If there is a symbol of Georgia’s rural health care crisis, it’s the Southwest Georgia Regional Medical Center. Democrat Stacey Abrams kicked off her 2022 bid for governor in front of the shuttered hospital. U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff, another Georgia Democrat, made reopening the center a mainstay of his agenda.
Now there’s a glimmer of hope for the tiny hospital in Cuthbert, which shuttered in late 2020 amid crippling financial problems at a time when the community sorely needed it.
Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC
Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC
As our AJC colleague Ariel Hart detailed this morning, a federal aid package includes $11.8 million to revive the facility.
There’s a long way to go, and officials say the next version of the medical complex will be far different from the hospital that closed almost four years ago. It could wind up as a hybrid emergency room with no overnight beds, Hart reported.
Ossoff lobbied for the money and worked with Lt. Gov. Burt Jones on a provision aimed at the Cuthbert hospital tucked into a broader rollback of state hospital regulations that Gov. Brian Kemp is scheduled to sign Friday. The Democrat trumpeted the new funding but stressed a “long and uncertain road ahead.”
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Credit: Katelyn Myrick/AJC
Credit: Katelyn Myrick/AJC
CHA-CHING. As we reported earlier this week, former Gov. Roy Barnes hosted a high-dollar campaign fundraiser for Fulton County District Attorney Fani Wilis at his home on Tuesday. Now we know how much it netted: About $70,000.
The co-hosts of the soiree included Bishop Reginald T. Jackson, former state Rep. William Boddie and longtime Democratic consultant Bobby Kahn.
Another notable name on the list of hosts: Charlie Bailey, the Democratic nominee for lieutenant governor in 2022 and a close Willis ally.
Willis’ decision to co-host a Bailey fundraiser during that campaign landed her in hot water, triggering a judge’s decision to disqualify Willis’ office from investigating Lt. Gov. Burt Jones for election interference after he bested Bailey in the 2022 race.
And in another example of the small legal community involved in the case, Barnes has testified that Willis originally approached him first to be the special prosecutor for the overarching case against former President Donald Trump and his allies before eventually settling on Nathan Wade. Barnes declined.
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IMPEACHMENT DISMISSED. Senate Democrats quickly disposed of the two impeachment charges against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas with little debate and no trial.
Georgia Sens. Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock joined fellow Democrats in deeming both impeachment articles unconstitutional on the grounds they failed to outline conduct that met the threshold of “high crimes and misdemeanors.”
Credit: Olivia Bowdoin for the AJC
Credit: Olivia Bowdoin for the AJC
Warnock said Republicans were not acting in good faith by calling for Mayorkas’ impeachment. He said GOP senators had refused to allow debate on a bipartisan border security package that had been introduced, effectively killing the legislation.
“This bill, which was negotiated by one of the most conservative members on their side along with our members, was negotiated and they tanked it,” Warnock said. “And instead, they moved forward with this impeachment hearing.”
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Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC
Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC
WHO’S GOP? Should voters decide who gets a GOP nomination to run in a general election, or should the Republican Party decide?
That’s the question at hand in a federal court, where four local Catoosa County Republicans are arguing that it should be up to voters in a primary election, not the local GOP apparatus, to pick the nominees for the November election.
Insider Greg Bluestein was in court this week and has the details over the rift, fueled by the Georgia Republican Assembly, and the broad implications it could have for others in the state.
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Credit: Courtesy photo
Credit: Courtesy photo
DINOS IN OCONEE. Several conservative candidates for local elected offices in deep-red Oconee County qualified as Democrats for the 2024 election to better their chances at the ballot box.
Insider Greg Bluestein unpacks the trend that has Oconee voters of all political persuasions perturbed. One of these Democrats in name only, Suzannah Heimel, a candidate for county commission, recently told attendees at a Republican gathering she switched parties because she doesn’t “identity as a Republican right now.”
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Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
LISTEN UP. Today on the “Politically Georgia” radio show, state Rep. Michelle Au, a Johns Creek Democrat, discusses women’s health issues and the 2024 election. Later, Cole Muzio, the president of Frontline Policy Action, unpacks the conservative policy agenda at the Capitol this year, along with the 2024 elections.
Listen live at 10 a.m. on 90.1 FM, at AJC.com and at WABE.org.
Wednesday’s show featured former U.S. Rep. Tom Graves, a Republican, who gave positive reviews about his successor, U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene. He also provided insight on the current dysfunction in Washington.
Also joining the show was Davante Jennings, an activist and organizer in the Democratic Party who is working to encourage young and new voters to get engaged.
Listen at Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
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Credit: AJC
Credit: AJC
YOU’RE INVITED. Speaking of “Politically Georgia,” we’re taking the show on the road with stops planned across the state for live tapings with special guests in the months ahead.
We’re kicking it off in Athens tonight with a conversation with Gov. Brian Kemp, an Athens native and “Double Dawg.” The event is co-hosted by the University of Georgia’s Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication, along with UGA’s School of Public and International Affairs.
RSVP to join us, and keep an eye out for future dates near you.
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Credit: Nathan Posner for the AJC
Credit: Nathan Posner for the AJC
CLYDE’S CHAPPED HIDE. The U.S. House approved a bill sponsored by Rep. Andrew Clyde to redesignate the Iran-backed Houthi militia as a foreign terrorist organization.
The 285-135 vote was bipartisan, but that didn’t stop the Athens Republican from stewing a bit afterward. We spotted Clyde on the steps of the Capitol outside the House gallery staring at a printout of all the Democrats who voted against his legislation.
About a third of House Democrats supported his bill, but none were from Georgia and Clyde wasn’t happy about it.
“I’m disappointed that all the Democrats in Georgia’s delegation voted against my bill, because there were a significant number of Democrats that voted for it,” he said. “In fact, so many voted for it that we have a veto-proof majority in the House.”
Some Democrats in debate had argued that there were already sanctions on the books against the Houthis that include the terrorist label for the group, making Clyde’s resolution moot.
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TODAY IN WASHINGTON:
- President Joe Biden headlines two campaign events in Philadelphia, completing a three-day swing across the state.
- The Senate has a procedural vote lined up on legislation reauthorizing foreign surveillance laws before they expire on Friday.
- The House votes on a resolution condemning Iran’s recent missile attack on Israel.
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SCHEDULE CHANGE. Members of the U.S. House had initially planned to leave tonight to begin a weeklong recess coinciding with Passover.
But the effort to pass foreign aid for Israel, Ukraine and Taiwan has moved more slowly than planned. So lawmakers were notified Wednesday to expect votes on Friday and Saturday.
The Rules Committee, including newly appointed member Rep. Austin Scott, R-Tifton, met Wednesday night but couldn’t come to an agreement on how to advance the package to the House floor. Members of the panel will try again this morning.
If the three far-right Republicans on the panel continue to refuse to go along with the plan, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., may be forced to search for a second option that will likely require him to lean even heavier on Democrats.
If the measure makes it to the floor, Johnson will also need Democrats to help him pass the Ukraine aid portion of the bill and possibly the other components. That is likely to further embolden Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, the Rome Republican who has called for Johnson’s ouster.
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Credit: Nathan Posner for The AJC
Credit: Nathan Posner for The AJC
MATERNAL HEALTH. Democrats in Georgia’s congressional delegation celebrated Black Maternal Health Week by partnering with the U.S. Centers For Disease Control and Prevention to record a video raising awareness about the racial disparities in maternal mortality rates.
Black women die from pregnancy-related complications at three times the rate of white women. Georgia has one of the nation’s worst maternal mortality rates.
The video features U.S. Sens. Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock alongside U.S. Reps. David Scott of Atlanta, Hank Johnson of Lithonia, Lucy McBath of Marietta and Nikema Williams of Atlanta.
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Credit: AJC file photo
Credit: AJC file photo
SHOWDOWN TIME. The Atlanta Press Club hosts its next series of debates on April 28 at Georgia Public Broadcasting.
The series features candidates from key Georgia matchups ahead of the May 21 primaries, including several U.S. House contests and the Fulton County district attorney’s race.
The debates will stream live on The Atlanta Press Club Facebook page and GPB.org. They will also air on GPB-TV and WABE. Here’s the full schedule.
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CONGRATS. We’re raising a glass of bubbly for Martha Zoller and the entire team at Gainesville’s WDUN for the north Georgia radio station’s 75th anniversary.
Along with hosting a who’s who of Georgia politicos on Zoller’s show Wednesday, the station also cut the ribbon on a brand new studio on the square in downtown Gainesville.
We have to say y’all don’t look a day over 74. Here’s to 75 more!
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DOG OF THE DAY. They say that curiosity killed the cat, but it only seems to make dogs stronger. So let’s meet Myrna Dukelow, the rescued beagle with the seriously inquisitive look on her face.
Myrna was one of nearly 4,000 beagles rescued from a breeding facility in Cumberland, Virginia, after federal regulators shut it down in 2022. After that harrowing start, Myrna was scooped up by Atlanta Beagle Rescue and eventually found her way to her forever home in beautiful Ormewood Park.
Credit: Courtesy photo
Credit: Courtesy photo
She now lives with two cats, her people, and a deep suspicion that the neighborhood possums are up to no good. Howling at them seems to help. She’s investigating other remedies.
Send us your dogs of any political persuasion, and cats on a cat-by-cat basis, to patricia.murphy@ajc.com, or DM us at @MurphyAJC. Horizontal photos are especially welcome.
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AS ALWAYS, Politically Georgia readers are some of our favorite tipsters. Send your best scoop, gossip and insider info to greg.bluestein@ajc.com, tia.mitchell@ajc.com, patricia.murphy@ajc.com and adam.vanbrimmer@ajc.com.
