As the race for the White House gets underway in earnest, the maneuvering in Georgia has escalated as top state Republicans focus on 2024 — while keeping one eye on the next midterm elections.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is expected to launch his campaign tonight in a live online conversation with controversial Twitter owner Elon Musk, has already picked up his first major endorsement in Georgia.
With an online video on Tuesday, U.S. Rep. Rich McCormick became the first prominent Georgia Republican to endorse a rival of former President Donald Trump.
“We need a warrior who will do whatever it takes to champion conservative values and safeguard the next generation,” said McCormick, who lives in Suwanee and represents a safely conservative suburban stretch north of Atlanta.
“When it comes to the 2024 election, I’ve made my choice: Governor Ron DeSantis is battle-tested and ready to be our next president.” (Those military references from McCormick, a former Marine, are alluding to DeSantis’s time as an officer in the Navy’s Judge Advocate General’s Corps.)
Credit: Nathan Posner for the AJC
Credit: Nathan Posner for the AJC
Unlike most of Georgia’s GOP congressional delegation, McCormick didn’t have a prior allegiance to Donald Trump. The former president endorsed McCormick’s rival, Jake Evans, in last year’s primary for the 6th Congressional District. Trump only came around to supporting McCormick when it was clear he would be elected.
And as the Cook Political Report pointed out this week, McCormick’s fast-changing 6th District isn’t exactly Trump Country. Specifically, they called the 6th a “ticking time bomb for the GOP.”
And McCormick isn’t the only Georgia Republican looking beyond Trump in the growing field of candidates.
As we told you earlier this week, state Sen. Jason Anavitarte, a top Senate Republican, was among the GOP officials who appeared at U.S. Sen. Tim Scott’s presidential launch on Monday.
We expect other state Republicans to begin endorsing presidential candidates, though not at a rapid pace. Many are still waiting to see whether any Trump rival gains traction as they weigh the risks of endorsing him early.
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Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC
Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC
CARR SHOW. There’s a new development in Georgia’s wide-open 2026 race for governor. A few days after Lt. Gov. Burt Jones said he’s considering a run for the top spot, Attorney General Chris Carr seems to be considering a bid as well.
Two people told us that Carr suggested strongly to a crowd in Savannah on Monday that he is likely to run. An adviser to Carr offered this comment:
“When asked in Savannah if he would consider running for governor in 2026, he said he’s focused right now on working alongside Gov. Kemp but is definitely taking a look at how he can continue to serve Georgia in the future.”
Other potential Republican contenders include former U.S. Sen. Kelly Loeffler and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger. On the Democratic side, we’re watching U.S. Rep. Lucy McBath and a possible third bid from Stacey Abrams.
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Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC
Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC
LISTEN UP: We’re focusing on Atlanta politics in today’s edition of the Politically Georgia podcast with Riley Bunch, one of the AJC’s two talented reporters on the City Hall beat.
We talk about more recent protests over the planned Public Safety Training Center, how Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens is responding, and the role of the Atlanta City Council in all of it.
Plus, we get a report from Greg Bluestein on the road in Israel.
Listen at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, or Stitcher.
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Credit: Natrice Miller/AJC
Credit: Natrice Miller/AJC
PLAIN GREAT. When the announcement came in February that former President Jimmy Carter had entered hospice care, members of the national and international press corps flocked to Carter’s little Georgia hometown of Plains expecting the worst.
But three months later, his grandson Jason Carter says that the former president is in good spirits and receiving visitors in Plains. “We did think that when he went into hospice it was very close to the end,” the younger Carter said at an event in Atlanta. “Now, I’m just going to tell you, he’s going to be 99 in October.”
Jason Carter spoke at an event in Atlanta on Monday where banners were unveiled along Jimmy Carter Boulevard to honor the former president. He also told the AP’s Bill Barrow that the former president is enjoying occasional peanut butter ice cream and spending his days with former first lady Rosalynn Carter.
“They’re just meeting with family right now, but they’re doing it in the best possible way: the two of them together at home.”
Former Atlanta Mayor Andrew Young also said he’d been to visit the Carters “a few weeks back” and was “very pleased we could laugh and joke about old times.”
Jimmy Carter "in good spirits" and receiving visitors in Plains. "We did think that when he went into hospice it was very close to the end,” Jason Carter said. “Now, I’m just going to tell you, he’s going to be 99 in October.” #gapol https://t.co/hxDla1BAic
— Patricia Murphy (@MurphyAJC) May 23, 2023
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WESTERN CHAP. We knew that U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy were close, but we didn’t know they were this close.
With apparently nothing better to do during their weekly closed-door caucus meeting, House Republicans spent a portion of their time auctioning off a tube of the dry-lipped Californian’s used lip balm. The winning bid came from Georgia’s own, Politico reports.
The fundraising auction of McCarthy's used cherry lip balm ended when Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) placed a winning $100,000 bid, as confirmed by her spokesperson. She only began bidding after the California Republican chose to sweeten the deal: He agreed to attend a dinner with the winner and whichever donors and supporters they planned to bring along. That cash is headed for the House GOP campaign arm.
“I'm honored to be able to donate $100,000 to the [National Republican Congressional Committee] to help Republicans increase our majority in 2024 and defeat the Democrats. My constituents will be honored to host a visit with Speaker Kevin McCarthy, who we all think is doing a great job," Greene said in a statement.
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Credit: Natrice Miller/AJC
Credit: Natrice Miller/AJC
COMBAT READY. It’s that time of the year when Congress is thinking about annual appropriations. And this year, members of Georgia’s delegation are once on the offense to ensure a small military installation in Savannah doesn’t get the ax.
Last year, President Joe Biden’s budget called for the closure of the Combat Readiness Training Center in Savannah, arguing that two sister facilities are more efficient. But under pressure from the full Georgia delegation, money for the facility was included in last year’s budget.
Biden didn’t specifically call for the center’s closure this year, but he didn’t directly fund it either. The National Guard told Georgia lawmakers it will use money in other line items to keep the facility open, but members of Georgia’s delegation want it to be directly funded.
U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock posted a message on Twitter indicating that he, fellow Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff and U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter, R-Pooler, are working together behind the scenes “to ensure the CRTC is fully operational.”
“I’ve successfully fought to protect the Savannah Combat Readiness Training Center because it’s good for our national security & for Coastal Georgia,” the senator wrote.
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TODAY IN WASHINGTON:
- President Joe Biden will deliver remarks at the White House to mark one year since the deadly mass shooting at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas.
- The U.S. House will attempt to override a Biden veto of a solar panel tariff bill.
- A House Oversight Committee subcommittee will hold a hearing on gas stove regulations.
- The U.S. Senate is out for the week.
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Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
POWER PLAYER. Southern Company, the Atlanta-based utility giant, will install Chris Womack as president and CEO during today’s annual meeting.
Womack has served for the past three years as president of Georgia Power, Southern Company’s largest subsidiary. Womack will become one of just a handful of Black chief executives sitting atop a Fortune 500 company.
He has worked in various capacities at Southern and its related companies for more than 30 years. Before that, Womack worked on Capitol Hill, including as a legislative aide to then-Congressman Leon E. Panetta and as a subcommittee staff director for the House Administration Committee.
All of that Hill experience will come in handy, since Southern Company plays no small role in U.S. policy and politics. Womack replaces CEO Thomas Fanning whose departure was announced earlier this year.
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Credit: Courtesy photo
Credit: Courtesy photo
DOG OF THE DAY. It takes a village to raise a child and many times that village includes a dog just like Axle Rose Bowan.
Axle is the six-year-old cocker spaniel who started calling the Bowan family of DeKalb County his people after they adopted him during the pandemic.
Axle is so much a part of the family he now spends his mornings supervising carpool drop-off (seen here) and making sure AJC subscriber and Association of County Commissioners of Georgia lobbyist Kathleen Bowan only reads The Jolt while in “park” at the carpool line.
Axle will get a break from carpool soon, since it’s the last week of school for most Georgia children. But he’ll be riding along for the family car trip to South Dakota this summer. For that Axle, you get an A+.
Send us your animals of any political persuasion — dogs, cats, geese, etc., 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.
