The Jolt: Kelly Loeffler’s back. But why?

When some politicians lose an election, they might go out of sight, or to a faraway island, to lick their wounds and wonder what’s next.

But that hasn’t been Kelly Loeffler’s playbook. Just five months after losing the Senate seat she’d been appointed to in 2019, Loeffler stood Tuesday on the side of a Cobb County highway. She held a sign that said, “VOTE REPUBLICAN,” and wore the red, gingham-checked shirt and jeans that became her uniform during her own campaign in 2020.

By Wednesday, Loeffler was tweeting out the results of the special election for state House District 34 with the message, “On to the runoff!”

That same day, Loeffler traveled to Washington to meet on Capitol Hill with Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell.

It’s all a part of her newly launched GOP get-out-the-vote effort, Greater Georgia.

But if you didn’t know better, you’d also think that either A) the calendar is stuck on November 2020, or B) Loeffler is campaigning for something herself.

On Capitol Hill yesterday, Loeffler told CNN’s Manu Raju she was in D.C. “updating the leader about the situation in Georgia.” She also said she is, indeed, thinking of a rematch against Sen. Raphael Warnock, who defeated her in January.

“I haven’t ruled it out,” she said.

Loeffler’s team told one of your Insiders she’d had a “productive” meeting in D.C. but had no other details to share. But that didn’t stop Democrats from putting out a statement slamming “failed politician Kelly Loeffler.”

“Trump is courting Herschel, Loeffler is courting McConnell, and Georgia Republicans are getting worried as their primary field remains in disarray,” said Dan Gottlieb, spokesman for the Democratic Party of Georgia.

It’s not clear how much support Loeffler would have inside the GOP base if she were to run again. Her Greater Georgia group made a heavy play in Tuesday’s special state House elections and she’s leaning hard on courting Trump (she Tweeted “Happy Birthday, President Trump!” on Monday) and Trump voters with messages about election integrity.

But we’re also told her last votes in the Senate, namely her decision not to challenge Georgia’s Electoral College results on January 6th after the attack on the Capitol, left far-right activists angry, especially after she dramatically promised to do the opposite days before.

“The events that transpired have forced me to reconsider, and I cannot now in good conscience object to the certification of these electors,” Loeffler said at the time.

It’s not clear what Loeffler’s plans are, but with her deep pockets and obvious interest, it’s clear she’ll be a factor in 2022 and beyond, whether she’s on the ballot or not.

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Georgia U.S. Rep. Andrew Clyde faced criticism for his vote against awarding Congressional Gold Medals to officers who protected the Capitol on Jan. 6, but he said a related controversy that bubbled up Wednesday didn’t happen the way it’s being reported.

It all started when D.C. Metropolitan Police Officer Michael Fanone attempted to meet with Clyde to educate him about what officers experienced during the insurrection. Later, the men ended up in the same elevator. Here is what happened next, as told by Fanone to CNN:

“I was very cordial. I extended my hand to shake his hand. He just stared at me. I asked him if he was going to shake my hand, and he told me that he didn’t know who I was. So, I introduced myself. I said that I was Officer Michael Fanone. That I was a D.C. Metropolitan Police officer who fought on January 6 to defend the Capitol and, as a result, I suffered a traumatic brain injury as well as a heart attack after having been tased numerous times at the base of my skull, as well as being severely beaten. At that point, the congressman turned away from me, pulled out his cell phone, looked like he was attempting to pull up an audio recording app on his phone. And ,again, never acknowledged me at any point.”

Now here is Clyde’s side of the story, sent in a statement via his House office and which was updated Thursday afternoon:

“It is my understanding that Officer Fanone stopped by our office yesterday and my staff offered to schedule a meeting with him. Though I did not know who he was at the time, I briefly shared an elevator with Mr. Fanone on my way to votes but I do not recall him offering to shake hands. I have worked with law enforcement for over 30 years, and even recently cosponsored two bills introduced by Rep. Louie Gohmert to award Congressional Gold Medals to all USCP officers who have given the last full measure in the line of duty, and I am more than happy to shake hands with any law enforcement officer.”

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Speaking of Clyde, he was the only member of Georgia’s congressional delegation to vote against making Juneteenth a federal holiday.

The other 13 lawmakers from Georgia were part of the overwhelming majority that sent the bill to President Joe Biden after a 415-14 vote. He plans to sign it into law this afternoon.

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The Fulton County Development Authority may not be the most well-known appointed board in the state, but it has been among the most lucrative for some of its members.

That’s a particular problem, the AJC’s Scott Trubey and Ben Brasch report, especially since much of the $800,000 in per diem the members have claimed since 2015 may not have been legal. More:

Just three members drew nearly $600,000, or three-quarters of the total, in payments of $200 per meeting attended or, in many cases, $200 for each official action taken at a particular meeting. The per diem is nearly twice the rate paid to regents in the state university system.

Now Fulton County officials tell the AJC there may have been no authorization from commissioners for DAFC board members to collect that kind of money. And two Fulton commissioners and a taxpayer watchdog say an effort to force board members to repay at least some of those funds should be on the table.

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The map-drawing phase of the redistricting process won’t get underway until the fall, but the House and Senate Legislative & Congressional Reapportionment Committees are doing a statewide road show of sorts to get input from the public ahead of time.

The chairs, Rep. Bonnie Rich, R-Suwanee, and Sen. John Kennedy, R-Macon, held the first session this week from the Capitol. On Wednesday, they announced ten more sessions across the state where you can catch up with them, including Atlanta, Cumming, Dalton, Athens, Augusta, Brunswick, Albany, Columbus, Macon, and a final virtual session.

It’s hard to imagine public comment trumping the power plays and local legislators’ preferences that always drive the final maps, but it’s a chance for voters to tell lawmakers what they’d like to see happen, nevertheless.

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Watkinsville elected a new mayor and city council member Tuesday, the Athens Banner-Herald reports.

Brian Broderick needed just 333 votes to win the top spot in the Oconee County town. Chuck Garrett received 298 votes to 92 for challenger Carolyn Maultsby to win the council seat.

Former Mayor Bob Smith resigned abruptly in March after a dispute with the council.

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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.