Peach State Politics (March 19, 2021)
Georgia's AAPI politicians condemn spa shootings ahead of Biden/Harris visit, updates on voting bills, This Week in Washington, Duncan's political future, and more
I want to start off this week’s newsletter by saying that my heart is heavy for the families, friends and coworkers of those who were killed in this week’s horrific spa shootings in the metro Atlanta area. These types of attacks are abhorrent and disgusting, and I want everyone in the AAPI community to know that they will always have an ally in me. This week, we will look at how Georgia’s Asian-American politicians have reacted to the shootings and what they believe should be done to prevent these types of attacks.
We will also go over what to expect from Biden’s GA visit, the latest news from Washington, updates on the election bill drama, and details (or lack thereof) on Geoff Duncan’s political future. Plus: a powerful Georgia state lawmaker joins Twitter!
Georgia’s AAPI politicians react to spa shootings
Asian-American state lawmakers were among the first to react to this week’s horrific spa shootings in metro Atlanta that left 8 people dead, including 6 Asian-American women. Here are some of the reactions and warnings from four of those lawmakers, each of whom are historic firsts in the Georgia Legislature.
It was only on Monday, just one day before the deadly rampage, when State Sen. Dr. Michelle Au (D-Johns Creek) gave a speech in the well of the Senate raising awareness to the rise in violence against the Asian-American community. Au, an anesthesiologist, is the daughter of Chinese immigrants and is the first Asian-American woman to ever serve in the Georgia Senate. She represents a swath of Atlanta’s northern suburbs. In her speech, she reminded her colleagues that these types of attacks against Asian Americans are not new, saying that it was “a new chapter in a very old story.”
State Sen. Sheikh Rahman (D-Lawrenceville) joined Au in condemning the rampage. Rahman, the first immigrant ever elected to the Georgia Senate, represents a diverse district along the I-85 corridor in Gwinnett County. He is also believed to be the first Muslim to ever serve in the Georgia Legislature, according to this fascinating local news report on his life and career.
A native of Bangladesh, he first moved to the United States in 1981 and worked as a dishwasher in order to pay for his college tuition. His Senate profile says that became a U.S. citizen in 1995 and has since played an active role in Georgia politics, from serving as an Obama delegate at the 2012 Democratic National Convention and being an active member of the NAACP.
He challenged State Sen. Curt Thompson in the Democratic primary for a Gwinnett-based Senate district in 2018. By that time, Thompson, a seven-term incumbent, was one of only two white male Democrats in the Georgia Senate. The result was not close: Rahman ousted Thompson by a 2-1 margin. No Republican filed to run for the seat, making the Democratic primary the de facto general election.
Rahman took to the well of the Senate on Wednesday to condemn the spa shootings. He called the rampage a “disturbing example of targeted racial violence.” He urged everyone to stand up against xenophobia and said that hate must not have a home in America or anywhere.
The suspect appeared to blame his deadly rampage on a sex addiction. This claim did not sit well with State Rep. Bee Nguyen (D-Atlanta), who said in a CNN interview that a recently-passed hate crimes bill covers sex and gender. She suggested that he could still be charged with a hate crime for targeting women, even if it was not racially motivated. Nguyen, a second-generation Vietnamese-American, represents parts of unincorporated Southwest DeKalb County. She is the first Vietnamese-American to serve in the Georgia House.
According to State Rep. Sam Park (D-Lawrenceville), these attacks should serve as a reminder to “protect the most vulnerable among us.” Park, who represents part of Gwinnett County, is the first Asian-American Democrat (not to mention, the first openly gay man) ever elected to the Georgia Legislature. He urged Asian-Americans to reach out to community leaders and elected officials if they ever feel unsafe so that attacks like this one can be prevented going forward.
President Joe Biden has scrapped plans to tout the COVID-19 relief package in Georgia on Friday, and will instead spend the day meeting with AAPI community leaders and elected officials in the wake of these deadly spa shootings. He will also visit the headquarters of the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) to get an update on the pandemic and vaccine distribution.
Protesters pressure Georgia-based companies to condemn voting bills
Turning our attention to other news, it was another big week for the Republican-backed election bills in the Georgia Legislature. Opponents of the bills zeroed in on several Georgia-based corporations, asking them to publicly condemn the bills.
The protesters purchased a full-page ad in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution encouraging readers to contact Georgia company executives to voice their opposition to the new voting restrictions and urge them to stop donating to the Republican lawmakers who have sponsored the bills.
Some of the corporations have expressed support for secure elections. Soft drink giant Coca-Cola and home improvement retailer Home Depot have aligned themselves with comments made by the Chamber of Commerce, which said in a statement that “it should be easy to vote and hard to commit fraud.”
Delta Airlines, one of the largest airline companies in the world, published the following statement:
“Delta is more than 75,000 strong - and our shared values call on us to make our voices heard and be engaged members of our communities, of which voting is a vital part of that responsibility. Ensuring an election system that promotes broad voter participation, equal access to the polls, and fair, secure elections processes are critical to voter confidence and creates an environment that ensures everyone’s vote is counted.”
More statements from Georgia-based companies on the election measures can be read here.
Meanwhile, new details about the election bills are emerging. Republican leaders in the Legislature have expressed doubts that the no-excuse absentee voting eliminations will ultimately become law. The chances of Sunday voting being eliminated also appear to be diminishing. The 2021 legislative session ends on March 31, so lawmakers are running out of time to decide which bill they will send to Gov. Brian Kemp’s desk.
This Week in Washington
It’s time to take a look at some of this week’s biggest stories from our nation’s capital. The Senate is nearing the final votes on President Biden’s cabinet nominees.
Senate votes 51-40 to confirm Rep. Deb Haaland (D-NM) as Secretary of the Interior, making her the first Native American to hold a Cabinet-level post
Senate narrowly confirms California Attorney General Xavier Becerra as Health & Human Services Secretary after Republicans raised concerns about his lack of qualifications
House Democrats consider an Iowa candidate’s 6-vote loss; Pelosi dismisses comparison to Trump’s attempts to overturn the election
House Republicans lift a decade-long ban on earmarks
Biden’s economic plan will include a tax increase on families that make $400,000 per year
Biden says he will reach his goal of “100 million shots in 100 days” on Friday, his 58th day in the White House
Ultraconservative Republican Rep. Mo Brooks (AL), who spoke at Trump’s rally on the day of the deadly Capitol riot, is preparing to run for Senate
Georgia’s Marjorie Taylor Greene and Andrew Clyde were 2 of 12 House Republicans to oppose awarding the Congressional Gold Medal to Capitol police officers
Ossoff & Warnock assemble a group of legal experts to advise them on judicial nominations
Warnock draws applause in first Senate floor speech
Duncan rules out Senate run as political future remains unclear
Georgia Lieutenant Governor Geoff Duncan (R) said in an interview on Sunday that he will not run against Sen. Raphael Warnock next year, raising more questions about his political future after he separated himself from President Trump’s attempts to overturn the election results.
A former State Representative who was elected to Georgia’s second highest office in 2018, he has raised concerns about Trump’s role in the Republican Party after such a tumultuous election and has urged his party to adopt a big-tent strategy.
Duncan, who serves as president of the Georgia State Senate, has been vocal in his opposition to the former President’s attempts to overturn the election results. He has stripped committee chairmanships from Republican State Senators who backed attempts to overturn the election and has even refused to preside over a debate on a bill that would ban no-excuse absentee voting.
Those close to Duncan are not clear on his 2022 plans. According to the AJC:
“Even those who know Duncan best are split on his future. Some see him preparing for reelection in 2022, when he’s set to face opposition from pro-Trump challengers. Others say he’s telegraphing a coming decision to sit out the contest and instead influence the GOP’s direction from out of office.”
Duncan’s decision to pass on the Senate race could pave the way for other Republican candidates. We learned this week that U.S. Rep. Drew Ferguson (R-West Point), a member of House GOP leadership, is being encouraged to run by state and national Republicans.
Report: Cobb lawmaker eyeing a run for Lieutenant Governor
As Duncan weighs his 2022 plans, a Democratic state lawmaker from Cobb County is reportedly considering a run for Lieutenant Governor himself.
State Rep. Erick Allen (D-Smyrna) has not publicly confirmed or denied the reports, but he chastised Lt. Gov. Duncan for "hiding in his office” during the vote on the election bills. Those close to him say that an announcement would likely come after the 2021 legislative session concludes, because state lawmakers are forbidden from raising campaign funds while in session.
Allen, who owns a consulting firm, was first elected to the Georgia House in 2018 after two unsuccessful campaigns in 2014 and 2016, respectively. A native of Tennessee, he obtained an associate’s degree in secondary education from Volunteer State College and a bachelor’s degree in human & organizational development from Belmont University, according to his campaign website. He then moved to Atlanta in 2002 and earned a master’s in business administration from Kennesaw State University.
It remains unclear if Allen will be the only candidate on the Democratic side, as no other Democrats have expressed interest in running as of now. If elected, he would be the first Black Lieutenant Governor in Georgia history. He would also very likely be running alongside Stacey Abrams, who is widely expected to mount a rematch to Gov. Kemp after shattering fundraising records in her historic but unsuccessful 2018 campaign.
Grand jury investigates former Fulton DA
The ongoing investigation into former Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard has been handed over a federal grand jury in Atlanta.
Howard, who served as the top prosecutor in Georgia’s largest county for over 2 decades, has been accused of using funds from a nonprofit to pad his salary. He was handily defeated in last year’s Democratic primary by Fani Willis, who used to serve as his chief deputy prosecutor.
The investigation centers around checks made out to Howard by a nonprofit called “People Partnering for Progress,” totaling nearly $200,000. Howard’s attorney has said that his client has “done absolutely nothing wrong” and that he expects to be fully exonerated once the investigation is complete.
Kemp clears the way for judges & courtroom staff to be vaccinated as jury trials resume
Gov. Brian Kemp continues to expand eligibility for the COVID-19 vaccine, this time adding judges and courtroom staff to the list of Georgians who are eligible to be vaccinated.
“We believe it is vital to get the third branch of state government back operating smoothly and safely,” Kemp said in his weekly press conference. The move comes a week after Chief Justice Harold Melton announced that he will be lifting the suspension of jury trials in Georgia for the second time since the pandemic began.
Melton announced in March 2020 that jury trials would be suspended indefinitely as the pandemic first started spreading across the country. He lifted the suspension October as COVID-19 cases began to subside, but reinstated it once again in December after cases started surging again.
This new order encourages safety protocols in courtrooms, such as temperature checks, plexiglass, social distancing and masks. “The chief justice’s order continues to urge courts to use technology to hold remote proceedings when possible,” according to Atlanta’s NPR affiliate.
Georgia joins lawsuit to block Biden’s cancellation of Keystone XL Pipeline
Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr (R) announced that the state is signing onto a Republican-led lawsuit seeking to block President Biden’s attempt to cancel construction of the Keystone XL Pipeline.
The multistate complaint says that the President Biden acted unconstitutionally by cancelling the pipeline’s permit. The President said before he was sworn in that he would halt construction of the pipeline as a way to combat climate change.
Carr said in a statement that the Biden’s executive order is unconstitutional because he is revoking a permit that was “granted by an Act of Congress.” He also said that the President is showing a “complete disregard” for American jobs and energy independence. His full statement can be read here.
Welcome to Twitter, Mr. Speaker!
I would like to conclude this week’s newsletter by welcoming Georgia House Speaker David Ralston to Twitter! The Republican leader sent his first tweet earlier this month, praising the unanimous passage of a bill that would lower taxes on Georgians by $140 million. Follow @SpeakerRalston for more legislative updates!