After weeks of debate, mental health bill clears Georgia Senate panel – The Atlanta Journal Constitution

“There’s a lot of changes made that we’ve been participating in or knowing about over the weekend,” she said. “And there’s work to do, and we appreciate the opportunity to continue work.”

The Senate Health and Human Services Committee overhauled much of HB 1013 after weeks of pushback from conservative groups and voters.

Speakers at five hearings across the past two weeks voiced concerns with the bill, saying it would protect pedophiles from prosecution due to inclusion of definitions of mental illnesses from the World Health Organization and maintaining that the bill would require private insurance companies to cover treatments that go against the religious beliefs held by the business owners.

As passed on Monday, all references to the World Health Organization were stripped from the legislation, instead using the mental illness definitions already included in state code. Senators also voted to no longer require all health insurance companies to cover mental health and allow individual insurance companies to define what is considered “medically necessary.”

State Sen. Michelle Au, a Johns Creek Democrat and anesthesiologist, said she was concerned that there was no guidance for what private companies could deem to be a necessary procedure and, in turn, choose not to cover.

“I just wonder if this weakens the original intent of the parity section of the bill itself,” she said.

Watson said there were opportunities for more changes to be made.

Rep. Philip Singleton, a Sharpsburg Republican who spoke against the bill on the House floor and was one of three representatives to vote against the measure, was greeted with cheers when he stopped by the Senate committee meeting before it began. His floor speech against the bill has made the rounds among many of the state’s conservative voters.

“It’s because of your advocacy that changes have been made,” Singleton said.

Georgia ranks low nationally on most measurements of mental health treatment and high in the percentage of residents who face challenges, according to a 2021 report by Mental Health America, a century-old nonprofit advocacy group. It put Georgia last for the number of mental health professionals per capita. The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry says Georgia has only eight psychiatrists per 100,000 children; the academy suggests a better ratio is 47 per 100,000.

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David Perdue got “screwed” in 2020 and warned that his backers won’t vote in a general election against Democratic gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams if Kemp is the nominee.”},{“_id”:”IIKPQGGK7REVFNP2CCZONAYZUI”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648348401636},”type”:”text”,”content”:”“Trump voters will not go out and vote for Brian Kemp,” Trump said, adding that the Senate GOP frontrunner will also be damaged.”},{“owner”:{“sponsored”:false,”id”:”ajc”},”copyright”:”2022 Atlanta Journal-Constitution”,”address”:{“locality”:”Commerce”,”region”:”GA”},”caption”:”March 26, 2022 Commerce – Herschel Walker, front-runner for the party’s U.S. Senate nominee, speaks as former President Donald Trump looks during a rally for Georgia GOP candidates at Banks County Dragway in Commerce on Saturday, March 26, 2022. 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When his attention shifted to Georgia candidates, he mostly doted on Perdue’s attempt to oust Kemp.”},{“_id”:”ED2O5O6LAFCCTAEWZBH4Q4MQRM”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648349291624},”type”:”text”,”content”:””If Brian Kemp is renominated, he will go down in flames at the ballot box,” said Trump.”},{“_id”:”AOMMFXKSRZBDPJDXBDJ2H2NVTM”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648348401640},”type”:”text”,”content”:”Perdue, meanwhile, returned the favor. He said for the first time this past week that he also was the victim of a “stolen” election when he lost the January 2021 runoff to Democrat Jon Ossoff. And at Saturday’s rally, he unveiled sharper attacks on Kemp.”},{“_id”:”LFJCULDD4VB5JPY3MBWLDGXERQ”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648348401641},”type”:”text”,”content”:”“In the state of Georgia, thanks to Brian Kemp, in 2020 our elections were absolutely stolen,” Perdue said, adding that he would make sure that “whoever was responsible goes to jail” if he’s elected.”},{“_id”:”6CPQ7WTLVREP3KYOTF6CQWJEKQ”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648348401642},”type”:”text”,”content”:”Chants of “lock him up!” directed at Kemp broke out, as Perdue smiled and flashed a thumbs-up sign.”},{“owner”:{“id”:”ajc”},”copyright”:”2022 Atlanta Journal-Constitution”,”address”:{“locality”:”Commerce”,”region”:”GA”},”caption”:”March 26, 2022 Commerce – David Perdue speaks during a rally for Georgia GOP candidates at Banks County Dragway in Commerce on Saturday, March 26, 2022. 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His spokesman Cody Hall issued a statement saying that Kemp “is focused on making sure Stacey Abrams is never our governor or the next president.””},{“_id”:”P57NSTM6JFFDVGDIJED5JHWHKQ”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648348401644},”type”:”text”,”content”:”The election wasn’t stolen. Three separate tallies of the state’s roughly 5 million ballots upheld Biden’s narrow victory, court challenges by Trump allies were squashed, and bipartisan election officials have vouched for the results.”},{“_id”:”DIVKAMTF3FGWTJAYBQG3KIPBBU”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648348401645},”type”:”text”,”content”:”An audit of absentee ballot signatures in Cobb County found no cases of fraud. Perdue previously didn’t argue his election was “stolen” — in fact, he conceded to Ossoff shortly after the Jan. 5, 2021, runoff.”},{“_id”:”OCUPEYHL6FBDXPTVZMUK7YORB4″,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648348401646},”type”:”text”,”content”:”Other candidates boasted of their close ties to Trump and nodded to Georgia’s role as the most important test of the former president’s influence in the nation.”},{“_id”:”NAFAOGI5S5A3ZN2SELBRCMGNGE”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648348401647},”type”:”text”,”content”:”“This 2020 cycle is so important because it will set the stage for 2024,” said Burt Jones, Trump’s pick for lieutenant governor. “If we don’t have a red wave, it doesn’t play well for us to put Donald Trump in the White House in 2024, but I think we’ve going to have a red wave.””},{“_id”:”LUGVWM4H3FEV7JMHH554NJXQ6Y”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648348401648},”type”:”text”,”content”:”Former Democrat Vernon Jones, endorsed by Trump for a U.S. House seat to get him to quit the governor’s race, talked of the former president in almost mythical terms.”},{“_id”:”OJHSTKWGZBE4TIYJHUVUUXK2BA”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648348401649},”type”:”text”,”content”:”“I hear them talking about a no-fly zone in Ukraine,” said the ex-state legislator, who switched parties last year. “Let me tell you something: Donald Trump is the no-fly zone.””},{“owner”:{“sponsored”:false,”id”:”ajc”},”copyright”:”2022 Atlanta Journal-Constitution”,”address”:{“locality”:”Commerce”,”region”:”GA”},”caption”:”March 26, 2022 Commerce – Former former President Donald Trump enters the stage with his hats during a rally for Georgia GOP candidates at Banks County Dragway in Commerce on Saturday, March 26, 2022. 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Raphael Warnock.”},{“_id”:”O7OKFAZ2VZGKXKY7C27654I3MA”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648348401651},”type”:”text”,”content”:”“I’m not here to be a politician, I’m here to be a warrior,” he said. “That’s what God sent me to do.””},{“_id”:”V56GONR3MVHN5JSUNB3SJVT3A4″,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648349291637},”type”:”text”,”content”:”The crowd was smaller and more tepid than many of Trump’s previous Georgia rallies, and many of the former president’s lines were met with light applause or none at all.”},{“_id”:”EXB22H6U6NHWPIVLHG6H2BXRQM”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648348401652},”type”:”text”,”content”:”Still, some trucked in from hundreds of miles away to get a glimpse of the former president and his Georgia allies.”},{“_id”:”JPJEXZWYOREXNL6EOALQVPJ4RU”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648348401653},”type”:”text”,”content”:”“I’m just truthfully here to see if he will give us some news about what he’s up to in the future,” said Jeannette Fehr, who drove in from Wisconsin for a funeral a week ago and remained in town to hear Trump. “I want him to run. But I really want him back in office now.””},{“_id”:”UZXSUYSWEJG2BAOY6OIUPZBYCY”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648348401654},”type”:”text”,”content”:”Chrissy Maxwell of Newton wore a bejeweled denim Trump hat as she lingered with friends around a cluster of food trucks with lengthy lines. She said she’d vote for whomever Trump endorsed — no questions asked.”},{“_id”:”77NEHXX3GREEHGPKKCYNNTB7UA”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648348401655},”type”:”text”,”content”:”“I trust him to tell me what to do,” she said. “Jesus and Trump. That’s who I listen to — and sometimes not in that order.””},{“_id”:”BDH2AJBYPFBRFLWYXLYS2XL6PY”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648348401656},”type”:”text”,”content”:”Once, Trump’s endorsement was the closest thing to a lock in Georgia Republican politics. Few know that better than Kemp, who routed a GOP runoff opponent in 2018 after the then-president endorsed him six days before the election.”},{“_id”:”A2DBRM6XGJECBAAIUGECD24TJM”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648348401657},”type”:”text”,”content”:”But now Trump’s clout is far harder to define — even as more candidates are trying to ride on his coattails. They include several little-known contenders for down-ticket office running against incumbents allied with Kemp.”},{“_id”:”YLXGNO4EONFEDAQEIVECS7DSRY”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648348401658},”type”:”text”,”content”:”After a Saturday event in Columbia County with local Republican leaders, Kemp sidestepped a question about Trump’s influence in the race.”},{“_id”:”XYQGPMUPH5G5DPY2CTCQVP7AHE”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648348401659},”type”:”text”,”content”:”“My message to folks is I need their endorsement, their vote on May 24. And that’s what I’m going out there, working to do,” Kemp said, adding that he wants voters to weigh his record. “I can’t control what other people are doing.””},{“_id”:”WODBQTR2HFGF7C2V6W7IGQB7RE”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648348401660},”type”:”text”,”content”:”Some of his Republican allies warn that Trump’s take-no-prisoners brand of politics — and his obsession with his defeat in Georgia — will only come back to haunt GOP candidates in November.”},{“_id”:”FM35CEHR7RCOVA4H57N3OLHBRA”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648348401661},”type”:”text”,”content”:”“This trip is about him and his grievance-driven brand of politics,” said Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan, “not the future of the state we all love.””},{“_id”:”UUMG6IDCYNACDGHPFTCRTV3LXI”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648348401662},”type”:”text”,”content”:”Trump, meanwhile, issued his own sharp message to Perdue as some in the crowd began filing out.”},{“_id”:”2CXD6ORFWFHFHBIFKG5KQ5PWLI”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648348401663},”type”:”text”,”content”:”“I hope, David, you’re going to be the governor,” he said, “or I just wasted a helluva lot a time tonight.””}],”display_date”:”2022-03-27T02:27:23.239Z”,”headlines”:{“basic”:”Trump brings his anti-Kemp campaign to Georgia”},”first_publish_date”:”2022-03-27T02:27:23.239Z”,”taxonomy”:{“sections”:[{“path”:”/politics”,”parent”:{“default”:”https://www.ajc.com/”},”_website”:”ajc”,”parent_id”:”https://www.ajc.com/”,”name”:”Politics”,”description”:”Political news with a Georgia focus, including the Georgia Legislature, Congress, White House, presidential elections and Georgia Congressional Districts.”,”_id”:”/politics”,”additional_properties”:{“original”:{“parent”:{“AmpNav”:”https://www.ajc.com/”,”default”:”https://www.ajc.com/”,”BottomNav”:null,”TopNavRedesign”:null,”SectionMap”:”https://www.ajc.com/”,”MainMenuRedesign2021″:”https://www.ajc.com/”,”TopNav”:null,”TopicsBar”:null,”ComposerNav”:”https://www.ajc.com/”},”site”:{“site_url”:”https://www.ajc.com/politics/”,”section_comments_enabled”:”Yes”,”site_description”:”Political news with a Georgia focus, including the Georgia Legislature, Congress, White House, presidential elections and Georgia Congressional Districts.”,”site_title”:”AJC Georgia Politics | What’s really going on in politics”},”navigation”:{“nav_title”:”Politics”},”inactive”:false,”node_type”:”section”,”_website”:”ajc”,”name”:”Politics”,”Sponsor”:{“sponsor_url_open_new_tab”:”true”,”sponsor_desktop_banner”:””,”sponsor_mobile_banner”:””,”sponsor_url”:””},”_id”:”/politics”,”ancestors”:{“TopNavRedesign”:[],”SectionMap”:[“https://www.ajc.com/”],”MainMenuRedesign2021″:[“https://www.ajc.com/”],”TopNav”:[],”TopicsBar”:[]},”order”:{“AmpNav”:1022,”default”:1022,”SectionMap”:1094,”MainMenuRedesign2021″:1003,”ComposerNav”:1100}}},”_website_section_id”:”ajc./politics”,”type”:”section”,”version”:”0.6.0″}],”primary_section”:{“path”:”/politics”,”name”:”Politics”},”tags”:[{“text”:”politics.ajc”},{“text”:”teamsusan”},{“text”:”bluestein-rss”},{“text”:”ajc top news”},{“text”:”news.naviga”},{“text”:”instagramajc”}]},”type”:”story”,”last_updated_date”:”2022-03-28T11:12:00.990Z”,”promo_items”:{“basic”:{“content_elements”:[{“caption”:”Former President Donald Trump enters the stage with his red caps during a rally for Georgia GOP candidates at Banks County Dragway in Commerce on Saturday, March 26, 2022. 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(Hyosub Shin / Hyosub.Shin@ajc.com)”,”url”:”https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/7RLKVPOFVNQZ7LPNOATGM4LNME.jpg”},{“caption”:”Vernon Jones, former Democrat, speaks during a rally for Georgia GOP candidates at Banks County Dragway in Commerce on Saturday, March 26, 2022. (Hyosub Shin / Hyosub.Shin@ajc.com)”,”url”:”https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/CL772VTW5TPI54LAWEEKYYPLBA.jpg”},{“caption”:” U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene attends at a rally for Georgia GOP candidates at Banks County Dragway in Commerce on Saturday, March 26, 2022. (Hyosub Shin / Hyosub.Shin@ajc.com)”,”url”:”https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/7IYYJAWNLP26TB6HCFW3OPNXJA.jpg”},{“caption”:”Supporters cheer during a rally for Georgia GOP candidates at Banks County Dragway in Commerce on Saturday, March 26, 2022. (Hyosub Shin / Hyosub.Shin@ajc.com)”,”url”:”https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/ANMMWRICA3HM467W7DF7OJZ3DE.jpg”},{“caption”:”David Perdue walks in during a rally for Georgia GOP candidates at Banks County Dragway in Commerce on Saturday, March 26, 2022. (Hyosub Shin / Hyosub.Shin@ajc.com)”,”url”:”https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/ITLPI2KE4RF5HXLCEO5KHF666U.jpg”},{“caption”:”Herschel Walker, front-runner for the party’s U.S. Senate nominee, takes a selfie with supporters during a rally for Georgia GOP candidates at Banks County Dragway in Commerce on Saturday, March 26, 2022. (Hyosub Shin / Hyosub.Shin@ajc.com)”,”url”:”https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/6VRIREBA5PD44QAQJBEDDBUV7Q.jpg”},{“caption”:”Supporters cheer during a rally for Georgia GOP candidates at Banks County Dragway in Commerce on Saturday, March 26, 2022. (Hyosub Shin / Hyosub.Shin@ajc.com)”,”url”:”https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/57N6IPWGUJA4BINZKWAUFIBXJI.jpg”},{“caption”:”David Perdue takes on the stage during a rally for Georgia GOP candidates at Banks County Dragway in Commerce on Saturday, March 26, 2022. (Hyosub Shin / Hyosub.Shin@ajc.com)”,”url”:”https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/AGIXZ6ZV53347Y2BNX3QFHJTJA.jpg”},{“caption”:”David Perdue speaks during a rally for Georgia GOP candidates at Banks County Dragway in Commerce on Saturday, March 26, 2022. (Hyosub Shin / Hyosub.Shin@ajc.com)”,”url”:”https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/ROOOUYRJJ6ENDSWXCNHRU73FRA.jpg”}],”credits”:{“by”:[{“image”:{“version”:”0.5.8″,”url”:”https://s3.amazonaws.com/arc-authors/ajc/b17ea3c2-a1f7-499d-b194-017ae46e0309.png”},”socialLinks”:[{“site”:”email”,”deprecated”:true,”deprecation_msg”:”Please use social_links.”,”url”:””}],”social_links”:[{“site”:”email”,”url”:””}],”name”:”Roderic Graham”,”description”:”Roderic Graham is a digital producer who has been on staff since 2018. He helps curate content for the AJC.com homepage.”,”_id”:”roderic-graham”,”additional_properties”:{“original”:{“lastName”:”Graham”,”image”:”https://s3.amazonaws.com/arc-authors/ajc/b17ea3c2-a1f7-499d-b194-017ae46e0309.png”,”education”:[],”role”:”Digital Producer”,”longBio”:”Roderic Graham is a digital producer for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He helps curate the AJC.com homepage to ensure readers are informed on the latest news. He is a graduate of Kennesaw State University and is a Georgia native. Prior to working for the AJC, Roderic worked as a digital producer for Atlanta Magazine and CNN. nn”,”native_app_rendering”:false,”fuzzy_match”:false,”affiliations”:””,”bio”:”Roderic Graham is a digital producer who has been on staff since 2018. He helps curate content for the AJC.com homepage.”,”expertise”:”6″,”firstName”:”Roderic “,”books”:[],”podcasts”:[],”contributor”:false,”awards”:[],”_id”:”roderic-graham”,”bio_page”:””,”last_updated_date”:”2021-04-02T10:49:01.539Z”,”byline”:”Roderic Graham”,”email”:””,”slug”:””,”status”:true}},”type”:”author”,”version”:”0.5.8″,”url”:””,”slug”:””}]},”headlines”:{“basic”:”PHOTOS: Trump headlines rally for Georgia GOP candidates”},”type”:”gallery”,”promo_items”:{“basic”:{“subtitle”:”Trump headlines rally for Georgia GOP candidates”,”width”:5100,”caption”:”Former President Donald Trump enters the stage with his red caps during a rally for Georgia GOP candidates at Banks County Dragway in Commerce on Saturday, March 26, 2022. (Hyosub Shin / Hyosub.Shin@ajc.com)”,”type”:”image”,”url”:”https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/KAMDFPPV7CEZJMZ3DOC2DFADX4.jpg”,”height”:3634}}}},”canonical_url”:”/politics/trump-brings-his-anti-kemp-campaign-to-georgia/IH5NZU3OL5FNDJ56CH4EVL5M4I/”,”_id”:”IH5NZU3OL5FNDJ56CH4EVL5M4I”},{“content_elements”:[{“_id”:”K4JXQS7PCREN7LUM66KAG473LQ”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648325375172},”type”:”text”,”content”:”COMMERCE — Thousands of supporters arrived hours early at a former drag strip northeast of Atlanta to cheer former President Donald Trump and the slate of seven Republicans he’s endorsed at the center of his effort to refashion the state GOP in his image.”},{“_id”:”DI7S5JF6YNEURAVUGAU4NVEHS4″,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648342818825},”type”:”text”,”content”:”Live updates follow below:”},{“_id”:”SZA474ENPBER5KQCAY3M2RREXY”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648345649535},”type”:”text”,”content”:”9:40 p.m.: “In conclusion,” Trump says after 90 minutes of speaking. Five minutes later, “We will make America great again.””},{“_id”:”NLST2PVQYNB3ZKKTYCUB7TVVIU”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648345649536},”type”:”text”,”content”:”9:38 p.m.: The former president brings back more familiar grievances from his last administration, including “the Russia hoax,” “Impeachment hoax number one,” and “Impeachment hoax number 2.””},{“_id”:”ELRK2KU3RJHDHKH3J6LPW4TR44″,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648345649537},”type”:”text”,”content”:”9:32: Trump says 2022 is the year Republicans take back the House and Senate. “We need a landslide so big they can’t rig it or steal it.” Also, David Perdue will also “save Georgia from Stacey Abrams.””},{“_id”:”RQDGO57Y6ZBNRDPKPOAH6YNARM”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648345649538},”type”:”text”,”content”:”Then in 2024, “Most importantly, we are going to take back that gorgeous, beautiful, breathtaking White House.””},{“_id”:”XZROZ24ABNCGTHHQ2QXUGJSZIY”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648345649539},”type”:”text”,”content”:”9:15: One hour in, Trump starts dropping profanity into his remarks, going on and off the teleprompter, occasionally adlibbing about NATO, John Kerry, gas prices, grocery prices, his book sales, shopping at Tiffany, Democrats’ spending levels, and ending COVID mandates.”},{“_id”:”5DMPOXBHFBFUDIOCFTVGFLFR7I”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648345649540},”type”:”text”,”content”:”Ending COVID mandates, “banning Critical Race Theory,” and “protecting women’s sports,” get the biggest applause of the late section of the speech.”},{“_id”:”VHFIMFXW2FCH3K3KBDYZVKFDEA”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648345649541},”type”:”text”,”content”:”9:10: Trump brings up members of his anti-Kemp slate up to the stage one by one, including David Perdue, Rep. Jody Hice, Burt Jones, John Gordon, Herschel Walker, Vernon Jones, Patrick Witt, Rep. Andrew Clyde, and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene.”},{“_id”:”BCNX6NCB75EERFAHTJCK7BYQDM”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648345649542},”type”:”text”,”content”:”Each candidate focuses their remarks praising Trump.”},{“_id”:”G2YJWEJPP5AH7NG673ETEQRTBU”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648345649543},”type”:”text”,”content”:”Gordon says he is running to “defend (Trump’s) honor.” Greene calls Trump, “the greatest president of my lifetime.””},{“_id”:”UHIO5JKM7RBGBGNZYESAXX42UI”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648345649544},”type”:”text”,”content”:”“We’re going to get out in 2024 and we’re going to send our favorite president right back where he belongs, in the White House,” Greene says.”},{“_id”:”ICYJLRSWEZEL5DA2VL3MRN3ORM”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648342818826},”type”:”text”,”content”:”8:53 p.m.: So far, Trump has talked almost entirely about his own term in office, with an early passage about Kemp and the elections. He’s mentioned only David Perdue and Herschel Walker from his slate of candidates.”},{“_id”:”IJR4IBA6AZETFB5X5Q4BPOKDOE”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648342818827},”type”:”text”,”content”:”The crowd perks up occasionally, especially at the talk of the elections, but the old yarns about Kim Jong Un and the Trump years aren’t getting a huge reaction.”},{“_id”:”27VUIR5LJNHJNEMF7UFC54M4PQ”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648342818828},”type”:”text”,”content”:”8:42 p.m.: The former president goes into foreign policy, criticizing President Joe Biden for the invasion of Ukraine and saying, “It’s a very good possibility” that China will invade Taiwan, too.”},{“_id”:”X5MYRUY5ZRHX3HH6MCXVE74HDE”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648342818829},”type”:”text”,”content”:”“We were respected as a country like never before,” he he was president, Trump says.”},{“_id”:”67EJ4TJETFANTFIKX46FDLQ6KY”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648342818830},”type”:”text”,”content”:”Trump brags that the United States has the strongest nuclear arsenal in the world. “I hate to even mention it and I hate having to do it.””},{“_id”:”PGAOCW7XRJCSFIIT557EAPHWZQ”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648342818831},”type”:”text”,”content”:”He depicts his administration as peaceful and stable. “It was my personality that kept up the hell out of war.””},{“_id”:”ZZKJW3OVVVGFHJZDTHZIUDRAKE”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648342818832},”type”:”text”,”content”:”8:35 p.m.: After a lengthy recital of election grievances, Trump alludes to running again in 2024. “The truth is we ran twice, we won twice, and now we just may have to do it again.””},{“_id”:”2Y66BXBZUFEKXMOCD75OSFACZ4″,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648342818833},”type”:”text”,”content”:”8:28 p.m.: Trump launches into familiar, disproven claims that he and David Perdue “got screwed” in the last election and says that Trump voters won’t vote in a general election if Kemp is the nominee.”},{“_id”:”EB4CXGVA2ZAPLNE5KL6IUCO4DM”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648342818834},”type”:”text”,”content”:”“Trump voters will not go out and vote for Brian Kemp…if Kemp runs, I think Herschel Walker will be seriously and negatively impacted,” he says. “A vote for Brian Kemp, RINO, is a vote for Democrat Senator who shouldn’t be in the Senate.””},{“_id”:”QARY4AQVYFA3BEJQYMMPMVXULU”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648333036774},”type”:”text”,”content”:”8:15 p.m.: Donald Trump arrives on stage throwing red MAGA caps. He lists his slate of candidates and Herschel Walker gets by far the loudest applause.”},{“_id”:”5GC4OUB4XZFBBOQLLDN7ITYBTQ”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648342818836},”type”:”text”,”content”:”“We first have to defeat the RINO sell-outs ad the losers in this state,” Trump says, calling out “RINO Brian Kemp” specifically. “If there’s one thing you need to know about this race, it’s that Brian Kemp sold you out. He didn’t look, he didn’t want to look.””},{“_id”:”Q2743TLBXRF7JMQRFF7372RER4″,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648342818837},”type”:”text”,”content”:”Trump says Kemp was “scared” of Stacey Abrams.”},{“_id”:”WSLVJ7PZ3NHQXP7XLJWCO3OGUY”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648342818838},”type”:”text”,”content”:”“Brian Kemp is a turncoat, a coward, and a complete and total disaster.””},{“_id”:”CBWKTTEF3FG7NLZSU7XXGXZ2F4″,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648342818839},”type”:”text”,”content”:”7:55 p.m.: We’re still waiting for Donald Trump to begin speaking. He was scheduled to begin at 7:00.”},{“_id”:”UM6RAFBTBVFSDICURDN7RUDWJM”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648342818840},”type”:”text”,”content”:”5:41 p.m.: David Perdue starts his speech with Trump’s top issue: “In the state of Georgia, thanks to Brian Kemp, in 2020 our elections were absolutely stolen,” promising to make sure that “whoever was responsible goes to jail.””},{“_id”:”TQVWJXMIYFDZRBR2MDWBYKCRUU”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648333036779},”type”:”text”,”content”:”Chants of “Lock him up! Lock him up!” follow. Perdue turns around, smiling, at the crowd chanting behind him, and gives them a thumbs up.”},{“_id”:”HVYPNJKAF5ASZLUIV5R6EWXZWQ”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648333036780},”type”:”text”,”content”:”Perdue weaves together several local issues, including in Atlanta’s Buckhead and Rutledge, Ga. to argue, “Kemp sold us out.””},{“subtype”:”twitter”,”referent”:{“referent_properties”:{“additional_properties”:{“comments”:[],”_id”:1648349047090}},”provider”:”https://publish.twitter.com/oembed?url=”,”service”:”oembed”,”id”:”https://twitter.com/DavidPerdueGA/status/1507840885962194948″,”type”:”twitter”},”_id”:”OAUWAVBGWJG6FDPYQHNO23HZMM”,”raw_oembed”:{“author_name”:”David Perdue”,”cache_age”:”3153600000″,”provider_url”:”https://twitter.com”,”type”:”twitter”,”version”:”1.0″,”url”:”https://twitter.com/DavidPerdueGA/status/1507840885962194948″,”author_url”:”https://twitter.com/DavidPerdueGA”,”width”:550,”html”:”

Huge turnout at our rally with President Donald Trump in Commerce. Conservatives are FIRED UP and ready to win on May 24!

Together, we will win this primary in May, and then win big in November to make damn sure Stacey Abrams is never Governor of Georgia. pic.twitter.com/64IeWaClOX

— David Perdue (@DavidPerdueGA) March 26, 2022nn”,”_id”:”https://twitter.com/DavidPerdueGA/status/1507840885962194948″,”additional_properties”:{“comments”:[],”_id”:1648349047090},”provider_name”:”Twitter”,”height”:null},”type”:”oembed_response”},{“_id”:”UMWPHIEBI5GEVDEQC7JWPXWM3A”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648333036781},”type”:”text”,”content”:”“Where’s Brian Kemp? Where’s Brian? He’s not here because he kicked sand in the face of the president.””},{“_id”:”GUBY4IUO3BGSZOR2LSEE6JAQLQ”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648333036782},”type”:”text”,”content”:”Like Burt Jones, Perdue also promises “to get rid of those cursed Dominion (voting) machines.””},{“_id”:”ELP3VOWGLVAWRPYHBMDKCEN5D4″,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648333036783},”type”:”text”,”content”:”Finally, he says, “We will make damn sure that the woke Left never gets control of our great state of Georgia.””},{“_id”:”QDBASITN4BD5LKUBUOYCSQU4VI”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648333036784},”type”:”text”,”content”:”5:40 p.m.: Now it’s former Sen. David Perdue’s turn. “You look pretty good for a bunch of deplorables!” he says.”},{“_id”:”7XT3JZTMKJBFRGEEW2XTADVO7Y”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648333036785},”type”:”text”,”content”:”5:35 p.m.: State Sen. Burt Jones, candidate for lieutenant governor. A former UGA football player as well, Jones says, “I’m running for a lot of the same reasons as Herschel . I’m sick and tired of weak-kneed Republicans.””},{“_id”:”5YROR7XQG5DAFJW64IC27XAMVI”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648333036786},”type”:”text”,”content”:”Jones focuses quickly on elections, taxes, and schools. “We’ve got to quit indoctrinating our children and start educating them.” Jones says Says schools should “stop teaching CRT” and also talks about banning transgender athletes from school teams. His daughter, he says, plays soccer. “And I’d be real upset if she didn’t make the team because of some little boy wanting to be a little girl.””},{“subtype”:”twitter”,”referent”:{“referent_properties”:{“additional_properties”:{“comments”:[],”_id”:1648349047097}},”provider”:”https://publish.twitter.com/oembed?url=”,”service”:”oembed”,”id”:”https://twitter.com/burtjonesforga/status/1507784288317718530″,”type”:”twitter”},”_id”:”SNSG6EWBOJBUJLVKHOW5MXFXIA”,”raw_oembed”:{“author_name”:”Burt Jones”,”cache_age”:”3153600000″,”provider_url”:”https://twitter.com”,”type”:”twitter”,”version”:”1.0″,”url”:”https://twitter.com/burtjonesforga/status/1507784288317718530″,”author_url”:”https://twitter.com/burtjonesforga”,”width”:550,”html”:”

Our volunteers are out in full force and fired up for a BIG Trump rally in Commerce this afternoon! #gapol pic.twitter.com/NmZHIpTOwY

— Burt Jones (@burtjonesforga) March 26, 2022nn”,”_id”:”https://twitter.com/burtjonesforga/status/1507784288317718530″,”additional_properties”:{“comments”:[],”_id”:1648349047097},”provider_name”:”Twitter”,”height”:null},”type”:”oembed_response”},{“_id”:”HXEXMC7UMZGHFKON476PVE2NZE”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648333403017},”type”:”text”,”content”:”“If we don’t have a red wave, it doesn’t play well for us to put Donald Trump in the White House in 2024, but I think we’ve going to have a red wave.””},{“owner”:{“sponsored”:false,”id”:”ajc”},”copyright”:”2022 Atlanta Journal-Constitution”,”address”:{“locality”:”Commerce”,”region”:”GA”},”caption”:”March 26, 2022 Commerce – Herschel Walker, front-runner for the party’s U.S. Senate nominee, takes a selfie with supporters during a rally for Georgia GOP candidates at Banks County Dragway in Commerce on Saturday, March 26, 2022. (Hyosub Shin / Hyosub.Shin@ajc.com)”,”source”:{“system”:”AJC Freelancer”,”name”:”AJC Freelancer”,”edit_url”:””,”source_type”:”wires”,”source_id”:”s3://ajc-arc-photo-integration/Freelancer/032722 TRUMP UPDATE HS22.jpg”,”additional_properties”:{“editor”:”photo center”}},”taxonomy”:{“associated_tasks”:[“623f75bc5da84a09e9427986″],”seo_keywords”:[“AJC Freelancer”]},”type”:”image”,”distributor”:{“mode”:”custom”,”name”:”AJC Freelancer”,”category”:”wires”},”version”:”0.10.3″,”url”:”https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/ZLJTAUS6F36FAIMJR5RN2ZLVSI.jpg”,”geo”:{},”licensable”:false,”credits”:{“by”:[{“name”:”HYOSUB SHIN / AJC”,”type”:”author”}]},”subtype”:”Wires”,”subtitle”:”Trump headlines rally for Georgia GOP candidates”,”width”:4690,”_id”:”ZLJTAUS6F36FAIMJR5RN2ZLVSI”,”additional_properties”:{“fullSizeResizeUrl”:”/resizer/inITrmBEqnY3bY_w7Nd2UchfwM8=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/ZLJTAUS6F36FAIMJR5RN2ZLVSI.jpg”,”iptc_source”:”AJC”,”comments”:[],”iptc_job_identifier”:”623f75bc5da84a09e9427986″,”keywords”:[“rally”,”AJC Freelancer”,”Trump”,”GOP candidates”],”proxyUrl”:”/resizer/inITrmBEqnY3bY_w7Nd2UchfwM8=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/ZLJTAUS6F36FAIMJR5RN2ZLVSI.jpg”,”takenOn”:”2022-03-26T19:35:42Z”,”originalUrl”:”https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/ZLJTAUS6F36FAIMJR5RN2ZLVSI.jpg”,”published”:true,”resizeUrl”:”/resizer/inITrmBEqnY3bY_w7Nd2UchfwM8=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/ZLJTAUS6F36FAIMJR5RN2ZLVSI.jpg”,”thumbnailResizeUrl”:”/resizer/bj1S4WywTE-OCJ9K9JwX_hKIiKM=/300×0/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/ZLJTAUS6F36FAIMJR5RN2ZLVSI.jpg”,”version”:2,”originalName”:”s3://ajc-arc-photo-integration/Freelancer/032722 TRUMP UPDATE HS22.jpg”,”mime_type”:”image/jpeg”,”restricted”:false,”galleries”:[],”_id”:”UQSRIPFIGNDKNMNM7TM2YVOHYI”,”iptc_title”:”staff”},”created_date”:”2022-03-26T22:38:28Z”,”last_updated_date”:”2022-03-26T22:43:43Z”,”slug”:”TRUMP UPDATE”,”height”:3226,”image_type”:”photograph”},{“_id”:”X6K56GBSXBBYJM2R6IABVZTWZA”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648333036788},”type”:”text”,”content”:”5:30 p.m.: Herschel Walker says he’s “sick and tired” of people asking him why he’s running, and then starts his speech by saying it’s time to get women out of men’s sports. Continues list of far-right favorite issues, including critical race theory, gas prices, and supporting the police.”},{“_id”:”RMQJQT26D5DE7FVG624U54AYCA”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648333036789},”type”:”text”,”content”:”“I’m not here to be a politician, I’m here to be a warrior. That’s what God sent me to do.””},{“_id”:”XCBYJE2E4NFYTGQLKDKEVZBPLI”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648333036790},”type”:”text”,”content”:”5:25 p.m.: U.S. Senate candidate Herschel Walker bounds onto the stage to chants of “Herschel! Herschel!””},{“_id”:”GGNRJNY4RBAULBBVZL5ATMCWUQ”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648330053401},”type”:”text”,”content”:”5:20 p.m.: U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene mixed up her references to space operas as she attacked Democrat Stacey Abrams over her recent cameo on Star Trek.”},{“_id”:”JJDWQOMJ4JBWDB3MGKGIH32EXY”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648330053402},”type”:”text”,”content”:”“Stacey Abrams thinks she’s the president of Earth. Yeah, that’s funny. Let me tell you something: Stacey Abrams is the Death Star and we’re going to take her out,” she said, referring to the Star Wars attack ship.”},{“owner”:{},”copyright”:”Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.”,”address”:{“locality”:”Rome”,”region”:”GA”},”caption”:”FILE – Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene speaks during a rally, Saturday, March 5, 2022, in Rome, Ga. A group of Georgia voters is challenging Greene’s eligibility to run for reelection, saying she helped facilitate the riot that disrupted Congress from certifying Joe Biden’s presidential election victory. The challenge filed Thursday, March 24, with the Georgia secretary of state’s office says it’s being brought by a group of registered voters in Greene’s congressional district. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart, File)”,”source”:{“system”:”arc i/o”,”name”:”Associated Press”,”source_type”:”wires”,”source_id”:”09721ad70a6e4cf69458f76563bc08e7″,”additional_properties”:{“editor”:”photo center”}},”type”:”image”,”distributor”:{“mode”:”reference”,”reference_id”:”f2a90805-7d0d-46e0-bff3-5e7060bf4d90″},”version”:”0.10.3″,”url”:”https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/X52PXLL55RUSKSKFJNY6IHD3FY.jpg”,”licensable”:false,”credits”:{“by”:[{“name”:”Mike Stewart”,”type”:”author”}]},”subtitle”:”Election 2022-Georgia-Greene”,”width”:5568,”_id”:”X52PXLL55RUSKSKFJNY6IHD3FY”,”additional_properties”:{“fullSizeResizeUrl”:”/resizer/yLip1qTGYkO4o1-Vul0pKEOr9Nw=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/X52PXLL55RUSKSKFJNY6IHD3FY.jpg”,”comments”:[],”proxyUrl”:”/resizer/yLip1qTGYkO4o1-Vul0pKEOr9Nw=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/X52PXLL55RUSKSKFJNY6IHD3FY.jpg”,”originalUrl”:”https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/X52PXLL55RUSKSKFJNY6IHD3FY.jpg”,”published”:true,”resizeUrl”:”/resizer/yLip1qTGYkO4o1-Vul0pKEOr9Nw=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/X52PXLL55RUSKSKFJNY6IHD3FY.jpg”,”expiration_date”:”2022-05-23T16:25:52Z”,”thumbnailResizeUrl”:”/resizer/JUmAv1X355e24EfjVAmR9iMK15c=/300×0/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/X52PXLL55RUSKSKFJNY6IHD3FY.jpg”,”version”:0,”originalName”:”09721ad70a6e4cf69458f76563bc08e7″,”mime_type”:”application/octet-stream”,”restricted”:false,”galleries”:[],”_id”:”BSO2MN4C25FPXETI6U2TOFU6U4″},”created_date”:”2022-03-24T16:25:53Z”,”last_updated_date”:”2022-03-24T16:25:53Z”,”slug”:”Election 2022-Georgia-Greene”,”height”:3712},{“_id”:”XINYHGY4UFBI7JLI3T46WO2DK4″,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648330053404},”type”:”text”,”content”:”5 p.m.: One of the biggest mysteries of Trump’s rally was how the crowd would receive the little-known candidates for down-ticket offices just endorsed by the former president. Each received a solid response from Trump fans.”},{“_id”:”KT6IGLWAJVHHBBSLCDLN5MJSXU”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648330053405},”type”:”text”,”content”:”First up was Patrick Witt, a long shot candidate for U.S. House who quit to run for insurance commissioner against incumbent John King. Trump endorsed him as part of his growing vendetta against Gov. Brian Kemp, who appointed King to the job.”},{“_id”:”ZRZRZMQBYJEBRIBWWICKF2SDEY”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648330053406},”type”:”text”,”content”:”Witt acknowledged that few people in the crowd had ever heard of him, let alone understand the intricacies of the job he’s seeking. He said his main job would be to “keep your insurance from going woke.””},{“subtype”:”twitter”,”referent”:{“referent_properties”:{“additional_properties”:{“comments”:[],”_id”:1648349047109}},”provider”:”https://publish.twitter.com/oembed?url=”,”service”:”oembed”,”id”:”https://twitter.com/bluestein/status/1507821596605571077″,”type”:”twitter”},”_id”:”FFWSK2QYZVCOVNUWY7JOFPX3NA”,”raw_oembed”:{“author_name”:”Greg Bluestein”,”cache_age”:”3153600000″,”provider_url”:”https://twitter.com”,”type”:”twitter”,”version”:”1.0″,”url”:”https://twitter.com/bluestein/status/1507821596605571077″,”author_url”:”https://twitter.com/bluestein”,”width”:550,”html”:”

A glimpse of the crowd at Trump’s rally at an old racetrack in northeast Georgia, where the former president hopes to rally supporters behind the seven state candidates he’s endorsed. #gapol pic.twitter.com/KbIYYUFbKO

— Greg Bluestein (@bluestein) March 26, 2022nn”,”_id”:”https://twitter.com/bluestein/status/1507821596605571077″,”additional_properties”:{“comments”:[],”_id”:1648349047109},”provider_name”:”Twitter”,”height”:null},”type”:”oembed_response”},{“_id”:”ZFKINONOERDKJDPDGNPQNJP73I”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648330053408},”type”:”text”,”content”:”John Gordon announced a challenge to Attorney General Chris Carr just before the qualifying deadline, quickly earning Trump’s support because he is targeting another Kemp ally. He called Carr a “do nothing” Republican, and said he would immediately open an investigation into the 2020 election if elected.”},{“_id”:”E6DXCJDKZJDN3CJ4F6CJBTXXHA”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648330053409},”type”:”text”,”content”:”And former Democrat Vernon Jones, endorsed by Trump for a U.S. House seat to get him out of the race for governor, took off his jacket to show off a bullseye on his back as he boasted about becoming a target of critics.”},{“_id”:”J4BENTQYRBHJ7A5RR34JEYJOIQ”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648330053410},”type”:”text”,”content”:”4 p.m.: Hundreds camped out overnight near the old Commerce racetrack to get better vantages of the rally, while others trucked in from hundreds of miles away to get a glimpse of the former president and his Georgia allies.”},{“_id”:”WIM2J2RGGNG2FJSJXRCNVDBNHE”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648325375174},”type”:”text”,”content”:”“I’m just truthfully here to see if he will give us some news about what he’s up to in the future,” said Jeannette Fehr, who drove in from Wisconsin for a funeral a week ago and remained in town to hear Trump. “I want him to run. But I really want him back in office now.””},{“_id”:”SJXB5GKULVCBFOGSJV7WAB4D5I”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648325375175},”type”:”text”,”content”:”No state will offer a bigger test of Trump’s sway in 2022 than Georgia, where he’s embarked on a yearslong campaign to refashion the state GOP. He’s endorsed seven candidates and promised to defeat Republicans who didn’t help him try to overturn his election defeat.”},{“_id”:”ZHA2XAU3FVE5THBYFLRUPFEF3A”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[{“pos”:121,”comment”:”when he holds a rally at a dusty northeast Georgia racetrack near Commerce,”}],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648325375176},”type”:”text”,”content”:”His attempt to purge Georgia of his perceived Republican enemies ahead of the May 24 primary takes new shape on Saturday in the heart of one of the most conservative parts of the state.”},{“_id”:”WZ3WO6DASBAXZKEWD4TIS3H4AM”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648325375177},”type”:”text”,”content”:”Trump will share the stage with Herschel Walker, the front-runner for the party’s U.S. Senate nomination despite mounting questions about his past, and former U.S. Sen. David Perdue, who is racing to gain ground in his primary challenge against Gov. Brian Kemp.”},{“_id”:”RPJIM6K3L5FS5ERUDYOET2HJJM”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648325375178},”type”:”text”,”content”:”But Trump will also be surrounded by obscure candidates newly added to his slate, selected in part because they help him damage Kemp, whom Trump blames for his defeat in Georgia. After the 2020 vote, Trump demanded that Kemp overturn his election loss in the state, something the governor has no power to do.”},{“subtype”:”twitter”,”referent”:{“referent_properties”:{“additional_properties”:{“comments”:[],”_id”:1648349047118}},”provider”:”https://publish.twitter.com/oembed?url=”,”service”:”oembed”,”id”:”https://twitter.com/bluestein/status/1507808361101856768″,”type”:”twitter”},”_id”:”XILLQKS65ZCYNNQ3DUAOCJQHLU”,”raw_oembed”:{“author_name”:”Greg Bluestein”,”cache_age”:”3153600000″,”provider_url”:”https://twitter.com”,”type”:”twitter”,”version”:”1.0″,”url”:”https://twitter.com/bluestein/status/1507808361101856768″,”author_url”:”https://twitter.com/bluestein”,”width”:550,”html”:”

Dale Branham of Sandy Springs showed up hours early to the Trump rally to support the slate of candidates he’s endorsed.
“I know I’m backing Perdue. Kemp threw Trump under the bus after the election. Everyone else who watched what went on knew what was going on.” #gapol pic.twitter.com/FI5Zo8iro8

— Greg Bluestein (@bluestein) March 26, 2022nn”,”_id”:”https://twitter.com/bluestein/status/1507808361101856768″,”additional_properties”:{“comments”:[],”_id”:1648349047118},”provider_name”:”Twitter”,”height”:null},”type”:”oembed_response”},{“_id”:”BWVXXU5WIFCV3EDB4DYV5LNHVU”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648325375179},”type”:”text”,”content”:”They include Vernon Jones, the former Democrat who was persuaded to end his campaign for governor and run for a congressional seat; Patrick Witt, who quit that race for Congress to challenge a Kemp appointee for insurance commissioner; and John Gordon, an unsuccessful state Senate candidate who only recently renewed his law license to compete against Attorney General Chris Carr, another Kemp loyalist.”},{“_id”:”AQPW24C2TRDZDPN2EK5KRDY4EQ”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648327139228},”type”:”text”,”content”:”Once, Trump’s endorsement was the closest thing to a lock in Georgia Republican politics. Few know that better than Kemp, who routed a GOP runoff opponent in 2018 after the then-president endorsed him six days before the election.”},{“_id”:”HOXCHTKDWFFGJPBKAKK7UKMPVY”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648327139229},”type”:”text”,”content”:”But now Trump’s clout is far harder to define — even as more candidates are trying to ride on his coattails. Perdue and other GOP candidates have staked their campaigns on their loyalty to the former president despite signs that his influence is on the wane.”},{“_id”:”CWA6AI3QIRCM7IXDQERGQFHOHU”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648327139230},”type”:”text”,”content”:”Some Republicans warn that Trump’s brand of politics — and his obsession with his defeat in Georgia — will only come back to haunt GOP candidates in November.”},{“_id”:”XPXKZ45ZNBGBRN6ZRLG7MBQOJA”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648327139231},”type”:”text”,”content”:”“This trip is about him and his grievance-driven brand of politics,” said Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan, “not the future of the state we all love.””},{“subtype”:”twitter”,”referent”:{“referent_properties”:{“additional_properties”:{“comments”:[],”_id”:1648349047124}},”provider”:”https://publish.twitter.com/oembed?url=”,”service”:”oembed”,”id”:”https://twitter.com/bluestein/status/1507780591269392387″,”type”:”twitter”},”_id”:”H6M2HPERTZDXDPV2Z74HQVSFGE”,”raw_oembed”:{“author_name”:”Greg Bluestein”,”cache_age”:”3153600000″,”provider_url”:”https://twitter.com”,”type”:”twitter”,”version”:”1.0″,”url”:”https://twitter.com/bluestein/status/1507780591269392387″,”author_url”:”https://twitter.com/bluestein”,”width”:550,”html”:”

As Trump prepares to rally his die-hard fans in Georgia, Republican Lt. Gov. @GeoffDuncanGA has a message for the GOP: “This trip is about (Trump) and his grievance-driven brand of politics, not the future of the state we all love.” #gapol pic.twitter.com/pYuRilMfp7

— Greg Bluestein (@bluestein) March 26, 2022nn”,”_id”:”https://twitter.com/bluestein/status/1507780591269392387″,”additional_properties”:{“comments”:[],”_id”:1648349047124},”provider_name”:”Twitter”,”height”:null},”type”:”oembed_response”},{“_id”:”ZU75XC5665AGRAI6VVA32R572A”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648333036778},”type”:”text”,”content”:”Gov. Brian Kemp campaigned in Augusta ahead of Trump’s visit Saturday. Asked about the former president’s endorsement of Perdue, he said, “My message to folks is I need their endorsement, their vote on May 24. And that’s what I’m going out there, working to do.” He said he wants voters to look at his record. “I can’t control what other people are doing.””},{“_id”:”QARY4AQVYFA3BEJQYMMPMVXULU”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648333036774},”type”:”text”,”content”:”How important is Trump’s endorsement to these supporters? Very.”},{“_id”:”RAAJPBGZKBDDBBGZRKLREAK4A4″,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648333036775},”type”:”text”,”content”:”One, Chrissy Maxwell from Newton, Ga., wore a bejeweled denim Trump hat as she lingered with friends around the food trucks.”},{“_id”:”IJXUSELDGFGMLO2I2KO5LQJIHY”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648333036776},”type”:”text”,”content”:”Maxwell said she’ll vote for whomever Trump picks, no questions asked.”},{“_id”:”LTCOMY7RFBA3NLHDFMHDMHUVK4″,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648333036777},”type”:”text”,”content”:”“I trust him to tell me what to do,” she said. “Jesus and Trump. That’s who I listen to — and sometimes not in that order.””},{“owner”:{“sponsored”:false,”id”:”ajc”},”copyright”:”2022 Atlanta Journal-Constitution”,”address”:{“locality”:”Commerce”,”region”:”GA”},”caption”:”March 26, 2022 Commerce – David Perdue walks in during a rally for Georgia GOP candidates at Banks County Dragway in Commerce on Saturday, March 26, 2022. (Hyosub Shin / Hyosub.Shin@ajc.com)”,”source”:{“system”:”AJC Freelancer”,”name”:”AJC Freelancer”,”edit_url”:””,”source_type”:”wires”,”source_id”:”s3://ajc-arc-photo-integration/Freelancer/032722 TRUMP UPDATE HS20.jpg”,”additional_properties”:{“editor”:”photo center”}},”taxonomy”:{“associated_tasks”:[“623f75bc5da84a09e9427986″],”seo_keywords”:[“AJC Freelancer”]},”type”:”image”,”distributor”:{“mode”:”custom”,”name”:”AJC Freelancer”,”category”:”wires”},”version”:”0.10.3″,”url”:”https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/ITLPI2KE4RF5HXLCEO5KHF666U.jpg”,”geo”:{},”licensable”:false,”credits”:{“by”:[{“name”:”HYOSUB SHIN / AJC”,”type”:”author”}]},”subtype”:”Wires”,”subtitle”:”Trump headlines rally for Georgia GOP candidates”,”width”:5725,”_id”:”ITLPI2KE4RF5HXLCEO5KHF666U”,”additional_properties”:{“fullSizeResizeUrl”:”/resizer/6qZMD91pxaW5KoBKwgTsbU5We8I=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/ITLPI2KE4RF5HXLCEO5KHF666U.jpg”,”iptc_source”:”AJC”,”comments”:[],”iptc_job_identifier”:”623f75bc5da84a09e9427986″,”keywords”:[“rally”,”AJC Freelancer”,”Trump”,”GOP candidates”],”proxyUrl”:”/resizer/6qZMD91pxaW5KoBKwgTsbU5We8I=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/ITLPI2KE4RF5HXLCEO5KHF666U.jpg”,”takenOn”:”2022-03-26T19:50:41Z”,”originalUrl”:”https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/ITLPI2KE4RF5HXLCEO5KHF666U.jpg”,”published”:true,”resizeUrl”:”/resizer/6qZMD91pxaW5KoBKwgTsbU5We8I=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/ITLPI2KE4RF5HXLCEO5KHF666U.jpg”,”thumbnailResizeUrl”:”/resizer/njjqitg0ZOyNOEx5_qVXxy1c6xM=/300×0/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/ITLPI2KE4RF5HXLCEO5KHF666U.jpg”,”version”:2,”originalName”:”s3://ajc-arc-photo-integration/Freelancer/032722 TRUMP UPDATE HS20.jpg”,”mime_type”:”image/jpeg”,”restricted”:false,”galleries”:[{“headlines”:{“basic”:”PHOTOS: Trump headlines rally for Georgia GOP candidates”},”_id”:”RESEVZQX3RGWPB2SOBLD3KPLGE”}],”_id”:”2BXTTPGEAFDNJNBGARQHFF2OMY”,”iptc_title”:”staff”},”created_date”:”2022-03-26T22:41:32Z”,”last_updated_date”:”2022-03-26T22:45:14Z”,”slug”:”TRUMP UPDATE”,”height”:3863,”image_type”:”photograph”},{“_id”:”ZU75XC5665AGRAI6VVA32R572A”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648333036778},”type”:”text”,”content”:”
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(Hyosub Shin / Hyosub.Shin@ajc.com)”,”type”:”image”,”url”:”https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/KAMDFPPV7CEZJMZ3DOC2DFADX4.jpg”,”height”:3634}}}},”canonical_url”:”/news/live-trump-to-hold-rally-for-georgia-gop-candidates/RDODGT2ZHFD7NC525XY46OZ774/”,”_id”:”RDODGT2ZHFD7NC525XY46OZ774″},{“content_elements”:[{“_id”:”AWSC5XJPUZDL3LDHSGILDRHCGI”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648224107811},”type”:”text”,”content”:”A national debate over transportation priorities is playing out in Georgia as public officials decide how to spend billions of dollars in federal infrastructure money.”},{“_id”:”6CYHFHJO6FF2LLSSNA3LDM7VRI”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648224107812},”type”:”text”,”content”:”The Biden administration want states to spend highway construction funds on maintaining existing roads instead of building new ones. The administration and Democrats in Congress also want some of the highway money to be spent on public transportation and other initiatives to address climate change and reduce reliance on automobile commuting.”},{“_id”:”W3XU5HFOZ5GKDHZMBIEWWUH5AU”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648224107813},”type”:”text”,”content”:”“It’s past time for Georgia to begin to look at moving people in ways that supplement the automobile,” said U.S. Rep. Hank Johnson, D-Lithonia. “We should be building for people and not for cars.””},{“_id”:”6U35QUZQKVF3DIAWK4BQC7KO6E”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648224107814},”type”:”text”,”content”:”Republicans in Georgia and elsewhere are pushing back, saying states should be free to improve their transportation networks as they see fit. They say there’s still plenty of need for new and bigger highways, and diverting money to other priorities would be a mistake.”},{“_id”:”75H3QJ2TWVAQRFVI6SRMAWJVGI”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648224107815},”type”:”text”,”content”:”“What the Biden administration is trying to do here is use this money that they describe as being for infrastructure for political gain and for their political priorities,” said U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter, R-Pooler. “I would describe it as being a bait and switch.””},{“_id”:”YTA4P44GURHI5PRHJSHZMX6HZQ”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648224107816},”type”:”text”,”content”:”The Democrats’ ability to dictate how states spend the highway money is limited by federal law. But the Biden administration has signaled its intent to craft regulations that will favor its priorities. And the debate likely will continue amid the biggest infrastructure spending binge in decades.”},{“_id”:”O6MPNGB6VFAIROTWYXDC6CPWGM”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648224107817},”type”:”text”,”content”:”Congress approved the $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill in the fall. It includes money for everything from ports and airports to broadband internet and electric-vehicle charging stations.”},{“_id”:”I4NZL3NNWRB6RMYFD6SBQVJKOY”,”additional_properties”:{“comments”:[],”_id”:”RJAOHTQCD5C65OZ54PCIDZOY6U”},”type”:”interstitial_link”,”content”:”What’s in the $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill for Georgia”,”url”:”https://www.ajc.com/politics/whats-in-the-12-trillion-infrastructure-bill-for-georgia/ABB2OKOUCBBPBCD6VTUCIXOJSU/”},{“_id”:”WMOFJYUODFHOPLQISVVXGPMA5A”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648224107819},”type”:”text”,”content”:”The money Georgia will receive includes $1.4 billion for public transportation over five years, $8.9 billion for roads and $225 million for bridges.”},{“_id”:”LSK5FOZTDRDHXH4ABSEBGGMRHY”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648224107820},”type”:”text”,”content”:”Much of the highway money is distributed based on formulas that account for each state’s number of highway lane miles and other factors. Though there are some restrictions, the states generally have flexibility to spend the money as they see fit.”},{“_id”:”WF7NTUH64RE4JHCQ6ZF24YXEXY”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648224107821},”type”:”text”,”content”:”Democrats have made it clear how they think states should spend the highway money. In December, the Biden administration released guidance suggesting states spend highway funds on maintaining existing roads instead of expanding them or building new ones. The administration also suggested states use some of the highway money for public transportation — not just the money already designated for transit.”},{“_id”:”P3XD3MITPNATTDH7I2YGWIMQ7E”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648224107822},”type”:”text”,”content”:”Georgia Democrats in Congress have echoed those priorities. In January, they asked the Georgia Department of Transportation to spend hundreds of millions of federal highway funds on public transportation.”},{“_id”:”F6CCDRU3TBC7FCOZYSBS3FUEIA”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648224107823},”type”:”text”,”content”:”“Across our state, local jurisdictions and transit agencies are raising revenue to maintain, operate and expand public transit,” the lawmakers wrote. “Without the necessary support from GDOT, our local communities face a disproportionate burden raising needed funds for public transit infrastructure.””},{“_id”:”M7W4DRS7YRCXXJ2H6OREXZ3VEY”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648224107824},”type”:”text”,”content”:”Brian Gist, a transportation attorney at the Southern Environmental Law Center, said it makes sense for Georgia to invest more in transit and on maintaining existing roads. He said building new highway lanes doesn’t solve traffic problems in the long run — they encourage development and fill up with traffic within a few years.”},{“_id”:”K7WH3UWUANGQDLH6OEP33P3ZUI”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648224107825},”type”:”text”,”content”:”“We’ve overinvested in roads and underinvested in transit, and there are ways to begin correcting that,” Gist said.”},{“_id”:”IGH7EQZRSJBRVLDCRXAZTXB6W4″,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648224107826},”type”:”text”,”content”:”Some Republicans have bristled at the Democrats’ priorities. In a January letter to President Joe Biden, 16 Republican governors — including Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp — urged the administration to “draft regulations and guidance that defer to the states and confer maximum regulatory flexibility.””},{“_id”:”I4UAGXRW4RBK3LZ6HTCRFX2NLE”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648224107827},”type”:”text”,”content”:”GDOT has also pushed back. In a written response to the congressional Democrats’ letter, the agency noted it has designated nearly $504 million in highway funds for transit over the past decade. It also cited its efforts to establish bus rapid transit on the top end of the Perimeter and Ga. 400.”},{“_id”:”HK7OGLYJHZBLXBXUNHP4AVQBXI”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648224107828},”type”:”text”,”content”:”GDOT officials declined to comment on the Democrats’ letter or the agency’s response.”},{“_id”:”SLVUYPAWJFCNRABYDSTM6NFDEI”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648224107829},”type”:”text”,”content”:”David Moellering, president of the Georgia Highway Contractors Association, said it would be shortsighted to preclude spending federal highway money on new lanes. He said new lanes are needed to accommodate bus rapid transit, as well as increased truck traffic.”},{“_id”:”DKIZN7QTYNHSXJURHXEFESFVR4″,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648224107830},”type”:”text”,”content”:”Seth Millican, executive director of the Georgia Transportation Alliance, supports spending on roads and transit. But he said the coronavirus pandemic has changed travel patterns — increasing freight traffic and decreasing transit ridership.”},{“_id”:”PSE23FQPYRBJLJ22EQVIRULT7U”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648224107831},”type”:”text”,”content”:”Millican said transit is still critical. But he said state transportation officials are best positioned to balance road and transit funding.”},{“_id”:”EM5BEPJI5VENLBABYAALRVGNNI”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648224107832},”type”:”text”,”content”:”“It’s absolutely something we should be debating,” Millican said. “But the decision should be made by these guys here in Georgia.””}],”display_date”:”2022-03-25T16:58:58.925Z”,”headlines”:{“basic”:”Politicians spar over priorities as infrastructure spending booms”},”first_publish_date”:”2022-03-25T16:58:58.925Z”,”taxonomy”:{“sections”:[{“path”:”/politics”,”parent”:{“default”:”https://www.ajc.com/”},”_website”:”ajc”,”parent_id”:”https://www.ajc.com/”,”name”:”Politics”,”description”:”Political news with a Georgia focus, including the Georgia Legislature, Congress, White House, presidential elections and Georgia Congressional Districts.”,”_id”:”/politics”,”additional_properties”:{“original”:{“parent”:{“AmpNav”:”https://www.ajc.com/”,”default”:”https://www.ajc.com/”,”BottomNav”:null,”TopNavRedesign”:null,”SectionMap”:”https://www.ajc.com/”,”MainMenuRedesign2021″:”https://www.ajc.com/”,”TopNav”:null,”TopicsBar”:null,”ComposerNav”:”https://www.ajc.com/”},”site”:{“site_url”:”https://www.ajc.com/politics/”,”section_comments_enabled”:”Yes”,”site_description”:”Political news with a Georgia focus, including the Georgia Legislature, Congress, White House, presidential elections and Georgia Congressional Districts.”,”site_title”:”AJC Georgia Politics | What’s really going on in politics”},”navigation”:{“nav_title”:”Politics”},”inactive”:false,”node_type”:”section”,”_website”:”ajc”,”name”:”Politics”,”Sponsor”:{“sponsor_url_open_new_tab”:”true”,”sponsor_desktop_banner”:””,”sponsor_mobile_banner”:””,”sponsor_url”:””},”_id”:”/politics”,”ancestors”:{“TopNavRedesign”:[],”SectionMap”:[“https://www.ajc.com/”],”MainMenuRedesign2021″:[“https://www.ajc.com/”],”TopNav”:[],”TopicsBar”:[]},”order”:{“AmpNav”:1022,”default”:1022,”SectionMap”:1094,”MainMenuRedesign2021″:1003,”ComposerNav”:1100}}},”_website_section_id”:”ajc./politics”,”type”:”section”,”version”:”0.6.0″}],”primary_section”:{“path”:”/politics”,”name”:”Politics”},”tags”:[{“text”:”teamsusan”},{“text”:”politics.ajc”},{“text”:”georgia news”},{“text”:”Joe Biden”},{“text”:”georgia-news.ajc”},{“text”:”ga-government.ajc”},{“text”:”government and politics”}]},”type”:”story”,”last_updated_date”:”2022-03-26T14:36:28.546Z”,”promo_items”:{“basic”:{“credits”:{“affiliation”:[{“name”:”JOHN SPINK / AJC”,”type”:”author”}],”by”:[{“name”:”John Spink / John.Spink@ajc.com”,”type”:”author”}]},”subtitle”:”AAJC 052721 memorial day traffic”,”width”:5472,”caption”:”Democrats and Republicans are debating how to spend some of the federal highway money in the bipartisan infrastructure packages that Congress approved in the fall. ( File photo by John Spink / John.Spink@ajc.com)”,”type”:”image”,”url”:”https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/G4VWRSRQDILFXUNYP2M3GQF3CQ.jpg”,”height”:3208}},”canonical_url”:”/politics/politicians-spar-over-priorities-as-infrastructure-spending-booms/K4B36VO3AJGMVIH5H63EZBCTQU/”,”_id”:”K4B36VO3AJGMVIH5H63EZBCTQU”},{“content_elements”:[{“_id”:”VKAMIVPUQNGWHGI3UN3MU5PG4E”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648223314325},”type”:”text”,”content”:”The Georgia Senate set up final negotiations with the House over next year’s $30.2 billion state budget by backing a plan Friday that includes a $2,000 pay raise for teachers and continues attempts to slow state government turnover.”},{“_id”:”DAEOIZ2LCNHAPHLDVPQT5CWI4Q”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648223314326},”type”:”text”,”content”:”Lawmakers must give final approval to the spending plan by the time the session ends April 4. The House passed its version of the budget March 11.”},{“_id”:”BUWCG2E7XFBMXB7QTPQ5ECIXEM”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648223314328},”type”:”text”,”content”:”The spending plan for fiscal 2023, which begins July 1, builds on the record midyear budget that Gov. Brian Kemp recently signed into law. “},{“_id”:”7JQH6FPGNBEB5ADN7XZLOJZMDU”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648223314329},”type”:”text”,”content”:”The midyear budget, which runs through June 30, includes $2,000 bonuses for teachers and school workers, and $5,000 cost-of-living raises for most state and university employees.”},{“_id”:”MKLA4ETBI5DLNID3KNC5KACOIY”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648223314330},”type”:”text”,”content”:”The budget for the upcoming year would turn the teacher bonus into a raise — meaning it would be built into their future years’ salary — and continue to fund the state employee increases. Some staffers in areas with hard-to-fill jobs, including corrections and mental health agencies, would receive bigger raises.”},{“_id”:”N44ISJZVUBC5ZAJTXM63CPVF3I”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648223314331},”type”:”text”,”content”:”Private prison operators also would receive more money to give their corrections officers raises under the plan, even though they are not state employees.”},{“_id”:”IYIACNLTKREVLPLND5AQZTO2FI”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648223314332},”type”:”text”,”content”:”The Senate plan for the coming year in many ways mirrors the House proposal, calling for spending big money on priority areas: improving mental health care by boosting salaries and staff sizes, increasing access and adding more facilities such as hospital and crisis beds; aiding crime fighting; and enhancing schools and public health care programs.”},{“_id”:”VTTVNLVD6ZFA5ADXGHMBABNUD4″,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648223314334},”type”:”text”,”content”:”“We focused on areas of quality, stewardship and fidelity,” said Senate Appropriations Chairman Blake TIllery, R-Vidalia. “},{“_id”:”Z5PPR62UPZHCVEJMEI3UTJPLVY”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648223314335},”type”:”text”,”content”:”Tillery said the Senate plan would add incentives to improve the outcomes of state programs, including $28 million for efforts to improve third-grade reading levels in schools.”},{“_id”:”2JQCRR3LOJH5RDIAENOQD2XQ7M”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648223314336},”type”:”text”,”content”:”The Senate plan would include a new pay scale step for state troopers, plus a big boost in staffing of forensic examiners at the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, Tillery said. It would eliminate a House proposal to add DUI and SWAT troopers.”},{“_id”:”S3SRFBKOFBFY3GEPSF5LHSG2OM”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648223314337},”type”:”text”,”content”:”It would add money for a summer pilot program to make sure 2,800 children in foster care who are ages 14-18 get to experience college campuses in the same way other high school-age kids do to help them decide their futures. It also would provide more money for local libraries for books and materials.”},{“_id”:”G2Q4A6WNWVBRPGSJHBDJFPPGMA”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648223314338},”type”:”text”,”content”:”As the House did, the Senate plan backs Gov. Brian Kemp’s proposal to boost state spending on higher education and would eliminate the “institutional fees” that students have been forced to pay since the Great Recession, when the General Assembly slashed college funding.”},{“_id”:”IOUZWPTUU5AZ3FH7D76QVPTC7U”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648223314339},”type”:”text”,”content”:”While the state midyear budget for the fiscal year ending June 30 saw a massive increase — from about $27 billion to $30 billion — the spending plan for the upcoming year would see a more modest rise.”},{“_id”:”EYS4N5L4ERA23MDXFLV74CYHJU”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648223314340},”type”:”text”,”content”:”State tax collections are running 16% ahead of last year for the first eight months of fiscal 2022, which is good for budget writers who have to make sure they can afford the midyear budget increase. Gains are expected to slow in the coming year.”},{“_id”:”6JIY6A7T6BE5HBJLD42DL6Y5II”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648223314341},”type”:”text”,”content”:”The teacher pay raise is particularly important to Kemp, who faces a tough reelection battle this year. Kemp promised during his 2018 campaign that he would give them a $5,000 increase over the course of his first term. He’d previously delivered on $3,000 in 2019, so the new raise would fulfill that promise.”},{“_id”:”ZBBY7SQIGVEBFD75UHNUP3AQ5U”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648223314342},”type”:”text”,”content”:”In total, the state would spend about $950 million more on raises for state, k-12 school and university employees.”}],”display_date”:”2022-03-25T16:20:28.733Z”,”headlines”:{“basic”:”Georgia Senate backs budget for upcoming year with teacher raises”},”first_publish_date”:”2022-03-25T16:20:28.733Z”,”taxonomy”:{“sections”:[{“path”:”/politics”,”parent”:{“default”:”https://www.ajc.com/”},”_website”:”ajc”,”parent_id”:”https://www.ajc.com/”,”name”:”Politics”,”description”:”Political news with a Georgia focus, including the Georgia Legislature, Congress, White House, presidential elections and Georgia Congressional Districts.”,”_id”:”/politics”,”additional_properties”:{“original”:{“parent”:{“AmpNav”:”https://www.ajc.com/”,”default”:”https://www.ajc.com/”,”BottomNav”:null,”TopNavRedesign”:null,”SectionMap”:”https://www.ajc.com/”,”MainMenuRedesign2021″:”https://www.ajc.com/”,”TopNav”:null,”TopicsBar”:null,”ComposerNav”:”https://www.ajc.com/”},”site”:{“site_url”:”https://www.ajc.com/politics/”,”section_comments_enabled”:”Yes”,”site_description”:”Political news with a Georgia focus, including the Georgia Legislature, Congress, White House, presidential elections and Georgia Congressional Districts.”,”site_title”:”AJC Georgia Politics | What’s really going on in politics”},”navigation”:{“nav_title”:”Politics”},”inactive”:false,”node_type”:”section”,”_website”:”ajc”,”name”:”Politics”,”Sponsor”:{“sponsor_url_open_new_tab”:”true”,”sponsor_desktop_banner”:””,”sponsor_mobile_banner”:””,”sponsor_url”:””},”_id”:”/politics”,”ancestors”:{“TopNavRedesign”:[],”SectionMap”:[“https://www.ajc.com/”],”MainMenuRedesign2021″:[“https://www.ajc.com/”],”TopNav”:[],”TopicsBar”:[]},”order”:{“AmpNav”:1022,”default”:1022,”SectionMap”:1094,”MainMenuRedesign2021″:1003,”ComposerNav”:1100}}},”_website_section_id”:”ajc./politics”,”type”:”section”,”version”:”0.6.0″}],”primary_section”:{“path”:”/politics”,”name”:”Politics”},”tags”:[{“text”:”politics.ajc”},{“text”:”teamsusan”},{“text”:”legislature”},{“text”:”georgia news”},{“text”:”georgia-news.ajc”},{“text”:”ga-government.ajc”},{“text”:”government and politics”}]},”type”:”story”,”last_updated_date”:”2022-03-25T19:22:51.504Z”,”promo_items”:{“basic”:{“credits”:{“affiliation”:[{“name”:”Alyssa Pointer / Alyssa.Pointer@ajc.com”,”type”:”author”}],”by”:[{“name”:”Alyssa Pointer / Alyssa.Pointer@ajc.com”,”type”:”author”}]},”subtitle”:”LEG PHOTOS 14″,”width”:5472,”caption”:”02/09/2021 —Atlanta, Georgia — Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Sen. Blake Tillery (R-Vidalia) speaks about HB 80 in the Senate Chambers on day 14 of the Georgia Legislative session at the Georgia State Capitol in Atlanta, Tuesday, February 9, 2021. HB 80 is the Georgia budget. The bill unanimously passed the Senate. (Alyssa Pointer / Alyssa.Pointer@ajc.com)”,”type”:”image”,”url”:”https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/YXDEMZD2K5NRS237C47CUTIUCE.JPG”,”height”:3648}},”canonical_url”:”/politics/georgia-senate-backs-upcoming-year-budget-with-teacher-raises/3ULY4I6SCZFV5LEWWHCUBTFB7E/”,”_id”:”3ULY4I6SCZFV5LEWWHCUBTFB7E”},{“content_elements”:[{“_id”:”SQ3YWRZUXNGRFPMX7KAVBRXTJ4″,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648220749356},”type”:”text”,”content”:”The Georgia Senate gave final passage Friday to a tax break for military retirees under the age of 62.”},{“_id”:”3VWXEWMGOBFUTGK4Y4XICKNOZ4″,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648220749357},”type”:”text”,”content”:”House Bill 1064 by Rep. Jesse Petrea, R-Savannah, which passed the Senate 56-0, would exempt up to $17,500 in military pension from state income taxes for veterans under the age of 62. It would also exempt up to $17,500 in other income. So veterans on a military pension who work could exempt up to $35,000 from state income taxes.”},{“_id”:”CROKJLMO25GLPN2FGRXWMZHA7A”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648222623101},”type”:”text”,”content”:”The measure doesn’t include older veterans because state law already provides an exemption for nonwork income — such as pensions — for those 62 and older.”},{“_id”:”MZQAVQHFZNAOZBWBGNV3EPGQGA”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648222623102},”type”:”text”,”content”:”The bill now goes to Gov. Brian Kemp for his signature. Kemp and other Republicans have championed a veterans tax break as part of their election-year agenda, although Democrats in the General Assembly have also sponsored similar measures.”},{“_id”:”DK5EI2NSVFCFHBNM5PIOJGM5L4″,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648222623103},”type”:”text”,”content”:”“It’s a great day for our veterans in the state of Georgia,” said Sen. Ed Harbison, D-Columbus, who served four years in the U.S. Marines and is a recipient of the Purple Heart.”},{“_id”:”XSHQ66MBRZHCPMA3ZVMMT6DVVE”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648222623104},”type”:”text”,”content”:”The measure would cost the state and save the veterans about $78 million during the upcoming fiscal year and about $60 million a year in the future.”}],”display_date”:”2022-03-25T15:32:57.538Z”,”headlines”:{“basic”:”Georgia Senate gives final OK to tax break for some military retirees”},”first_publish_date”:”2022-03-25T15:32:57.538Z”,”taxonomy”:{“sections”:[{“path”:”/politics”,”parent”:{“default”:”https://www.ajc.com/”},”_website”:”ajc”,”parent_id”:”https://www.ajc.com/”,”name”:”Politics”,”description”:”Political news with a Georgia focus, including the Georgia Legislature, Congress, White House, presidential elections and Georgia Congressional Districts.”,”_id”:”/politics”,”additional_properties”:{“original”:{“parent”:{“AmpNav”:”https://www.ajc.com/”,”default”:”https://www.ajc.com/”,”BottomNav”:null,”TopNavRedesign”:null,”SectionMap”:”https://www.ajc.com/”,”MainMenuRedesign2021″:”https://www.ajc.com/”,”TopNav”:null,”TopicsBar”:null,”ComposerNav”:”https://www.ajc.com/”},”site”:{“site_url”:”https://www.ajc.com/politics/”,”section_comments_enabled”:”Yes”,”site_description”:”Political news with a Georgia focus, including the Georgia Legislature, Congress, White House, presidential elections and Georgia Congressional Districts.”,”site_title”:”AJC Georgia Politics | What’s really going on in politics”},”navigation”:{“nav_title”:”Politics”},”inactive”:false,”node_type”:”section”,”_website”:”ajc”,”name”:”Politics”,”Sponsor”:{“sponsor_url_open_new_tab”:”true”,”sponsor_desktop_banner”:””,”sponsor_mobile_banner”:””,”sponsor_url”:””},”_id”:”/politics”,”ancestors”:{“TopNavRedesign”:[],”SectionMap”:[“https://www.ajc.com/”],”MainMenuRedesign2021″:[“https://www.ajc.com/”],”TopNav”:[],”TopicsBar”:[]},”order”:{“AmpNav”:1022,”default”:1022,”SectionMap”:1094,”MainMenuRedesign2021″:1003,”ComposerNav”:1100}}},”_website_section_id”:”ajc./politics”,”type”:”section”,”version”:”0.6.0″}],”primary_section”:{“path”:”/politics”,”name”:”Politics”},”tags”:[{“text”:”politics.ajc”},{“text”:”teamsusan”},{“text”:”legislature”},{“text”:”georgia news”},{“text”:”georgia-news.ajc”},{“text”:”ga-government.ajc”},{“text”:”government and politics”}]},”type”:”story”,”last_updated_date”:”2022-03-25T15:46:52.380Z”,”promo_items”:{“basic”:{“credits”:{“by”:[{“name”:”HYOSUB SHIN / AJC”,”type”:”author”}]},”subtitle”:”Veterans Day photos”,”width”:5715,”caption”:”November 11, 2021 Atlanta – Georgia Senator Ed Harbison (left) and Wayne Waddell, Georgia Military Veterans’ Hall of Fame inductee, shake hands as Colonel Richard White (center), retired US Army, looks during 2021 Veterans Day commemoration ceremony honoring the service and sacrifice of all our nation’s veterans at Atlanta History Center on Thursday, November 11, 2021. Atlanta History Center’s annual Veterans Day program honors the sacrifice of the women and men who served in the United States armed forces. (Hyosub Shin / Hyosub.Shin@ajc.com)”,”type”:”image”,”url”:”https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/ZSIZ2KOA5JW3XX4G6EG35CBN5M.jpg”,”height”:3846}},”canonical_url”:”/politics/georgia-senate-gives-final-ok-to-tax-break-for-some-military-retirees/XDNOZ2ME5ZGC7AH3UZVSTDJPZ4/”,”_id”:”XDNOZ2ME5ZGC7AH3UZVSTDJPZ4″},{“content_elements”:[{“_id”:”FUJHGQPYBNELJGU5JTTJ3ZGOZQ”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648214600083},”type”:”text”,”content”:”For such a tiny building, Aunt Fanny’s Cabin casts a long, dark shadow.”},{“_id”:”4ZULU6TV5RHRHBR3TOZXOMPZO4″,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648214600084},”type”:”text”,”content”:”The cabin is so small and non-descript, in fact, that when I went out to Atlanta Road in Smyrna to see it recently, I drove past the structure entirely, without noticing my mistake for a mile.”},{“_id”:”NN75C6RCOFCYLL3CWOSLSZCSDE”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648214600085},”type”:”text”,”content”:”Perched on the side of a bustling road next to a bank parking lot, the little white clapboard house with a sinking green roof was easy to miss. But not so long ago, it was home to one of the most famous restaurants in Atlanta, welcoming almost exclusively white patrons to step back in time to the same false depiction of slavery and antebellum culture as depicted in the scenes from Gone with the Wind.”},{“_id”:”G52XKG6DTFFLTBMKHGGGMPVYGE”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648214600086},”type”:”text”,”content”:”For anyone who is white and who grew up near Atlanta in Aunt Fanny’s Cabin heyday, it was known as a special destination, a big night out.”},{“_id”:”G52XKG6DTFFLTBMKHGGGMPVYGE”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648214600105},”type”:”text”,”content”:”Celebrities were frequent customers. So too, famously, was President Jimmy Carter. We know this because people signed their names in guest books and wrote out autographs for pictures to be displayed on the walls.”},{“_id”:”O5KCXAD6F5ET7LWQQ67YYZ2AIU”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648214600088},”type”:”text”,”content”:”Incredibly, going there was not seen as something to be ashamed of in those days, but rather a place to enjoy, a carefree step back in time as light as a trip to Disneyland.”},{“_id”:”TDNKNUK46BFX7COTS5NMHRG2O4″,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648214600089},”type”:”text”,”content”:”Reporting about the uncertain future of Aunt Fanny’s Cabin has described the restaurant as “controversial,” and having “presented stereotypes of Black people,” and “portrayed images that were derogatory toward Black people.””},{“_id”:”IVMP6KOZY5HNBAUBT2UMESAI34″,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648214600095},”type”:”text”,”content”:”But those sanitized buzz words don’t do justice to the deep, even joyous racism embedded in the concept, nor the humiliating work conditions for the Black staff working there.”},{“_id”:”OSJEMRULXREELO3OK2GD3BETLY”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648214600096},”type”:”text”,”content”:”Archived photos from the 1950s and 1960′s show young Black boys wearing wooden yoked boards around their necks, reciting the menu to tables full of smiling white diners.”},{“_id”:”664CSUSSZZGJBKCA6IDUX2SCGE”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648214600097},”type”:”text”,”content”:”Other black staff, often young boys, led patrons in renditions of Black church spirituals and Confederate fight songs.”},{“_id”:”CFE74Q6HSZCRXENZNCUAOQAHAU”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648214600098},”type”:”text”,”content”:”One song was framed on the wall for patrons waiting in the lobby to read: “Keep your Confederate money, boys, the South will rise again.””},{“_id”:”DAHEKUCNBVEH5J3GPV65LPH32E”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648214600099},”type”:”text”,”content”:”I looked up the lyrics to imagine what it must have been like for Black employees, dressed as antebellum enslaved people, to sing these words as patrons ate dinners of fried chicken or Smithfield ham:”},{“_id”:”FZAOM67C5JEBXHPJUTP4LQDE3A”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648214600100},”type”:”text”,”content”:”Mister Robert E. Lee and his rebel men,”},{“_id”:”UTBG6OZWFJEFBLZFMMNXKGNVXA”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648214600101},”type”:”text”,”content”:”Surrendered but they said this ain’t the end,”},{“_id”:”FHVBEHTWG5C6FLZ52THJMI7TF4″,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648214600102},”type”:”text”,”content”:”Save your confederate money my friends,”},{“_id”:”LBJD26FRV5G6XG7UPIUSNSWXXM”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648214600103},”type”:”text”,”content”:”South’s gonna rise again.”},{“_id”:”HKBIHVTY4JF6PDAEUERGMVV2O4″,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648214600104},”type”:”text”,”content”:”That all of this continued well into the 1980s and early 90′s when Ronald Reagan and George Bush were president and the Cosby Show was the highest-rated show on television tells you all you need to know about how real and enduring the acceptance of racism in our culture was and continues to be.”},{“_id”:”G52XKG6DTFFLTBMKHGGGMPVYGE”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648214600105},”type”:”text”,”content”:”A history of Aunt Fanny’s commissioned by the City of Smyrna details its start as a country store in 1941, opened by Isoline Campbell McKenna, the daughter of a wealthy Cobb County family, and named after Fanny Willis, the Black woman who worked in service to the Campbell family for decades.”},{“_id”:”CBHFCHLVVVAPHF7RFAIFQHOZRI”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648214600092},”type”:”text”,”content”:”An article from The Atlanta Constitution when the shop opened is startling on its own, with Williams described as a “famous colored mammy,” who, “has been in Mrs. McKenna’s family for more than 57 years.””},{“_id”:”WMRZPZZIC5HRFHPE2PVAS5UKHU”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648214600093},”type”:”text”,”content”:”Eventually the store also sold lunch to workers at the nearby Bell Airplane factory and was later sold to new owners who expanded and intensified the “Old South” theme.”},{“_id”:”6YMUTNT3ANAPNOMBZXZO43ZBBE”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648214600094},”type”:”text”,”content”:”After closing, being repurposed, and eventually falling into disrepair, the fate of Aunt Fanny’s Cabin recently became the focus of intense debate.”},{“_id”:”A6YTYHEBJBGSBLB4CMR6ZIXNMQ”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648214600106},”type”:”text”,”content”:”Some Smyrna residents called for its demolition, while others, notably the NAACP, argued that it should stay right where it is on Atlanta Road. Keeping it visible and present , they said, would force people in today’s Smyrna to understand what happened there and why it matters today.”},{“_id”:”ZJKTU4JIDBE55NLHSUIRV4XID4″,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648214600107},”type”:”text”,”content”:”One reason it matters today is that Aunt Fanny’s Cabin is not a relic of the Old South, it is a relic of the recent, in-our-lifetimes South. And it’s a reminder Atlanta was still hosting and reveling in ignorance decades after it became the cradle of the Civil Rights movement.”},{“_id”:”ZJKTU4JIDBE55NLHSUIRV4XID4″,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648214600108},”type”:”text”,”content”:”The Smyrna City Council voted Monday night to give the dilapidated building away. It will be relocated to a farm in Carroll County.”},{“_id”:”3UNNFZZKQJDUTCEL4J5OAAATUQ”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648214600109},”type”:”text”,”content”:”The other debate, beyond what to do with the physical cabin, has been how to honor Williams, whose name and cooking brought fame and fortune to its owners, but certainly never accrued to her.”},{“_id”:”QRWAZYOOLBAJVHRWR4SR4COCSM”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648214600110},”type”:”text”,”content”:”The coalition to keep the cabin in Smyrna had hoped the cabin would to be reimagined to honor her. Others suggested a culinary school to celebrate her contributions to Southern food culture, or a civil rights museum. That will be up to Smyrna and its residents.”},{“_id”:”MH5ZG7TSIRFS5BV4RMQQDEOVM4″,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648214600111},”type”:”text”,”content”:”But for anyone who went to Aunt Fanny’s Cabin or knows its story now, the way to honor Williams now is to understand that the racism that the restaurant celebrated and embodied did not end with the Civil War era it glorified or the Civil Rights movement or the day it finally closed its doors in the 1990s.”},{“_id”:”ZOM73SCDAZDHFN6UTABC6YHW3Q”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648218730515},”type”:”text”,”content”:”Without the bigotry that the restaurant celebrated, Fanny Williams might have been the owner of the restaurant, and not its namesake. She might have been a student, or a lawyer or a state representative.”},{“_id”:”MSRNKIJZURHPPMLPNO5R7HVU2Y”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648218730516},”type”:”text”,”content”:”Cobb County has changed radically since then. Much of its population is affluent and diverse. Many of its county leaders are Black women. That the cabin became an embarrassment after so many years as an attraction is evidence of how much things have changed in Cobb County and in Georgia.”},{“_id”:”ZCR4T6GPVJEDLINOKVMDDT32C4″,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648218730517},”type”:”text”,”content”:”But we’re not done yet. Aunt Fanny’s Cabin may be leaving Cobb County, but its reality and its lessons about the endurance and damage of racism should never be forgotten.”}],”display_date”:”2022-03-25T14:39:47.889Z”,”headlines”:{“basic”:”OPINION: Aunt Fanny’s Cabin will go but can’t be forgotten “},”first_publish_date”:”2022-03-25T14:39:47.889Z”,”taxonomy”:{“sections”:[{“path”:”/politics”,”parent”:{“default”:”https://www.ajc.com/”},”_website”:”ajc”,”parent_id”:”https://www.ajc.com/”,”name”:”Politics”,”description”:”Political news with a Georgia focus, including the Georgia Legislature, Congress, White House, presidential elections and Georgia Congressional Districts.”,”_id”:”/politics”,”additional_properties”:{“original”:{“parent”:{“AmpNav”:”https://www.ajc.com/”,”default”:”https://www.ajc.com/”,”BottomNav”:null,”TopNavRedesign”:null,”SectionMap”:”https://www.ajc.com/”,”MainMenuRedesign2021″:”https://www.ajc.com/”,”TopNav”:null,”TopicsBar”:null,”ComposerNav”:”https://www.ajc.com/”},”site”:{“site_url”:”https://www.ajc.com/politics/”,”section_comments_enabled”:”Yes”,”site_description”:”Political news with a Georgia focus, including the Georgia Legislature, Congress, White House, presidential elections and Georgia Congressional Districts.”,”site_title”:”AJC Georgia Politics | What’s really going on in politics”},”navigation”:{“nav_title”:”Politics”},”inactive”:false,”node_type”:”section”,”_website”:”ajc”,”name”:”Politics”,”Sponsor”:{“sponsor_url_open_new_tab”:”true”,”sponsor_desktop_banner”:””,”sponsor_mobile_banner”:””,”sponsor_url”:””},”_id”:”/politics”,”ancestors”:{“TopNavRedesign”:[],”SectionMap”:[“https://www.ajc.com/”],”MainMenuRedesign2021″:[“https://www.ajc.com/”],”TopNav”:[],”TopicsBar”:[]},”order”:{“AmpNav”:1022,”default”:1022,”SectionMap”:1094,”MainMenuRedesign2021″:1003,”ComposerNav”:1100}}},”_website_section_id”:”ajc./politics”,”type”:”section”,”version”:”0.6.0″}],”primary_section”:{“path”:”/politics”,”name”:”Politics”},”tags”:[{“text”:”Patricia Murphy”},{“text”:”politics.ajc”},{“text”:”teamsusan”}]},”type”:”story”,”last_updated_date”:”2022-03-27T14:36:53.976Z”,”promo_items”:{“basic”:{“credits”:{“affiliation”:[],”by”:[{“image”:{“version”:”0.5.8″,”url”:”https://s3.amazonaws.com/arc-authors/ajc/70534eee-6415-4fc3-8159-b29bf7e0312a.png”},”socialLinks”:[{“site”:”email”,”deprecated”:true,”deprecation_msg”:”Please use social_links.”,”url”:”patricia.murphy@ajc.com”},{“site”:”twitter”,”deprecated”:true,”deprecation_msg”:”Please use social_links.”,”url”:”https://twitter.com/MurphyAJC”}],”org”:”Atlanta”,”social_links”:[{“site”:”email”,”url”:”patricia.murphy@ajc.com”},{“site”:”twitter”,”url”:”https://twitter.com/MurphyAJC”}],”name”:”Patricia Murphy”,”description”:”Patricia Murphy joined the AJC in 2020 from CQ Roll Call, where she was a a nationally syndicated political columnist. She has also covered national politics for The Daily Beast, AOL’s Politics Daily, and founded Citizen Jane Politics. She graduated from Vanderbilt University and holds a master’s degree in journalism from Columbia University.”,”_id”:”patricia-murphy”,”additional_properties”:{“original”:{“lastName”:”Murphy”,”education”:[{“name”:”Vanderbilt University, B.A. in French”},{“name”:”Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, Master’s Degree in Journalism”}],”role”:”Politics”,”native_app_rendering”:false,”affiliations”:”The Atlanta Journal-Constitution”,”bio”:”Patricia Murphy joined the AJC in 2020 from CQ Roll Call, where she was a a nationally syndicated political columnist. She has also covered national politics for The Daily Beast, AOL’s Politics Daily, and founded Citizen Jane Politics. She graduated from Vanderbilt University and holds a master’s degree in journalism from Columbia University.”,”expertise”:”11, Politics”,”type”:”author”,”twitter”:”https://twitter.com/MurphyAJC”,”contributor”:false,”bio_page”:”/staff/patricia-murphy/”,”last_updated_date”:”2022-03-04T12:21:14.247Z”,”byline”:”Patricia Murphy”,”email”:”patricia.murphy@ajc.com”,”slug”:””,”image”:”https://s3.amazonaws.com/arc-authors/ajc/70534eee-6415-4fc3-8159-b29bf7e0312a.png”,”longBio”:”Patricia Murphy joined the AJC’s politics team in 2020 from CQ Roll Call, where she was a nationally syndicated political columnist. Previously, she was the Capitol Hill Bureau Chief for Politics Daily, founder and editor of Citizen Jane Politics, and a contributor to The Washington Post’s She the People blog. Before working in journalism, Patricia was a staffer for three senators. She graduated from Vanderbilt University and holds a master’s degree in journalism from Columbia University.”,”fuzzy_match”:false,”author_type”:”Staff”,”firstName”:”Patricia “,”books”:[],”podcasts”:[],”awards”:[],”location”:”Atlanta”,”_id”:”patricia-murphy”,”status”:true}},”type”:”author”,”version”:”0.5.8″,”url”:”/staff/patricia-murphy/”,”slug”:””}]},”subtitle”:”Aunt Fanny’s Cabin, Smyrna, Ga.”,”width”:4032,”caption”:”Aunt Fanny’s Cabin will soon be relocated away from Smyrna.”,”type”:”image”,”url”:”https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/6WLMD23KSRA6TPJBKS3BWAN3S4.jpg”,”height”:3024}},”canonical_url”:”/politics/opinion-aunt-fannys-cabin-will-go-but-cant-be-forgotten/JBTYDEJECRGYVNJ2QSGVRDS3GQ/”,”_id”:”JBTYDEJECRGYVNJ2QSGVRDS3GQ”},{“content_elements”:[{“_id”:”45WJ3OFNRFCJLJTFYYO4ARUB5I”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1600444891366},”type”:”text”,”content”:”WASHINGTON — Georgia U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock is among a group of senators who want the nation’s largest banks to reduce or eliminate the fees customers pay when their accounts go into the red.”},{“_id”:”FSV2S7PNJRHWLHOFRSRMFYBW44″,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648215339044},”type”:”text”,”content”:”Letters went out Friday morning to the chief executives of seven institutions, including Wells Fargo and Truist, asking them to rethink the fines that are most often shouldered by poor families, worsening their financial situations.”},{“_id”:”BXGTA3XF25FYBOORXYRRGZ22GI”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648215339045},”type”:”text”,”content”:”The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau found that 9% of personal accounts see 10 or more overdraft penalties each year, and these accounts are responsible for 80% of all overdraft revenue. Meanwhile, banks derive huge revenue from overdraft and insufficient-funds penalties, to the tune of $15.5 billion in 2019, according to the CFPB’s research.”},{“_id”:”6VG3XGQHDRAC7OYCWXCWB6PHRM”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648215339046},”type”:”text”,”content”:”“These fees not only drain bank accounts but also push consumers out of the banking system and into the arms of unscrupulous and unsupervised lenders who are all too willing to overcharge them for similar services,” the letters to the CEOs say. “The result is that millions of Americans are underbanked or unbanked.””},{“_id”:”Y6EGNESY5RC5RMNJ5XCSJUD3N4″,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648215339047},”type”:”text”,”content”:”The other institutions included in the call-out are Charles Schwab, JPMorgan Chase, the PNC Financial Services Group, the TD Group and U.S. Bancorp.”},{“_id”:”ITD3IU67EBGUHNK574EKSVY55M”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648215339048},”type”:”text”,”content”:”The letters note that Capital One and Citigroup have already eliminated overdraft fees, and Bank of America recently reduced the amount charged when accounts are overdrawn. Wells Fargo has a policy whereby if a customer receives a direct deposit the next business day, the overdraft fee can be waived or refunded.”},{“_id”:”XZXJAQENSRB6XH6WYZKJH3GTIM”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648215339049},”type”:”text”,”content”:”Warnock, who chairs the Senate Banking Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Consumer Protection, is partnering with Senate Banking Committee Chairman Sherrod Brown of Ohio in this effort. Sens. Cory Booker of New Jersey, Jack Reed of Rhode Island and Chris Van Hollen of Maryland also signed onto the letters. All five are Democrats.”},{“_id”:”KWRHI367PRHM5NXH4HYBL7AXFE”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648215339050},”type”:”text”,”content”:”Each of the seven banks is asked to provide a report by April 7 outlining how it plans to reduce or eliminate overdraft fees.”}],”display_date”:”2022-03-25T13:00:00Z”,”headlines”:{“basic”:”Warnock among senators encouraging U.S. banks to dump overdraft fees”},”first_publish_date”:”2022-03-25T13:00:00.748Z”,”taxonomy”:{“sections”:[{“path”:”/politics”,”parent”:{“default”:”https://www.ajc.com/”},”_website”:”ajc”,”parent_id”:”https://www.ajc.com/”,”name”:”Politics”,”description”:”Political news with a Georgia focus, including the Georgia Legislature, Congress, White House, presidential elections and Georgia Congressional Districts.”,”_id”:”/politics”,”additional_properties”:{“original”:{“parent”:{“AmpNav”:”https://www.ajc.com/”,”default”:”https://www.ajc.com/”,”BottomNav”:null,”TopNavRedesign”:null,”SectionMap”:”https://www.ajc.com/”,”MainMenuRedesign2021″:”https://www.ajc.com/”,”TopNav”:null,”TopicsBar”:null,”ComposerNav”:”https://www.ajc.com/”},”site”:{“site_url”:”https://www.ajc.com/politics/”,”section_comments_enabled”:”Yes”,”site_description”:”Political news with a Georgia focus, including the Georgia Legislature, Congress, White House, presidential elections and Georgia Congressional Districts.”,”site_title”:”AJC Georgia Politics | What’s really going on in politics”},”navigation”:{“nav_title”:”Politics”},”inactive”:false,”node_type”:”section”,”_website”:”ajc”,”name”:”Politics”,”Sponsor”:{“sponsor_url_open_new_tab”:”true”,”sponsor_desktop_banner”:””,”sponsor_mobile_banner”:””,”sponsor_url”:””},”_id”:”/politics”,”ancestors”:{“TopNavRedesign”:[],”SectionMap”:[“https://www.ajc.com/”],”MainMenuRedesign2021″:[“https://www.ajc.com/”],”TopNav”:[],”TopicsBar”:[]},”order”:{“AmpNav”:1022,”default”:1022,”SectionMap”:1094,”MainMenuRedesign2021″:1003,”ComposerNav”:1100}}},”_website_section_id”:”ajc./politics”,”type”:”section”,”version”:”0.6.0″},{“path”:”/news/georgia-news”,”parent”:{“default”:”/news”},”_website”:”ajc”,”parent_id”:”/news”,”name”:”Georgia News”,”description”:”This page does not exist”,”_id”:”/news/georgia-news”,”additional_properties”:{“original”:{“parent”:{“AmpNav”:”/news”,”default”:”/news”,”BottomNav”:null,”TopNavRedesign”:null,”SectionMap”:”https://www.ajc.com/”,”MainMenuRedesign2021″:”/news”,”ComposerNav”:”https://www.ajc.com/”},”site”:{“section_comments_enabled”:”Yes”,”site_description”:”This page does not exist”,”site_title”:”Georgia News”},”navigation”:{“nav_title”:”Georgia News”},”inactive”:false,”node_type”:”section”,”_website”:”ajc”,”name”:”Georgia News”,”_id”:”/news/georgia-news”,”ancestors”:{“AmpNav”:[“https://www.ajc.com/”],”default”:[“https://www.ajc.com/”],”BottomNav”:[],”TopNavRedesign”:[],”SectionMap”:[“https://www.ajc.com/”],”MainMenuRedesign2021″:[“https://www.ajc.com/”,”/news”]},”order”:{“AmpNav”:2012,”default”:2012,”SectionMap”:1153,”MainMenuRedesign2021″:2002,”ComposerNav”:1088}}},”_website_section_id”:”ajc./news/georgia-news”,”type”:”section”,”version”:”0.6.0″}],”primary_section”:{“path”:”/politics”,”name”:”Politics”},”tags”:[{“text”:”politics.ajc”},{“text”:”georgia-news.ajc”},{“text”:”teamsusan”},{“text”:”natworld.ajc”},{“text”:”georgia news”},{“text”:”ga-government.ajc”},{“text”:”government and politics”},{“text”:”business”},{“text”:”business-economy.ajc”}]},”type”:”story”,”last_updated_date”:”2022-03-25T20:23:46.001Z”,”promo_items”:{“basic”:{“credits”:{},”subtitle”:”A person is pulling a debit card out of an ATM.”,”width”:580,”caption”:”A person is pulling a debit card out of an ATM.”,”type”:”image”,”url”:”https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/4DJSHAVBTITRHXWFQAOEUUZJEI.jpg”,”height”:387}},”canonical_url”:”/politics/warnock-among-senators-encouraging-us-banks-to-dump-overdraft-fees/MJPBZZCLSJCF3BJGHXYRRTDLNM/”,”_id”:”MJPBZZCLSJCF3BJGHXYRRTDLNM”},{“content_elements”:[{“_id”:”6DC6IECXXZAR7GSBMDR4EIORTE”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648158923008},”type”:”text”,”content”:”Former Democratic state Rep. Vernon Jones loudly spurned his party and supported Donald Trump’s 2020 reelection campaign. Then Jones turned around and cast a Democratic Party ballot in Georgia’s presidential primary.”},{“_id”:”3FVBWHT32BCQLM7Y5WCBQZ25SU”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648158923009},”type”:”text”,”content”:”Public election records show that Jones, who is now a Republican candidate for Congress, used a Democratic ballot in the 2020 primary, meaning he couldn’t have voted for Trump, who was on the Republican ballot.”},{“_id”:”LDMMXIOIFNHJDCUVXIBWCLEZXQ”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648158923010},”type”:”text”,”content”:”As Trump arrives for a Saturday rally, Jones is trying to shake off his long history as a Democrat and prove himself in a crowded Republican field for the conservative 10th Congressional District that covers part of east Georgia.”},{“_id”:”X4C53LS2H5FITGOU5K2WFEUUWA”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648158923011},”type”:”text”,”content”:”Jones switched parties and won Trump’s endorsement by dropping out of the race for governor and instead seeking a seat in Congress.”},{“_id”:”QAN2TFO7QJFRLDMRZCVBK3OHVU”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648158923012},”type”:”text”,”content”:”“Old habits die hard for carpetbagging Vernon Jones, who chose Democrats over Donald Trump,” said Mike Collins, one of eight Republican candidates competing in the May 24 primary. “I had the courage to support Donald Trump and contribute to him every time he was on the ballot since 2016 — before it was politically expedient.””},{“_id”:”YQJAA25P3BDIZHPXWK4BF3CBR4″,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648158923013},”type”:”text”,”content”:”Jones didn’t respond to an email and phone calls seeking comment Thursday.”},{“_id”:”ZGYIQTC2QVERFAZUXQL2NCMY2A”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648158923014},”type”:”text”,”content”:”Jones, who calls himself the “Black Donald Trump,” backed the former president’s reelection bid in April 2020, when he was still a Democrat in the state House of Representatives.”},{“_id”:”6ZKMSAIVRZCDLFJYX74UV7YIQ4″,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648158923015},”type”:”text”,”content”:”Then on election day for the presidential primary on June 9, election records show Jones cast a Democratic Party ballot when voting in person at his DeKalb County precinct.”},{“_id”:”FEHQ2XOAZRD7BH3BWTFNUJZOSY”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648158923016},”type”:”text”,”content”:”Voters are guaranteed a secret ballot, so it’s impossible to know which Democratic presidential candidate Jones voted for. But public records indicate which party’s ballot a voter requested in a primary.”},{“_id”:”XWIWTQT3B5BY7N7YQTITX32GRQ”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648212966938},”type”:”text”,”content”:”Georgia is an open primary state, meaning any voter can choose to vote on either party’s primary ballot. Some voters cross party lines in primaries, either to support a specific candidate or participate in a more competitive race. In the 2020 Republican primary, Trump had no opponent, while there were 12 contenders for president in the Democratic primary.”},{“_id”:”6UPKQZRR4JETXN7AJ3MLMA4M2A”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648212966939},”type”:”text”,”content”:”Jones has pinned his hopes for election on Trump’s endorsement.”},{“_id”:”VDL3PQ7BP5HWVGBCS6HUKZJB34″,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648158923018},”type”:”text”,”content”:”“I‘ve been a LOYAL & STRONG supporter of President Trump & the America First Movement & I’m not afraid to shout it from the roof-tops,” Jones wrote Feb. 23 on Facebook. “The President needs fighters in Congress who can fight for America First values — not squishy establishment RINOs.””},{“_id”:”K4LDR73MOVH2ZEBFRN3H4Y65W4″,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648158923019},”type”:”text”,”content”:”Jones will have to defend his Republican credentials against Collins and other more established members of the GOP who are in the race, including former U.S. Rep. Paul Broun, state Rep. Timothy Barr and David Curry, the state’s former revenue commissioner under Gov. Brian Kemp.”}],”display_date”:”2022-03-25T12:00:00Z”,”headlines”:{“basic”:”Vernon Jones voted Democratic after saying he supported Trump”},”first_publish_date”:”2022-03-25T12:00:03.429Z”,”taxonomy”:{“sections”:[{“path”:”/politics”,”parent”:{“default”:”https://www.ajc.com/”},”_website”:”ajc”,”parent_id”:”https://www.ajc.com/”,”name”:”Politics”,”description”:”Political news with a Georgia focus, including the Georgia Legislature, Congress, White House, presidential elections and Georgia Congressional Districts.”,”_id”:”/politics”,”additional_properties”:{“original”:{“parent”:{“AmpNav”:”https://www.ajc.com/”,”default”:”https://www.ajc.com/”,”BottomNav”:null,”TopNavRedesign”:null,”SectionMap”:”https://www.ajc.com/”,”MainMenuRedesign2021″:”https://www.ajc.com/”,”TopNav”:null,”TopicsBar”:null,”ComposerNav”:”https://www.ajc.com/”},”site”:{“site_url”:”https://www.ajc.com/politics/”,”section_comments_enabled”:”Yes”,”site_description”:”Political news with a Georgia focus, including the Georgia Legislature, Congress, White House, presidential elections and Georgia Congressional Districts.”,”site_title”:”AJC Georgia Politics | What’s really going on in politics”},”navigation”:{“nav_title”:”Politics”},”inactive”:false,”node_type”:”section”,”_website”:”ajc”,”name”:”Politics”,”Sponsor”:{“sponsor_url_open_new_tab”:”true”,”sponsor_desktop_banner”:””,”sponsor_mobile_banner”:””,”sponsor_url”:””},”_id”:”/politics”,”ancestors”:{“TopNavRedesign”:[],”SectionMap”:[“https://www.ajc.com/”],”MainMenuRedesign2021″:[“https://www.ajc.com/”],”TopNav”:[],”TopicsBar”:[]},”order”:{“AmpNav”:1022,”default”:1022,”SectionMap”:1094,”MainMenuRedesign2021″:1003,”ComposerNav”:1100}}},”_website_section_id”:”ajc./politics”,”type”:”section”,”version”:”0.6.0″}],”primary_section”:{“path”:”/politics”,”name”:”Politics”},”tags”:[{“text”:”politics.ajc”},{“text”:”legislature”},{“text”:”elections”},{“text”:”teamsusan”},{“text”:”elections-house”},{“text”:”georgia news”},{“text”:”georgia-news.ajc”},{“text”:”ga-government.ajc”},{“text”:”government and politics”},{“text”:”donald trump”}]},”type”:”story”,”last_updated_date”:”2022-03-25T21:34:30.593Z”,”promo_items”:{“basic”:{“credits”:{“by”:[{“name”:”Rebecca Wright”,”type”:”author”}]},”subtitle”:”Protesters oppose Gwinnett school district’s mask mandate”,”width”:3600,”caption”:”Election records show former Democratic state Rep. Vernon Jones cast a Democratic Party ballot in the 2020 Georgia presidential primary, about two months after he said he was backing Republican Donald Trump for reelection. Jones is now running as a Republican in the 10th Congressional District with an endorsement from Trump. (Rebecca Wright for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution)”,”type”:”image”,”url”:”https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/PN7AJ7PBBIPPUKCXJ5E34G2KDQ.jpg”,”height”:2400}},”canonical_url”:”/politics/vernon-jones-voted-democratic-after-saying-he-supported-trump/HWKLLXV4N5GTNINB5JALUEFLBE/”,”_id”:”HWKLLXV4N5GTNINB5JALUEFLBE”},{“content_elements”:[{“level”:2,”_id”:”PNZSTQDLG5BNVP5KQLW7QSXTMA”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1647967933097},”type”:”header”,”content”:”Democrat says she is nominee, making her eligible to use ‘leadership committee’”},{“_id”:”SGULWKQE2NAXFL3LRQNDVGH7YU”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1647973088394},”type”:”text”,”content”:”When does a nominee become a nominee?”},{“_id”:”7KJBR46XONFOJAFRWZKJ57DZ5Q”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1647973088395},”type”:”text”,”content”:”That’s the question Democratic gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams is asking a federal court to answer.”},{“_id”:”TVU7YNSKANEDRFDS4VFNDGAJMU”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1647973088396},”type”:”text”,”content”:”Abrams maintains that, because no other Democrat qualified to run against her earlier this month, she is now the party’s nominee and should be able to take advantage of a state law that has already allowed Republican Gov. Brian Kemp to raise millions of campaign dollars.”},{“_id”:”DS73GHFFKNGX7LCKTKK33ZMLOE”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1647973088397},”type”:”text”,”content”:”She is asking the court to require state officials to let her use a “leadership committee,” a fundraising mechanism the Republican-led General Assembly created last year to allow the governor, the opposing party’s gubernatorial nominee and party caucuses to raise as much campaign cash as they can without limits on donors, even during legislative sessions.”},{“_id”:”XAYPWGAMIBD5XFW3CRXKAR53I4″,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1647973088398},”type”:”text”,”content”:”Leadership committees give incumbents a distinct advantage, since their challengers can’t use the funds until they win their party’s nomination.”},{“_id”:”4AJYW3JTMJBI5CUG5LQLDNTAUY”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1647973088399},”type”:”text”,”content”:”Kemp formed his committee in June, and, through Jan. 31, he had used it to raise more than $2.3 million.”},{“_id”:”XWDU2T5LDVGUTE2BZVDTV5UF4E”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1647973088400},”type”:”text”,”content”:”Abrams says it’s now time she should be able to run a leadership committee.”},{“_id”:”PETNAXPAPBHUXLLBGA5F5CJETE”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1647973088401},”type”:”text”,”content”:”She says she is the Democratic nominee — there’s no reason to wait for the May 24 primary — and U.S. Rep. Nikema Williams of Atlanta, in her role as the state party’s chairwoman, agrees. Williams filed an affidavit declaring Abrams the party’s standard-bearer.”},{“_id”:”YTUPRDXZMFD3XHFVDKHRVQKJEE”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1647973088402},”type”:”text”,”content”:”Abrams’ lawsuit states that her campaign has already created a leadership committee that began raising money shortly after she qualified to run for governor earlier this month.”},{“_id”:”ZKQ2VJHCZVFZRLHH735Y4GFTUE”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1647973088403},”type”:”text”,”content”:”The campaign filed the leadership committee paperwork with the state ethics commission, the agency responsible for policing campaign finance laws.”},{“_id”:”YYKMWJTUZBAC7AN636SVDB5YOA”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1647973088404},”type”:”text”,”content”:”But the commission cannot “determine whether someone is or is not a party’s nominee for office,” said its executive secretary, David Emadi.”},{“_id”:”IQNNXSVQHVHCTG54YG7IB2TW5M”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648071380263},”type”:”text”,”content”:”“Whether a candidate has been elected as a party’s nominee prior to any votes being cast or elections certified is a decision to be made by the secretary of state in consultation with the Department of Law,” Emadi said, “and we are awaiting guidance from them on that matter.””},{“_id”:”S2WFGUAKDRD5PA7XPHGDVBIDHU”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1647973088406},”type”:”text”,”content”:”This is not the leadership committee law’s first tour of the court system.”},{“_id”:”ICCXDVRER5GKBEG24OQTH4T5GM”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1647973088407},”type”:”text”,”content”:”A federal judge last month sided with former U.S. Sen. David Perdue, Kemp’s challenger in the GOP primary, ruling that the governor’s fund cannot be used to help him win the Republican-on-Republican contest. The judge did rule, however, that Kemp’s fund can continue to collect unlimited donations if he doesn’t spend the money directly on his primary campaign.”},{“_id”:”2YZZG7QDOBEAXELUD44TRQ37LE”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1647973088408},”type”:”text”,”content”:”Kemp will likely need to collect every dollar he can.”},{“_id”:”JCMO6NI52FCLNPQDUQ5JZVOXFI”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1647973088409},”type”:”text”,”content”:”Abrams was a fundraising powerhouse when she ran for governor in 2018, and she apparently still has the golden touch. In her most recent disclosure, Abrams reported pulling in $9.2 million in December and January. Kemp, by comparison, collected $7.4 million over the final six months of 2021.”},{“owner”:{“id”:”ajc”},”address”:{“locality”:”Atlanta”,”region”:”Gerogia”},”caption”:”State Senate Appropriations Chairman Blake Tillery, R-Vidalia, highlighted a piece of his panel’s budget proposal that would award incentives to improve the outcomes of state programs. He singled out a $28 million plan to improve third-grade reading levels in schools. n“We have heard for years that we can look at third-grade reading rates and project how many prisons we will need,” Tillery said, calling that a “sobering” thought. 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Legislators haven’t gotten an increase on their $17,000 part-time salary in more than a decade.”},{“_id”:”RKODCDUFGNBPXFS5V5R43DBDWM”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648071380273},”type”:”text”,”content”:”A $2,000 increase for teachers is of particular importance to Gov. Brian Kemp because that would fulfill a promise he made during the 2018 campaign to up their pay by $5,000 over the course of his first term. He got them $3,000 in 2019.”},{“_id”:”BUCA6P7DEREORLLFNVGVMEOK7E”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648061357958},”type”:”text”,”content”:”Correction officers in private prisons would also be in line for raises, even though they do not work for the state, because the $30 billion spending plan would send money to their employers to fund the increases.”},{“_id”:”YOGMB3UUGRGVLB4IAIJJCACP6Y”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648061357959},”type”:”text”,”content”:”The budget for fiscal 2023, which begins July 1, also calls for a market study to examine what the government needs to do to attract and retain employees. Some agencies have annual turnover rates over 25%, in part because of low pay. In the state Department of Juvenile Justice, it’s closer to 90%.”},{“_id”:”BUCA6P7DEREORLLFNVGVMEOK7E”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648061357958},”type”:”text”,”content”:”The plan seeks big money for priority areas such as mental health care, crime fighting, schools and public health care.”},{“_id”:”EHCMUFQF6RCTTIECAFYEMMCGPQ”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648061357961},”type”:”text”,”content”:”Senate Appropriations Chairman Blake TIllery, R-Vidalia, highlighted a proposal to add incentives to improve the outcomes of state programs. He singled out a $28 million plan to improve third-grade reading levels in schools.”},{“_id”:”CGCHFNB7FNGGXJVXJNQZRID7TE”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648071380278},”type”:”text”,”content”:”“We have heard for years that we can look at third-grade reading rates and project how many prisons we will need,” Tillery said, calling that a “sobering” thought.”},{“_id”:”QIKHETRHBRCZPAIT3PZO45YIBI”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648071380279},”type”:”text”,”content”:”The Senate and House will have to agree on a budget by the end of the session by April 4. It’s the one thing legislators are legally required to accomplish.”},{“owner”:{“id”:”ajc”},”copyright”:”2021 Atlanta Journal-Constitution”,”address”:{“locality”:”Atlanta”,”region”:”GA”},”caption”:”A bill has gone nowhere that would have allowed Rivian to avoid car dealers to sell its its electric vehicles directly to customers. The prospects for such legislation apparently helped Georgia attract Rivian’s proposed $5 billion plant in competition with North Carolina. (Hyosub Shin / Hyosub.Shin@ajc.com)”,”source”:{“system”:”AJC Freelancer”,”name”:”AJC Freelancer”,”edit_url”:””,”source_type”:”wires”,”source_id”:”s3://ajc-arc-photo-integration/Freelancer/121721 RIVIAN HS12.jpg”,”additional_properties”:{“editor”:”photo center”}},”taxonomy”:{“associated_tasks”:[“61ba5aa2f67689127479783f”],”seo_keywords”:[“AJC Freelancer”]},”type”:”image”,”distributor”:{“mode”:”custom”,”name”:”AJC Freelancer”,”category”:”wires”},”version”:”0.10.3″,”url”:”https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/5QOPAFB3K5DO3XJ6VOCRDRINPY.jpg”,”licensable”:false,”credits”:{“by”:[{“name”:”HYOSUB SHIN / AJC”,”type”:”author”}]},”subtype”:”Wires”,”subtitle”:”Rivian, Georgia officials set to announce $5B electric vehicle plant”,”width”:5554,”_id”:”5QOPAFB3K5DO3XJ6VOCRDRINPY”,”additional_properties”:{“fullSizeResizeUrl”:”/resizer/7qBThkaVBIKNQWJbnWXl7uwXtwc=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/5QOPAFB3K5DO3XJ6VOCRDRINPY.jpg”,”iptc_source”:”AJC”,”comments”:[],”iptc_job_identifier”:”61ba5aa2f67689127479783f”,”keywords”:[“electric vehicle plant”,”AJC Freelancer”,”Rivian”,”Georgia”],”proxyUrl”:”/resizer/7qBThkaVBIKNQWJbnWXl7uwXtwc=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/5QOPAFB3K5DO3XJ6VOCRDRINPY.jpg”,”takenOn”:”2021-12-16T20:13:13Z”,”originalUrl”:”https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/5QOPAFB3K5DO3XJ6VOCRDRINPY.jpg”,”published”:true,”resizeUrl”:”/resizer/7qBThkaVBIKNQWJbnWXl7uwXtwc=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/5QOPAFB3K5DO3XJ6VOCRDRINPY.jpg”,”thumbnailResizeUrl”:”/resizer/ZRBHNArEgrSh_OHkCS3ruWu7R3o=/300×0/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/5QOPAFB3K5DO3XJ6VOCRDRINPY.jpg”,”version”:2,”originalName”:”s3://ajc-arc-photo-integration/Freelancer/121721 RIVIAN HS12.jpg”,”mime_type”:”image/jpeg”,”restricted”:false,”galleries”:[],”_id”:”JSPO457X2ZHL3BJKZTUIOW57T4″,”iptc_title”:”staff”},”created_date”:”2021-12-17T20:02:47Z”,”last_updated_date”:”2021-12-17T22:54:04Z”,”slug”:”AAJC 121721 RIVIAN CONFIRMED”,”height”:3776},{“level”:2,”_id”:”SCLQOLOVNFFEBMTIEWNGLXMIUM”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648055840018},”type”:”header”,”content”:”Bill to aid Rivian still has its parking brake on”},{“_id”:”45LRIFFZZZDGZGU4GWEO7RGQ7Q”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648055840019},”type”:”text”,”content”:”When Rivian announced that it planned to build a $5 billion electric-vehicle plant east of Atlanta, it was clear the company was also hoping the General Assembly would pass legislation letting it sell directly to customers.”},{“_id”:”EKS5MST5B5DEJI5VGN7KAGEYVU”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648055840020},”type”:”text”,”content”:”That’s not likely to happen this year.”},{“_id”:”HYLZXYR3UFBGTJSLKSZZ3KBLDA”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648055840021},”type”:”text”,”content”:”Senate Bill 398 — sponsored by state Sen. Ben Watson, R-Savannah, and co-sponsored by state Sen. Burt Jones, R-Jackson — would have allowed Rivian to bypass the state’s car dealers.”},{“_id”:”3MV5MRQ2VVELHFYLRGNUDC4IK4″,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648055840022},”type”:”text”,”content”:”But the measure has been stuck in neutral ever since it was introduced. It never even got a committee hearing, and neither chamber of the General Assembly gave it even a glance on Crossover Day.”},{“_id”:”VOFRB7B7IBGDLCGIXLYLZOF3VI”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648055840023},”type”:”text”,”content”:”It was never going to be easy, although Tesla succeeded in 2015 in getting lawmakers to support its wishes to avoid going through local dealers to sell its cars.”},{“_id”:”ZX72S55YGBDWFCALDR65F54PUQ”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648055840024},”type”:”text”,”content”:”The Georgia Automobile Dealers Association is among the most politically powerful groups in the state. It doesn’t hurt that a car dealer is also among the highest-ranking members in the Legislature, state Senate President Pro Tem Butch Miller of Gainesville (Miller is also running against Jones in the GOP primary for lieutenant governor).”},{“_id”:”NRA3CGFAS5HFXDUBCNCUPUEKTQ”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648055840025},”type”:”text”,”content”:”Gov. Brian Kemp’s office said he tried to get talks started about the legislation. But, since SB 398 never got any traction, his office says Kemp “was never in a position to take a position” on it.”},{“_id”:”VPCZOQVTAJBXBDM32V6C33MFWQ”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648055840026},”type”:”text”,”content”:”The prospects of such a measure apparently helped swing Rivian to Georgia and away from a competitor. The North Carolina-based Triangle Business Journal reported that Rivian had considered building in the Tar Heel State, but documents show the automaker eventually went another direction because of that state’s own prohibition on direct-to-consumer car sales.”},{“_id”:”Q2ZNA3BMLNAFLKHUGY43QXKDKQ”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648055840027},”type”:”text”,”content”:”“North Carolina has a law that prohibits automobile manufacturers — except for Tesla — from selling directly to customers or servicing vehicles,” the news outlet reported. “Rivian expected the bill to pass (allowing it to also sell directly to consumers), but it never materialized.””},{“_id”:”CT5DIV3IDBGQVMCVAJEPWZ6DCI”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648055840028},”type”:”text”,”content”:”While no bill will be truly dead until the legislative session ends April 4, the likelihood that Rivian will be able to sell directly to Georgians has also yet to materialize.”},{“_id”:”C46KXYYDBZCCPG4FFBO3M6VEUI”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648071380292},”type”:”text”,”content”:”For now, Rivian will have to settle for the other incentives the state dangled before it, including $125 million to cover land and training costs.”},{“owner”:{“id”:”ajc”},”copyright”:”Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved”,”address”:{“locality”:”Perry”,”region”:”GA”},”caption”:”Republican U.S. Senate candidate Herschel Walker is taking some heat from within the party for refusing to debate the other contenders in the GOP primary. That includes a no-confidence resolution that the Rabun County GOP approved, saying the party needs a “battle-tested candidate, fully vetted and ready to reclaim” the seat from Democratic U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock. (AP Photo/Ben Gray, File)”,”source”:{“system”:”arc i/o”,”name”:”Associated Press Photo Stream”,”source_type”:”wires”,”source_id”:”436e330e97454e03bd59fc417356dee2″,”additional_properties”:{“editor”:”photo center”}},”type”:”image”,”distributor”:{“mode”:”reference”,”reference_id”:”425c44eb-5b03-4ce5-89fa-69e74b50003b”},”version”:”0.10.3″,”url”:”https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/I4ALYNSRO25OIDCDGUB3MSTG6U.jpg”,”licensable”:false,”credits”:{“by”:[{“name”:”Ben Gray”,”type”:”author”}]},”subtitle”:”Election 2022 Georgia Senate Walker”,”width”:2000,”_id”:”I4ALYNSRO25OIDCDGUB3MSTG6U”,”additional_properties”:{“fullSizeResizeUrl”:”/resizer/mSnlXnhJMY2bWPk0LvqIXUAyFXE=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/I4ALYNSRO25OIDCDGUB3MSTG6U.jpg”,”comments”:[],”proxyUrl”:”/resizer/mSnlXnhJMY2bWPk0LvqIXUAyFXE=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/I4ALYNSRO25OIDCDGUB3MSTG6U.jpg”,”originalUrl”:”https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/I4ALYNSRO25OIDCDGUB3MSTG6U.jpg”,”published”:true,”resizeUrl”:”/resizer/mSnlXnhJMY2bWPk0LvqIXUAyFXE=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/I4ALYNSRO25OIDCDGUB3MSTG6U.jpg”,”expiration_date”:”2022-04-04T12:06:04Z”,”thumbnailResizeUrl”:”/resizer/qRcMM_m41UR6EKJPm6I7zqurLfo=/300×0/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/I4ALYNSRO25OIDCDGUB3MSTG6U.jpg”,”version”:0,”originalName”:”436e330e97454e03bd59fc417356dee2″,”mime_type”:”application/octet-stream”,”restricted”:false,”galleries”:[],”_id”:”6AECNAPY6NEX7BQVRKG3YNGBNQ”},”created_date”:”2022-03-05T12:06:05Z”,”last_updated_date”:”2022-03-05T12:06:05Z”,”slug”:”Election 2022 Georgia Senate Walker”,”height”:1334},{“level”:2,”_id”:”O2HUUNOAOVF57IE6Z7SUTJX4VE”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648055840029},”type”:”header”,”content”:”Walker faces some heat over refusal to debate fellow Republicans”},{“_id”:”N47BFQV5JNADNBG7PCPXZHVMFU”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1647975478069},”type”:”text”,”content”:”Republican U.S. Senate candidate Herschel Walker has faced criticism for refusing to debate his opponents in the GOP primary.”},{“_id”:”TAXPASTJD5HBHMTAFVKRVGUBLM”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1647975478070},”type”:”text”,”content”:”A debate would likely be a risk more than a benefit for Walker, who holds large leads over his fellow Republicans in polling, fundraising and name recognition — plus an endorsement from former President Donald Trump. He has indicated he’s only interested in debating one candidate, Democratic U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock.”},{“_id”:”TVNHHSLPJZEFLP5E6AZGDZROXU”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1647975478071},”type”:”text”,”content”:”But now the criticism is more formal.”},{“_id”:”NA72SKFW4ZGVLA2EUWHC5MYD54″,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1647975478072},”type”:”text”,”content”:”The Rabun County GOP passed a no-confidence resolution against Walker, not only for refusing to debate but also declining to take questions from the media and voters.”},{“_id”:”EN2OTT7WYNF5DC57J7R4ETNLAM”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1647975478073},”type”:”text”,”content”:”The resolution does not specifically name Walker, but its gridiron jargon makes it pretty obvious the statement was aimed at the former University of Georgia football star.”},{“_id”:”RXHWYAWSBBBE5HHUVSO5TXWJEE”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1647975478074},”type”:”text”,”content”:”“No coach would send an untested football player into the state championship who refused to practice, has no record of performance in debates,” the resolution states.”},{“_id”:”KI2TKQH3DVFJBLEFHBOVOU2XMI”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1647975478075},”type”:”text”,”content”:”Further, it condemns anyone who would “disrespect the Republican primary process by refusing to debate” and encourages the GOP to prepare a “battle-tested candidate, fully vetted and ready to reclaim” the Senate seat in November.”},{“owner”:{“id”:”ajc”},”copyright”:”Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved”,”address”:{“locality”:”Rutledge”,”region”:”GA”},”caption”:”Opponents in the race for governor have started avoiding saying former U.S. Sen. David Perdue’s name. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)”,”source”:{“system”:”arc i/o”,”name”:”Associated Press Photo Stream”,”source_type”:”wires”,”source_id”:”90d67f3587e04ca9a0cea3d13eb7387a”,”additional_properties”:{“editor”:”photo center”}},”type”:”image”,”distributor”:{“mode”:”reference”,”reference_id”:”425c44eb-5b03-4ce5-89fa-69e74b50003b”},”version”:”0.10.3″,”url”:”https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/2DVPY7GLEPV7SHVV3RK75MDU2Q.jpg”,”licensable”:false,”credits”:{“by”:[{“name”:”John Bazemore”,”type”:”author”}]},”subtitle”:”Election 2022 Georgia Governor”,”width”:3413,”_id”:”2DVPY7GLEPV7SHVV3RK75MDU2Q”,”additional_properties”:{“fullSizeResizeUrl”:”/resizer/SHn_mD01bJom6idr_6rIXHTP38g=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/2DVPY7GLEPV7SHVV3RK75MDU2Q.jpg”,”comments”:[],”proxyUrl”:”/resizer/SHn_mD01bJom6idr_6rIXHTP38g=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/2DVPY7GLEPV7SHVV3RK75MDU2Q.jpg”,”originalUrl”:”https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/2DVPY7GLEPV7SHVV3RK75MDU2Q.jpg”,”published”:true,”resizeUrl”:”/resizer/SHn_mD01bJom6idr_6rIXHTP38g=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/2DVPY7GLEPV7SHVV3RK75MDU2Q.jpg”,”expiration_date”:”2022-04-01T02:36:08Z”,”thumbnailResizeUrl”:”/resizer/58SJPldPmX2tQ_syAAz2yWw_0qw=/300×0/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/2DVPY7GLEPV7SHVV3RK75MDU2Q.jpg”,”version”:0,”originalName”:”90d67f3587e04ca9a0cea3d13eb7387a”,”mime_type”:”application/octet-stream”,”restricted”:false,”galleries”:[],”_id”:”6CCYHAOYWJEJ5G3HBLS3TM6MYM”},”created_date”:”2022-03-02T02:36:09Z”,”last_updated_date”:”2022-03-02T02:36:09Z”,”slug”:”Election 2022 Georgia Governor”,”height”:2275},{“level”:2,”_id”:”7EZ2QK3K5BEIRCNY335LDVKIEY”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1647975478077},”type”:”header”,”content”:”Perdue’s name vanishing from opponents’ ads and speeches”},{“_id”:”QX3QVZBYRFBJBFPTYSL7D5RN6U”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1647975478078},”type”:”text”,”content”:”Name recognition would have been considered a strength for former U.S. Sen. David Perdue’s when he launched his challenge against Gov. Brian Kemp in the GOP primary.”},{“_id”:”OV4TZUTWTNAKXGRD75O7SHOPNY”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1647975478079},”type”:”text”,”content”:”Now, though, he’s having a hard time getting anybody to say his name.”},{“_id”:”PDLQVKCFIJHSTF74UBACUYVETI”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1647977043468},”type”:”text”,”content”:”Kemp, with hefty leads over Perdue in polls and fundraising, avoided mentioning the former senator at a recent appearance. Instead, he aimed barbs at Democrat Stacey Abrams. Perdue’s name also didn’t come up when Abrams launched a campaign tour earlier this month.”},{“_id”:”6MYYCS6SHJGZJIGZ4NIIOIBDXQ”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1647977043469},”type”:”text”,”content”:”The latest snub came from a big Kemp ally, the Republican Governors Association.”},{“_id”:”I5RMVZ2ZFVCJ5MXTNZZ5V4WFQI”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1647975478082},”type”:”text”,”content”:”The group this past week purchased $350,000 worth of airtime for a TV ad that makes no mention of the former senator.”},{“_id”:”5N75DGCII5E63ASAHVVFZ4YRFI”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1647977043471},”type”:”text”,”content”:”It’s as if the November contest is already set, Kemp and Abrams facing off in a rematch of 2018.”},{“_id”:”SY66NH743RE5ZLAL4NMB7GGSHI”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1647975478085},”type”:”text”,”content”:”The governor’s allies, however, say they aren’t overlooking Perdue ahead of the May 24 primary.”},{“_id”:”I5DQLJYWE5GLLBXZ2GNEJUDDXA”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1647977043473},”type”:”text”,”content”:”After all, while Kemp has the Republican Governors Association in his corner, Perdue has the backing of Donald Trump. The former president recently stepped up that support, holding a fundraiser for the ex-senator at his Mar-a-Lago resort earlier this month and then setting a rally in Commerce to promote the campaigns of Perdue and other Georgia candidates he has endorsed.”},{“owner”:{“id”:”ajc”},”copyright”:”2017 Getty Images”,”address”:{“locality”:”Washington”,”country_name”:”USA”,”region”:”DC”},”caption”:”U.S. Rep. Sanford Bishop, D-Albany, said he will not keep a donation from Koch Industries because the company has not broken its business ties with Russia following the invasion of Ukraine. Bishop will send the $2,500 to a charity providing assistance to Ukrainians. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images/TNS)”,”source”:{“system”:”McClatchy Tribune”,”name”:”McClatchy Tribune”,”edit_url”:””,”source_type”:”wires”,”source_id”:”s3://ajc-arc-photo-integration/MCT/US-NEWS-CONGRESS-MILITARY-HUNGER-GET.jpg”,”additional_properties”:{“editor”:”photo center”}},”taxonomy”:{“associated_tasks”:[],”tags”:[{“description”:”McClatchy Tribune”,”text”:”McClatchy Tribune”,”slug”:”McClatchy-Tribune”}]},”type”:”image”,”distributor”:{“mode”:”custom”,”name”:”McClatchy Tribune”,”category”:”wires”},”version”:”0.10.3″,”url”:”https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/YWXY63GAQWOPBFVFHSQUI3I6OU.jpg”,”licensable”:false,”credits”:{“affiliation”:[{“name”:”TNS”,”type”:”author”}],”by”:[{“name”:”Chip Somodevilla”,”type”:”author”}]},”subtype”:”Wires”,”subtitle”:”US-NEWS-CONGRESS-MILITARY-HUNGER-GET”,”width”:3000,”_id”:”YWXY63GAQWOPBFVFHSQUI3I6OU”,”additional_properties”:{“fullSizeResizeUrl”:”/resizer/hGe3z2mvaNDN_MhCu0E3319cFn0=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/YWXY63GAQWOPBFVFHSQUI3I6OU.jpg”,”iptc_source”:”Getty Images North America”,”comments”:[],”iptc_job_identifier”:”30238049W”,”keywords”:[“McClatchy Tribune”,”Politics”,”Government”],”proxyUrl”:”/resizer/hGe3z2mvaNDN_MhCu0E3319cFn0=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/YWXY63GAQWOPBFVFHSQUI3I6OU.jpg”,”takenOn”:”2017-05-25T00:00:00Z”,”originalUrl”:”https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/YWXY63GAQWOPBFVFHSQUI3I6OU.jpg”,”published”:true,”resizeUrl”:”/resizer/hGe3z2mvaNDN_MhCu0E3319cFn0=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/YWXY63GAQWOPBFVFHSQUI3I6OU.jpg”,”thumbnailResizeUrl”:”/resizer/fqWItDY1wyJ9Q44ApASEdXcDRf4=/300×0/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/YWXY63GAQWOPBFVFHSQUI3I6OU.jpg”,”version”:1,”countryId”:227,”usage_instructions”:”FOR USE WITH THIS STORY ONLY”,”originalName”:”s3://ajc-arc-photo-integration/MCT/US-NEWS-CONGRESS-MILITARY-HUNGER-GET.jpg”,”mime_type”:”image/jpeg”,”restricted”:false,”galleries”:[],”_id”:”HWBAJE4UR5ALZBYY4K5CWTAT3Y”,”iptc_title”:”HO”},”created_date”:”2021-10-22T17:33:15Z”,”last_updated_date”:”2021-10-22T17:33:16Z”,”slug”:”US-NEWS-CONGRESS-MILITARY-HUNGER-GET”,”height”:2000},{“level”:2,”_id”:”CVISHNHIHFASBESCWS45REGVGM”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648055840046},”type”:”header”,”content”:”Bishop won’t keep Koch donation because of its business ties to Russia”},{“_id”:”JS6Q4BNHQNBGPPAIKTKF3EZSI4″,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648055840047},”type”:”text”,”content”:”U.S. Rep. Sanford Bishop, D-Albany, announced that he will redirect campaign contributions he received from Koch Industries, which is under fire for not halting its operations in Russia.”},{“_id”:”H3QRAGBK4JC43CC7H6X6NFIKOQ”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648055840048},”type”:”text”,”content”:”Bishop was part of a group of more than two dozen lawmakers who shared in $110,000 in donations from Koch ahead of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, according to CNBC.”},{“_id”:”EKLNLODMM5A5JHKR42K3ESZAKM”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648055840049},”type”:”text”,”content”:”Since the invasion, numerous U.S. companies have withdrawn or paused their operations in Russia, but Koch has stayed, continuing to run two glass manufacturing facilities there.”},{“_id”:”HCMXR74AQFFFNCJLOL7DBYJDFA”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648055840050},”type”:”text”,”content”:”Following CNBC’s report, Bishop’s campaign told the network that he will not accept contributions from Koch as long as it continues to operate in Russia. He also will donate the $2,500 he received from Koch to a charity providing aid to Ukrainians.”},{“owner”:{“id”:”ajc”},”address”:{“street_address”:”Jekyll Island Convention Center”,”locality”:”Jekyll Island”,”region”:”Georgia”},”caption”:”Georgia Republican Party Chairman David Shafer revealed the nonbinding questions the party will include on its primary ballot, a good indication of what issues it will pursue during this year’s campaigns. Nathan Posner for the Atlanta-Journal-Constitution”,”source”:{“system”:”AJC Freelancer”,”name”:”AJC Freelancer”,”edit_url”:””,”source_type”:”wires”,”source_id”:”s3://ajc-arc-photo-integration/Freelancer/_AP_0726.jpg”,”additional_properties”:{“editor”:”photo center”}},”taxonomy”:{“associated_tasks”:[“60bb8c72ecb52b35c9b07aa0″],”seo_keywords”:[“AJC Freelancer”]},”type”:”image”,”distributor”:{“mode”:”custom”,”name”:”AJC Freelancer”,”category”:”wires”},”version”:”0.10.3″,”url”:”https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/WESYGFAW5MQ4J3DRJTJQCFIUUU.jpg”,”licensable”:false,”credits”:{“by”:[{“name”:”Nathan Posner”,”type”:”author”}]},”subtype”:”Wires”,”subtitle”:”GA GOP Convention”,”width”:5047,”_id”:”WESYGFAW5MQ4J3DRJTJQCFIUUU”,”additional_properties”:{“fullSizeResizeUrl”:”/resizer/_i4wATZ8aAS9QGp0s7Dn4SgqqAk=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/WESYGFAW5MQ4J3DRJTJQCFIUUU.jpg”,”comments”:[],”iptc_job_identifier”:”60bb8c72ecb52b35c9b07aa0″,”keywords”:[“AJC Freelancer”],”proxyUrl”:”/resizer/_i4wATZ8aAS9QGp0s7Dn4SgqqAk=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/WESYGFAW5MQ4J3DRJTJQCFIUUU.jpg”,”takenOn”:”2021-06-05T13:41:45Z”,”originalUrl”:”https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/WESYGFAW5MQ4J3DRJTJQCFIUUU.jpg”,”published”:true,”resizeUrl”:”/resizer/_i4wATZ8aAS9QGp0s7Dn4SgqqAk=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/WESYGFAW5MQ4J3DRJTJQCFIUUU.jpg”,”thumbnailResizeUrl”:”/resizer/YpkjhjuF9ZXWGgphReNNhi94gNI=/300×0/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/WESYGFAW5MQ4J3DRJTJQCFIUUU.jpg”,”version”:2,”originalName”:”s3://ajc-arc-photo-integration/Freelancer/_AP_0726.jpg”,”mime_type”:”image/jpeg”,”restricted”:false,”galleries”:[],”_id”:”VW4G3LBJT5DTRPVYBHGI675V4U”},”created_date”:”2021-06-05T21:01:54Z”,”last_updated_date”:”2022-01-28T19:11:17Z”,”height”:3366},{“level”:2,”_id”:”CGA7S5B44FDMVJKA2SMCJQ7RNI”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648061358005},”type”:”header”,”content”:”On primary ballot, Republicans indicate which issues they’ll campaign on”},{“_id”:”JKYI3GGEYFFZFAAPYBR2CDSALM”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648061358006},”type”:”text”,”content”:”Republicans have offered some indication of the issues they plan to campaign on this year in Georgia through policy questions on their primary ballot.”},{“_id”:”PCTGHK6HINBYLMDCX2J4O3ZEXI”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648061358007},”type”:”text”,”content”:”Georgia Republican Chairman David Shafer revealed the questions this week.”},{“_id”:”JQHXMC44WRBP7LAOKMIHYB2X2Y”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648061358008},”type”:”text”,”content”:”Some familiar topics can be found among the nonbinding questions, including immigration, school vouchers and transgender athletes.”},{“_id”:”64WODKC6IRH6HG4R64CIFVL3LU”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648061358009},”type”:”text”,”content”:”One question asks voters whether there’s a need to strengthen penalties for “ballot tampering,” pursuing the case former President Donald Trump and his followers have tried to make despite the absence of evidence of widespread voting fraud in Georgia during the 2020 election.”},{“_id”:”BMTIMSTWGFEC3DILEKE4PPDUP4″,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648061358010},”type”:”text”,”content”:”Pressing further on the issue, even though three recounts have confirmed Georgia’s election results, another question asks whether to ban absentee ballot drop boxes. State Senate President Pro Tem Butch Miller, R-Gainesville, has already made such a proposal, and it could still find itself part of pending election legislation.”},{“_id”:”M7H4KPDOXJD3HKJWHLWPTV4MKE”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648061358011},”type”:”text”,”content”:”The last question, which begins by invoking “dramatically” rising crime rates, asks whether Buckhead residents should be able to vote to “create their own city governments and police departments.””},{“level”:2,”_id”:”LFXS7KTBSJG2PGZLOCMB4RVGGM”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648055840051},”type”:”header”,”content”:”Candidates, endorsements, etc.:”},{“_id”:”TH5TQXD5L5G3VAGWIRL3WJ6RNM”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648055840052},”type”:”text”,”content”:”— Former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich is backing ex-U.S. Sen. David Perdue in his challenge to unseat Gov. Brian Kemp in the GOP primary.”},{“_id”:”TYOUFNGZUNFWBCIWYIUWHSEZGE”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648141884911},”type”:”text”,”content”:”— U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri is supporting Herschel Walker’s campaign for the GOP nomination to the U.S. Senate.”},{“_id”:”I6KFV7TROZAY5GFHBJHMNOIW3Y”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648055840053},”type”:”text”,”content”:”— Former President Donald Trump has endorsed John Gordon in his challenge against Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr in the GOP primary.”},{“_id”:”O3GC32GOBRAZRFASF7OWPI52VE”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648055840054},”type”:”text”,”content”:”— Patrick Witt, who had been running in the 10th Congressional District, picked up the support of former President Donald Trump in his campaign to unseat state Insurance Commissioner John King in the GOP primary.”},{“_id”:”LWY5JETSTVA5FKYAWQB3NY5FYM”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648055840055},”type”:”text”,”content”:”— Rich McCormick, a candidate in the 6th Congressional District, has gained the backing of U.S. Rep. Pat Fallon, R-Texas.”},{“_id”:”PF4YGORT5NGIXE5K5HRN2YUGQU”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648055840056},”type”:”text”,”content”:”— U.S. Rep. Carolyn Bourdeaux, seeking reelection in the 7th Congressional District, received an endorsement from Vote Mama, a political committee that supports Democratic mothers running for office.”},{“level”:1,”_id”:”B2EQYN4UBRE3LCOSIBJLNIZZWI”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1647973088411},”type”:”header”,”content”:”Elsewhere online”},{“level”:2,”_id”:”H374ZSXYPRHTVLSAQFZIQKTJUM”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[{“pos”:0,”comment”:”More can be found online”}],”comments”:[],”_id”:1647967933098},”type”:”header”,”content”:””},{“_id”:”UG67DOXZ3JA5ZH3WVEOIS76VSI”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[{“pos”:0,”comment”:”Here’s a sample of other stories about Georgia government and politics that can be found at 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deal”},{“_id”:”X3MATTMPRBDG7MVRSZ2OM6LNNU”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[]},”block_properties”:{},”type”:”text”,”content”:”Georgia attorney general takes campaign cash from drug lobby while negotiating opioid agreement”},{“_id”:”GUZA25VJDRCPLA3DVJO6I42NJU”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[]},”block_properties”:{},”type”:”text”,”content”:”Now solidly Republican, primary likely to decide the next 6th District representative”},{“_id”:”CMUPOVLSMJBHZLXASVTUIQAZCU”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[]},”block_properties”:{},”type”:”text”,”content”:”Rising inflation increases pressure on Georgia Democrats”}]},{“_id”:”2U2HUBACOJECHP5ZEMIXWIV2EI”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648141884920},”type”:”text”,”content”:”Other stories about Georgia government and politics can be found at www.ajc.com/politics/.”}],”display_date”:”2022-03-25T11:00:00Z”,”headlines”:{“basic”:”Capitol Recap: Abrams wants access to same fundraising tool that’s helping Kemp”},”first_publish_date”:”2022-03-25T11:00:01.692Z”,”taxonomy”:{“sections”:[{“path”:”/politics”,”parent”:{“default”:”https://www.ajc.com/”},”_website”:”ajc”,”parent_id”:”https://www.ajc.com/”,”name”:”Politics”,”description”:”Political news with a Georgia focus, including the Georgia Legislature, Congress, White House, presidential elections and Georgia Congressional Districts.”,”_id”:”/politics”,”additional_properties”:{“original”:{“parent”:{“AmpNav”:”https://www.ajc.com/”,”default”:”https://www.ajc.com/”,”BottomNav”:null,”TopNavRedesign”:null,”SectionMap”:”https://www.ajc.com/”,”MainMenuRedesign2021″:”https://www.ajc.com/”,”TopNav”:null,”TopicsBar”:null,”ComposerNav”:”https://www.ajc.com/”},”site”:{“site_url”:”https://www.ajc.com/politics/”,”section_comments_enabled”:”Yes”,”site_description”:”Political news with a Georgia focus, including the Georgia Legislature, Congress, White House, presidential elections and Georgia 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“},{“_id”:”SSGQVZ6BYVGNFKGP5F2AKTW46Q”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648177308662},”type”:”text”,”content”:”Listen and subscribe to our podcast for free at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, or Stitcher.”},{“_id”:”IVHVMA4OTBGM5CO7GPTIQCFPZA”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648177308663},”type”:”text”,”content”:”You can also tell your smart speaker to “play Politically Georgia podcast.””},{“_id”:”T6JBCRUGSVDK7LPS3MCU3WERWM”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[]},”type”:”text”,”content”:”More from Politically Georgia”},{“list_type”:”unordered”,”_id”:”ATPFBCLP5BGAXLG35QV2U3JGAM”,”type”:”list”,”items”:[{“_id”:”F3UC53ZA5RH6RAC3G5B776S64A”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[]},”block_properties”:{},”type”:”text”,”content”:”Georgia races testing Trump’s influence”},{“_id”:”5JCMK5XSCFCPDLWTJEZWC44HEI”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[]},”block_properties”:{},”type”:”text”,”content”:”Bipartisan bill to expand mental health services in Georgia finds ire on the right”},{“_id”:”76HRGHBMJNFBVB5DXSMI3XHJMA”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[]},”block_properties”:{},”type”:”text”,”content”:”Georgia election bill rooted in Trump supporters’ complaints about 2020″}]}],”display_date”:”2022-03-25T10:03:00Z”,”headlines”:{“basic”:”Politically Georgia: Trump comes back to Georgia to continue his Kemp feud”},”first_publish_date”:”2022-03-25T10:03:00.291Z”,”taxonomy”:{“sections”:[{“path”:”/politics”,”parent”:{“default”:”https://www.ajc.com/”},”_website”:”ajc”,”parent_id”:”https://www.ajc.com/”,”name”:”Politics”,”description”:”Political news with a Georgia focus, including the Georgia Legislature, Congress, White House, presidential elections and Georgia Congressional Districts.”,”_id”:”/politics”,”additional_properties”:{“original”:{“parent”:{“AmpNav”:”https://www.ajc.com/”,”default”:”https://www.ajc.com/”,”BottomNav”:null,”TopNavRedesign”:null,”SectionMap”:”https://www.ajc.com/”,”MainMenuRedesign2021″:”https://www.ajc.com/”,”TopNav”:null,”TopicsBar”:null,”ComposerNav”:”https://www.ajc.com/”},”site”:{“site_url”:”https://www.ajc.com/politics/”,”section_comments_enabled”:”Yes”,”site_description”:”Political news with a Georgia focus, including the Georgia Legislature, Congress, White House, presidential elections and Georgia Congressional Districts.”,”site_title”:”AJC Georgia Politics | What’s really going on in politics”},”navigation”:{“nav_title”:”Politics”},”inactive”:false,”node_type”:”section”,”_website”:”ajc”,”name”:”Politics”,”Sponsor”:{“sponsor_url_open_new_tab”:”true”,”sponsor_desktop_banner”:””,”sponsor_mobile_banner”:””,”sponsor_url”:””},”_id”:”/politics”,”ancestors”:{“TopNavRedesign”:[],”SectionMap”:[“https://www.ajc.com/”],”MainMenuRedesign2021″:[“https://www.ajc.com/”],”TopNav”:[],”TopicsBar”:[]},”order”:{“AmpNav”:1022,”default”:1022,”SectionMap”:1094,”MainMenuRedesign2021″:1003,”ComposerNav”:1100}}},”_website_section_id”:”ajc./politics”,”type”:”section”,”version”:”0.6.0″}],”primary_section”:{“path”:”/politics”,”name”:”Politics”},”tags”:[{“text”:”podcast”},{“text”:”politics.ajc”},{“text”:”teamsusan”}]},”type”:”story”,”last_updated_date”:”2022-03-25T10:03:00.282Z”,”promo_items”:{“basic”:{“credits”:{“affiliation”:[],”by”:[{“name”:”HYOSUB SHIN / AJC”,”type”:”author”,”byline”:”HYOSUB SHIN / AJC”}]},”subtitle”:”donald trump brian kemp”,”width”:3805,”caption”:”November 4, 2018 Macon – GOP gubernatorial candidate Brian Kemp and President Donald J. 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Both bills aim to rid the state of the requirement to first apply and pay for a license before being able to legally carry a concealed handgun.”},{“_id”:”6TJLINC6PFCBNN757XU7DI2ZQA”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648151714479},”type”:”text”,”content”:”Senate Judiciary Chairman Brian Strickland, a McDonough Republican, declined to take public testimony, saying the panel had already heard comments about the Senate legislation in committee and it had been debated on the floor.”},{“_id”:”I47THRTQAVAQPDLDK6C56OQA2A”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648151714480},”type”:”text”,”content”:”Supporters of the measure said it would remove an unnecessary barrier to their constitutional right to carry handguns.”},{“_id”:”64KMV7O5CNDIDOA75JGIMX7KMA”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648151714481},”type”:”text”,”content”:”Opponents said Republicans are pushing legislation to remove the handgun licensing process to play to the GOP base this election year. But doing that, they said, would also make it easier for those who don’t have a legal right to possess and carry handguns to do so — leading to an increase in gun violence.”},{“_id”:”MS44EQSMFNFMXHCKN5VVU4U3DU”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648151714482},”type”:”text”,”content”:”The new HB 1358 would allow a “lawful weapons carrier” to carry a concealed handgun everywhere license holders currently are allowed — meaning guns will still be prohibited in places such as the secured areas of airports or government buildings that have security at the entrance, including the state Capitol. A lawful weapons carrier is defined as anyone who is now lawfully allowed to have a gun.”},{“_id”:”5CHB34QI35HABLBUPG6YKVW6IM”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648151714483},”type”:”text”,”content”:”Those who have prior drug convictions, have been convicted of a felony or are facing felony charges, have been treated for mental health issues or substance abuse issues within the past five years, or have been involuntarily committed to a mental health hospital would still be prohibited from purchasing and possessing handguns.”},{“_id”:”5Z6KNKVJ7ZCYDNOVGZHAB4UWYE”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648151714484},”type”:”text”,”content”:”Currently, Georgians seeking to carry a handgun have to apply for a license with their local probate court or sheriff’s office (depending on the county), get fingerprinted, submit to a background check and pay a fee up to $75. Background checks still will be required when purchasing a handgun from a store or a dealer under HB 1458.”},{“_id”:”BHRAG3ENVJDOVOPTLFUSQVZEIA”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648151714485},”type”:”text”,”content”:”The bill passed on a 5-2 party-line vote, with Republicans voting in favor of the measure.”}],”display_date”:”2022-03-24T20:08:32.758Z”,”headlines”:{“basic”:”Permit-less carry of handguns clears panel, heads to Georgia Senate floor”},”first_publish_date”:”2022-03-24T20:08:32.758Z”,”taxonomy”:{“sections”:[{“path”:”/politics”,”parent”:{“default”:”https://www.ajc.com/”},”_website”:”ajc”,”parent_id”:”https://www.ajc.com/”,”name”:”Politics”,”description”:”Political news with a Georgia focus, including the Georgia Legislature, Congress, White House, presidential elections and Georgia Congressional Districts.”,”_id”:”/politics”,”additional_properties”:{“original”:{“parent”:{“AmpNav”:”https://www.ajc.com/”,”default”:”https://www.ajc.com/”,”BottomNav”:null,”TopNavRedesign”:null,”SectionMap”:”https://www.ajc.com/”,”MainMenuRedesign2021″:”https://www.ajc.com/”,”TopNav”:null,”TopicsBar”:null,”ComposerNav”:”https://www.ajc.com/”},”site”:{“site_url”:”https://www.ajc.com/politics/”,”section_comments_enabled”:”Yes”,”site_description”:”Political news with a Georgia focus, including the Georgia Legislature, Congress, White House, presidential elections and Georgia Congressional Districts.”,”site_title”:”AJC Georgia Politics | What’s really going on in politics”},”navigation”:{“nav_title”:”Politics”},”inactive”:false,”node_type”:”section”,”_website”:”ajc”,”name”:”Politics”,”Sponsor”:{“sponsor_url_open_new_tab”:”true”,”sponsor_desktop_banner”:””,”sponsor_mobile_banner”:””,”sponsor_url”:””},”_id”:”/politics”,”ancestors”:{“TopNavRedesign”:[],”SectionMap”:[“https://www.ajc.com/”],”MainMenuRedesign2021″:[“https://www.ajc.com/”],”TopNav”:[],”TopicsBar”:[]},”order”:{“AmpNav”:1022,”default”:1022,”SectionMap”:1094,”MainMenuRedesign2021″:1003,”ComposerNav”:1100}}},”_website_section_id”:”ajc./politics”,”type”:”section”,”version”:”0.6.0″},{“path”:”/politics/georgia-state-legislature”,”parent”:{“default”:”/politics”},”_website”:”ajc”,”parent_id”:”/politics”,”name”:”Legislature”,”description”:”News of the Georgia General Assembly, Georgia Governor and State Government from the AJC, Georgia’s largest team covering the Legislature and issues that matter to taxpayers”,”_id”:”/politics/georgia-state-legislature”,”additional_properties”:{“original”:{“parent”:{“AmpNav”:”/politics”,”default”:”/politics”,”BottomNav”:null,”TopNavRedesign”:null,”SectionMap”:”https://www.ajc.com/”,”MainMenuRedesign2021″:”/politics”,”TopNav”:null,”TopicsBar”:null,”ComposerNav”:”https://www.ajc.com/”},”site”:{“site_url”:”https://www.ajc.com/politics/georgia-state-legislature/”,”section_comments_enabled”:”Yes”,”site_description”:”News of the Georgia General Assembly, Georgia Governor and State Government from the AJC, Georgia’s largest team covering the Legislature and issues that matter to taxpayers”,”site_title”:”Georgia Legislature News”},”navigation”:{“nav_title”:”Legislature”},”inactive”:false,”node_type”:”section”,”_website”:”ajc”,”name”:”Legislature”,”_id”:”/politics/georgia-state-legislature”,”ancestors”:{“TopNavRedesign”:[],”SectionMap”:[“https://www.ajc.com/”],”MainMenuRedesign2021″:[“https://www.ajc.com/”,”/politics”],”TopNav”:[],”TopicsBar”:[]},”order”:{“SectionMap”:1090,”MainMenuRedesign2021″:2003,”ComposerNav”:1104}}},”_website_section_id”:”ajc./politics/georgia-state-legislature”,”type”:”section”,”version”:”0.6.0″}],”primary_section”:{“path”:”/politics”,”name”:”Politics”},”tags”:[{“text”:”politics.ajc”},{“text”:”legislature”},{“text”:”teamsusan”},{“text”:”georgia news”},{“text”:”georgia-news.ajc”},{“text”:”ga-government.ajc”},{“text”:”government and politics”}]},”type”:”story”,”last_updated_date”:”2022-03-24T20:08:33.271Z”,”promo_items”:{“basic”:{“credits”:{“by”:[{“name”:”Steve Schaefer”,”type”:”author”}]},”subtitle”:”Guns move to GA “,”width”:3000,”caption”:”The state Senate Judiciary Committee approved legislation Thursday that would let Georgians carry a concealed handgun without first getting a license from the state. 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Bipartisan election officials have repeatedly upheld the results.”},{“_id”:”IZSITL5U6JC5DEMQZJP34YZXNM”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648131513815},”type”:”text”,”content”:”“The Republican Party has lost, and now they’re changing the rules,” the Rev. Paul Little II, pastor at Bibb Mount Zion Baptist Church in Macon, said during a press conference by Black clergy. “It’s absolutely despicable, but it’s not final. It’s not fatal. We will not drop out of the game just because the rules have changed.””},{“_id”:”YIMALQEQUFGD7EYK35XWJ73GLA”,”additional_properties”:{“comments”:[],”_id”:”7KD37XBYSZBHBJESUFNB6ZLIMA”},”type”:”interstitial_link”,”content”:”Georgia voting law wasn’t enough for Republican legislators”,”url”:”https://www.ajc.com/politics/georgia-voting-law-wasnt-enough-for-republican-legislators/BRWTOLLYT5DGXEG6W3AO77NGJY/”},{“_id”:”266F7XL7M5COHCUGDE4QWSN6PU”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648131513816},”type”:”text”,”content”:”Republican defenders of the measure, House Bill 1464, said the 2020 election exposed weaknesses in Georgia’s voting laws that need to be corrected, even after the General Assembly passed a sweeping measure last year that put more regulations on absentee voting.”},{“_id”:”2YC63HVVBZHBNIAZUHVI7KJXRA”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648131513817},”type”:”text”,”content”:”The law limited ballot drop boxes, added absentee voter ID requirements and allowed state takeovers of county election offices.”},{“_id”:”YWQCNIN3UJCCJKEZBORKNJRSHM”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648131513818},”type”:”text”,”content”:”“This isn’t a rehash of what happened. This is to focus on what needs to happen,” said Senate Ethics Chairman Max Burns, a Republican from Sylvania who will oversee hearings on the bill. “We want to learn from the past, but this is focused on making sure that elections in 2022 and beyond are secure, valid, and that people have confidence in elections.””},{“_id”:”YMCPTUTUMFH37I2YF4KII2GKJM”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648131513819},”type”:”text”,”content”:”Most of the bill’s proposals spring from complaints by Trump voters who have told their legislators they believe the 2020 election was poorly run and vulnerable to illegal ballots.”},{“_id”:”7TG7RUWFRBD43B4UUNDYAVTFZE”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648131513820},”type”:”text”,”content”:”After last year’s law largely dealt with the voting process, this year’s legislation is directed at how the government conducts elections.”},{“_id”:”TZ6YH5VK6VGURP3LKH4I46ATP4″,”additional_properties”:{“comments”:[],”_id”:”7EMKRO5VPRHP7AYBFINCRETNSU”},”type”:”interstitial_link”,”content”:”LIVE: Georgia bill tracker 2022″,”url”:”https://www.ajc.com/politics/live-georgia-bill-tracker-2022/VYWVITUALREBTNDHA5SC3KFRIE/”},{“owner”:{“sponsored”:false,”id”:”ajc”},”address”:{“street_address”:”Georgia State Capitol”,”locality”:”Atlanta”,”region”:”Ga”},”caption”:”State Rep. Stan Gunter, chairman of the House Elections Integrity Committee (center), confers with state Rep. Mike Wilensky, a Democrat from Dunwoody, and state Rep. Tom Kirby a Republican from Loganville, during the evening session after the dinner break on Crossover Day on Tuesday, March 15, 2022. 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Next year’s proposed budget includes nearly $580,000 for four GBI positions to investigate election complaints.”},{“_id”:”OXMJRPBVVNDFXKV4H6FL4SSYF4″,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648131513825},”type”:”text”,”content”:”After the 2020 election, the GBI assisted the secretary of state’s office in several cases that didn’t find any wrongdoing, investigating allegations of counterfeit ballots, ballot collection practices and signature mismatches.”},{“_id”:”XTESNCIUO5DB5CIQLKXMF43WE4″,”additional_properties”:{“comments”:[],”_id”:”4XST357N6BB63IS2NDB7NDOYCM”},”type”:”interstitial_link”,”content”:”Inside the campaign to undermine Georgia’s election”,”url”:”https://www.ajc.com/politics/election/georgia-2020-election-what-happened/”},{“_id”:”TYISZWG7OJAA3FGPFLTJ7OTNZE”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648131513826},”type”:”text”,”content”:”Georgia’s bill doesn’t go as far as a measure in Florida that created a police force dedicated to pursuing election crimes.”},{“_id”:”TV4GP5JKPRFC3BZ4T42O4EWRTQ”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648131513827},”type”:”text”,”content”:”Pamela Reardon, a Republican voter from Cobb County, said the legislation would ease concerns that arose from the presidential election.”},{“_id”:”QSV5LN7TJZAFPBHOYJ6P7LEV4Y”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648131513828},”type”:”text”,”content”:”“I can make sure that when people are all crazy, I can say, ‘No, we’ve done everything we can do to make this a secure election,’ ” Reardon said after a committee meeting on the bill.”},{“_id”:”HQB7QFAK3ND7NH4STN3DAJIO54″,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648131513829},”type”:”text”,”content”:”The bill would also make original paper ballots a matter of public record, permitting members of the public to review them for irregularities or to conduct their own recounts. The proposal follows an effort by a group of election skeptics who sought to conduct their own ballot inspection, similar to one done in Maricopa County, Arizona. A judge dismissed their case in the fall.”},{“_id”:”XOXA2AAMTZCRRBCJEBDHJYPGSE”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648131513830},”type”:”text”,”content”:”In addition, the bill would limit outside money for local election offices that had supplemented their taxpayer-funded budgets.”},{“_id”:”2NR4BNQNF5DFNHRKJJXFR3VHGY”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648131513831},”type”:”text”,”content”:”The proposal follows criticisms that $43 million donated for the 2020 election cycle by the Center for Tech and Civic Life, an organization backed by Zuckerberg, disproportionately assisted election operations in large counties that tend to support Democrats. Several Republican-leaning counties also received funding from the Center for Tech and Civic Life.”},{“_id”:”PQIM7QFZXZARJBCKG3KWFGJSTI”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648131513832},”type”:”text”,”content”:”“We’re creating more red tape and further hamstringing counties and our election workers, when all they’ve asked from us is our help and our support,” state Rep. Mariam Paris, a Democrat from Macon, said during a House debate on the bill. “The wants of conspiracy theories are also not a valid motivation to change the rules.””},{“_id”:”T63KQJIXPJGXZMODEYG445FXQM”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648131513833},”type”:”text”,”content”:”Any nongovernment funding would have to be reviewed by the State Election Board and then distributed in a “fair and equitable” manner across Georgia, even if the donor wanted the money spent in a specific county or for a designated purpose, such as COVID-19 preparedness.”},{“_id”:”TAAIKS5ZUBGTPIIWGAORPQAADQ”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648131513834},”type”:”text”,”content”:”The bill also would require more paperwork to track ballots, a response to complaints about haphazard ballot handling by county election officials. Trump has accused county election officials in Georgia of violating chain-of-custody procedures.”},{“_id”:”F6J34E4MCFHQJB3DML3HKZSMCE”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648131513835},”type”:”text”,”content”:”Other parts of the measure would grant poll watchers “meaningful” access to vote counting, make it a felony to threaten violence against poll workers, reduce the number of required voting machines at election day polling places to account for people who voted early, and require employers to give workers time off to vote on election day or during early voting.”},{“_id”:”D3ZHRJSGJJGDNETB3AWCSD463M”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648131513836},”type”:”text”,”content”:”The legislation is pending in the state Senate after it passed the state House last week.”},{“_id”:”XJO4RCDILBD6ZK4HUKDVWF5BIM”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648131513837},”type”:”text”,”content”:”“All of the unfunded mandates and new restrictions added by this bill stem from bad actors pushing the false narrative of the ‘big lie’ and a refusal to accept the certified results of the 2020 elections,” Cianti Stewart-Reid, executive director for Fair Fight Action, a voting rights group founded by Democrat Stacey Abrams. said in referring to Trump’s allegations of election fraud.”},{“_id”:”HGDO46ILRNBFJG2QRGXSW7Q5GQ”,”additional_properties”:{“comments”:[],”_id”:”CSZSIFMOFJFFFBNIMZIQEAI454″},”type”:”divider”},{“_id”:”NRTQUYYAMFCKFEMKTS7DOV5TIY”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648141554001},”type”:”text”,”content”:”Georgia omnibus election bill”},{“_id”:”QEEOV7I3WJA5BAOGLO3SKTC5NA”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648141554002},”type”:”text”,”content”:”House Bill 1464 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general assembly, state house, state senate, crossover day, atanta, gergia”,”width”:6608,”caption”:”A combination of groups march up Mitchell Street to protest voting legislation and other bills during Crossover Day in the Georgia General Assembly In Atlanta on Tuesday, March 15, 2022. Bills and resolutions need passage in either the House or the Senate by Crossover Day to be considered by the other chamber for passage this year. (Bob Andres / robert.andres@ajc.com)”,”type”:”image”,”url”:”https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/P2ZEPI7TVT6X23LXHYOPLS5V5I.JPG”,”height”:4968}},”canonical_url”:”/politics/georgia-election-bill-rooted-in-trump-supporters-complaints-about-2020/WVOWSQA2HRGZHOQJVRB6CE4XB4/”,”_id”:”WVOWSQA2HRGZHOQJVRB6CE4XB4″},{“content_elements”:[{“_id”:”RTBBUZIALRH47FSFUKIIHXNUCQ”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1598277352412},”type”:”text”,”content”:”It’s been called the “Pedophilia Protection Act,” guided by the World Health Organization and a measure that threatens to “take our guns.””},{“_id”:”6WJBMK6YZRGBVGDBW7WCWDW4JI”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648046145558},”type”:”text”,”content”:”The issue? Crime? Gun control? COVID-19?”},{“_id”:”NAU4OESSTVH2LFGJ4J4Y7EDIHA”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648059233147},”type”:”text”,”content”:”None of the above. The comments have come in reaction to a bipartisan effort to expand the way mental health is covered in Georgia.”},{“_id”:”MAVSMGQH6VDWBBBOJ24QRJX7U4″,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648059233148},”type”:”text”,”content”:”In the two weeks since House Bill 1013 was approved by that chamber, the overwhelming support heard in committee meetings and on the House floor has given way to a growing chorus of opponents who believe the legislation will allow pedophiles to avoid prison and deny Georgians their right to bear arms.”},{“_id”:”FNNDYUB3BZC3ZNXD55GSGRMQN4″,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648046145574},”type”:”text”,”content”:”“There’s only recently been this kind of mass attack on the bill that comes from a very small internet activation,” said the bill’s co-sponsor, state Rep. Mary Margaret Oliver, a Decatur Democrat.”},{“_id”:”2FUERQPAWJDU3BZKTV5A7ZIYLQ”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648046145560},”type”:”text”,”content”:”The bill is one of few that House Speaker David Ralston, R-Blue Ridge, has put his name on, making it a top priority. He’s called the need to increase access to mental health care a “defining issue.” If he’s concerned the bill won’t make it over the finish line by April 4, the last day of the legislative session, he isn’t showing it.”},{“_id”:”2XBYOOS64ZGPPJA3O52263VV5Y”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648046145561},”type”:”text”,”content”:”“I don’t see a lot of impact that this opposition is having,” Ralston said in an interview with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “I think there are some people that have legitimate concerns — well-intentioned, good-faith objections. Then there are the others for whom their concerns are fact-free, they are outrageous, they are ridiculous.”},{“_id”:”7ZBY2JJGQZEHHMSE3ELSQS5XBI”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648046145562},”type”:”text”,”content”:”“I think members of both the House and the Senate are sorting through that. And so that’s why I’m still optimistic. I’m very optimistic about the bill. We’re going to get this bill passed,” Ralston said.”},{“_id”:”TEJLJFIBWRHADL4CRL55FPFEZI”,”additional_properties”:{“comments”:[],”_id”:”4UP7ORT2E5FVLERGG5ZOJPXAPA”},”type”:”interstitial_link”,”content”:”LIVE: Georgia bill tracker 2022″,”url”:”https://www.ajc.com/politics/live-georgia-bill-tracker-2022/VYWVITUALREBTNDHA5SC3KFRIE/”},{“_id”:”EPQSVMP2DVAN3JS5WLEIFSJUNU”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648046145563},”type”:”text”,”content”:”HB 1013 would enforce a federal “parity” law by requiring insurance companies to cover mental health care the same way they cover physical health, establish state grants for outpatient treatment, loosen the guidance on when law enforcement can involuntarily commit someone in need of help and take other steps to improve care.”},{“_id”:”XB5RFTE36JGEDHSSM2TSNY7Z3I”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648046145564},”type”:”text”,”content”:”Georgia ranks low nationally on most measurements of mental health treatment and high in the percentage of residents who face challenges, according to a 2021 report by Mental Health America, a century-old nonprofit advocacy group. It put Georgia last for the number of mental health professionals per capita. The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry says Georgia has only eight psychiatrists per 100,000 children; the academy suggests a better ratio is 47 per 100,000.”},{“_id”:”2AFOJ5FAABGYPHIRG4JWD7VRFY”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648059233154},”type”:”text”,”content”:”During a Senate Health and Human Services Committee hearing last week, Rhonda Thomas, president of Truth in Education — a nonprofit that has opposed COVID-19 pandemic mask mandates and what it calls obscene materials in schools — urged senators to oppose the bill.”},{“_id”:”VGZOIA6QXNH3VH7W3OKQ4ROXRI”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648059233155},”type”:”text”,”content”:”“If I was to say today, I would say I’m totally against the entire bill and I hope it dies in the Senate,” Thomas said. She said the legislation would take control of children’s mental health away from parents.”},{“subtype”:”facebook-post”,”referent”:{“referent_properties”:{“additional_properties”:{“comments”:[],”_id”:1648236775120}},”provider”:”https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post/oembed.json/?url=”,”service”:”oembed”,”id”:”https://www.facebook.com/TruthInEd/posts/329995582521095&locale=en_US”,”type”:”facebook-post”},”_id”:”GNS24DAITNGXNF2OSJUKEB4LZU”,”raw_oembed”:{“author_name”:”Truth In Education – TIE”,”author_url”:”https://www.facebook.com/109090597944929″,”width”:552,”html”:”nPosted by Truth In Education – TIE on Sunday, March 13, 2022″,”provider_url”:”https://www.facebook.com”,”_id”:”https://www.facebook.com/TruthInEd/posts/329995582521095&locale=en_US”,”additional_properties”:{“comments”:[],”_id”:1648236775120},”provider_name”:”Facebook”,”type”:”facebook-post”,”version”:”1.0″},”type”:”oembed_response”},{“_id”:”GC2A3CPBBNDDZCNZ6V7XEH3EOI”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648071530115},”type”:”text”,”content”:”State Sen. Dean Burke, a Bainbridge Republican leading a subcommittee on HB 1013, tried to keep speakers focused during hearings this week.”},{“_id”:”5CTKGI6PIFHMHLKBBPK7CKXNUU”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648071530116},”type”:”text”,”content”:”“Please share with us specific issues that you have with the bill, not just something that you read from the internet during the weekend,” Burke said.”},{“_id”:”BMFUQQZHOJEH7C4SRYHHTTUDTE”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648046145575},”type”:”text”,”content”:”The Senate panel doing a deep dive on HB 1013 was unprepared Monday for the attention the bill is starting to draw.”},{“_id”:”JMUIKQQQEJELTBIRHOGTGBM65I”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648071530132},”type”:”text”,”content”:”Senate staffers had to move the meeting to a bigger room, and there still wasn’t enough space for all the opponents, who had been rallied by groups such as Truth in Education and the anti-abortion group Georgia Right to Life.”},{“_id”:”HXGUMJRFDZA5DGX7XER2OMPSFQ”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648046145576},”type”:”text”,”content”:”Capitol police had to be called to the overflowing room to try to get control of the crowd, with some attendees getting into shouting matches with legislative staff, laughing at comments made by presenters they disagreed with and bursting into applause at remarks made by their side.”},{“_id”:”JMUIKQQQEJELTBIRHOGTGBM65I”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648071530134},”type”:”text”,”content”:”Thomas’ positions were echoed by several speakers throughout the past week-and-a-half of testimony, and lawmakers have received more than 1,000 emails opposing the bill, though many have been copied and pasted from a script.”},{“_id”:”JZP63Q2565GVBLY5QS3T2MKCMA”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648059233156},”type”:”text”,”content”:”“I’m a supporter of the Second Amendment,” Grant Meadows said during a hearing this week. “In other states we’ve seen mental health laws turn into red flag laws. And it can be done arbitrarily.””},{“_id”:”W75E6HE4KZH5XEYO2OMUDFRJWQ”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648068421843},”type”:”text”,”content”:”Typically, “red flag” laws would allow a judge to deem that someone is a threat and unable to have guns.”},{“_id”:”F2FCEG44OJHVJOUCOBFNH3BTPQ”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648071530120},”type”:”text”,”content”:”Opponents online wrote that the law would make pedophilia a “mental disorder” and absolve criminals from punishment.”},{“_id”:”G7B4CZSHDBD7DDI2O7UYUOXF4E”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648078636777},”type”:”text”,”content”:”“Why did all but 3 GOP House members vote for HB 1033 (sic) AKA Pedophile Protection Act?” GOP activist Debbie Dooley said on Twitter last week.”},{“subtype”:”twitter”,”referent”:{“referent_properties”:{“additional_properties”:{“comments”:[],”_id”:1648236775131}},”provider”:”https://publish.twitter.com/oembed?url=”,”service”:”oembed”,”id”:”https://twitter.com/Crimsontider/status/1504489374674788353″,”type”:”twitter”},”_id”:”5HOS2K3O4ZASBM5IOA72EQR66M”,”raw_oembed”:{“author_name”:”Debbie Dooley”,”cache_age”:”3153600000″,”provider_url”:”https://twitter.com”,”type”:”twitter”,”version”:”1.0″,”url”:”https://twitter.com/Crimsontider/status/1504489374674788353″,”author_url”:”https://twitter.com/Crimsontider”,”width”:550,”html”:”

Why did all but 3 GOP House members vote for HB 1033 AKA Pedophile Protection Act ? Remember them and work to vote them out of office either this year or 2024.

It is a bill that will render catastrophic consequences and helps protect pedophiles from serving jail time. pic.twitter.com/VODzDjsVgU

— Debbie Dooley (@Crimsontider) March 17, 2022nn”,”_id”:”https://twitter.com/Crimsontider/status/1504489374674788353″,”additional_properties”:{“comments”:[],”_id”:1648236775131},”provider_name”:”Twitter”,”height”:null},”type”:”oembed_response”},{“_id”:”TKRVHQUBSRGN3EO26BYDVWG3RY”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648133576144},”type”:”text”,”content”:”Jeanne Seaver, a Republican activist running for lieutenant governor this year, joined in Thursday, thanking a group of House members who oppose the mental health measure.”},{“_id”:”VWTHW2T5G5GN7B7GONPQU3RN54″,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648133576145},”type”:”text”,”content”:”“While Georgians need and deserve better mental health services, this 77-page atrocity dramatically increases consumer prices, grows government, centralizes mental health care, and invites the ‘woke’ World Health Organization into the lives of Georgians in need of mental health services,” she said in a statement.”},{“_id”:”Q7NACNZ2ABCYFHHIFXZRD4EMK4″,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648133576146},”type”:”text”,”content”:”Ralston said those characterizations of what the bill would do are untrue.”},{“_id”:”CY2NJPB2LVASHFQTVGK3WRDOII”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648068421846},”type”:”text”,”content”:”“People are pulling things out, misinterpreting, misinforming (people) about them and misleading people in doing so,” Ralston said.”},{“_id”:”ZEQVCIWQEVEA7CCMFINE4A3PPU”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648046145565},”type”:”text”,”content”:”It’s unclear where the sudden opposition stems from, many of the bill’s supporters said. Some point to a House floor speech given by outgoing state Rep. Philip Singleton, a Sharpsburg Republican who has frequently found himself opposing Ralston.”},{“_id”:”2FBW7EJJ5RGDRGVJUNC3YZYD3U”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648046145566},”type”:”text”,”content”:”Singleton is one of a handful of state representatives who was drawn out of his district during last year’s redistricting session. Once a decade after the U.S. census, the General Assembly is tasked with redrawing legislative and congressional district lines to evenly allocate the state’s population.”},{“_id”:”K6YM7JWMTZC2ZLIEFVGDHTJC6Y”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648046145567},”type”:”text”,”content”:”“I can only have a couple of weeks left,” Singleton said. “So when there’s something that I think is this bad, I have to stand up and speak about it.””},{“_id”:”T64ZW6MNUNF3ZJI3DWW5QUSKSY”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648046145568},”type”:”text”,”content”:”And while Singleton’s largest issue with the bill — mandating parity — isn’t driving the discussion, footage of his floor speech is being circulated among opponents of the legislation.”},{“_id”:”RJBXKR4VFJCO5MJ236Q2E7DEHU”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648071530127},”type”:”text”,”content”:”“The backlash is largely expected because the legislation so clearly stands in opposition to the principles of the Republican Party,” he said, citing a party position for small government. “And so Republicans across the state are fighting back against their representatives who they feel have abandoned the principles that they support.””},{“_id”:”7AKY4KT66ZE3BF4DFIB62ZACVI”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648046145569},”type”:”text”,”content”:”Senate leaders say they have issues with the bill, but they remain optimistic that significant mental health legislation will pass this year.”},{“_id”:”6UPXHVVI4RH5BGXMZCDY5Q4IEI”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648128304700},”type”:”text”,”content”:”One concern has been the cost to the state. House officials have said funding the bill would cost about $29.7 million per year, but senators are still waiting on legislative staff to finalize a detailed accounting. Both chambers have pushed to increase mental health spending in the upcoming year’s budget.”},{“_id”:”TEXIX7AHD5DODNVGLRM2HC3ZIU”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648046145570},”type”:”text”,”content”:”Senate Majority Leader Mike Dugan, a Carrollton Republican, said addressing Georgia’s poor ranking in mental health access is something that all lawmakers are committed to doing.”},{“_id”:”VAH5RHRLCFBWLF6POZXMIW6EEI”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648046145571},”type”:”text”,”content”:”“Our responsibility is to do our due diligence on the bill to make sure that it meets the intent, but is as clean and responsible as we can possibly make it for the state,” Dugan said.”},{“_id”:”BMFUQQZHOJEH7C4SRYHHTTUDTE”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648046145575},”type”:”text”,”content”:”While a vote has not yet been scheduled, the Senate Health and Human Services Committee will hold its next meeting early next week. Senate panels have to approve bills before the day’s session begins Wednesday to still be considered this year, according to chamber rules.”},{“_id”:”KLRSYL6Y4BF6DPIBEOBCSHPCKI”,”additional_properties”:{“comments”:[],”_id”:”GS3AEGZPFFCZPMFLRLAQTZBAIU”},”type”:”divider”},{“level”:1,”_id”:”EASGJGNR2JH5XFPOQHJIQVRX7I”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[]},”type”:”header”,”content”:”What’s next”},{“_id”:”G3GNKRSBWVGLDN4QPTQMO5EBUI”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[]},”type”:”text”,”content”:”House Bill 1013, which aims to expand access to mental health services in Georgia, remains in the state Senate Health and Human Services Committee.”},{“_id”:”DXH4NRX7EZGDDFYWQA2OJQ22NE”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[]},”type”:”text”,”content”:”If it’s to pass this year, the committee must approve it before the Senate floor session begins Wednesday.”},{“_id”:”KHKWZJMYDNB4DMGBUGNR3DONIU”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[]},”type”:”text”,”content”:”A full Senate vote would then follow, and then both chambers of the General Assembly would have to work out any differences by the final of the legislative session, April 4.”},{“_id”:”SK3BLDW3HJFHDBQQNKY42EMXZE”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648046145579},”type”:”text”,”content”:”
“},{“_id”:”EFESQALDFZFSFMJGLCJS2BHFFE”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648046145580},”type”:”text”,”content”:”
“}],”display_date”:”2022-03-24T16:26:34.046Z”,”headlines”:{“basic”:”Bipartisan bill to expand mental health services in Georgia finds ire on the right”},”first_publish_date”:”2022-03-24T16:26:34.046Z”,”taxonomy”:{“sections”:[{“path”:”/politics”,”parent”:{“default”:”https://www.ajc.com/”},”_website”:”ajc”,”parent_id”:”https://www.ajc.com/”,”name”:”Politics”,”description”:”Political news with a Georgia focus, including the Georgia Legislature, Congress, White House, presidential elections and Georgia Congressional Districts.”,”_id”:”/politics”,”additional_properties”:{“original”:{“parent”:{“AmpNav”:”https://www.ajc.com/”,”default”:”https://www.ajc.com/”,”BottomNav”:null,”TopNavRedesign”:null,”SectionMap”:”https://www.ajc.com/”,”MainMenuRedesign2021″:”https://www.ajc.com/”,”TopNav”:null,”TopicsBar”:null,”ComposerNav”:”https://www.ajc.com/”},”site”:{“site_url”:”https://www.ajc.com/politics/”,”section_comments_enabled”:”Yes”,”site_description”:”Political news with a Georgia focus, including the Georgia Legislature, Congress, White House, presidential elections and Georgia Congressional Districts.”,”site_title”:”AJC Georgia Politics | What’s really going on in politics”},”navigation”:{“nav_title”:”Politics”},”inactive”:false,”node_type”:”section”,”_website”:”ajc”,”name”:”Politics”,”Sponsor”:{“sponsor_url_open_new_tab”:”true”,”sponsor_desktop_banner”:””,”sponsor_mobile_banner”:””,”sponsor_url”:””},”_id”:”/politics”,”ancestors”:{“TopNavRedesign”:[],”SectionMap”:[“https://www.ajc.com/”],”MainMenuRedesign2021″:[“https://www.ajc.com/”],”TopNav”:[],”TopicsBar”:[]},”order”:{“AmpNav”:1022,”default”:1022,”SectionMap”:1094,”MainMenuRedesign2021″:1003,”ComposerNav”:1100}}},”_website_section_id”:”ajc./politics”,”type”:”section”,”version”:”0.6.0″},{“path”:”/politics/georgia-state-legislature”,”parent”:{“default”:”/politics”},”_website”:”ajc”,”parent_id”:”/politics”,”name”:”Legislature”,”description”:”News of the Georgia General Assembly, Georgia Governor and State Government from the AJC, Georgia’s largest team covering the Legislature and issues that matter to taxpayers”,”_id”:”/politics/georgia-state-legislature”,”additional_properties”:{“original”:{“parent”:{“AmpNav”:”/politics”,”default”:”/politics”,”BottomNav”:null,”TopNavRedesign”:null,”SectionMap”:”https://www.ajc.com/”,”MainMenuRedesign2021″:”/politics”,”TopNav”:null,”TopicsBar”:null,”ComposerNav”:”https://www.ajc.com/”},”site”:{“site_url”:”https://www.ajc.com/politics/georgia-state-legislature/”,”section_comments_enabled”:”Yes”,”site_description”:”News of the Georgia General Assembly, Georgia Governor and State Government from the AJC, Georgia’s largest team covering the Legislature and issues that matter to taxpayers”,”site_title”:”Georgia Legislature News”},”navigation”:{“nav_title”:”Legislature”},”inactive”:false,”node_type”:”section”,”_website”:”ajc”,”name”:”Legislature”,”_id”:”/politics/georgia-state-legislature”,”ancestors”:{“TopNavRedesign”:[],”SectionMap”:[“https://www.ajc.com/”],”MainMenuRedesign2021″:[“https://www.ajc.com/”,”/politics”],”TopNav”:[],”TopicsBar”:[]},”order”:{“SectionMap”:1090,”MainMenuRedesign2021″:2003,”ComposerNav”:1104}}},”_website_section_id”:”ajc./politics/georgia-state-legislature”,”type”:”section”,”version”:”0.6.0″}],”primary_section”:{“path”:”/politics”,”name”:”Politics”},”tags”:[{“text”:”politics.ajc”},{“text”:”legislature”},{“text”:”teamsusan”},{“text”:”georgia news”},{“text”:”georgia-news.ajc”},{“text”:”ga-government.ajc”},{“text”:”government and politics”},{“text”:”for-savannah-morning-news”}]},”type”:”story”,”last_updated_date”:”2022-03-25T19:35:05.365Z”,”promo_items”:{“basic”:{“credits”:{“affiliation”:[{“name”:”Alyssa Pointer / Alyssa.Pointer@ajc.com”,”type”:”author”}],”by”:[{“name”:”Alyssa Pointer / Alyssa.Pointer@ajc.com”,”type”:”author”}]},”subtitle”:”LEG SINE DIE”,”width”:5472,”caption”:”Georgia House Speaker David Ralston, R-Blue Ridge, remains optimistic that the mental health legislation he sponsored, House Bill 1013, will pass. “I think there are some people that have legitimate concerns — well-intentioned, good-faith objections,” he said. “Then there are the others for whom their concerns are fact-free, they are outrageous, they are ridiculous.” (Alyssa Pointer / Alyssa.Pointer@ajc.com)”,”type”:”image”,”url”:”https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/BVD55K5275PLCZ3ZY3DTULTNR4.JPG”,”height”:3648}},”canonical_url”:”/politics/bipartisan-bill-to-expand-mental-health-services-in-georgia-finds-ire-on-the-right/2AWFBWKCS5GNFIHO4NZBBM3EA4/”,”_id”:”2AWFBWKCS5GNFIHO4NZBBM3EA4″},{“content_elements”:[{“_id”:”6Q4QFMAERBBWBLAZADKZPPEGUY”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1600444891366},”type”:”text”,”content”:”A group of Georgia voters has filed a challenge to U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s reelection bid, saying her actions leading up to the Jan. 6 Capitol attack should disqualify her from holding office.”},{“_id”:”BW5TA2PITRBFLGL2T74GWHBC2A”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648135248016},”type”:”text”,”content”:”The candidacy challenge appears to be a long shot as far as keeping the Rome Republican off the ballot in Georgia’s 14th Congressional District, but the main goal appears to be compelling her to testify under oath about her actions in the days and weeks leading up to the riot.”},{“_id”:”7QQYL7N4Q5FFDBEPQTJRU27PNM”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648138631265},”type”:”text”,”content”:”Greene has said she had no role in the attack on the Capitol, and no evidence has been published to date by law enforcement or congressional committees linking her to it.”},{“_id”:”XEYB2X2HEBFTBITULJV7TBRJ2E”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648135248017},”type”:”text”,”content”:”The group that filed the challenge, the self-described pro-democracy organization Free Speech For People, and its partners say their goal is to prevent elected officials they believe facilitated the Jan. 6 insurrection from seeking or holding office, including former President Donald Trump.”},{“_id”:”RIBFTQRIX5AUHL3WTUWYKP2NYA”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648135248018},”type”:”text”,”content”:”“It’s rare for any conspirator, let alone a Member of Congress, to publicly admit that the goals of their actions are preventing a peaceful transfer of power and the death of the president-elect and Speaker of the House, but that’s exactly what Marjorie Taylor Greene did,” Free Speech For People Legal Director Ron Fein said in a news release. “The Constitution disqualifies from public office any elected officials who aided the insurrection, and we look forward to asking Representative Greene about her involvement under oath.””},{“_id”:”X7CVJ3HM7RD63I6YQQZ3NHLG2I”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648135686953},”type”:”text”,”content”:”The Georgia secretary of state’s office, when it receives a challenge such as this, sends it to the Georgia office of state administrative hearings to make recommendations on how to proceed. The secretary of state’s office will review the recommendations and decide a course of action.”},{“_id”:”CLKKTQXHKBESTKJN7G4G4UVPTU”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648135248019},”type”:”text”,”content”:”Free Speech For People is also behind a similar challenge filed earlier this year regarding North Carolina U.S. Rep. Madison Cawthorn.”},{“_id”:”J3462LIQQNAVRKNL64OBG2UXCU”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648135248020},”type”:”text”,”content”:”A federal judge prevented that case from proceeding, ruling earlier this month that the provision cited as potentially disqualifying was meant only to apply to members of Congress who fought in the Confederate army and hoped to return to their posts after the Civil War. The judge’s ruling prevented North Carolina’s election board from subpoenaing Cawthorn or investigating the case, but appeals are pending.”},{“_id”:”ZNCCZNLWGVEB7GDDAVYMBB3Q6Y”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648135248021},”type”:”text”,”content”:”Greene said the initial ruling in that case shows the challenge is flimsy and nothing more than a political attack by those who dislike her and her conservative views. She also said she did not have a role in the Capitol riot.”},{“_id”:”SWBAEDI36FGNVABL2OFPWAYKIU”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648135248022},”type”:”text”,”content”:”“I’ve never encouraged political violence and never will,” Greene said.”},{“_id”:”IONV3A2HIZCFTPISV5QEHFY3UY”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648135248023},”type”:”text”,”content”:”The challenge to her candidacy was filed to Georgia’s secretary of state’s office and cites Section 3 of the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which says that no person who was sworn into Congress can remain in that role if they “engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof.””},{“_id”:”AVHW42D7VBBC5DTOXOBBZSGEXY”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648135248024},”type”:”text”,”content”:”This provision of the Constitution has not been used in modern history.”},{“_id”:”ZTCSX55RRNF6JJZPBWOECXUFOA”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648135248025},”type”:”text”,”content”:”Greene was among the lawmakers evacuated from the House chamber after the Capitol was breached and condemned the attacks that day. More recently, however, she has focused more on what she views as mistreatment by the judicial system of the dozens of people charged with participating in the breach. Greene has also spread misinformation and conspiracy theories about what happened on Jan. 6.”},{“_id”:”WIB5T3KC5ZBB3KSUB7UT5NVBIM”,”additional_properties”:{“comments”:[],”_id”:”P2ZF6YTBTJEUZMDSFESQHJ574Y”},”type”:”interstitial_link”,”content”:”Georgia Republicans change their tone about Jan. 6 riot at U.S. Capitol”,”url”:”https://www.ajc.com/politics/georgia-republicans-change-their-tone-about-jan-6-riot-at-us-capitol/3TOIILMUYFFT3E344R36EEHO3I/”}],”display_date”:”2022-03-24T15:58:03.774Z”,”headlines”:{“basic”:”Group hopes to use Constitution’s ban on ‘insurrectionists’ to disqualify Greene”},”first_publish_date”:”2022-03-24T15:58:03.774Z”,”taxonomy”:{“sections”:[{“path”:”/politics”,”parent”:{“default”:”https://www.ajc.com/”},”_website”:”ajc”,”parent_id”:”https://www.ajc.com/”,”name”:”Politics”,”description”:”Political news with a Georgia focus, including the Georgia Legislature, Congress, White House, presidential elections and Georgia Congressional Districts.”,”_id”:”/politics”,”additional_properties”:{“original”:{“parent”:{“AmpNav”:”https://www.ajc.com/”,”default”:”https://www.ajc.com/”,”BottomNav”:null,”TopNavRedesign”:null,”SectionMap”:”https://www.ajc.com/”,”MainMenuRedesign2021″:”https://www.ajc.com/”,”TopNav”:null,”TopicsBar”:null,”ComposerNav”:”https://www.ajc.com/”},”site”:{“site_url”:”https://www.ajc.com/politics/”,”section_comments_enabled”:”Yes”,”site_description”:”Political news with a Georgia focus, including the Georgia Legislature, Congress, White House, presidential elections and Georgia Congressional Districts.”,”site_title”:”AJC Georgia Politics | What’s really going on in politics”},”navigation”:{“nav_title”:”Politics”},”inactive”:false,”node_type”:”section”,”_website”:”ajc”,”name”:”Politics”,”Sponsor”:{“sponsor_url_open_new_tab”:”true”,”sponsor_desktop_banner”:””,”sponsor_mobile_banner”:””,”sponsor_url”:””},”_id”:”/politics”,”ancestors”:{“TopNavRedesign”:[],”SectionMap”:[“https://www.ajc.com/”],”MainMenuRedesign2021″:[“https://www.ajc.com/”],”TopNav”:[],”TopicsBar”:[]},”order”:{“AmpNav”:1022,”default”:1022,”SectionMap”:1094,”MainMenuRedesign2021″:1003,”ComposerNav”:1100}}},”_website_section_id”:”ajc./politics”,”type”:”section”,”version”:”0.6.0″},{“path”:”/news/georgia-news”,”parent”:{“default”:”/news”},”_website”:”ajc”,”parent_id”:”/news”,”name”:”Georgia News”,”description”:”This page does not exist”,”_id”:”/news/georgia-news”,”additional_properties”:{“original”:{“parent”:{“AmpNav”:”/news”,”default”:”/news”,”BottomNav”:null,”TopNavRedesign”:null,”SectionMap”:”https://www.ajc.com/”,”MainMenuRedesign2021″:”/news”,”ComposerNav”:”https://www.ajc.com/”},”site”:{“section_comments_enabled”:”Yes”,”site_description”:”This page does not exist”,”site_title”:”Georgia News”},”navigation”:{“nav_title”:”Georgia News”},”inactive”:false,”node_type”:”section”,”_website”:”ajc”,”name”:”Georgia News”,”_id”:”/news/georgia-news”,”ancestors”:{“AmpNav”:[“https://www.ajc.com/”],”default”:[“https://www.ajc.com/”],”BottomNav”:[],”TopNavRedesign”:[],”SectionMap”:[“https://www.ajc.com/”],”MainMenuRedesign2021″:[“https://www.ajc.com/”,”/news”]},”order”:{“AmpNav”:2012,”default”:2012,”SectionMap”:1153,”MainMenuRedesign2021″:2002,”ComposerNav”:1088}}},”_website_section_id”:”ajc./news/georgia-news”,”type”:”section”,”version”:”0.6.0″}],”primary_section”:{“path”:”/politics”,”name”:”Politics”},”tags”:[{“text”:”politics.ajc”},{“text”:”georgia-news.ajc”},{“text”:”teamsusan”},{“text”:”natworld.ajc”},{“text”:”georgia news”},{“text”:”ga-government.ajc”},{“text”:”government and politics”},{“text”:”news.naviga”}]},”type”:”story”,”last_updated_date”:”2022-03-25T00:00:35.669Z”,”promo_items”:{“basic”:{“credits”:{“by”:[{“name”:”HYOSUB SHIN / AJC”,”type”:”author”}]},”subtitle”:”Election Integrity Town Hall with Rep. 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You are standing up for the Constitutional value of representation.””},{“_id”:”SC3AHNJ3JZGJTN3IZP5OOGNAF4″,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[]},”type”:”text”,”content”:”While public defenders are available to anyone charged by the feds who can’t afford an attorney, there are three federal judicial districts that don’t have an established public defender office.”},{“_id”:”AO7LQA5WSZGLRMHNUTYGTA5PW4″,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[]},”type”:”text”,”content”:”One of those is the Southern District of Georgia.”},{“_id”:”576CK62ITZF7TN7UILGS5M525I”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[]},”type”:”text”,”content”:”“Georgia’s Southern District is probably one of the worst places in America to be poor and charged with a federal crime because of its lack of a federal defender office,” said U.S. Rep. Hank Johnson, D-Lithonia.”},{“_id”:”NNOMYSQYXFAAZHAGFPOLLLGOMM”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[]},”type”:”text”,”content”:”Johnson joined this month with U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff in introducing a bill to establish a federal defender office in southern Georgia, along with eastern Kentucky, and the Northern Mariana Islands in the Pacific.”},{“_id”:”BLZ4SLB3FVAU3OR3LCXBDNBWHY”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[]},”type”:”text”,”content”:”“The Constitution guarantees every American access to a lawyer, but the Southern District of Georgia is one of just three Federal districts that does not offer a Federal defender to Americans who need one,” Ossoff said.”},{“_id”:”RZFCG47ZWJEYZNO4KV7SVEIEPY”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[]},”type”:”text”,”content”:”The Southern District of Georgia might be more easily described as the ‘Eastern’ district — stretching from Augusta down to Dublin and Waycross, and covering the Atlantic coast from Brunswick to Savannah.”},{“_id”:”BQYRFZIT4BHUHJXW6Z4NBVANIY”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[]},”type”:”text”,”content”:”Federal judges can appoint lawyers to serve as public defenders in cases in the Southern District, but it lacks the official organization in the rest of the state, with federal defender offices in Atlanta, Macon, and Columbus.”},{“_id”:”ZHVKQSHKUJBV5BCYOL4D3F7X7I”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[]},”type”:”text”,”content”:”“The lawyers and staff of this office zealously represent individuals who have been charged with federal crimes and who are financially unable to hire their own attorneys,” the Federal Defender Program states for the Middle District of Georgia.”},{“_id”:”KTJOPG6ULVDQ5NMWPBAGVQXXWI”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[]},”type”:”text”,”content”:”That organization — and that focus — is what state Democrats want to see created in the Southern District.”},{“_id”:”2UQJMB7CGJCWJMNPUU24K3B4XM”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[]},”type”:”text”,”content”:”“Every Georgian, regardless of their income, deserves access to legal defense,” said U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock.”},{“_id”:”4E76KM45MFAFJMAM4RPYOY2KMI”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[]},”type”:”text”,”content”:”Legal aid for the poor has long been controversial. President Reagan tried to end funding for the Legal Services Corporation which provides civil aid to low-income Americans. President Trump made that same proposal in four straight budgets — but Congress rejected it each time.”},{“_id”:”QH2AP2Z7YZA25KTNGHEUOVAOGQ”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[]},”type”:”text”,”content”:”On Wednesday morning, Ossoff made sure to mention his public defender bill during his questioning of Judge Jackson.”},{“_id”:”MMY63GKE5JEIDAFSZQCX2LMT6U”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[]},”type”:”text”,”content”:”“I’ll be seeking support from my Republican colleagues,” Ossoff said, “to ensure there is access to counsel for defendants in my state.””},{“_id”:”63MQCJQL7NBBBBP55IFY4IRXQE”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:”K6VAM3XKTZGZFNA2OSTSWTE7A4″},”type”:”text”,”content”:”Jamie Dupree has covered national politics and the Congress from Washington, D.C. since the Reagan administration. His column appears weekly in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. 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Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., speaks during a confirmation hearing for Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, March 23, 2022. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)”,”type”:”image”,”url”:”https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/PULVQF4HZBAJARGYKY45IWQYKQ.jpg”,”height”:3859}},”canonical_url”:”/politics/opinion-democrats-look-to-bolster-justice-in-southern-georgia/MP2NTIZVHZDQ5MNMDEZK5B6ODE/”,”_id”:”MP2NTIZVHZDQ5MNMDEZK5B6ODE”},{“content_elements”:[{“_id”:”D6SWYQWLQVCTPI57J5Q5FVYSGA”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648057753832},”type”:”text”,”content”:”Donald Trump’s rally in Georgia this weekend forces Republicans to confront a question they’ve struggled with for years: How much is the former president’s endorsement worth?”},{“_id”:”XXKWA2GPENE7VNPIMGQHMSYO7Q”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648057753833},”type”:”text”,”content”:”No state will offer a bigger test of Trump’s sway in 2022 than Georgia, where he’s embarked on a yearslong campaign to refashion the state GOP. He’s endorsed seven candidates and promised to defeat Republicans who didn’t help him try to overturn his election defeat.”},{“_id”:”BU5A7O7PB5EHXCXB5AQGIOZKEI”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648057753834},”type”:”text”,”content”:”His attempt to purge Georgia of his perceived Republican enemies ahead of the May 24 primary takes new shape on Saturday when he holds a rally at a dusty northeast Georgia racetrack near Commerce, in the heart of one of the most conservative parts of the state.”},{“_id”:”VPJMLIJQJBBXRE4ZQTR6IGBELI”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648057753835},”type”:”text”,”content”:”Trump will share the stage with Herschel Walker, the front-runner for the party’s U.S. Senate nomination despite mounting questions about his past, and former U.S. Sen. David Perdue, who is racing to gain ground in his primary challenge against Gov. Brian Kemp.”},{“_id”:”6ZRQCYTRZBBCHOWAHO3X4VQPQE”,”additional_properties”:{“comments”:[],”_id”:”YHQHMGT3DBB6TNIZRIO3AMXN5Y”},”type”:”interstitial_link”,”content”:”Live coverage and photos of Trump rally in Commerce, Georgia March 26″,”url”:”https://www.ajc.com/news/live-trump-to-hold-rally-for-georgia-gop-candidates/RDODGT2ZHFD7NC525XY46OZ774/”},{“subtype”:”twitter”,”referent”:{“referent_properties”:{“additional_properties”:{“comments”:[],”_id”:1648345460387}},”provider”:”https://publish.twitter.com/oembed?url=”,”service”:”oembed”,”id”:”https://twitter.com/bluestein/status/1506694343511482369?s=21″,”type”:”twitter”},”_id”:”VTCJ4P3WFVAQ7FUOIBIWSM5KEI”,”raw_oembed”:{“author_name”:”Greg Bluestein”,”cache_age”:”3153600000″,”provider_url”:”https://twitter.com”,”type”:”twitter”,”version”:”1.0″,”url”:”https://twitter.com/bluestein/status/1506694343511482369″,”author_url”:”https://twitter.com/bluestein”,”width”:550,”html”:”

“He’s going to clean things up. He’s going to do a great job.” Donald Trump gives a brief preview of his pro-David Perdue message ahead of his Saturday rally in northeast Georgia for the candidate for governor and six other state contenders he’s endorsed. #gapol pic.twitter.com/jc45icNTZL

— Greg Bluestein (@bluestein) March 23, 2022nn”,”_id”:”https://twitter.com/bluestein/status/1506694343511482369?s=21″,”additional_properties”:{“comments”:[],”_id”:1648345460387},”provider_name”:”Twitter”,”height”:null},”type”:”oembed_response”},{“_id”:”3ZF7EFWBQVHEHPJDRCU3NZJHZ4″,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648057753836},”type”:”text”,”content”:”But Trump will also be surrounded by obscure candidates newly added to his slate, selected in part because they help him damage Kemp, whom Trump blames for his defeat in Georgia. After the 2020 vote, Trump demanded that Kemp overturn his election loss in the state, something the governor has no power to do.”},{“_id”:”BQWW6VUZ7NGZHMFKAY7BJYEE4Q”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648057753837},”type”:”text”,”content”:”They include Vernon Jones, the former Democrat who was persuaded to end his campaign for governor and run for a congressional seat; Patrick Witt, who quit that race for Congress to challenge a Kemp appointee for insurance commissioner; and John Gordon, an unsuccessful state Senate candidate who only recently renewed his law license to compete against Attorney General Chris Carr, another Kemp loyalist.”},{“_id”:”5YEX7LOV75ATPIW7PQJX7QVOCI”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648057753838},”type”:”text”,”content”:”Once, Trump’s endorsement was the closest thing to a lock in Georgia Republican politics. Few know that better than Kemp, who routed a GOP runoff opponent in 2018 after the then-president endorsed him six days before the election.”},{“owner”:{“id”:”ajc”},”address”:{},”imageId”:null,”caption”:”Few have benefited more from an endorsement by Donald Trump than Brian Kemp, left. He routed an opponent in the 2018 GOP primary runoff for governor after the then-president got behind Kemp’s candidacy.”,”source”:{“system”:”photo center”,”edit_url”:””,”additional_properties”:{“editor”:”photo center”}},”type”:”image”,”version”:”0.10.3″,”url”:”https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/7BAGFY73LZGE7FLN36Z72U54MA.jpg”,”usage_instructions”:null,”licensable”:false,”subtitle”:”As runoff nears, Trump complicates GOP case by demanding that Kemp resign”,”ingestImageToAnglerfish”:true,”width”:1066,”photographer”:null,”_id”:”7BAGFY73LZGE7FLN36Z72U54MA”,”additional_properties”:{“fullSizeResizeUrl”:”/resizer/hd5teQnbLbRuGquxyDc7r1FnEt8=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/7BAGFY73LZGE7FLN36Z72U54MA.jpg”,”comments”:[],”keywords”:[],”proxyUrl”:”/resizer/hd5teQnbLbRuGquxyDc7r1FnEt8=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/7BAGFY73LZGE7FLN36Z72U54MA.jpg”,”originalUrl”:”https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/7BAGFY73LZGE7FLN36Z72U54MA.jpg”,”published”:true,”resizeUrl”:”/resizer/hd5teQnbLbRuGquxyDc7r1FnEt8=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/7BAGFY73LZGE7FLN36Z72U54MA.jpg”,”thumbnailResizeUrl”:”/resizer/_BOUMm6bORdu6PoJWF5WWHQV72w=/300×0/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/7BAGFY73LZGE7FLN36Z72U54MA.jpg”,”version”:0,”originalName”:”t_551aa115858c4b1faf8832c72a268244_name_e02505e3d0854f17b85eb3339d1351a7.jpg”,”mime_type”:”image/jpeg”,”restricted”:false,”galleries”:[],”_id”:”5W274SL7KBCV5ARAAQ6JTL3M3U”},”created_date”:”2020-12-30T19:36:29Z”,”last_updated_date”:”2020-12-30T19:36:29Z”,”slug”:”As runoff nears, Trump complicates GOP case by demanding that Kemp resign”,”height”:600},{“_id”:”FKWKA63DZVBTZLS7HJIE2YZ6SU”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648057753840},”type”:”text”,”content”:”But now Trump’s clout is far harder to define — even as more candidates are trying to ride on his coattails. Perdue and other GOP candidates have staked their campaigns on their loyalty to the former president despite signs that his influence is on the wane.”},{“_id”:”KABY6P4HEFAJDFB5XVEKLCYI3U”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648057753841},”type”:”text”,”content”:”“We would have been better off in the runoffs if Trump hadn’t come,” said Martha Zoller, a conservative commentator with close ties to both Kemp and Perdue, referring to his two visits ahead of the 2021 U.S. Senate runoffs that were captured by Democrats.”},{“_id”:”FRV2E5O4FBFXPJZJGS5XUZS26E”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648057753842},”type”:”text”,”content”:”“And he will not be a help to Trump-endorsed candidates when he comes on Saturday,” Zoller said. “He will be negative and backward looking — and that’s not what voters want.””},{“level”:1,”_id”:”DAVPLAG3LVFJFGFRLP4RITKVDI”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648057753843},”type”:”header”,”content”:”‘Blindly follow’ Trump”},{“_id”:”K3O6IOU3JNEL7MRUDMR6J2XPPM”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648057753844},”type”:”text”,”content”:”There are recent polls that back up Zoller’s assessment.”},{“_id”:”64IOUPMXLVG6HKLJYPY3FAADHE”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648057753845},”type”:”text”,”content”:”An Atlanta Journal-Constitution poll in January showed about 42% of Republicans said they’d be more likely to vote for one of his endorsed candidates, while about 15% said they would be less likely. The remaining 43% weren’t quite sure.”},{“_id”:”NFWUJXX5YND2DFU6UALKR5B5EU”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648057753846},”type”:”text”,”content”:”Trump might have also limited his influence by favoring so many candidates, said Chip Lake, a Republican operative. He said Trump’s seal of approval remains coveted, but “with him engaging in so many different races he risks diluting his endorsement.””},{“_id”:”3IXQYEKPINHXLF33DIWIXKUPHY”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648057753847},”type”:”text”,”content”:”Rather than focusing on Walker and Perdue, as some of his allies in the state prefer, he’s reached deep down into Georgia’s ballot to support contenders who only entered the race two weeks ago and have little name recognition or any semblance of a campaign apparatus.”},{“owner”:{“id”:”ajc”},”copyright”:”Ben Gray 2022″,”address”:{“locality”:”Atlanta”,”region”:”Ga”},”caption”:”A consultant to state Senate President Pro Tem Butch Miller, who is running for lieutenant governor in the GOP primary, said internal surveys have shown Donald Trump’s favorability numbers dipping since November. Ben Gray for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution”,”source”:{“system”:”AJC Freelancer”,”name”:”AJC Freelancer”,”edit_url”:””,”source_type”:”wires”,”source_id”:”s3://ajc-arc-photo-integration/Freelancer/POL 030922 QUALIFYING DAY 2 07.JPG”,”additional_properties”:{“editor”:”photo center”}},”taxonomy”:{“associated_tasks”:[“6226a3d549a9f3520aeb5624″],”seo_keywords”:[“AJC Freelancer”]},”type”:”image”,”distributor”:{“mode”:”custom”,”name”:”AJC Freelancer”,”category”:”wires”},”version”:”0.10.3″,”url”:”https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/VZFRY6QOGZNSXEIXMWCKDG5NK4.JPG”,”licensable”:false,”credits”:{“affiliation”:[{“name”:”Ben Gray”,”type”:”author”}],”by”:[{“name”:”Ben Gray”,”type”:”author”}]},”subtype”:”Wires”,”subtitle”:””,”width”:5823,”_id”:”VZFRY6QOGZNSXEIXMWCKDG5NK4″,”additional_properties”:{“fullSizeResizeUrl”:”/resizer/cRXvn-RKavmJTS-cdIT-l0wHEjQ=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/VZFRY6QOGZNSXEIXMWCKDG5NK4.JPG”,”comments”:[],”iptc_job_identifier”:”6226a3d549a9f3520aeb5624″,”keywords”:[“freelance”,”AJC Freelancer”,”AJC”],”proxyUrl”:”/resizer/cRXvn-RKavmJTS-cdIT-l0wHEjQ=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/VZFRY6QOGZNSXEIXMWCKDG5NK4.JPG”,”takenOn”:”2022-03-08T15:34:00Z”,”originalUrl”:”https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/VZFRY6QOGZNSXEIXMWCKDG5NK4.JPG”,”published”:true,”resizeUrl”:”/resizer/cRXvn-RKavmJTS-cdIT-l0wHEjQ=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/VZFRY6QOGZNSXEIXMWCKDG5NK4.JPG”,”thumbnailResizeUrl”:”/resizer/vKhmXdvvyqDnKnyvMVobl5qvq2c=/300×0/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/VZFRY6QOGZNSXEIXMWCKDG5NK4.JPG”,”version”:2,”originalName”:”s3://ajc-arc-photo-integration/Freelancer/POL 030922 QUALIFYING DAY 2 07.JPG”,”mime_type”:”image/jpeg”,”restricted”:false,”galleries”:[{“headlines”:{“basic”:”PHOTOS: Candidates qualify for office — Day 2″},”_id”:”A6J2X67EXRGDTMKLUJNNSXTKB4″}],”_id”:”676TWLGZJFG73NXDK3CVP6B4SA”},”created_date”:”2022-03-08T16:53:18Z”,”last_updated_date”:”2022-03-08T18:38:05Z”,”height”:4040},{“_id”:”KUTRRRKZ7FBP7HOS7TYDC5QXCE”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648057753849},”type”:”text”,”content”:”John Porter is a consultant for state Senate President Pro Tem Butch Miller, who is running for lieutenant governor against a Trump-backed rival, state Sen. Burt Jones. Porter pointed to internal surveys that showed Trump’s favorability rating dipping slightly between November and March.”},{“_id”:”7WTRAPLOQRA3JOATBUNWQDHZVA”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648057753850},”type”:”text”,”content”:”“The percentage of voters who will blindly follow his endorsement is starting to recede, and I don’t think that trend reverses in the next eight weeks,” he said. “Voters are having a hard time keeping track of who Trump has endorsed — especially in down-ballot races where Trump has waded in lately.””},{“level”:1,”_id”:”AWVSLSGQ4ZAVDOZZSZKJVMXTMQ”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648057753851},”type”:”header”,”content”:”‘Golden ticket?’”},{“_id”:”HO5SXNI2NJERXAG7YSC44DJESI”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648057753852},”type”:”text”,”content”:”The legions of Georgia voters inspired by Trump have a different perspective. Interviews with Republicans at Donald Trump Jr.’s rally for Perdue earlier this month found a common thread: They each predicted the former president would be a unifying force.”},{“_id”:”ER6UVXRF7JB3TJ5BQTIV4IR2MU”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648057753853},”type”:”text”,”content”:”“Every chance they get, these candidates should remind us of their support for Trump,” said Carol Bradshaw, a retiree from Dacula who puts loyalty to the former president at the top of her priority list.”},{“_id”:”VJ3TKWTDDJAKDJ6M57V4KZ2S6M”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648072005763},”type”:”text”,”content”:”Burt Jones said he’s hearing from voters “energized by the disaster that’s going on in Washington, at the gas station and at the grocery store“ and worried about rising inflation and economic uncertainty.”},{“_id”:”3QFY6TAHTNG67KCJ6JE3VIGPFA”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648072005764},”type”:”text”,”content”:”“I can only speak for my race — but President Trump’s endorsement has been a huge boost for our campaign,” Jones said. “At every GOP meeting across the state, where there were once 20 or 30 people, there are now 60 and 80 in a room.””},{“_id”:”AULPXOXCNZDG5FQBVHRCFQC2ZI”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648057753854},”type”:”text”,”content”:”The Trump-fueled bickering means more Republican-on-Republican warfare — and less focus on Stacey Abrams, U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock and the other Democrats gearing up for a November run.”},{“owner”:{“sponsored”:false,”id”:”ajc”},”copyright”:”2021 Atlanta Journal-Constitution”,”address”:{“locality”:”Atlanta”,”region”:”GA”},”caption”:”Republican Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan, through his GOP 2.0 group, has rolled out ads this past week criticizing former President Donald Trump. He says Trump’s support is no longer a “golden ticket” but rather a distraction that will weaken the eventual nominee and inevitably help Democrats. 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Gov. Geoff Duncan, who contends that Trump’s support is no longer a “golden ticket” but rather a distraction that will weaken the eventual nominee and inevitably help Democrats.”},{“_id”:”FJMGEBFUBFDBBFQF7OK4WQ26XM”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648057753857},”type”:”text”,”content”:”Through his GOP 2.0 group, Duncan rolled out TV ads this week criticizing the former president and other Republicans who would “rather talk about conspiracy theories and past losses” than other issues on voters’ minds.”},{“_id”:”IMSDDJVA6NCHNPMZMOP5XJM3XM”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648057753858},”type”:”text”,”content”:”Trump, however, offered a reminder this week of how hard that will be. In an email blast, he yanked his endorsement of Alabama U.S. Senate hopeful Mo Brooks, saying the Republican “went woke” by encouraging voters to look beyond the last presidential election.”},{“_id”:”QTNZJSCW4BBB7N25MX26TQFBSE”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648057753859},”type”:”text”,”content”:”The GOP warring has left Democrats with a freer hand to focus on a broader audience.”},{“_id”:”DBO5QRIXGVBGBF5FGISJ445J3Y”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648057753860},”type”:”text”,”content”:”Abrams has built her campaign around a promise to provide better access to health care to hundreds of thousands of Georgians by expanding Medicaid. Warnock has shifted his messaging to crowd-pleasing efforts to lower gas prices and cap the price of insulin.”},{“_id”:”WJ5X5PE3J5HWHLQ7LVMYQOK66Q”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648057753861},”type”:”text”,”content”:”Savannah Mayor Van Johnson, one of the state’s most prominent Democrats, echoed many of his allies by egging on the infighting.”},{“_id”:”SMLGUI7E5BBUVHNO5CUHXYPPJI”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648057753862},”type”:”text”,”content”:”“It’s history as it’s happening: What is the influence of Trump in Georgia and does it add to you or take away from you?” he said, with a chuckle. “I’m going to sit back on the side and eat popcorn and watch it all play out.””},{“owner”:{“id”:”ajc”},”workflow”:{“status_code”:4},”caption”:”Savannah Mayor Van Johnson, one of the state’s most prominent Democrats, has enjoyed watching the infighting between Republicans over loyalty to former President Donald Trump and the 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Jon Ossoff’s questioning of Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson stood in stark contrast to some of the combative interactions she had with Republican members.”},{“_id”:”7C5Y2VLQYFG6VO4XE73DHXJ5U4″,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648063866904},”type”:”text”,”content”:”Ossoff used his time to allow Jackson to explain her philosophy on aspects of the Constitution, such as searches and seizures, press freedoms and the role of public defenders. He also encouraged Jackson to share more of her personal story and the law enforcement and military background of members of her family, including two uncles and a brother who served as police officers.”},{“_id”:”FNLOOABBPJBYVFZ5JQNCFU5W7U”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648063866905},”type”:”text”,”content”:”“I understand the need for law enforcement, the importance of having people who are willing to do that important work, the importance of holding people accountable for their criminal behavior,” Jackson said. “I also, as a lawyer and a citizen, believe very strongly in our Constitution and the rights that make us free. And what that means to me is an understanding that although we need accountability — although there is crime — we also have a society that ensures that people who have been accused of criminal behavior are treated fairly.””},{“_id”:”DNHCPB2IRBDOHFAXX6PBMHASLU”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648063866906},”type”:”text”,”content”:”Jackson, if confirmed, would be the first Black woman to serve on the Supreme Court.”},{“_id”:”DN7TTKKBAVAX7NRTZFZUGLS67I”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648063866907},”type”:”text”,”content”:”Although President Joe Biden pledged as a candidate to name a Black woman to the high court, it would have been much more difficult to do if Republicans had remained in the majority in the Senate. The election of Ossoff and Raphael Warnock in Georgia’s January 2021 runoffs gave Democrats the seats they needed to gain control of the chamber.”},{“_id”:”4IMZWUCPMBA4LD6Q35UWPZXWBA”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648063866908},”type”:”text”,”content”:”Ossoff, as a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, now has a key role in moving Jackson’s nomination to the floor. He and the other members of the committee spent the past two days asking Jackson questions about her philosophy and worldview. Warnock is not a member of the committee, but he attended Wednesday’s meeting.”},{“_id”:”QMJRBUPC5ZDGPFO32RG7CL6IN4″,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648063866909},”type”:”text”,”content”:”Prompted by Ossoff to talk about the rights of the accused to a public defender, a job Jackson once held, she said it was an important role in the judicial process.”},{“_id”:”HDPPYIRN6NA6LNJAVSQ36EMKJE”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648063866910},”type”:”text”,”content”:”“The work of a judge is to look at the facts and circumstances, hear the arguments of the parties, apply the law and make a fair determination,” she said. “And so having lawyers for criminal defendants aids in that process and benefits us all in our criminal justice system.””}],”display_date”:”2022-03-23T19:42:43.876Z”,”headlines”:{“basic”:”Ossoff questions give Supreme Court nominee Jackson a chance to tell more of her story”},”first_publish_date”:”2022-03-23T19:42:43.876Z”,”taxonomy”:{“sections”:[{“path”:”/politics”,”parent”:{“default”:”https://www.ajc.com/”},”_website”:”ajc”,”parent_id”:”https://www.ajc.com/”,”name”:”Politics”,”description”:”Political news with a Georgia focus, including the Georgia Legislature, Congress, White House, presidential elections and Georgia Congressional Districts.”,”_id”:”/politics”,”additional_properties”:{“original”:{“parent”:{“AmpNav”:”https://www.ajc.com/”,”default”:”https://www.ajc.com/”,”BottomNav”:null,”TopNavRedesign”:null,”SectionMap”:”https://www.ajc.com/”,”MainMenuRedesign2021″:”https://www.ajc.com/”,”TopNav”:null,”TopicsBar”:null,”ComposerNav”:”https://www.ajc.com/”},”site”:{“site_url”:”https://www.ajc.com/politics/”,”section_comments_enabled”:”Yes”,”site_description”:”Political news with a Georgia focus, including the Georgia Legislature, Congress, White House, presidential elections and Georgia Congressional Districts.”,”site_title”:”AJC Georgia Politics | What’s really going on in politics”},”navigation”:{“nav_title”:”Politics”},”inactive”:false,”node_type”:”section”,”_website”:”ajc”,”name”:”Politics”,”Sponsor”:{“sponsor_url_open_new_tab”:”true”,”sponsor_desktop_banner”:””,”sponsor_mobile_banner”:””,”sponsor_url”:””},”_id”:”/politics”,”ancestors”:{“TopNavRedesign”:[],”SectionMap”:[“https://www.ajc.com/”],”MainMenuRedesign2021″:[“https://www.ajc.com/”],”TopNav”:[],”TopicsBar”:[]},”order”:{“AmpNav”:1022,”default”:1022,”SectionMap”:1094,”MainMenuRedesign2021″:1003,”ComposerNav”:1100}}},”_website_section_id”:”ajc./politics”,”type”:”section”,”version”:”0.6.0″},{“path”:”/news/georgia-news”,”parent”:{“default”:”/news”},”_website”:”ajc”,”parent_id”:”/news”,”name”:”Georgia News”,”description”:”This page does not exist”,”_id”:”/news/georgia-news”,”additional_properties”:{“original”:{“parent”:{“AmpNav”:”/news”,”default”:”/news”,”BottomNav”:null,”TopNavRedesign”:null,”SectionMap”:”https://www.ajc.com/”,”MainMenuRedesign2021″:”/news”,”ComposerNav”:”https://www.ajc.com/”},”site”:{“section_comments_enabled”:”Yes”,”site_description”:”This page does not exist”,”site_title”:”Georgia News”},”navigation”:{“nav_title”:”Georgia News”},”inactive”:false,”node_type”:”section”,”_website”:”ajc”,”name”:”Georgia News”,”_id”:”/news/georgia-news”,”ancestors”:{“AmpNav”:[“https://www.ajc.com/”],”default”:[“https://www.ajc.com/”],”BottomNav”:[],”TopNavRedesign”:[],”SectionMap”:[“https://www.ajc.com/”],”MainMenuRedesign2021″:[“https://www.ajc.com/”,”/news”]},”order”:{“AmpNav”:2012,”default”:2012,”SectionMap”:1153,”MainMenuRedesign2021″:2002,”ComposerNav”:1088}}},”_website_section_id”:”ajc./news/georgia-news”,”type”:”section”,”version”:”0.6.0″}],”primary_section”:{“path”:”/politics”,”name”:”Politics”},”tags”:[{“text”:”politics.ajc”},{“text”:”georgia-news.ajc”},{“text”:”teamsusan”},{“text”:”natworld.ajc”},{“text”:”georgia news”},{“text”:”ga-government.ajc”},{“text”:”government and politics”}]},”type”:”story”,”last_updated_date”:”2022-03-24T00:30:48.458Z”,”promo_items”:{“basic”:{“credits”:{“by”:[{“name”:”Andrew Harnik”,”type”:”author”}]},”subtitle”:”Supreme Court Nomination”,”width”:5788,”caption”:”U.S. Sen. 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Brian Kemp on Wednesday signed legislation to use more than $1 billion in state surplus funds to provide an income tax refund this year.”},{“_id”:”7LTMLOEQ2FFT5E5TECXROLRATM”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648057588061},”type”:”text”,”content”:”Under House Bill 1302, which received final passage from the Georgia Senate a week ago, single Georgians would be able to receive a $250 refund when they file their taxes, joint filers $500. 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The aid approved in 2020 was supported by members of Congress from both parties.”},{“_id”:”HIFBYGFSHFEPXBH2DQKPKRZ7IM”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648074632646},”type”:”text”,”content”:”Former U.S. Sen. David Perdue, who is running against Kemp in the Republican primary, called the refund an election-year “one-time giveaway” in a tweet after the signing.”},{“_id”:”Q6ZULJM3OJE3FILK2DDCMLMZ3I”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648074632647},”type”:”text”,”content”:”“This is exactly what Georgians hate about politics and career politicians,” Perdue said. “When I’m governor, we won’t play these election-year games — we’ll eliminate the state income tax.””},{“_id”:”USXKWELVFZDVZHCPHI4NJIDQIM”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648074632648},”type”:”text”,”content”:”The state income tax brings in more than half of state revenue to fund schools and universities, pave roads, provide public health care and police highways. 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The clock is ticking for many Georgia bills as the legislative session nears its end.

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Track which bills lawmakers are considering.

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Bills toward the bottom of chart that did not pass one legislative chamber by Crossover Day, which is a key internal deadline for a bill to become law this year. However, lawmakers sometimes get creative and find ways to pass the legislation.

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The odds of passing are based on an Atlanta Journal-Constitution statistical model of recent legislative sessions. The model accounts for a variety of factors, including sponsorship, number of days remaining in the session and progress of the bill.

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The model does not assign probabilities to resolutions proposing a constitutional amendment.

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• What bills to watch on Georgia Crossover Day 2022

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• Complete Georgia Legislature coverage

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Brian Kemp for his signature. The new redistricting map will help Republicans to obtain victories before a single vote is cast in next year’s elections. Miguel Martinez for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution”,”type”:”image”,”url”:”https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/VKEZZQWW5SS6LVDJARD4XYLIQA.JPG”,”height”:3872}},”canonical_url”:”/politics/live-georgia-bill-tracker-2022/VYWVITUALREBTNDHA5SC3KFRIE/”,”_id”:”VYWVITUALREBTNDHA5SC3KFRIE”},{“content_elements”:[{“_id”:”QT6OUOAPWRA7ZPKJFMPSO5KFYM”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648038271022},”type”:”text”,”content”:”Georgia Senate budget writers on Wednesday approved a spending plan for the coming year that would include a $2,000 pay raise for teachers and continue attempts to slow state government turnover.”},{“_id”:”WFXT2R6DDBETDLPEEKN6T2NGQA”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648040582571},”type”:”text”,”content”:”The measure now heads to the full Senate chamber, and then on to negotiations with the House on a final budget. Lawmakers must give approval to the spending plan by the time the session ends April 4.”},{“_id”:”6RNUNXBNCBB7NFYVUNJGDJNZTQ”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648038271023},”type”:”text”,”content”:”State lawmakers would be among those receiving the full $5,000 raises in the upcoming year’s budget. Legislators haven’t gotten an increase on their $17,000 part-time salary in more than a decade.”},{“_id”:”4XUHKNWJVNDMZBRJEOFEBAHT7U”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648038271024},”type”:”text”,”content”:”The $30 billion spending plan for fiscal 2023, which begins July 1, builds on the record midyear budget that Gov. Brian Kemp recently signed into law. “},{“_id”:”NEI5BIMQ35COLENSQDJ3T247K4″,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648038271025},”type”:”text”,”content”:”The midyear budget, which runs through June 30, includes $2,000 bonuses for teachers and school workers, and $5,000 cost-of-living raises for most state and university employees.”},{“_id”:”XGI5HRETI5HYXFO3FP6DHLPE6A”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648038271026},”type”:”text”,”content”:”The budget for the upcoming year would turn the teacher bonus into a raise — meaning it would be built into their future years’ salary — and continue to fund the state employee increases. Some staffers in areas with hard-to-fill jobs, including corrections and mental health agencies, would receive bigger raises.”},{“_id”:”4TUA24HT2BHHDIPUIWJSR3272M”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648038271027},”type”:”text”,”content”:”Private prison operators also would receive more money to give their corrections officers raises under the plan, even though they are not state employees.”},{“_id”:”JWB2SNMO5RAVRJY7OOMVJP7VRE”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648038271028},”type”:”text”,”content”:”The spending proposal calls for a market study to look at what the government needs to pay to attract and retain employees. Some agencies have annual turnover rates over 25%, in part because of low pay. In the state Department of Juvenile Justice, it’s closer to 90%.”},{“_id”:”BJVJJZCIYBH7HJ3RSGLETJ3WV4″,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648038271029},”type”:”text”,”content”:”The Senate plan for the coming year mirrors the House proposal, calling for spending big money on priority areas: improving mental health care, boosting salaries, adding more facilities such as hospital and crisis beds, plus staffers; increasing access; aiding crime fighting; and enhancing schools and public health care programs.”},{“_id”:”ICF4Q2W3JNDSJAVFTT2B3DV3SQ”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648040582579},”type”:”text”,”content”:”“We focused on areas of quality, stewardship and fidelity,” said Senate Appropriations Chairman Blake TIllery, R-Vidalia. “},{“_id”:”6OEVVQFMZRBNHEAHJFCY2Q7HC4″,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648040582580},”type”:”text”,”content”:”Tillery said the Senate plan would add incentives to improve the outcomes of state programs, including $28 million for efforts to improve third-grade reading levels in schools. “We have heard for years that we can look at third-grade reading rates and project how many prisons we will need,” Tillery said. “That is a sobering” thought.”},{“_id”:”66G52RBLWJFSTKBOUYBA4VZGWA”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648040582581},”type”:”text”,”content”:”The Senate plan would include a new pay scale step for state troopers, plus a big boost in staffing of forensic examiners at the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, Tillery said. It would eliminate a House proposal to add DUI and SWAT troopers.”},{“_id”:”SMAUFZ6HNVGTDDHKYU7UFGNB7Y”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648040582582},”type”:”text”,”content”:”It would add money for a summer pilot program to make sure 2,800 children in foster care who are ages 14-18 get to experience college campuses in the same way other high school-age kids do to help them decide their futures. It also would provide more money for local libraries for books and materials.”},{“_id”:”AWIOX7NMYVEVDKLNHFUM35LEGQ”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648040582583},”type”:”text”,”content”:”As the House did, the Senate plan backs Gov. Brian Kemp’s proposal to boost state spending on higher education and would eliminate the “institutional fees” that students have been forced to pay since the Great Recession, when the General Assembly slashed college funding.”},{“_id”:”WAGYZLJV3RDSBF7SXK77GY7Y6U”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648038271032},”type”:”text”,”content”:”While the state midyear budget for the fiscal year ending June 30 saw a massive increase — from about $27 billion to $30 billion — the spending plan for the upcoming year would see a more modest rise.”},{“_id”:”BWTMXZLRKVGQ5D3XG4YT2D2T74″,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648038271033},”type”:”text”,”content”:”State tax collections are running 16% ahead of last year for the first eight months of fiscal 2022, which is good for budget writers who have to make sure they can afford the midyear budget increase. Gains are expected to slow in the coming year.”},{“_id”:”TGLPDTSRRRGP3DFVAO3F3RO6FQ”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648038271034},”type”:”text”,”content”:”The teacher pay raise is particularly important to Kemp, who faces a tough reelection battle this year. Kemp promised during his 2018 campaign that he would give them a $5,000 increase over the course of his first term. He’d previously delivered on $3,000 in 2019, so the new raise would fulfill that promise.”},{“_id”:”6DS422DGAFEMJC3USIN4XAUIVU”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1648038271035},”type”:”text”,”content”:”In total, the state would spend about $950 million more on raises for state, k-12 school and university employees.”}],”display_date”:”2022-03-23T12:48:05.444Z”,”headlines”:{“basic”:”Georgia Senate panel backs upcoming year’s budget with teacher raises”},”first_publish_date”:”2022-03-23T12:48:05.444Z”,”taxonomy”:{“sections”:[{“path”:”/politics”,”parent”:{“default”:”https://www.ajc.com/”},”_website”:”ajc”,”parent_id”:”https://www.ajc.com/”,”name”:”Politics”,”description”:”Political news with a Georgia focus, including the Georgia Legislature, Congress, White House, presidential elections and Georgia Congressional Districts.”,”_id”:”/politics”,”additional_properties”:{“original”:{“parent”:{“AmpNav”:”https://www.ajc.com/”,”default”:”https://www.ajc.com/”,”BottomNav”:null,”TopNavRedesign”:null,”SectionMap”:”https://www.ajc.com/”,”MainMenuRedesign2021″:”https://www.ajc.com/”,”TopNav”:null,”TopicsBar”:null,”ComposerNav”:”https://www.ajc.com/”},”site”:{“site_url”:”https://www.ajc.com/politics/”,”section_comments_enabled”:”Yes”,”site_description”:”Political news with a Georgia focus, including the Georgia Legislature, Congress, White House, presidential elections and Georgia Congressional Districts.”,”site_title”:”AJC Georgia Politics | What’s really going on in politics”},”navigation”:{“nav_title”:”Politics”},”inactive”:false,”node_type”:”section”,”_website”:”ajc”,”name”:”Politics”,”Sponsor”:{“sponsor_url_open_new_tab”:”true”,”sponsor_desktop_banner”:””,”sponsor_mobile_banner”:””,”sponsor_url”:””},”_id”:”/politics”,”ancestors”:{“TopNavRedesign”:[],”SectionMap”:[“https://www.ajc.com/”],”MainMenuRedesign2021″:[“https://www.ajc.com/”],”TopNav”:[],”TopicsBar”:[]},”order”:{“AmpNav”:1022,”default”:1022,”SectionMap”:1094,”MainMenuRedesign2021″:1003,”ComposerNav”:1100}}},”_website_section_id”:”ajc./politics”,”type”:”section”,”version”:”0.6.0″}],”primary_section”:{“path”:”/politics”,”name”:”Politics”},”tags”:[{“text”:”politics.ajc”},{“text”:”teamsusan”},{“text”:”legislature”},{“text”:”georgia news”},{“text”:”georgia-news.ajc”},{“text”:”ga-government.ajc”},{“text”:”government and politics”}]},”type”:”story”,”last_updated_date”:”2022-03-23T17:47:14.786Z”,”promo_items”:{“basic”:{“credits”:{},”subtitle”:”Georgia Senate backs $2.6 billion in spending cuts on party-line vote”,”width”:3643,”caption”:”Senate Appropriations Chairman Blake Tillery, R-Vidalia, said his panel “focused on areas of quality, stewardship and fidelity” in preparing its budget for the state for fiscal 2023. Bob Andres / bandres@ajc.com”,”type”:”image”,”url”:”https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/VK2PWD4RM63GXUEI3UBAEEHTCM.jpg”,”height”:2694}},”canonical_url”:”/politics/georgia-senate-panel-backs-upcoming-years-budget-with-teacher-rasies/O6MYS7K7TNFMVIUPRSPM4734E4/”,”_id”:”O6MYS7K7TNFMVIUPRSPM4734E4″},{“content_elements”:[{“_id”:”Q4EIW5OYHBD3DJZ7AOWL4LH6UQ”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1647977081686},”type”:”text”,”content”:”Once you jump down a rabbit hole, it’s hard to climb back out. And that’s where Georgia Republicans find themselves right now, with the state government still in GOP control, but extremism and misinformation inside the party threatening to change all that.”},{“_id”:”H7DTFOOTTFCRLDHJ5EJYEDR6ZY”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1647977081687},”type”:”text”,”content”:”It’s manifesting itself from the campaign trail to the General Assembly and the result could be the party that swept to power in 2002 for connecting best with average Georgians, getting swept back out for losing touch, not just with average Georgians, but with reality.”},{“_id”:”XCHCUHDH55BCHFLG2INX6YF6J4″,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1647977081688},”type”:”text”,”content”:”Former state Rep. Josh Clark is running for U.S. Senate against Herschel Walker and three other Republicans in the May primary contest. But after a quiet start to his campaign, he announced this week that he’ll give away one AR-15 per week through the election, for a total of seven of “America’s modern muskets” as Clark calls them.”},{“_id”:”ELYSO5ADZBHRFOQ6AIE5E6IXII”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1647977081689},”type”:”text”,”content”:”That’s six more than U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene gave away with her own her “Shall not be infringed” raffle earlier this month.”},{“_id”:”62YK3QFRRBFS7DNQSBDLAVQHVE”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1647977081690},”type”:”text”,”content”:”In Clark’s fundraising appeal, the candidate makes the case that having an AR-15 at home will allow peace-loving armed patriots “to step up and defend their family, their neighbor, their community and their country.””},{“_id”:”6QROUFEIVZDJBMHO7RYTQUWO64″,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1647977081691},”type”:”text”,”content”:”Americans have to be “equipped and ready” to protect their families against all enemies, foreign and domestic, Clark says in a video that includes him showing his children the proper technique to shoot an AR-15. Is he talking about a Red Dawn, Russian invasion? About his own county commissioner?”},{“_id”:”CGQL2E6TMZDPFBRDEIAODPZNBQ”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1647977081692},”type”:”text”,”content”:”I spoke with Clark as he was on his campaign’s 45-foot bus driving between events.”},{“_id”:”MKON7VRSW5BKLCYLIURT3J5NFM”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1647986285509},”type”:”text”,”content”:”He said the Russian invasion in Ukraine shows you can’t take anything for granted, even here. “It’s easy for us to assume, since we’ve been so blessed in this country, that an external threat wouldn’t happen,” he said.”},{“_id”:”IS2ZPPSXRNAGNKECQFDIBDCOPQ”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1647986285510},”type”:”text”,”content”:”I asked if he was anticipating arming against an American threat or government when he including domestic threats in his campaign materials. “In the Civil War, the North had to defend the Union,” he said. “And, God forbid anything like that should ever happen again, I think best way is to make sure we as Americans are always equipped and ready to defend freedom and liberty.””},{“_id”:”MLXKXKHBK5BEDCEULZTQFZUPYQ”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1647986285511},”type”:”text”,”content”:”It’s startling for a candidate for U.S. Senate and former state representative to roll out his 7-gun giveaway, draped in the language of tyranny, and mostly shoulder shrugs in the party, but that’s exactly where they are today.”},{“_id”:”D7B2YVZBPZAZXPKOWI2THABB54″,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1647977081693},”type”:”text”,”content”:”It’s a long way from the media hysteria that came with then-candidate Kemp just cleaning a gun near a teenaged actor in his campaign ad four years ago, but the GOP in Georgia has changed significantly since then.”},{“_id”:”LOBUTWNZLZHLNG7RE2A2BDPEVE”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1647977081694},”type”:”text”,”content”:”Clark is highly unlikely to make a dent in Herschel Walker’s huge lead in the GOP Senate primary, but just having on the GOP ballot tells Georgia voters this is part of the party now.”},{“_id”:”DX3GFCXU6ZH7TH4SZ4OIVGIDXY”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[{“pos”:98,”comment”:”as”}],”comments”:[],”_id”:1647977081695},”type”:”text”,”content”:”More direct primary pressure is on display now at the General Assembly where Clark used to serve. A bill from GOP House Speaker David Ralston to expand Georgians’ access to mental health care sailed through the House but has hit the brakes in the state Senate, where a Senate committee has been considering the Mental Health Parity Act for the last week.”},{“_id”:”P5XTJ3I3ZBAJHMT3VJPIZ5PZKE”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1647977081696},”type”:”text”,”content”:”The bill is before the state Senate health committee, which has already passed several smaller bills related to mental health that could be incorporated into a final package.”},{“_id”:”3FGMS5BFG5DPLDJFKUYNHDTNJ4″,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1647977081697},”type”:”text”,”content”:”But a coordinated, far-right campaign has also inundated the senators who would vote on the bill with cut-and-paste mass emails that include misinformation about it.”},{“_id”:”JBMDNSHGG5A3HF222SYONGOX3Y”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1647977081698},”type”:”text”,”content”:”The anti-vaccine group Stand for Health Freedom claims a provision of the bill to cancel nursing students’ loans is really a “Trojan horse” to hide tax increases. The group has mostly done work in Canada and New Jersey but has inundated Georgia lawmakers with hundreds of form emails in the last few weeks.”},{“_id”:”7BTJO66FOJBZXMCKQ37UKGAS4U”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1647977081699},”type”:”text”,”content”:”Atlanta-based Truth in Education falsely claimed that the bill would allow child predators to avoid jail time for their crimes and receive therapy instead. That led some activists to call the bill, the truly disturbing, “Pedophilia Protection Act.” (The bill’s sponsors said it does not change the criminal code in any way.)”},{“_id”:”X5RIPDXAPBBYROVNQ3WODEBVKY”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1647977081700},”type”:”text”,”content”:”Before focusing on the mental health bill, Truth in Education was active in pushing for bills in the Georgia Capitol to ban Critical Race Theory and the teaching of divisive concepts in schools.”},{“_id”:”XNGFQ67P7VCMLAQNYEKJE76O64″,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1647977081701},”type”:”text”,”content”:”I reached one activist in Savannah, who spoke against the bill on social media. When I asked her why she opposes the legislation, she said that “people in the military should not have to take those injections.””},{“_id”:”3UGG4YUUVNAMXBTSQVBKGVKIT4″,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1647977081702},”type”:”text”,”content”:”The injections, of course, were the COVID vaccine, and the connection in her mind was that it all represents government overreach. Some people do need mental health services, she said, but many “need to turn off the television and go out in the sunshine.””},{“_id”:”BO2WKQ25OBCPXEUHB4OWVGZZNA”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1647977081703},”type”:”text”,”content”:”Neither COVID vaccines nor mandatory school clinics nor any of the other concerns I heard from activists are in the legislation they’re protesting. But they believe the information they’re getting.”},{“_id”:”OT33B43HF5BAHKOSZQMDBM6C2U”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1647977081704},”type”:”text”,”content”:”That Republicans are having to fight misinformation from their own constituents instead of debating the complex issues inside the bill is just another signpost of where Republicans have arrived after years of trying to win with the votes of far-right extremists and misinformation peddlers, without also calling them out when they’ve gone too far.”},{“_id”:”SXR4TK7QDRBORFMTBSZW3MHGEA”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1647977081705},”type”:”text”,”content”:”Nothing could better demonstrate the GOP’s dilemma in Georgia than Donald Trump’s visit to Georgia Saturday, when he’ll campaign against a slate of sitting Republicans, including Gov. Brian Kemp, in favor of his own picks.”},{“_id”:”NF4OAKFG5JG4THGEANDKMLPXFI”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1647977081706},”type”:”text”,”content”:”Kemp’s offense against the former president is obvious — refusing to go along with Trump’s relentless attempt to overturn the Georgia election. But what the rest of the not-Trump slate did wrong isn’t so clear, other than being allies of Kemp’s.”},{“_id”:”CTUJAIMMQBEH7DUVXOGTDHHTKE”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1647977081707},”type”:”text”,”content”:”What did Insurance Commissioner John King, do to offend Trump other than get appointed by Kemp?”},{“_id”:”I4F3HKE4INGQNMG23RVSKP2PX4″,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1647977081708},”type”:”text”,”content”:”King is now facing Trump-endorsed Patrick Witt, a former lawyer for the Trump legal challenge in Georgia and a last-minute GOP candidate for insurance commissioner.”},{“_id”:”NFYUCXPPUZAC5FI3ZLOUSL3ABM”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1647977081709},”type”:”text”,”content”:”On Monday, Witt came out against Ralston’s HB 1013, too, saying the bill requires new insurance mandates, which Witt said would “require us to pay for whatever the radical leftists at the World Health Organization tell us to.””},{“_id”:”6E2OOWCTVREYRGP2D4T7KP4NEM”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1647977081710},”type”:”text”,”content”:”Will GOP senators vote for a bill that could help many of their constituents, even if a damaging conspiracy theory about the bill is out there, too?”},{“_id”:”WEYR4QK7M5HCFO2P5ECYBNNYLU”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1647977081711},”type”:”text”,”content”:”Welcome to life in Georgia’s Republican Party in 2022.”}],”display_date”:”2022-03-22T20:09:37.514Z”,”headlines”:{“basic”:”OPINION: ‘Modern muskets’ and misinformation are eating the GOP alive “},”first_publish_date”:”2022-03-22T20:09:37.514Z”,”taxonomy”:{“sections”:[{“path”:”/politics”,”parent”:{“default”:”https://www.ajc.com/”},”_website”:”ajc”,”parent_id”:”https://www.ajc.com/”,”name”:”Politics”,”description”:”Political news with a Georgia focus, including the Georgia Legislature, Congress, White House, presidential elections and Georgia Congressional Districts.”,”_id”:”/politics”,”additional_properties”:{“original”:{“parent”:{“AmpNav”:”https://www.ajc.com/”,”default”:”https://www.ajc.com/”,”BottomNav”:null,”TopNavRedesign”:null,”SectionMap”:”https://www.ajc.com/”,”MainMenuRedesign2021″:”https://www.ajc.com/”,”TopNav”:null,”TopicsBar”:null,”ComposerNav”:”https://www.ajc.com/”},”site”:{“site_url”:”https://www.ajc.com/politics/”,”section_comments_enabled”:”Yes”,”site_description”:”Political news with a Georgia focus, including the Georgia Legislature, Congress, White House, presidential elections and Georgia Congressional Districts.”,”site_title”:”AJC Georgia Politics | What’s really going on in politics”},”navigation”:{“nav_title”:”Politics”},”inactive”:false,”node_type”:”section”,”_website”:”ajc”,”name”:”Politics”,”Sponsor”:{“sponsor_url_open_new_tab”:”true”,”sponsor_desktop_banner”:””,”sponsor_mobile_banner”:””,”sponsor_url”:””},”_id”:”/politics”,”ancestors”:{“TopNavRedesign”:[],”SectionMap”:[“https://www.ajc.com/”],”MainMenuRedesign2021″:[“https://www.ajc.com/”],”TopNav”:[],”TopicsBar”:[]},”order”:{“AmpNav”:1022,”default”:1022,”SectionMap”:1094,”MainMenuRedesign2021″:1003,”ComposerNav”:1100}}},”_website_section_id”:”ajc./politics”,”type”:”section”,”version”:”0.6.0″}],”primary_section”:{“path”:”/politics”,”name”:”Politics”},”tags”:[{“text”:”Patricia Murphy”},{“text”:”politics.ajc”},{“text”:”teamsusan”}]},”type”:”story”,”last_updated_date”:”2022-03-23T10:29:20.391Z”,”promo_items”:{“basic”:{“credits”:{“by”:[{“name”:”HYOSUB SHIN / AJC”,”type”:”author”}]},”subtitle”:”Trump supporters gather for protests in downtown Atlanta”,”width”:6048,”caption”:”November 21, 2020 Atlanta – Pro-Trump protesters, some with flags and signs, attend a rally against the results of the U.S. presidential election outside the Georgia State Capitol on Saturday, November 21, 2020. Several different groups converged at the Capitol for a rally to show support for and against President Donald Trump. (Photo: Hyosub Shin / Hyosub.Shin@ajc.com)”,”type”:”image”,”url”:”https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/G63PAVLIYBGXIJC2KGKRZIO2C4.JPG”,”height”:4024}},”canonical_url”:”/politics/opinion-modern-muskets-and-misinformation-are-eating-the-gop-alive/TXA7LGMYGFBDNMMRQ35DN6IUOU/”,”_id”:”TXA7LGMYGFBDNMMRQ35DN6IUOU”},{“content_elements”:[{“_id”:”PNATRYRAXJDRBA3CGFGLOUYNLA”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1647892861747},”type”:”text”,”content”:”An unlikely Senate duo — a conservative South Georgia farmer running for higher office and a liberal Atlanta preacher — have teamed up to help cannabis farmers with a bill allowing more hemp products in a state where marijuana remains illegal.”},{“_id”:”KL6TNW47BVHGPMVD47R2WFDNKY”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1647892861748},”type”:”text”,”content”:”Few people initially noticed their bill would have authorized a hemp derivative called Delta-8 THC, a product already sold in stores that gives users a recreational high. Retailers are selling Delta-8 under a federal hemp law that doesn’t specifically ban it.”},{“_id”:”OBVQCXIXNVGBBJYDP2DDCRUTJA”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1647898752013},”type”:”text”,”content”:”The Georgia bill got as far as the floor of the state Senate before opponents killed it.”},{“_id”:”6GNPUY3XP5DDBAA2I7GO6YNTPA”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1647892861750},”type”:”text”,”content”:”No one mentioned Delta-8 when the bill was debated, nor did the legislation’s broad language make the change clear.”},{“owner”:{“sponsored”:false,”id”:”ajc”},”address”:{},”syndication”:{},”caption”:”Delta-8 THC is sold in stores such as the Georgia Hemp Co., but its legality isn’t spelled out in state law.”,”source”:{“system”:”photo center”,”name”:”AJC”,”edit_url”:””,”source_type”:”staff”,”additional_properties”:{“editor”:”photo center”}},”taxonomy”:{“associated_tasks”:[]},”type”:”image”,”distributor”:{“mode”:”reference”,”reference_id”:”8aec2b8c-455c-4816-903d-79fc8fdf8019″},”version”:”0.10.3″,”url”:”https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/ODLWBDBVJ5CP3EBU4UYGFOU6V4.jpg”,”licensable”:false,”credits”:{“affiliation”:[],”by”:[{“name”:”Georgia Hemp Company”,”type”:”author”,”byline”:”Georgia Hemp Company”}]},”subtitle”:”Georgia Senate almost authorized Delta-8 THC without realizing it”,”width”:1024,”_id”:”ODLWBDBVJ5CP3EBU4UYGFOU6V4″,”additional_properties”:{“fullSizeResizeUrl”:”/resizer/VcFJL6EIwK3Lu0eY8wyQ5Wa3Mz0=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/ODLWBDBVJ5CP3EBU4UYGFOU6V4.jpg”,”owner”:”mark.niesse@ajc.com”,”comments”:[],”keywords”:[“”],”proxyUrl”:”/resizer/VcFJL6EIwK3Lu0eY8wyQ5Wa3Mz0=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/ODLWBDBVJ5CP3EBU4UYGFOU6V4.jpg”,”takenOn”:”2021-04-10T13:51:06Z”,”originalUrl”:”https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/ODLWBDBVJ5CP3EBU4UYGFOU6V4.jpg”,”published”:true,”resizeUrl”:”/resizer/VcFJL6EIwK3Lu0eY8wyQ5Wa3Mz0=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/ODLWBDBVJ5CP3EBU4UYGFOU6V4.jpg”,”ingestionMethod”:”manual”,”thumbnailResizeUrl”:”/resizer/9TX9JZx4rW1UfWUlekFNfu7qLE8=/300×0/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/ODLWBDBVJ5CP3EBU4UYGFOU6V4.jpg”,”version”:0,”originalName”:”georgia hemp company delta 8 gummies.jpg”,”mime_type”:”image/jpeg”,”restricted”:false,”template_id”:594,”galleries”:[],”_id”:”2WSWBUFQQVEWDIZMUEXAFCJV54″},”created_date”:”2022-03-21T20:27:30Z”,”last_updated_date”:”2022-03-21T20:27:30Z”,”height”:684,”image_type”:”photograph”},{“_id”:”DU33FK2E3JC2DL2MKV6BIDBFVY”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1647892861751},”type”:”text”,”content”:”State Sen. Tyler Harper, a Republican from Ocilla, said he supported the bill’s attempt to promote Georgia’s fledgling hemp farming industry. The cannabis plant is primarily used to create CBD oil, a popular product used for anxiety and sleeplessness that can contain trace amounts of THC, the compound that gives marijuana users a high.”},{“_id”:”6TPUL47BWRGDRDIOPTTV4QLMJU”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1647892861752},”type”:”text”,”content”:”“What we were doing is trying to find a way to clarify the law as best we can as long as it’s within the federal limits of less than 0.3% THC,” said Harper, a candidate for agriculture commissioner. “We tried to cross the divide that’s so often seen in national media” between Republicans and Democrats.”},{“_id”:”XXW4CQD2HRDGFDIXC4ESJIU5KU”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1647892861753},”type”:”text”,”content”:”His Democratic colleague on the bill, state Sen. Kim Jackson, said she had hoped for bipartisan agreement on a bill that promotes agriculture, one of Georgia’s top industries.”},{“_id”:”TTASRO6UFFCMVAK4CLHTGQPSOM”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1647892861754},”type”:”text”,”content”:”Prosecutors in Gwinnett County have threatened to treat Delta-8 as an illegal substance, but a judge last week issued a restraining order.”},{“_id”:”EBBCD5ZSVRH6BKZKGTYWPAM5WI”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1647892861755},”type”:”text”,”content”:”“When it came to our attention that there could be prosecutions of Delta-8, we felt it was important to make it explicit that Delta-8 is not illegal,” said Jackson, a Democrat from Stone Mountain. “I’m not opposed to a full hearing on it. I objected to the idea of killing the entire bill.””},{“owner”:{“id”:”ajc”},”workflow”:{“status_code”:4},”caption”:”State Sen. Tyler Harper, a Republican from Ocilla now running to become agriculture commissioner, said he was trying to promote Georgia’s fledgling hemp farming industry when he supported a bill that would have authorized the sale of a hemp derivative called Delta-8 THC that gives recreational users a high. Retailers are selling the compound, which isn’t as potent as marijuana, through a federal hemp law that doesn’t specifically ban it. (ALYSSA POINTER / ALYSSA.POINTER@AJC.COM)”,”source”:{“system”:”Methode”,”source_type”:”other”,”source_id”:”6e6ee9c4-b4ba-11ea-9ada-39014dfe7ad9″,”additional_properties”:{“editor”:”photo center”}},”type”:”image”,”distributor”:{“mode”:”reference”,”reference_id”:”8aec2b8c-455c-4816-903d-79fc8fdf8019″},”version”:”0.10.3″,”url”:”https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/73K25TM5LUTPFLNG227P5EYLGQ.jpg”,”licensable”:false,”display_date”:”2020-06-22T21:07:04Z”,”credits”:{},”subtitle”:”Hemp farming bill passes that would empower police, raise fees”,”width”:2048,”first_publish_date”:”2020-06-22T21:07:04Z”,”_id”:”73K25TM5LUTPFLNG227P5EYLGQ”,”additional_properties”:{“fullSizeResizeUrl”:”/resizer/G6J6HOgyHT043vuD6juDMkE3J-c=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/73K25TM5LUTPFLNG227P5EYLGQ.jpg”,”comments”:[],”proxyUrl”:”/resizer/G6J6HOgyHT043vuD6juDMkE3J-c=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/73K25TM5LUTPFLNG227P5EYLGQ.jpg”,”takenOn”:”2020-06-22T21:07:04Z”,”originalUrl”:”https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/73K25TM5LUTPFLNG227P5EYLGQ.jpg”,”published”:true,”resizeUrl”:”/resizer/G6J6HOgyHT043vuD6juDMkE3J-c=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/73K25TM5LUTPFLNG227P5EYLGQ.jpg”,”thumbnailResizeUrl”:”/resizer/YTfE3VvWILysXiynBLUcOTNwugM=/300×0/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/73K25TM5LUTPFLNG227P5EYLGQ.jpg”,”version”:0,”originalName”:”https://www.ajc.com//rw/Pub/p11/AJC/2020/06/22/Images/newsEngin.25878652_062320-leg-photo_AP9.jpg”,”mime_type”:”image/jpeg”,”restricted”:false,”galleries”:[],”_id”:”S2DYW3ZJK5BTVOV7V2C4DXUJB4″},”created_date”:”2020-06-30T02:51:00Z”,”last_updated_date”:”2020-06-30T02:51:00Z”,”publish_date”:”2020-06-22T21:07:04Z”,”height”:1367},{“_id”:”6456BWZRB5DN7H7C5NKJ4SC6RI”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1647892861756},”type”:”text”,”content”:”Hemp farming began in Georgia two years ago as a result of a state law that followed the 2018 Farm Bill, a federal law that legalized hemp farming and distribution while maintaining a ban on traditional marijuana, Delta-9 THC.”},{“_id”:”BS6IU3ZF6ZBIJPMQQR5NJ7UP2U”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1647892861757},”type”:”text”,”content”:”Because the Farm Bill made no mention of Delta-8 THC, which isn’t as strong as marijuana and has a slightly different chemical structure, companies began manufacturing and selling it.”},{“_id”:”VC4JMODDFJEFVPGLTZVZYZSUQI”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1647892861758},”type”:”text”,”content”:”At the Georgia Hemp Co., which has three stores in metro Atlanta, almost all its Delta-8 products come from other states rather than from Georgia farmers, co-owner Joe Salome said.”},{“_id”:”5EL6TNRR3VGMTGQZOB3HS7FQEQ”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1647892861759},”type”:”text”,”content”:”“Some folks like me are moving ahead without waiting” on a new Georgia cannabis law, Salome said. “We need to open up, not limit, but open up the opportunity for farmers to farm a product that people want.””},{“_id”:”QYM4QKLOERFILFEPGAUVSGQPBM”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1647892861760},”type”:”text”,”content”:”The Georgia hemp legislation, Senate Bill 481, started as a proposal to allow hemp farming by Georgians who are currently barred because they had been convicted of a felony. The bill would have allowed hemp farming licenses to be issued to individuals as long as they haven’t been convicted of a felony related to a federally controlled substance within the previous 10 years.”},{“_id”:”CRK4ID3OM5C3NAX4J6CKQDXEAU”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1647892861761},”type”:”text”,”content”:”The legislation cleared the Senate Agriculture Committee, and then Harper introduced a new version of the measure in the Senate Rules Committee that included a seemingly innocuous line that would have given the go-ahead to Delta-8 legalization:”},{“_id”:”BHJK5YZVXREPTPMQD5RTUPUDCA”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1647892861762},”type”:”text”,”content”:”“Hemp products shall not be considered controlled substances due to the presence of hemp or hemp derived cannabinoids,” the substitute bill stated.”},{“owner”:{“sponsored”:false,”id”:”ajc”},”copyright”:”2022 Atlanta Journal-Constitution”,”address”:{“locality”:”Atlanta”,”region”:”GA”},”caption”:”State Sen. Kim Jackson, a Democrat from Stone Mountain, said she backed a bill that would have allowed the sale of the cannabis product Delta-8 THC in response to threats by prosecutors in Gwinnett County to treat it as an illegal substance. “We felt it was important to make it explicit that Delta-8 is not illegal,” Jackson said. (Hyosub Shin / Hyosub.Shin@ajc.com)”,”source”:{“system”:”AJC Freelancer”,”name”:”AJC Freelancer”,”edit_url”:””,”source_type”:”wires”,”source_id”:”s3://ajc-arc-photo-integration/Freelancer/022522 TRANS SPORTS HS14.jpg”,”additional_properties”:{“editor”:”photo center”}},”taxonomy”:{“associated_tasks”:[“62169117fea3801056f9f06f”],”seo_keywords”:[“AJC Freelancer”]},”type”:”image”,”distributor”:{“mode”:”custom”,”name”:”AJC Freelancer”,”category”:”wires”},”version”:”0.10.3″,”url”:”https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/TJNOWMI5D6C53UCNZJRZ4QYWHY.jpg”,”geo”:{},”licensable”:false,”credits”:{“by”:[{“name”:”HYOSUB SHIN / AJC”,”type”:”author”}]},”subtype”:”Wires”,”subtitle”:”Georgia Senate passes bill limiting school sports to transgender children”,”width”:5917,”_id”:”TJNOWMI5D6C53UCNZJRZ4QYWHY”,”additional_properties”:{“fullSizeResizeUrl”:”/resizer/bgPhXP5J4se5fdrCqiCe2s2GT0o=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/TJNOWMI5D6C53UCNZJRZ4QYWHY.jpg”,”iptc_source”:”AJC”,”comments”:[],”iptc_job_identifier”:”62169117fea3801056f9f06f”,”keywords”:[“ban”,”school”,”sports”,”transgender”,”AJC Freelancer”],”proxyUrl”:”/resizer/bgPhXP5J4se5fdrCqiCe2s2GT0o=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/TJNOWMI5D6C53UCNZJRZ4QYWHY.jpg”,”takenOn”:”2022-02-24T18:06:08Z”,”originalUrl”:”https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/TJNOWMI5D6C53UCNZJRZ4QYWHY.jpg”,”published”:true,”resizeUrl”:”/resizer/bgPhXP5J4se5fdrCqiCe2s2GT0o=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/TJNOWMI5D6C53UCNZJRZ4QYWHY.jpg”,”thumbnailResizeUrl”:”/resizer/iUe_HZYl5UmYpMs1-2o-UdJZ_nY=/300×0/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/TJNOWMI5D6C53UCNZJRZ4QYWHY.jpg”,”version”:2,”originalName”:”s3://ajc-arc-photo-integration/Freelancer/022522 TRANS SPORTS HS14.jpg”,”mime_type”:”image/jpeg”,”restricted”:false,”galleries”:[],”_id”:”XIFTY5ERZRDGTGNJKGON2K3P7Q”,”iptc_title”:”staff”},”created_date”:”2022-02-24T20:01:19Z”,”last_updated_date”:”2022-03-21T20:42:39Z”,”slug”:”AAJC 022522 TRANS SPORTS”,”height”:3924,”image_type”:”photograph”},{“_id”:”JMSGG47B5FGYLNENMRDJZMB5FI”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1647892861763},”type”:”text”,”content”:”When the measure came up for debate on the Senate floor March 9, Agriculture Chairman Larry Walker said he had voted for it in the Rules Committee “not understanding everything that’s in the bill.””},{“_id”:”B5KBMUFRUBCO7BGG7LJMVHTM5M”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1647892861764},”type”:”text”,”content”:”“That’s on me. It slipped by me,” said Walker, a Republican from Perry.”},{“_id”:”ESMK2PT7MZFCXCJ6VDTWSUN3AU”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1647892861765},”type”:”text”,”content”:”Then the Senate voted 28-20 along party lines to recommit the bill to Walker’s committee, likely ending its chances of passing this year.”},{“_id”:”JETUXZ2WENAJNIQN2TDVZYX7FU”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1647892861766},”type”:”text”,”content”:”Legislators can study the issue before next year’s legislative session and then reconsider it, said Harper, who will no longer be in the Senate in 2023. Harper has no opponent in the May 24 Republican primary for agriculture commissioner. Three Democrats and a Libertarian are also in this year’s race.”},{“_id”:”T6UYKYMQF5AYNINFA5KZ2U2U44″,”additional_properties”:{“comments”:[],”_id”:”VYTJRVGQRVA6RCAAG3XJWWL5TI”},”type”:”divider”},{“level”:1,”_id”:”DHOGFTEV6NB5PDMLHEP6WQHMEQ”,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:”QVFZCDC7VRHW7NBA6XXHOR6NZY”},”type”:”header”,”content”:”Visit ajc.com”},{“_id”:”VI4IGUTNXJE4VEW7FEBFVNUVN4″,”additional_properties”:{“inline_comments”:[],”comments”:[],”_id”:1647986360305},”type”:”text”,”content”:”Want more politics news? Get the latest news and in-depth coverage from the Georgia Legislature, political campaigns, and state issues on ajc.com/politics.”}],”display_date”:”2022-03-22T12:00:00Z”,”headlines”:{“basic”:”Georgia Senate almost voted on cannabis product without realizing it”},”first_publish_date”:”2022-03-22T12:00:03.493Z”,”taxonomy”:{“sections”:[{“path”:”/politics”,”parent”:{“default”:”https://www.ajc.com/”},”_website”:”ajc”,”parent_id”:”https://www.ajc.com/”,”name”:”Politics”,”description”:”Political news with a Georgia focus, including the Georgia Legislature, Congress, White House, presidential elections and Georgia Congressional Districts.”,”_id”:”/politics”,”additional_properties”:{“original”:{“parent”:{“AmpNav”:”https://www.ajc.com/”,”default”:”https://www.ajc.com/”,”BottomNav”:null,”TopNavRedesign”:null,”SectionMap”:”https://www.ajc.com/”,”MainMenuRedesign2021″:”https://www.ajc.com/”,”TopNav”:null,”TopicsBar”:null,”ComposerNav”:”https://www.ajc.com/”},”site”:{“site_url”:”https://www.ajc.com/politics/”,”section_comments_enabled”:”Yes”,”site_description”:”Political news with a Georgia focus, including the Georgia Legislature, Congress, White House, presidential elections and Georgia Congressional Districts.”,”site_title”:”AJC Georgia Politics | What’s really going on in politics”},”navigation”:{“nav_title”:”Politics”},”inactive”:false,”node_type”:”section”,”_website”:”ajc”,”name”:”Politics”,”Sponsor”:{“sponsor_url_open_new_tab”:”true”,”sponsor_desktop_banner”:””,”sponsor_mobile_banner”:””,”sponsor_url”:””},”_id”:”/politics”,”ancestors”:{“TopNavRedesign”:[],”SectionMap”:[“https://www.ajc.com/”],”MainMenuRedesign2021″:[“https://www.ajc.com/”],”TopNav”:[],”TopicsBar”:[]},”order”:{“AmpNav”:1022,”default”:1022,”SectionMap”:1094,”MainMenuRedesign2021″:1003,”ComposerNav”:1100}}},”_website_section_id”:”ajc./politics”,”type”:”section”,”version”:”0.6.0″}],”primary_section”:{“path”:”/politics”,”name”:”Politics”},”tags”:[{“text”:”politics.ajc”},{“text”:”legislature”},{“text”:”teamsusan”}]},”type”:”story”,”last_updated_date”:”2022-03-22T21:59:27.950Z”,”promo_items”:{“basic”:{“promo_image”:{“url”:”https://d1fegwn2wjh0cs.cloudfront.net/03-22-2022/t_ef774ad294674db8a8e5ba49605ac79b_name_8975c8bc07e84a1d97fc3475f6fd435b.jpeg”},”credits”:{},”headlines”:{“basic”:”What is Delta-8 THC?”},”type”:”video”,”promo_items”:{“basic”:{“type”:”image”,”url”:”https://d1fegwn2wjh0cs.cloudfront.net/03-22-2022/t_ef774ad294674db8a8e5ba49605ac79b_name_8975c8bc07e84a1d97fc3475f6fd435b.jpeg”}}}},”canonical_url”:”/politics/georgia-senate-almost-voted-on-cannabis-product-without-realizing-it/NBOGEPKJOBGZNNYM3TF6UUUZQE/”,”_id”:”NBOGEPKJOBGZNNYM3TF6UUUZQE”}],”additional_properties”:{“took”:41,”timed_out”:false},”count”:10000,”next”:30,”_id”:”94b40a28395ce5885b68c26bf34dc81a7c1ba7b37fed5acf782b73f1aea9a75e”},”expires”:1648519243391,”lastModified”:1648518943391}}};Fusion.layout=”article-basic”;Fusion.metas={};Fusion.outputType=”default”;Fusion.template=”template/article”;Fusion.tree={“collection”:”layouts”,”type”:”article-basic”,”props”:{“collection”:”layouts”,”type”:”article-basic”,”id”:”article-basic”,”childProps”:[{“collection”:”sections”,”id”:0}]},”children”:[{“collection”:”sections”,”props”:{“collection”:”sections”,”id”:0},”children”:[]}]};Fusion.spa=false;Fusion.spaEnabled=false;