The Jolt: Inflation soaring, Georgia Dems focus on debt, health care, pre-K and pot

The non-binding, party-sponsored resolutions on primary ballots don’t carry any weight. But they offer a glimpse of partisan priorities – and a hint of the issues that both parties could push in the years to come.

Earlier this week, we told you about the policy questions on the GOP primary ballots: Queries about immigration, school vouchers, transgender athletes, banning ballot drop boxes and forming a city of Buckhead.

Now we got hold of the Democratic policy questions, which started with this query: “Should the United States remove obstacles to economic advancement by forgiving all student loan debt?”

The other items included whether Georgia should legalize marijuana, expand Medicaid, offer same-day voter registration, provide paid parental leave following the birth or adoption of children, and finance free preschool programs.

Then there was this question, which could portend a new California-like Democratic initiative:

“Should Georgia voters have the right to gather signed petitions to directly place questions on the ballot, whether to change the law or poll the public?”

One data point Democrats will need to keep a close eye on as the elections approach-- The Wall Street Journal has a piece on the huge inflationary pressures driving voters in the recently Democratic suburban areas of Phoenix to rethink their support for Democrats.

Phoenix tops all cities in the country with its year-over-year inflation rate of 10.9%. The city with the second highest inflation rate in the nation: Atlanta, with a 10.6% inflation rate.

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UNDER THE GOLD DOME, Friday, March 25

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One of the biggest pieces of remaining business this legislative session is HB 1013, the Mental Health Parity Act from House Speaker David Ralston.

Although the politics ensnaring the Speaker’s top priority have been making headlines, the underlying substance is the result of years and study and input from advocates, doctors, law enforcement, and struggling families.

State Rep. Todd Jones spoke to WXIA-TV with his wife Tracey to detail their son’s struggle with mental health for the piece, “The razor blades are coming out of the showerhead.”

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A Plan B for EV’s? We told you Wednesday that the Rivian-targeted bill to allow direct EV sales to consumers had stalled in the Legislature. Hours later, came SR 773, a resolution to create “the Senate Direct Sales of Electric Vehicles Study Committee.”

Study committees are typically either a way to lay the groundwork for future legislation or a tactic to convince disappointed interests that they got something done this session, even when the results say otherwise.

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Donald Trump will be in Commerce Saturday night to make a pitch for his seven hand-picked candidates to take out the “Raffensperger ticket,” as we’ve heard GOP operatives calling the slate of Republican incumbents up for reelection.

We look ahead to Trump’s visit and talk about what the Trump effect is doing to the work under the Gold Dome in today’s edition of the Politically Georgia podcast.

Listen online or on Apple, Spotify, Google, or wherever you get your favorite podcasts.

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While Donald Trump heads to Georgia, Senate Republican Gary Black is high-tailing it to the U.S. border with Mexico to highlight his rival’s immigration policy.

Black said he would vote “no” on every bill until there is a vote on “securing the border” barring a national emergency.

“If we have no borders, we are no longer a sovereign nation so this is the biggest threat our country faces and it must be resolved immediately,” said Black.

He’s attempting to draw a contrast with Walker, who expressed caution over Donald Trump’s hardline stance on unauthorized immigrants in an August 2015 interview.

Back then, he told USA Today that he supports Trump’s idea of building a wall along the border with Mexico but disagreed with his plan to deport millions of immigrants living in the country illegally. He also said he’d back legislation that enables such immigrants to earn citizenship.

Walker’s campaign hasn’t disavowed those comments, though a spokeswoman has said that “any conversations about immigration have to start with finally securing our southern border.”

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A new state law Gov. Brian Kemp signed just before qualifying is leading to ethics complaints against high-profile hopefuls, including former Sen. and current Kemp opponent, David Perdue.

Our AJC colleague James Salzer tells us the Senate in early March gave final approval to Senate Bill 120 that required candidates for statewide office to make much more extensive reporting of their earnings and investments.

On Thursday, Kemp’s campaign filed an ethics complaint against Perdue, saying the richest man in the race didn’t disclose all of his investments or itemize his sources of income for the past five years.

It gave the Kemp campaign a chance to rekindle old complaints against Perdue that he traded stocks leading up to the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, something other senators did as well.

“Maybe Mr. Perdue forgot about purchasing and selling thousands of dollars of stock, like Pfizer and Caesars Entertainment, just days before the COVID-19 pandemic caused businesses and schools to shutter across the country,” Kemp campaign lawyer Vincent Russo wrote in his complaint.

“But how did he overlook hundreds of stock transactions? The extent of his oversight is enormous, and, at a minimum, remedial action must be taken.”

Jenni Sweat, communications director for Perdue’s campaign, responded, “This is another baseless attack from Kemp, pushed by the same attorney who signed the consent decree that turned our elections over to Stacey Abrams.

“It’s no surprise they are now using the same lies the Democrats used in 2020. Instead of this unfounded accusation, the commission should be investigating why Brian Kemp’s net worth increased by 65% over his past three years in office. Georgians want to know where they can sign up for Kemp kickbacks like that.”

Ethics complaints are plentiful in a re-election year so expect to see plenty more of the same through November.

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Georgia U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff will be in Wilkinson County Friday, briefing local officials about the money he helped secure to fund sewer system upgrades. Ossoff and Sen. Raphael Warnock, teamed up to request what resulted in a $6.3 million earmark for Wilkinson County.

The money will be used to fund the rural county’s first ever public sewer system, helping its residents get away from having to use septic tanks for wastewater.

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POSTED: A group of Georgia voters has filed a challenge to U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s reelection bid, saying her actions leading up to the Jan. 6 Capitol attack should disqualify her from holding office.

The candidacy challenge is a long shot, but the main goal appears to compel Greene to testify under oath about her actions in the days and weeks leading up to the riot.

No evidence has surfaced from law enforcement or congressional committees linking her to the events.

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The Associated General Contractors of America PAC is supporting Jennifer Strahan in the Republican primary against U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene.

Strahan also has the backing of Value In Electing Women PAC, a group whose mission is to put more Republican women in Congress. Of course, the group is backing her over the Republican woman currently holding the seat.

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Jake Evans, a GOP candidate for 6th District, will join his dad’s old boss, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, March 31 in Cumming for the biggest event of his campaign. He’s calling it the “Great American Comeback Rally.”

Evans is one of several Republicans running in the newly vacant district, which was designed to flip the seat to the GOP.

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Georgia lawmakers saluted their longest serving member Thursday night with a goodbye reception for state Rep. Calvin Smyre at the College Football Hall of Fame.

The huge bipartisan turnout for the Democrat included House Speaker David Ralston, Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens, and a host of well wishers saying their bags are packed for any future trip to the Dominican Republic, where Smyre has been nominated to serve as U.S. Ambassador. Your Jolters are also ready to take one for the team and go to the D.R. to see Smyre in action.

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Since it’s Friday, we like to send you into the weekend with a little light reading, including:

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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.

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