Donald Trump’s picks mean Raphael Warnock could vote on former rivals

Today’s newsletter highlights:

Hurricane Helene costs continue to grow.
Eshé Collins wins a runoff for Atlanta City Council.
U.S. Rep. David Scott fights to hang on to his committee post.

Former U.S. Sen. Kelly Loeffler’s nomination to lead the Small Business Administration ended weeks of intrigue about whether the MAGA loyalist would land a spot in President-elect Donald Trump’s administration.

And in an awkward twist, the appointment means Democratic U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock will have the chance next year to vote on not one but two of the Republicans he vanquished during his 2020 campaign.

That’s because Trump said he’ll nominate both Loeffler and former U.S. Rep. Doug Collins to key positions in his administration. Trump announced last month that he wants Collins to lead the Veterans Affairs Department. Both positions require Senate confirmation.

Warnock didn’t immediately comment on Loeffler’s appointment late Wednesday. But Trump’s move brought plenty of memories of that messy 20-candidate special election to succeed U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson.

Credit: Alyssa Pointer/AJC

Credit: Alyssa Pointer/AJC

Gov. Brian Kemp tapped Loeffler to the open seat over Trump’s objections. But Collins still entered the fray hoping to win Trump’s support. Loeffler edged out Collins for a spot in a runoff against Warnock, who captured the seat after a brutal nine-week overtime race.

Now both Republicans are ensconced in Trump’s inner circle — and, by all accounts, on friendly terms — while Warnock is seen as a potential presidential candidate in future elections.

Loeffler was also a finalist to lead the Department of Agriculture, and some of her allies were stunned last month when Trump picked Brooke Rollins for the coveted gig instead.

Soon after, the president-elect unfurled a string of appointments and ambassadorships without mentioning Loeffler’s name. With the SBA gig, however, Loeffler got one of the prime prizes left.

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Credit: Phil Sears/AP

GOOD MORNING! We’re 39 days away from the start of the Georgia Legislative session. Here are three things to know for today:

Former President Jimmy Carter has been leaning on his faith — and his stubbornness — during his lengthy hospice care, his grandson told the “Politically Georgia” podcast.
U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff defended his recent votes on Israel in an interview with AJC political columnist Patricia Murphy.
President-elect Donald Trump’s attorneys have asked the Georgia Court of Appeals to dismiss the Fulton County election interference case against him, the AJC’s Bill Rankin reports.

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POLITICAL DOMINOES. President-elect Donald Trump’s pick of former U.S. Sen. Kelly Loeffler to lead the Small Business Administration almost certainly means she won’t join the fray for Georgia’s open governor’s race in 2026 or seek to challenge Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff.

That gives Lt. Gov. Burt Jones a clearer lane to run as the MAGA candidate to succeed Gov. Brian Kemp without having to worry about another deep-pocketed Trump loyalist in the race. (Attorney General Chris Carr, who entered the governor’s race last month, is more of a mainstream GOP candidate).

It’s also good news to the small galaxy of other Republicans eyeing both of those races. Not only could Loeffler pour her considerable financial fortune into a campaign ― and lean on Trump for support — her name recognition remains sky high thanks to the record-shattering spending in the 2020 race.

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Credit: Natrice Miller/AJC

HELENE UPDATE. Chris Stallings, the director of the Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency, gave lawmakers an update Wednesday on the financial impact from Hurricane Helene. The numbers are stark.

Before we look at them, know that the costs are broken out into two categories: public and individual. “Public” is for things like debris removal and fixing roads, bridges and public utilities. “Individual” is for things like temporary housing and repairing owner-occupied homes.

OK, here are the totals (and these are just estimates so far):

$772,432,152.58 in public assistance costs.
$239,874,360.06 in individual assistance costs.

That’s more than $1 billion. And it doesn’t include other costs, like agriculture and long term housing.

“I never want us to say, ‘Hey, we can handle a billion dollar disaster because we get so many of them, we’re good at it,” Stallings said. “That’s a lot of hurt individuals in our state.”

More money could be coming. After a bad storm, the federal government partners with state and local governments to prepare for the next one. They split the costs 75/25.

Stallings estimates the federal share could be more than $414 million. Under that scenario, the state share would be about $125 million.

“We have the opportunity to really make some critical changes,” he said.

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Credit: Miguel Martinez-Jimenez/AJC

COURT DATE? The home rule provision of Georgia’s Constitution and whether it allows voters to veto decisions by their local governments will face a new challenge in 2025.

The Georgia Supreme Court could consider a trio of interrelated cases next year involving a canceled referendum that sought to overturn a zoning ordinance on Sapelo Island, home to the last Gullah Geechee community on the coast.

The cases have been appealed to the high court. But it’s possible the justices could transfer at least one of them to the state Court of Appeals.

Just three years ago, the Supreme Court upheld a referendum in Camden County that blocked the purchase of property for a spaceport. At the time, Justice Charlie Bethel suggested lawmakers should address the constitutional language, writing that voters could use it to challenge local zoning decisions.

Lawmakers declined to take action, and Sapelo residents mounted their referendum effort in late 2023 after the McIntosh County Commission passed an ordinance that doubled the allowed square footage of homes on the island. Residents worried the change would encourage development of vacation homes and significantly increase home values and property taxes.

The docketing of the cases could renew calls for state lawmakers to revisit the home rule provision. The 2025 legislative session opens Jan. 13.

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Credit: Jason Getz/AJC

ELECTION RESULTS. Eshé Collins finished second on Election Day for an Atlanta City Council seat. But she won the rematch on Tuesday, defeating Nicole “Nikki” Evans Jones in a runoff.

The results highlight just how different runoff elections can be, where turnout usually falls off a cliff. Nearly 200,000 people voted in the five-way race on Nov. 5. But Tuesday? Just 20,000 people cast ballots, per the AJC’s Alia Pharr.

Other Atlanta-area runoff races of interest:

Nicole Massiah defeated Andrew W. Bell for the southwestern District 3 DeKalb county commission seat.
LaDena Bolton beat Jacqueline Adams in District 7, which covers the eastern half of DeKalb County.
Taylor Ray defeated Andy Yeoman for a Doraville city council seat.
Shean Atkins appeared to defeat Jermaine Wright for another Doraville City Council seat.
Doug Ingram defeated Michele Y. Sims for a city council seat in Mulberry, a newly created city whose existence is being challenged in court by Gwinnett County and two would-be Mulberry residents.

Around the state:

Rodney Braswell beat Lucious Abrams Jr. for a seat on the Burke County Commission.
Dooly County Commissioner David Barron defeated challenger Wayne West.
Albert “Al” Turner defeated Marc C. Dagostino for a seat on the Monroe County Commission.
Michael Price defeated Vivian Thomas for a seat on the Henry County Commission.
Paul Chamberlin defeated Jannett D. Bradford for Kingsland City Council Post 1
Greg Lockhart defeated Lisa A. James for St. Marys mayor.
Allen Franklin Rassi Jr. defeated Nick Harris for St. Marys City Council Post 5.
Travis Q. Middleton defeated Tina Painter in the District 3 race for the Walker County School Board.
Shawn Roberts defeated Jene Walker in Waycross City Commission District 1.

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Credit: Courtesy photo

LISTEN UP. Today on “Politically Georgia,” Georgia state Rep. Tim Fleming, R-Covington, will talk about former U.S. Sen. Kelly Loeffler’s nomination to lead the Small Business Administration. He’ll also discuss developments in the electric vehicle manufacturer Rivian’s effort to build a factory in Georgia.

Be sure to download the AJC’s Politically Georgia podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. Episodes are uploaded by noon each day, just in time to have lunch with us. You can also listen live at 10 a.m. EDT on 90.1 FM WABE. Have a question for the show? Give us a call at 770-810-5297.

On Wednesday’s show, former Democratic state Sen. Jason Carter, grandson of former President Jimmy Carter, talked about his political future and how Democrats can rebuild. Then, the AJC’s Martha Dalton discussed how President-elect Donald Trump will approach the U.S. Department of Education.

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Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC

SENIORITY RULES. So far, two veteran Democrats have said they will relinquish their spots as the top-ranking members on U.S. House committees to allow less senior, and younger, lawmakers to serve.

That is putting more pressure on Rep. David Scott of Atlanta to do the same.

On Wednesday, Rep. Jerry Nadler of New York said he will step down as the top Democrat on the Judiciary Committee. Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland had been challenging him for the position.

Earlier this week, Rep. Raúl Grijalva of Arizona announced he would not seek another term as ranking member of the Natural Resources Committee. He is likely to be replaced by Rep. Jared Huffman of California.

As of Wednesday evening, Scott was still attempting to gather support from colleagues to remain as the top Democrat on the Committee on Agriculture despite challenges from Reps. Jim Costa of California and Angie Craig of Minnesota.

In this contest, 79-year-old Scott’s seniority might work in his favor. Costa, who is 72 and entering his 20th year in Congress, is facing some skepticism making the “fresh blood” argument to colleagues. Yet Craig, who was first elected in 2018, is considered by some to be too junior for such a powerful position.

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Credit: Pete Marovich/The New York Times

TODAY IN WASHINGTON:

President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris will participate in the National Christmas Tree Lighting.
The U.S. House has a slate of votes scheduled, including on one bill that would rename the post office in Plains after former President Jimmy Carter and former first lady Rosalynn Carter, who died last year. Democrats will also attempt to force a vote on legislation that would require the House to release the ethics report on former Florida U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz.
The House task force investigating the assassination attempt targeting President-elect Donald Trump will hold its last scheduled hearing.
Georgia U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff will question Postmaster General Louis DeJoy during a Senate Oversight Committee hearing.
The Senate has more confirmation votes lined up.

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Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC

SHOUTOUTS. Today’s birthday:

Edward Lindsey, former Georgia House majority whip who is now a partner at the Dentons law firm.

Transitions:

U.S. Rep. Lucy McBath, who was elected second vice chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus.
Joseph “Jody” Barrow is the new executive secretary of the Georgia Professional Standards Commission. Barrow is currently the deputy director of the Georgia School Superintendents Association. He’ll start his new job on Jan. 1.

Want a birthday shoutout in the Politically Georgia newsletter? There’s a form for that! Click here to submit the shoutouts. It’s not just birthdays. We’re also interested in new jobs, engagements, birth announcements, etc.

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Credit: Courtesy April Morgan Usery

THE GOAT. Fans of this newsletter will remember a time when we featured a “dog of the day” to highlight our readers’ animal pals.

In honor of that bygone era, let’s meet Tractor “Trac” Usry, the little goat who calls Capitol regulars April Morgan Usry and Jerry Usry his people.

While the Usrys are in Atlanta making a living, Trac holds down the fort in Madison, along with fellow goats Mrs. Sugarbaker, Nilla, Wafer, and Oreo. Tractor, for being the GOAT of goats, you’re our Goat of the Day!

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AS ALWAYS, send your best scoops, gossip and insider info to greg.bluestein@ajc.com, tia.mitchell@ajc.com, patricia.murphy@ajc.com and adam.beam@ajc.com.

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