President Donald Trump is stepping up his support for his hand-picked list of Georgia candidates. So much so that his Mar-a-Lago resort is starting to feel like just another stop on the Georgia campaign trail.
The Florida compound will host back-to-back fundraisers in mid-March, along with a third Herschel Walker event.
We reported last week that Trump will headline a high-dollar fundraiser for former U.S. Sen. David Perdue on March 16. And we’ve learned that a day later, Trump will hold a fundraiser for Vernon Jones, the former Democrat who is now running for the 10th Congressional District seat.
Walker has also been encouraging supporters to enter to win a trip to Mar-a-Lago, where he and Trump are hosting the “Great American Golf Invitational” next week.
Meanwhile, Walker was at Trump’s Palm Beach resort Wednesday for “Magapallooza,” a high-dollar fundraiser for a group of Trump-backed candidates for the House and Senate in various states.
During the day, Walker sat down for a “fireside chat” with U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz in front of donors. Then, the group sat down for dinner in the Mar-a-Lago ballroom.
At the moment Russian troops began their move into Ukraine, Trump once again praised dictator Vladimir Putin.
“He’s taking over a country for $2 worth of sanctions. I’d say that’s pretty smart,” Trump told the ballroom full of people.
To cheers, he also told the crowd of the Russian invasion, “This would never have happened if the election weren’t rigged. It was a totally rigged election.”
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UNDER THE GOLD DOME, Thursday, Feb. 24:
- 8:00 a.m.: Committee meetings begin;
- 10:00 a.m.: The House convenes;
- 10:00 a.m.: The Senate convenes.
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House Speaker David Ralston has plenty of backup for his decision to kill a school voucher proposals after a powerful outside group sent scathing mailers tying GOP lawmakers to “radical left” Democrats.
State Rep. Wes Cantrell, a chief sponsor of the measure, joined Ralston in criticizing the American Federation for Children’s approach.
“What this advocacy group did was wrong. I didn’t know anything about it. If they had asked me, I could have told them what an incredibly stupid idea this was & that it would backfire,” he wrote on social media. “Perfect example of cutting off your nose to spite your face.”
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U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff made the most of the 70-degree February weather Wednesday with a press conference on the banks of the Chattahoochee River.
In a part of a series of conservation measures for the state, Ossoff has introduced the Chattahoochee River Act, designed to improve water quality and restore ecosystems along Atlanta’s key waterway. It would authorize the Army Corps of Engineers to spend $90 million on water and environmental projects along the river.
Ossoff made a trip to Dalton State University Tuesday to talk about his efforts to make Pell grants flexible for technical and job training programs.
The Dalton campus is the only designated Hispanic Serving Institution in Georgia.
Last week, Ossoff went to Augusta to check in on the Charlie Norwood VA Medical Center.
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Stacey Abrams just made an important addition to her campaign for governor.
A campaign official said Sara Totonchi, a well-known advocate who most recently ran the Southern Center for Human Rights, was hired as Abrams’ policy director.
In that role, she’ll monitor legislation under the Gold Dome, keep tabs on Gov. Brian Kemp’s election-year agenda and register as a state lobbyist.
The Abrams campaign has closely watched a proposal promoted by Kemp’s allies that would block candidates for statewide and legislative offices from raising campaign money during the legislative session.
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A few weeks after Stacey Abrams posed for unmasked pictures with Decatur public school students, the Republican National Committee is commemorating the moment in a provocative way.
The RNC is now selling “Stacey Abrams Unmasked” face coverings featuring the photo of the Democrat surrounded by masked students.
“The RNC has the perfect gift for Stacey Abrams this election cycle,” said RNC spokesman Garrison Douglas. “Since she is so image obsessed, she can now wear a picture of herself next time she visits masked children.”
One of your Insiders recently caught up with Douglas, who was sporting the mask:
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A group of mourners and supporters marked Georgia’s first Ahmaud Arbery Day Wednesday with a march through Santill Shores, the Brunswick neighborhood where Arbery was murdered two years ago.
The Savannah Morning News has a photo essay of the day.
And speaking in Atlanta, Arbery’s mother, Wanda Cooper-Jones, announced a new scholarship program in his name for students at Brunswick High School where Arbery had been a student.
All three of Arbery’s killers were found guilty of federal hate crimes earlier this week, in addition to their previous murder convictions in state court.
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With the May primary elections rapidly approaching, the Lincoln County Board of Elections has again delayed a decision on closing polling locations, the Augusta Chronicle reports. More:
The board heard at least 10 speakers against the plan Wednesday before Chairman J.H. Allen called to adjourn the meeting, citing no reason or new date.
In late January, an agenda item proposed closing five of the county’s seven polling places, leaving two, and to open a new site at the Walker Norman Gymnasium. It was less than the seven the board proposed closing last year to move all voting to the gym, which drew opposition from the community and voting rights groups.
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In endorsement news:
- Citizens United Political Victory Fund and its president, David Bossie, have endorsed attorney Jake Evans for the GOP nomination in the 6th Congressional District race;
- Rich McCormick, another Republican in the 6th District race, was endorsed by Utah U.S. Rep. Burgess Owens and Texas U.S. Rep. Ronny Jackson, best known as former President Donald Trump’s White House physician.
- U.S. Rep. Scott Perry (PA-10), Chairman of the House Freedom Caucus (HFC), has endorsed state Rep. Timothy Barr for the GOP nomination in Georgia’s 10th Congressional District;
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Congresswoman Carolyn Bourdeaux has invited constituents to join her at her latest edition of “Coffee with Carolyn.” Saturday’s event will be held at 2 p.m. at the Berkeley Lake City Hall.
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U.S. Rep. Hank Johnson is marking the final days of Black History Month by visiting a Black-owned food manufacturing company in Lithonia today.
Pride Road is a family-owned business that produces Hibiscus-based products like teas, jellies, chutney and sparkling drinks. Johnson, along with Mayor Shameka Reynolds and officials from the U.S. Department of Agriculture will talk up a grant program that Pride Road participated in that helps producers develop new products.
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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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