Gov. Brian Kemp is trying to strike a delicate balance with his party’s front-runner for president.
On one hand, Kemp has become one of former President Donald Trump’s leading GOP critics after walloping a Trump-backed challenger in last year’s primary. On the other, the governor doesn’t want to undercut Republican support in must-win Georgia in 2024 as a Fulton County indictment of Trump looms.
Kemp’s quandary was encapsulated in a social media post Thursday admonishing Trump for playing “political games” by refusing to sign a pledge to support the eventual Republican presidential nominee.
Trump justifies his stance by telling Newsmax there are other candidates in the race “that I wouldn’t have.”
As word of Trump’s refusal spread in conservative circles, Kemp took to social media to respond.
“Every Republican running for President would be better than Joe Biden. Any candidate who does not commit to supporting the eventual nominee is putting themselves ahead of the future of our country. 2024 is too important for political games.”
While Kemp has only sparingly criticized Trump by name — including a recent jab at the former president after he praised North Korea’s despotic leader Kim Jong Un — he has more frequently assailed Trump’s brand of politics and fixation on his 2020 defeat.
Keep in mind that even as Kemp dinged the former president, the governor simultaneously reaffirmed he would back whoever emerges as the Republican nominee — even if it’s Trump.
Trump’s refusal to sign the candidate pledge could disqualify him from the first GOP debate on Aug. 23. Committing to back the nominee is among the requirements to make the debate stage.
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Credit: Katelyn Myrick
Credit: Katelyn Myrick
INDICTMENT WATCH. One reason we don’t expect Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis to announce indictments in her probe into former President Donald Trump and his allies until next week is because four of the witnesses issued subpoenas have yet to receive notices setting a time to testify.
One prominent official still hasn’t received a subpoena: Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger. His testimony would seem particularly relevant as Raffensperger was on the other side of Trump’s much-scrutinized demand that he “find” exactly enough votes to overturn Joe Biden’s slim 2020 victory in Georgia.
WSB’s Scott Slade asked Raffensperger if he expected to testify before the grand jury, as he did in June 2022 with the special grand jury.
“I haven’t heard from them recently. They’re doing what they’re doing, whatever that is,” Raffensperger told Slade. “And I’m sure I’ll read about it in the AJC just like everyone else will.”
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Credit: Michael Blackshire/AJC
Credit: Michael Blackshire/AJC
LISTEN UP. Speaking of the Fulton County investigation into election interference, that’s exactly what we’re talking about in the Friday edition of the Politically Georgia podcast — namely, what we’re learning about potential indictments based on who has been asked to testify to grand jurors.
And we’ve got breaking news about changes coming to the podcast itself.
Listen at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or Google Podcasts.
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PURGE REPORT CARD. A report on Thursday by Dēmos, a think tank focused on racial justice, gives Georgia low marks for how it removes voters from the rolls, the AJC’s Mark Niesse tells us.
The group criticized Georgia for allowing mass challenges of voters’ eligibility, “use it or lose it” cancellations of voters who decline to participate in elections for several years, and the absence of same-day voter registration.
Credit: Alyssa Pointer/AJC
Credit: Alyssa Pointer/AJC
“We are facing an unprecedented assault on voting rights in this country, and purges that erroneously target eligible voters for removal are part of the problem,” said Dēmos President Taifa Smith Butler.
Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger defends the state’s voter registration cancellation policies. He says they ensure accurate voter rolls by removing people who likely have moved away and are no longer eligible to vote in Georgia.
Georgia did get a perfect score for data transparency. The state publicizes cancellations to allow purged voters a chance to salvage their registrations.
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CULTURE WARS. Two high-profile cases that center around conservative “culture war” issues had hearings on Thursday.
A teacher who faces termination after reading a book to fifth graders about gender identity testified before the Cobb County Board of Education.
A witness called by the school district said Katie Rinderle violated rules about introducing controversial topics in the classroom, the AJC’s Cassidy Alexander writes. But Rinderle and her attorney highlighted potential gray areas in the rules and echoed criticism of Georgia’s laws prohibiting teachers from raising touchy subjects.
Separately, the AJC’s Maya T. Prabhu writes about the first day of a two-day hearing on a lawsuit filed by Georgia families challenging the state’s new law banning certain treatments for transgender minors.
The families testified those restrictions will have negative effects on the mental and physical health of transgender kids. Attorneys for the state argued that more studies should be done before claiming those benefits outweigh any potential medical risks.
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LIMITED EXPANSION. Gov. Brian Kemp’s Medicaid waiver program approved 265 people for enrollment in its first month after launching July 1, the AJC’s Ariel Hart writes. Those signups represent just a small step toward Kemp’s goal of enrolling 90,000 Georgians once the initiative is at full speed.
Those residents are among an estimated 370,000 Georgia adults who don’t have jobs that offer insurance as a benefit and earn too little money to qualify for subsidized plans on the Affordable Care Act marketplace. If the state had opted for full Medicaid expansion, all of those men and women would be eligible for coverage.
Kemp’s plan, known as Pathways to Coverage, mandates participants meet certain eligibility requirements, such as working, volunteering or attending school.
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Credit: Kenny Holston/The New York Times
Credit: Kenny Holston/The New York Times
TODAY IN WASHINGTON
- President Joe Biden is headed to his home in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, for the weekend.
- The House and Senate recess continues.
- Republican candidates for president are flooding the Iowa State Fair.
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Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC
Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC
OUT AND ABOUT. Members of Georgia’s congressional delegation have been making the most of the August recess with events and appearances in their districts.
On Thursday, U.S. Rep. David Scott brought together representatives from various federal agencies to answer constituent questions during a town hall at Christian City’s campus in Union City. Scott, D-Atlanta, plans to hold similar events in other places with large senior citizen populations.
Rep. Hank Johnson, D-Lithonia, held a similar event in his district for immigrants and refugee residents. Thursday’s immigration resources seminar was held at the Latin American Association in Atlanta.
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HIP-HOP 50. Today is recognized as the 50th anniversary of the birth of hip-hop music. The day was chosen because on Aug. 11, 1973, a back-to-school party in the Bronx, New York, featured music by DJ Kool Herc, who introduced a new type of break beats that launched the genre.
U.S. Reps. Hank Johnson, D-Lithonia, and Nikema Williams, D-Atlanta, are among a group of lawmakers introducing a resolution today honoring this anniversary. The legislation also calls on local communities to build partnerships with hip-hop musicians.
Credit: Nathan Posner for The AJC
Credit: Nathan Posner for The AJC
In a statement, Williams highlighted how Georgia has become an epicenter of hip-hop though the genre didn’t originate in the state.
“There are countless hip-hop artists from the cities I represent including Atlanta, College Park, Decatur, and East Point who have made music that resonates around the world,” she said. “Over the last 50 years, hip-hop has created opportunities for economic opportunity and wealth creation for Black Americans, serving as another pathway to help close the racial wealth gap. Even though the Fifth District’s place in hip-hop history is secure, we’re ready to trailblaze 50 more years of hip-hop history.”
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Credit: Courtesy photo
Credit: Courtesy photo
DOG OF THE DAY. With the AJC’s podcast in the news this week, it’s time to meet a leader on our audio team, Cherokee Black.
Cherokee is the 11-year-old rescue of Jay Black, the director of audio at the AJC. Jay describes Cherokee as an I-honestly-have-no-idea-maybe-hound mix. We can report Cherokee is also the perfect co-worker. He’s always friendly, doesn’t talk too much, and usually sleeps under his desk.
Cherokee, for all that and more, you are our Dog of the Day!
Send us your dogs of any political persuasion 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.
