Look for the state Senate to soon take up the fiscal year 2024 state budget, which the House approved on the final day of session last week.
Our colleague James Salzer detailed what made it into the House-passed version of the bill, including:
- A record $13 billion for k-12 schools, including $6 million for free and reduced breakfast and lunch programs;
- $26 million to boost state pension payments;
- $120 million for mental health and substance abuse;
- Pay raises for law enforcement personnel, teachers and other state employees;
- $1.25 million for a new Buckhead satellite post for the Georgia State Patrol. The post would host 20 troopers from the motor unit and Nighthawks DUI Task Force.
House Appropriations Committee chairman Matt Hatchett told the House Thursday: “There are a number of great initiatives that we were able to include in our version of the budget that you can be proud of, but our work is not done.”
Salzer explained it all in an appearance on GPB Lawmakers. Host Donna Lowry said Salzer “knows the in’s and out’s of the state budget better than just about anyone.” Fact check: True.
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TODAY IN WASHINGTON:
- President Joe Biden will deliver remarks on the U.S. the banking system following the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank. Afterward, he will travel to San Diego to meet with the prime ministers of Australia and the United Kingdom.
- The House is on recess.
- The Senate is also out today, but senators return Tuesday for a week focused on confirmations and possibly banking issues.
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Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC
Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC
“WOKE” BANK BUST. Home Depot co-founder Bernie Marcus already knows what he thinks President Joe Biden will say when he addresses the sudden collapse of Silicon Valley Bank.
“I can’t wait for Biden to get on the speech again and talk about how great the economy is and how it’s moving forward and getting stronger by the day,” Marcus told Fox News’ Neil Cavuto in an interview Saturday. “And this is an indication that whatever he says is not true.”
Marcus has been both a longtime Atlanta philanthropist and national GOP megadonor. He donated more than $10 million to super PACs supporting former President Donald Trump in 2016 and 2020.
On Saturday, he blamed both Biden and “woke issues” for the overnight failure of SVB.
“I think that the system, that the administration has pushed many of these banks into [being] more concerned about global warming than they do about shareholder return,” he said. “And these banks are badly run because everybody is focused on diversity and all of the woke issues and not concentrating on the one thing they should, which is shareholder returns.”
But Cavuto echoed analysts who have said SVB’s failure came down to bank leaders’ strategy to invest heavily in three-year Treasury bonds, while continuing to promise customers immediate withdrawals in full.
“You might be right on some of the woke stuff, but I just don’t see it here,” Cavuto said.
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OSSOFF ON FARMS. U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff is on the road today holding news conferences on farm issues ahead of this year’s anticipated farm bill reauthorization.
The Georgia Democrat will be at Fort Valley State University in the morning to discuss federal support for a new poultry science major at the historically back school. Later, he’ll be at Georgia Grown Citrus in Ochlocknee to lay out his efforts to protect Georgia’s fruit industry.
In addition to Ossoff’s focus, Georgia’s U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., sits on the Senate Agriculture Committee and will be directly involved in Farm Bill negotiations before the legislation goes to the full Senate.
U.S. Rep. Austin Scott, R-Tifton, is vice chairman of the House Agriculture Committee, Rep. David Scott, D-Atlanta, is the ranking Democrat on the committee. We told you last week that U.S. Rep. Sanford Bishop, D-Albany, has been newly appointed to the panel this year.
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Credit: Nathan Posner for the AJC
Credit: Nathan Posner for the AJC
SOLID SEAT. Speaking of U.S. Rep. Sanford Bishop, his southwest Georgia congressional district was considered the state’s only toss-up U.S. House race last year.
But Bishop’s dominating victory in November over Republican Chris West — he carried 55% of the district — has election predictors thinking twice about the chances of a GOP flip in 2024.
Cook’s Political Report categorized the Albany Democrat’s race as “solid D.” And Inside Elections indicated Bishop’s seat is safely Democratic, leaving his 2nd District off its list of 66 competitive House races.
Of course, these are just early looks at the 2024 landscape. The outlook could shift quickly if West, GOP runner-up Jeremy Hunt or another high-profile Republican decides to challenge Bishop again.
🚨Here they are! The first set of 2024 House ratings from @InsideElections.
— Jacob Rubashkin (@JacobRubashkin) March 10, 2023
The battlefield begins incredibly even. There are 66 competitive races overall: 33 seats currently held by Democrats, and 33 seats held by Republicans.
Control of the House is on the line! pic.twitter.com/1WkY5Pgtny
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WHAT WE’RE READING:
- The New York Times: “Little-Known Lawyer, a Trump Ally, Draws Scrutiny in Georgia;”
- The Wall Street Journal: “Chick-Fil-A wants to serve its chicken sandwiches in Europe and Asia;”
- Marietta Daily Journal: Parking lot profits (with a Roy Barnes cameo)
- Savannah Morning News: “Opportunity or concern? Bryan industrial growth weighs on county.”
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Credit: Chip Somodevilla via The New York Times
Credit: Chip Somodevilla via The New York Times
PERSONNEL DEPARTMENT:
U.S. Rep. Hank Johnson has hired Marcus Garza as his new chief of staff. Garza previously served in the same role for U.S. Rep. Marie Newman, D-Illinois, who was ousted in a member-vs.-member primary last year. Garza replaces Scott Goldstein, who took a yet-to-be-announced job in the Biden Administration.
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Credit: Courtesy photo
Credit: Courtesy photo
DOG OF THE DAY: They say every dog has his day, but so do a few cats here at The Jolt. So it’s time to meet Raja, the one-eyed Bengal.
We heard about Raja from his person, Jake Field, who is both an AJC subscriber and aide to Atlanta City Council President Doug Shipman. Field was among the first people to nominate their pets, with the subject line “Cat-by-cat case. ‘I mean...c’mon! She’s Raja, the one eyed Bengal! How can she not be featured?” he wrote.
We’re sorry to report that since Jake first contacted us, Raja has since passed away. But we wanted to take a chance to salute this one-of-a-kind, one eyed Bengal today.
Send us your pups of any political persuasion — and cats on a cat-by-case basis — to patricia.murphy@ajc.com, or DM us on Twitter @MurphyAJC.
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AS ALWAYS, Jolt readers are some of our favorite tipsters. Send your best scoop, gossip and insider info to patricia.murphy@ajc.com, tia.mitchell@ajc.com and greg.bluestein@ajc.com.
