Georgia House Democrats jockey for leadership after limited election wins

Today’s newsletter highlights include:

County election boards will meet to certify results.
DeKalb County hosts town hall on proposed rate increases.
Georgians are in line for jobs in the next presidential administration.

The dust is still settling on last week’s election, but there’s another vote this week that will play a major role in Georgia’s political trajectory.

House Democrats will meet behind closed doors on Thursday to pick their next leader. This is no small deal. The Georgia House Democratic caucus launched former leader Stacey Abrams into the state’s political orbit more than a decade ago, where she helped build the party’s organization that led to two U.S. Senate seats.

More recently, state Rep. James Beverly’s divisive leadership — and the harassment claims that he denies — has left the caucus weakened in an election cycle where Democrats hoped to make sweeping gains.

Instead, Republicans limited their losses in swing seats, ending the election with a formidable 100-80 edge in the chamber.

Credit: Jason Getz/AJC

Credit: Jason Getz/AJC

The two candidates vying to become minority leader are veterans of statehouse politics:

Carolyn Hugley, first elected in 1992, was an Abrams deputy who is known as a calm, calculating political strategist expert at holding the caucus together during tough votes. She lost three other races for the House’s top Democratic leadership post.
Derrick Jackson of Tyrone took office after his 2016 win in a south metro Atlanta district and waged a losing battle for lieutenant governor in 2022, finishing sixth in the primary. He returned to the statehouse a year ago after the death of state Rep. Tish Naghise a few weeks into the session. A U.S. Navy veteran, he’s positioning himself as someone who can heal a fractious caucus.

Whoever wins would immediately have to rebuild a political operation that made only limited gains during what could have been a promising election cycle. And they must counter an emboldened GOP leadership fresh off President-elect Donald Trump’s sweeping victory.

There are more leadership races down the ballot. For caucus chair, veteran Democratic Rep. Billy Mitchell of Stone Mountain is facing Rep. Tanya F. Miller of Atlanta, who was just reelected to a second term.

Other matchups include Reps. Debra Bazemore of South Fulton, Spencer Frye of Athens and Yasmin Neal of Jonesboro running for vice chair; Reps. Jasmine Clark and Sam Park, both of Gwinnett County, for whip; and Reps. Rhonda Burnough of Riverdale, Terry Cummings of Mableton and Saira Draper of Atlanta competing for deputy whip.

***

Credit: Evan Vucci/AP

GOOD MORNING! It’s certification day in Georgia. County election boards across the state will convene to certify last week’s results. It’s usually not a big deal. But the number of Republican board members unwilling to certify the results has been increasing ever since then-President Donald Trump falsely declared the 2020 election results to be fraudulent.

Will these board members vote to certify the results now that Trump is the president-elect? Or will they vote against certification despite a judge ruling they are legally required to do it?

We’ll have reporters in multiple counties today to watch these boards in action. Stay with AJC.com today for the latest information as the story develops.

Here are three things to know today:

Georgia tax revenues declined in October for the second consecutive month, the AJC’s David Wickert reports.
Trump is quickly filling out his administration. Keep up with the latest news here.
The CEO of Atlanta-based Delta Airlines says he expects a Trump presidency to be “positive” for the airline, the AJC’s Kelly Yamanouchi reports.

***

Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC

MORE FALLOUT. The Georgia Federation of Democratic Women became the latest left-leaning group to demand that U.S. Rep. Nikema Williams of Atlanta step down as chair of the state Democratic Party.

The group’s leaders wrote an open letter accusing the state party of refusing to support its efforts to turn out voters and boost local candidates.

Williams’ allies indicated she’s not going anywhere. Tolulope Kevin Olasanoye, the party’s executive director, told the AJC that Democrats here made a “strong showing in the face of a national red wave.”

“We increased Harris’ vote total in Georgia over Biden’s in 2020 by more than 70,000 votes — more than all other battleground states combined — and cemented the Peach State’s status as a battleground state heading into [the] next election cycle,” he said.

***

Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC

FACE THE MUSIC. Remember when DeKalb County CEO Michael Thurmond said Georgia’s 2026 election started as soon as the 2024 election ended? His words could be put to the test tonight.

DeKalb County is holding a town hall tonight on Thurmond’s proposal to increase water and sewer rates by more than 19% by 2027. Thurmond will leave office in January because of term limits. But he’s often mentioned as a potential Democratic candidate for governor in 2026.

Proposing a massive rate increase for one of Georgia’s most populous counties is a risky move on the eve of launching a potential statewide campaign. But Thurmond told the AJC’s Alia Pharr it was the right thing to do.

“The smart political thing for me to have done was not to bring it up at all,” he said. “But the reason I inherited a deteriorating system is because other people kicked it down the road for 40 years.”

The rate increases would generate nearly $107 million in the first three years, which the county would use to borrow $225 million to upgrade its water storage tank, among other improvements.

***

Credit: Natrice Miller/AJC

ELECTION DAY. It’s time for a vibe check in the Georgia House Republican Caucus.

GOP lawmakers will gather today to elect leaders for the next two years. These votes are generally a sign of how the party in power is feeling. Lose too many seats, and the rank and file can express their displeasure by ousting the leadership.

But we’re not expecting any big shakeups this year among the GOP, even though they lost two seats on Election Day. Things could have been a lot worse for them after a court-ordered redistricting made some districts more competitive.

Look for state Rep. Chuck Efstration, R-Auburn, to be back as majority leader and Rep. Bruce Williamson, R-Monroe, to be the caucus chair.

Of course, Republicans are expected to nominate House Speaker Jon Burns of Newington and Speaker Pro Tem Jan Jones of Milton to continue their roles. But those two positions won’t be official until the full House votes in January.

***

Credit: Ben Gray for the AJC

NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK. The Georgia Legislature will have 22 new members next year, pending certification of the results. That’s 15 Democrats and seven Republicans.

New Senate members:

Drew Echols, Republican, Senate District 49.
RaShaun Kemp, Democrat, Senate District 38.
Randal Mangham, Democrat, Senate District 55.
Kenya Wicks, Democrat, Senate District 34.

Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC

New House members:

Sylvia Wayfer Baker, Democrat, House District 64.
Arlene Beckles, Democrat, House District 96.
Bryce Berry, Democrat, House District 56.
Rob Clifton, Republican, House District 131.
Robert Dawson, Democrat, House District 65.
Sandy Donatucci, Republican, House District 105.
Robert Flournoy Jr., Democrat, House District 74.
Jaclyn Dixon Ford, Republican, House District 170.
Floyd Griffin, Democrat, House District 149.
Tangie Herring, Democrat, House District 145.
Justin “Jutt” Howard, Republican, House District 71.
Anissa Jones, Democrat, House District 143.
Noelle Kahaian, Republican, House District 81.
Mekyah McQueen, Democrat, House District 61.
L.C. Myles Jr., Democrat, House District 126.
Angie O’Steen, Republican, House District 169.
Gabriel Sanchez, Democrat, House District 42.
Mary Ann Santos, Democrat, House District 117.

You’ll be reading about some of these new lawmakers in this newsletter over the next few weeks as we count down to the start of the new legislative session. Stay tuned!

***

Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC

WHO TO WATCH. President-elect Donald Trump is filling out his administration. Political insiders Tia Mitchell and Greg Bluestein say these are the Georgians to watch for potential hires:

U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene. The Rome Republican has signaled interest in a federal homeland security role.
Former U.S. Sen. Kelly Loeffler. She could be a contender for commerce secretary, the leader of the Small Business Administration or an ambassadorship.
State Sen. Brandon Beach. The Alpharetta Republican could fill a position in the Department of Transportation or another federal agency.
Georgia GOP Chair Josh McKoon. He could be in line for a promotion to a new role with the Republican National Committee.
Nick Ayers. The former executive director of the Republican Governors Association and top aide to former Vice President Mike Pence could be in line for a White House adviser job.
Bruce LeVell. The former Gwinnett County GOP chair said he’s been in talks about joining Trump’s administration.

***

Credit: Jenni Girtman for the AJC

LISTEN UP. Today on “Politically Georgia,” incoming DeKalb County CEO Lorraine Cochran-Johnson talks about her new role. Then, longtime Republican strategist Stephen Lawson gives his take on President-elect Donald Trump’s transition and new leadership in the state Legislature.

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 Monday’s show, University of Georgia political science professor Audrey Haynes talked about what Trump’s broad support means for Georgia’s increasingly diverse electorate. And political strategist Fred Hicks shared his thoughts on why Vice President Kamala Harris struggled to find support among Black men.

***

Credit: Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP

ORIENTATION DAY. U.S. Rep.-elect Brian Jack is headed to Washington today alongside other newly elected members of the House. In the races that are undecided, both candidates still in contention have also been invited to orientation.

Over the next 10 days, Jack, a Republican from Peachtree City, will receive information about how to build out his staff and get offices set up back in his district and on Capitol Hill. A separate orientation process is also underway for newly elected senators.

Jack and the other freshmen in both chambers will be sworn in on Jan. 3.

Meanwhile, current members of the House and Senate return to Washington today and have roughly five more working weeks to close out the two-year session.

On the Senate side, we expect Democrats to spend the remaining time trying to push through as many of Biden’s judicial appointments as they can plus goodbye speeches for members who are retiring and the three incumbents who lost their seats to Republicans.

The House will take the lead on figuring out how to handle the lengthy to-do list, which includes a Dec. 20 government shutdown deadline. While a long-term spending bill could be considered, we expect a temporary package that allows President-elect Donald Trump to weigh in after he takes office in January and has a new GOP-dominated Congress to help carry out his agenda.

***

Credit: Mark Schiefelbein/AP

TODAY IN WASHINGTON:

President Joe Biden will meet at the White House separately with Israeli President Isaac Herzog and Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto. He will also have a private lunch with Vice President Kamala Harris.
The U.S. House and Senate have evening votes scheduled as members return from the election recess.
Newly elected members of Congress are in town for orientation sessions.

***

Credit: Courtesy photo

SHOUTOUTS. Today’s birthdays:

State Rep. Kimberly New, R-Villa Rica.
State Rep. Billy Mitchell, D-Stone Mountain.

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.

***

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.

About the Authors