Peach State Politics (May 7, 2021)
Bottoms won't run for re-election, Kemp signs bills into law, Black weighs challenge to Warnock, Dem lawmakers jumping into statewide races, This Week in Washington, and more
I usually write my newsletter on Thursday nights and send it out on Friday mornings. I was literally in the middle of writing this week’s newsletter when news reports began to surface about Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms’ decision not to run for re-election. I had planned to lead off this week’s letter with the recent bills signed into law by Gov. Brian Kemp. We will still discuss those, but we must start off with Thursday night’s breaking news.
And I’ve got you covered with your weekly helping of news from Washington. Let’s get started.
My thoughts on Bottoms’ announcement
You’ve probably heard the news by now that Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms will not be seeking a second term. Reports say that she made the announcement on a Thursday night zoom call with supporters and donors. She is scheduled to have a press conference on Friday morning, and it’s safe to say that this will almost certainly be the elephant in the room.
I try to avoid offering my personal thoughts and opinions in this newsletter, but I’ll make one exception to tell you guys what I think about Bottoms’ decision.
I think the news can be viewed as both surprising and unsurprising. Unsurprising in the sense that she has been heavily criticized for her handling of public safety amid an increase in violent crime. But surprising in the sense that absolutely no one saw this coming. After all, she just raised half a million dollars at a fundraiser with President Joe Biden. That’s not the move of a mayor who plans on standing down.
In terms of who will be the next Mayor of Atlanta, all I’m going to say is this: if anyone tells you with a straight face that they know who the next Mayor of Atlanta will be, they are lying to you. It’s going to be an extremely crowded race with several viable candidates. There is no favorite or frontrunner at the moment. There might as well be a giant question mark hanging over City Hall for the next few months.
Kemp signs bills into law
We will now turn our attention from a Georgia politician who is not running for re-election to a Georgia politician who is: Gov. Brian Kemp (R). It was a pretty jam-packed week for the governor, who held signing ceremonies for several bills that were passed by the General Assembly earlier this year. Here’s a look at just some of the bills he signed into law this week:
H.R. 119: Renames a bridge in Savannah after former U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson (R)
H.B. 617: Allows college athletes to make money off of their likeness
S.B 88: Creates easier path for aspiring teachers
S.B. 236: Allows restaurants to sell alcoholic drinks to-go
H.B. 534: Cracks down on street racing
H.B. 154: Makes it easier for Georgians to adopt children
H.B. 146: Grants three weeks of paid paternity leave to state employees
H.B. 255: Makes it easier for sexual assault victims to keep track of evidence in their case
S.B. 47: Expands access to vouchers for special needs students
Kemp may have signed several bills this week, but there are still some that have yet to meet the ink in the governor’s pen. Among those bills are the recent overhaul of the state’s civil war-era citizen’s arrest laws, which lawmakers passed on near-unanimous votes almost a year after the murder of Ahmaud Arbery. H.B. 286, which makes it difficult for local governments to reduce funding for police departments, is set to be signed into law on Friday.
Black weighs challenge to Warnock
Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Gary Black (R) is reportedly eyeing a challenge to Sen. Raphael Warnock (D). Black is currently serving his third term as Georgia’s top farmer, which oversees the largest industry in the state.
It was announced this week that Black would be speaking at a congressional district Republican Party banquet in southwest Georgia next Saturday, a clear sign that the 67-year-old cattle farm owner is testing the waters for a statewide campaign. He will be joined by U.S. Rep. Jody Hice (R-Greensboro), a candidate for Secretary of State.
If you missed my overview of Black’s career and electoral history, you can read it here.
Dem state lawmakers jumping into statewide races
The calendar does not say 2022, but you wouldn’t know that based on the number of Democratic state lawmakers who have already launched campaigns for statewide office. So far, 7 Democratic state legislators have announced statewide runs. They are:
State Rep. Erick Allen (D-Smyrna), Lieutenant Governor
State Rep. Derrick Jackson (D-Tyrone), Lieutenant Governor
State Sen. Jen Jordan (D-Atlanta), Attorney General
State Rep. Bee Nguyen (D-Atlanta), Secretary of State
State Rep. Matthew Wilson (D-Brookhaven), Insurance Commissioner
State Rep. William Boddie (D-East Point), Labor Commissioner
State Sen. Lester Jackson (D-Savannah), Labor Commissioner
The seven Democrats are aiming to prove that the victories of Joe Biden, Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff were not flukes. They are beginning to lay the groundwork for their campaigns as Stacey Abrams quietly gears up for a likely rematch with Gov. Brian Kemp. It remains to be seen if some of their other colleagues will jump into these wide-open races, but lots of Georgia Democrats believe that 2022 is the year that they flip several statewide offices after either falling short or not seriously contesting them in the past.
This Week in Washington
It was another busy week in our nation’s capital, particularly when it comes to the COVID-19 vaccines. President Biden has set a new goal for vaccinations in adults, and the CDC is out with new guidelines for fully vaccinated Americans.
Biden wants at least 70% of U.S. adults to have at least one dose by July 4
CDC: Fully vaccinated Americans don’t have to wear masks at outdoor events, such as camps
Pfizer seeks approval for vaccine usage in teenagers and young children
Biden declares federal disaster emergency in tornado-ravaged Newnan, GA
House GOP to vote on removing Liz Cheney from leadership post as early as next week; Cheney defends herself in Washington Post op-ed
Rep. Cheri Bustos (D-IL), former DCCC chair, won’t run for re-election
Former President Donald Trump will remain banned from Facebook
POLITICO: “Senate Dems agonize over voting rights strategy”
Another Georgian arrested for role in Capitol siege
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene tears into “weak Republicans” in interview with Tucker Carlson
House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy visits Cobb County to continue his party’s crusade against the MLB
Poll: Divided state is divided
The folks at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution are out with a new poll of Georgia voters, and it shows that Georgia is a very divided state. I know, shocking.
Six months after he became the first Democratic presidential candidate to win the state since Bill Clinton, the poll of 844 registered voters found that Georgians narrowly approve of the job that President Biden is doing, with 51% approving and 46% disapproving. Former President Trump has also seen his numbers increase since the AJC’s previous poll.
Voters remain divided on Gov. Brian Kemp as he prepares for what will be a contentious re-election campaign. 44% view the Republican favorably, while 47% view him unfavorably. His arch nemesis, Democrat Stacey Abrams, posted similarly split numbers. And while Georgians are split on the new election bill, they largely oppose the MLB’s decision to relocate the All-Star game.
As for Georgia’s two new Democratic Senators, both posted positive favorable numbers. Both Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock earned a 48% favorable rating from Georgia voters.
Click here to explore the crosstabs of the new poll.
Second Republican launches run against McBath
Another Army veteran is entering the race to challenge U.S. Rep. Lucy McBath (D-Marietta), months before Georgia voters will even know what their congressional districts will look like.
Retired Army Col. Eric Welsh, a former executive at Atlanta-based Coca-Cola, launched his campaign with a seething attack against the two-term incumbent, calling her a “single-issue partisan hack,” referring to her support of gun control laws.
Welsh joins Army veteran Harold Earls in the Republican primary for the 6th district, which McBath has represented since her upset victory over Republican Rep. Karen Handel in 2018. She defeated Handel once again in a rematch two years later.
Graham speaks at GA GOP fundraiser, teases Walker run
South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham was the keynote speaker at a fundraising event for the Georgia Republican Party, and he made some news during his remarks.
Graham told donors to “stay tuned” for news about Herschel Walker, the UGA football legend and staunch Trump ally who has flirted with a run for U.S. Senate. “We’re going to put out best team on the field,” Graham said.
It remains to be seen if Walker will heed former President Trump’s urges to enter the race, but the lack of well-known GOP candidates has frustrated party operatives, who view Warnock’s seat as a must-win in their quest to recapture the majority in the U.S. Senate next year.
A deep dive into “Buckhead City”
This week, I explored the racial and political makeup of the proposed city of Buckhead. Residents of the north Atlanta community have expressed support for forming their own city over the last few weeks. But what would "Buckhead City” look like?
In short: it would be a overwhelmingly white and extremely wealthy. And a city government would likely be dominated by white politicians, given Buckhead’s voting patterns in recent Atlanta elections.
Click here to read my overview of Buckhead.
Carter Center shares photo of Bidens with the Carters
To end this week’s newsletter, I thought I would share the photo of the Bidens and the Carters.
President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden visited Georgia last week to celebrate their 100th day in the White House, and they made a stop in Plains to visit with former President Jimmy Carter. No reporters were present during the meeting, but the Carter Center released this photo of the two with President Carter and his wife Rosalynn.
The Carters are honorable public servants, and it’s great to see that the current administration is giving Georgia’s only first couple the respect and the recognition that they deserve.