Today’s newsletter highlights:
- A state senator is upset with some reactions to a Muslim prayer.
- A familiar face will swear in Georgia’s Doug Collins as Veterans Affairs secretary.
- U.S. Rep. Hank Johnson wants to honor the Freedom Riders.
Top Georgia Republicans are renewing their push to only let voters who register as party members cast ballots in GOP primaries. It’s part of an attempt to guarantee more ideological purity among the nominees.
The idea to end Georgia’s open primaries, which now allow any voter to choose either party’s ballot, has long failed to gain traction.
But Georgia GOP chair Josh McKoon says it’s time to reopen the debate now that President Donald Trump is back in the White House.
He released the party’s “election integrity priorities” late Tuesday, which is topped by a call for closed party primary elections.
McKoon told Politically Georgia that party stalwarts are clear they want “Republican voters electing the Republican nominees.”
“It is common sense to limit participation in Republican primaries to those voters who declare their allegiance to the Republican Party so our nominees reflect the philosophy of our voters,” he said.
The overhaul faces long odds under the Gold Dome and will be staunchly opposed by more mainstream Republicans who rely on moderate and independent votes to carry swing legislative districts.
It also could mean trouble for big-name GOPers such as Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, who was vilified by Trump after refusing his calls to “find” enough votes to overturn the 2020 election, and for former Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan, who was “exiled” by party leaders after disavowing Trump.
While crossover voting isn’t widespread, it does happen. About 67,000 voters in the 2022 GOP primary cast ballots in the Democratic primary in June 2020. That’s about 6% of all voters who participated in that year’s GOP primary.
***
GOOD MORNING! We’re taping a special episode of the “Politically Georgia” podcast in Washington tomorrow, and the guest lineup just keeps getting better.
In addition to U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Rome, you’ll hear from newly confirmed Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins. Plus, NPR’s Ayesha Rascoe will join CNN’s Dana Bash and Kasie Hunt to talk about the media landscape. And Howard University’s Keneshia Grant and Johns Hopkins University’s Minkah Makalani will discuss changes in public policy.
Click here to register.
Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC
Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC
Here are three things to know for today:
- The newest investigator for the State Board of Elections has expressed doubts about the outcome of the 2020 presidential election, the AJC’s Mark Niesse reports.
- The New Georgia Project says it is still a potent force in state politics. But interviews with a half-dozen current and former staffers tell a different story, Greg Bluestein writes.
- Georgia Tech administrators say an email last week instructing staff to delete all content containing words like diversity, equity and inclusion contained “misinformation” and had not been approved by school leadership, the AJC’s Jason Armesto reports.
***
Credit: Jenni Girtman for the AJC
Credit: Jenni Girtman for the AJC
PRAYERS. It’s rare for someone other than a Christian to deliver the devotion before a session of the Georgia General Assembly. So it was noteworthy on Tuesday when an imam prayed in both Arabic and English in the state Senate.
Imam Shamikh Sahadat was a guest of state Sen. Nabilah Islam Parkes, a Lawrenceville Democrat who is one of two Muslim members of the Senate.
Lawmakers typically stand during the prayer as a show of respect. But two Republicans sat down during Sahadat’s prayer. A third senator who uses a walker to move around the chamber also sat.
Islam Parkes said she was “dismayed” by the reception, saying it disrespected the thousands of Georgia Muslims — many of whom are also Republicans.
“Our Constitution guarantees the right to practice any religion we choose,” she said in a statement. “It’s clear to me that several of my Republican colleagues don’t care to honor or respect the Constitution and don’t respect me as their colleague.”
State Sen. Bo Hatchett, R-Cornelia, told the AJC he sat during the prayer because he disagreed with what was said.
“He said some things about Jesus that fundamentally, at my core, I disagree with,” Hatchett said. “So, respectfully, I sat down. I wasn’t going to stand for that.”
During his remarks, Sahadat said: “And what was revealed to Abraham, to Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob and his descendants, and what was given to Moses and Jesus and other prophets from their Lord. We make no distinctions amongst them. We make no distinctions amongst any of them, and to God we submit.”
***
Credit: Nathan Posner for the AJC
Credit: Nathan Posner for the AJC
IG DEMAND. Both U.S. Sens. Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock are getting a baptism by fire about life as a lawmaker in President Donald Trump’s chaotic, norm-busting Washington.
The Georgia Democrats are picking their fights strategically. On Tuesday, that meant Ossoff firing off a letter to the White House demanding that Trump reinstate the inspectors general — at least 17 — whom he summarily fired over the weekend.
In his letter to Trump, Ossoff warned that the president has violated multiple federal laws by dismissing the independent agency watchdogs without giving Congress the proper notice and reasoning,
“The lack of notice and explanation has raised reasonable questions among Members of Congress and the public about the bases for these removals,” Ossoff wrote. “It is for these reasons I ask you to rescind these terminations and provide the complete 30-day notice to Congress on each of these firings, as the law requires.”
***
Credit: J. Scott Applewhite/AP
Credit: J. Scott Applewhite/AP
SECRETARY COLLINS. Former U.S. Rep. Doug Collins will be sworn in as secretary of the Veterans Affairs Department this morning by a fellow Georgia native: U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas.
It will be the second time Thomas has administered the oath to Collins. The first time was for the Supreme Court Bar in 2016.
The Senate confirmed Collins on Tuesday with a majority of Democrats voting in support, including Georgia Sens. Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock. For Warnock, it was a show of support for a former opponent he beat during a 2020 special election.
***
Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC
Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC
UNDER THE GOLD DOME. It’s budget day in the state House of Representatives as the Appropriations Committee meets to review its version of the state spending plan. The AJC’s budget expert David Wickert will be watching and post a story with all the details at AJC.com.
Some of today’s happenings:
- 8 a.m.: House Ways and Means Committee considers House Bill 92, which would give local governments more time to decide whether to opt out of a property tax exemption.
- 8 a.m.: Senate Economic Development and Tourism Committee considers Senate Bill 28, Lt. Gov. Burt Jones’ proposal modeled after President Donald Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency.
- 2 p.m.: House Technology and Infrastructure Innovation Committee considers House Bill 58, which would restrict the use of drones over mass public gatherings.
- 3 p.m.: Senate Finance Committee will consider Senate Bill 2, which would eliminate the state tax on tips, and Senate Bill 47, which would create an 11-day sales tax holiday for ammunition, gun safes and firearms in October each year. It will also consider Senate Bill 52, providing temporary tax relief for the timber industry.
- 4 p.m.: Senate Health and Human Services Committee will consider Senate Bill 58, which would authorize emergency organ transport vehicles.
***
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
LISTEN UP. Today on “Politically Georgia,” the crew is live from Washington, where the hosts break down former Georgia U.S. Rep. Doug Collins’ confirmation as the next secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs. Plus, state Sen. Blake Tillery, R-Vidalia, joins the show to talk about the state’s budget priorities, including ongoing efforts to recover from Hurricane Helene.
Be sure to download the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. Have a question for the show? Give us a call at 770-810-5297. 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.
On Tuesday’s show, Democratic state Sen. Kim Jackson, D-Stone Mountain, talked about her new bill to mandate equal treatment for boys and girls sports in Georgia schools. And Caylee Noggle, the CEO of the Georgia Hospital Association, discussed proposals to expand health care this session.
***
Credit: Jose Luis Magana/AP
Credit: Jose Luis Magana/AP
IN PROTEST. U.S. Rep. Nikema Williams, D-Atlanta, was among the congressional Democrats who attended a protest Tuesday afternoon outside of the U.S. Treasury Department.
Left-leaning groups Moveon.org and Indivisible organized the rally to highlight reports that Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency team had received access to a sensitive federal payment system.
“We cannot be silent in the face of unelected billionaire Elon Musk’s attempt to take over our government,” Williams said in a video she posted on Facebook from the protest.
WTOP reported that over 1,000 people attended the rally.
***
TODAY IN WASHINGTON:
- The U.S. Senate is working through more of President Donald Trump’s nominations.
- The House has afternoon votes scheduled.
- Former Georgia U.S. Rep. Doug Collins will be sworn in as Veterans Affairs secretary.
***
FREEDOM RIDERS. U.S. Rep. Hank Johnson, D-Lithonia, has reintroduced a resolution that could lead to a Congressional Gold Medal for the Freedom Riders — civil rights activists whose bus rides across several states were intended to shine a light on segregated public transportation.
John Lewis, the former Georgia congressman who died in 2020, was one of the original 13 Freedom Riders. Along their routes from Washington, D.C., and into the South, they faced violent attacks and arrests.
Henry “Hank” James Thomas is the only one of the original 13 freedom riders still living. He lives in Stone Mountain, which is in Johnson’s 4th Congressional District.
“The Freedom Riders taught us that the fight for justice and equality requires courage, resilience, and unwavering determination,” Johnson said in a news release. “Their sacrifices changed the course of history, and it is our duty to preserve their legacy. I am especially proud to represent Hank Thomas, who embodies the spirit of the movement. This bill ensures their stories will continue to inspire future generations to stand up for what is right.”
***
SHOUTOUTS. Transitions:
- Kristyn Long is joining the Georgia Hospital Association as general counsel on Feb. 14. Long is leaving the governor’s office, where she has been executive counsel.
- Sam Hatcher, currently the deputy executive counsel, will replace Long as executive counsel in the governor’s office. Hatcher was in private practice before joining the governor’s staff. He has a bachelor’s from Dartmouth College and a law degree from the University of Georgia.
- Evan Meyers has left the governor’s office as deputy executive counsel. In a news release, Gov. Brian Kemp thanked Meyers for his service and noted he and his family are moving “closer to their loved ones.”
- U.S. Rep. Rich McCormick, R-Suwanee, will be chair of the House Science, Space and Technology Committee’s Investigations and Oversight Subcommittee.
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
The Latest
Featured
