A year ago today, Georgians voted in a pair of Senate runoffs that decided control of the chamber and shaped Joe Biden’s presidency.
The dual Democratic victories didn’t just shatter the political narrative in Georgia, where Republicans had won every statewide election since 2006. The wins by Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock had far greater implications.
With control of Capitol Hill, Biden was able to secure most of his Cabinet picks and pass a $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package. The $1.2 trillion infrastructure measure would have looked far different without a Democratic Senate, too.
And ongoing debates about federal voting rights legislation, healthcare expansions and the Build Back Better social policies plan wouldn’t be on the radar at all if Republicans maintained control of the U.S. Senate.
Stacey Abrams and other Democrats will hold a “runoff anniversary celebration” at 6:30 tonight to commemorate the victories – and “discuss how we can build on the progress” in 2022.
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A constant theme during U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock’s first term has been his focus on passing federal election laws to protect voting rights-- something that Republican senators have filibustered on the argument that Democrats’ bills are too expansive.
At a Tuesday press conference, the usually sanguine Warnock ripped Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, saying the Republican had mischaracterized the voting proposals as “federalizing elections” during a floor speech while Warnock was presiding.
Warnock also called out an upcoming proposal from Georgia state Senate President Pro Tempore Butch Miller to eliminate election drop boxes in the state.
“Many of these same politicians will stand up in just a few days, and they will give lip service to Martin Luther King Jr.,” Warnock said. “You cannot remember Dr. King and dismember his legacy at the same time. John Lewis Voting Rights Act, the Freedom to Vote Act is the legacy of Dr. King, and if you would give lip service to his name you need to find yourself on the right side of history pushing to get these bills done.”
Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said the Senate will vote by Jan. 17, MLK Day, to change Senate rules to remove the 60-vote threshold currently needed to proceed to bills like the John Lewis Act.
But he’ll need votes from all 50 Democratic senators to change filibuster rules, support that Schumer admitted Tuesday he does not currently have.
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The Buckhead secession movement in Atlanta has already inspired a copycat movement in Midtown Atlanta.
Now a group in Athens may be looking to carve the wealthy, mostly white Five Points neighborhood out of that city, too.
The Buckhead cityhood push has inspired other secession movements around Georgia, including this one to cleave off a wealthy part of Athens into its own municipality. #gapol https://t.co/1oGLgjEndp
— Greg Bluestein (@bluestein) January 4, 2022
A website has gone up for the City of Five Points Exploratory Committee, and points to the separatist effort in Atlanta as its blueprint.
“In light of Buckhead’s impending split from the City of Atlanta, residents of the historic Five Points neighborhood in Athens should explore the opportunity to follow new precedent and seek cityhood.”
It’s not clear who is behind the movement or how genuine it is.
Athens Mayor Kelly Girtz told us he had been alerted to the website by residents, but does not know where it’s coming from.
“Unfortunately, the City of Buckhead movement could have a similar ill effect on cities all over the state, in which a minority of residents of a city could attempt to balkanize and weaken an existing community,” he said.
Other usually in-the-know Athenians, including Republicans, said our inquiry was the first they’d heard of the effort.
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Earlier today, we told you of Gov. Brian Kemp’s push to allow Georgians to carry guns without a permit – and the criticism he’s facing from former U.S. Sen. David Perdue for not having passed the legislation sooner.
Expect this to be an election-year trend. Perdue also blamed Kemp for the decision of some local school districts to shift to online classes as the omicron variant marches through Georgia.
“Unfortunately, Brian Kemp continues to fail us by caving to liberal administrators in Atlanta,” he said. “As governor, I would issue an Executive Order to put our kids back in the classroom.”
But constitutional law professor Anthony Kreis points out that the governor has no control over local school boards and to suggest otherwise is false.
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In shades of the 2020 election, David Perdue faced criticism Monday after a WMAZ journalist in Macon reported that she and other media outlets were first invited to attend his speech at the Middle Georgia Republican Women’s meeting-- and then barred from the event when they showed up.
Frankie Ross, the President of Middle Georgia Republican Women, told our crew their was not enough room inside for press. @sendavidperdue campaign apologized to outlets but said we were no longer allowed in.
— Ashlyn Webb (@AWebbWFTV) January 4, 2022
It brought back memories of Perdue’s ghost-like approach to the media during the runoff campaign, when it proved nearly impossible for your Insiders and other journalists to cover his events or even find out where he would be.
Perdue spokeswoman Jenni Sweat said the Macon event was a misunderstanding. She said the women’s group barred the press from accessing the event at the last minute, despite the campaign’s push to make it accessible to the media.
Kemp’s campaign, meanwhile, had a different take.
Some habits are just too hard to kick. #gapol https://t.co/vo7Fa6hpmC
— Cody Hall (@CodyHallGA) January 5, 2022
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Put Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan in the “no” column for David Perdue’s primary challenge to Gov. Brian Kemp.
In an op-ed for CNN, Duncan blames Perdue for losing control of the U.S. Senate for Republicans and says Perdue is now poised to cost Republicans control of the state, too:
Despite the absence of facts or evidence, Perdue remains hellbent on spreading disproved claims -- increasing the odds of handing the keys of the governor's mansion to Abrams, who is seeking her party's nomination currently unopposed. Make no mistake: for conservative voters, a governor Abrams imperils all that is dear.
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Democratic members of Congress have planned in-person and virtual events on Thursday to mark the one-year anniversary of the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
Georgia’s U.S. Rep. Hank Johnson is hosting a virtual roundtable titled, “Root Causes of the Insurrection: Securing Democracy For All.” Panelists for the 4 p.m. event include clergy and political scientists. People interested in participating can register here, and the discussion will also be streamed live on Johnson’s Facebook page.
Most Republicans in the Georgia delegation either reported they have nothing planned for Thursday or are scheduled to attend Sen. Johnny Isakson’s funeral.
Steve Bannon, who served as a chief strategist to former President Donald Trump told Axios that U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene will be a guest on a special edition of his podcast “War Room” he is hosting on Jan. 6.
Meanwhile, former President Donald Trump announced Tuesday that he has canceled a news conference scheduled for Jan. 6th at the same time as a vigil in Washington to commemorate the breach. The Trump event was widely regarded as his attempt to redirect some of the spotlight.
Last year’s January 6 insurrection was a traumatic event that shook our democracy to its core.
— Rep. Hank Johnson (@RepHankJohnson) January 4, 2022
Efforts are still underway to further destabilize our democracy.
Join me Thursday, 4-5:30 P.M. "Root Causes of the Insurrection: Securing Democracy For All.”https://t.co/prOH6sH680 pic.twitter.com/lrjV9aSHRT
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Donald Trump is resurfacing a ballot harvesting accusation that the GBI lacked evidence to pursue, the AJC’s Mark Niesse tells us.
This time, the Georgia secretary of state’s office is investigating the claim.
Trump wrote in an email to supporters Tuesday that there was “big news on Georgia election fraud” after Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger’s office confirmed it has opened an investigation.
The investigation, first reported by the conservative website Just the News, was prompted by a complaint by True the Vote, a conservative election organization.
The complaint echoes many of the same allegations that the GBI previously reviewed: that GPS signals from cellphones during the 2020 election indicate illegal ballot collection at ballot drop boxes. The practice of collecting and mailing multiple absentee ballots, called ballot harvesting, is illegal in Georgia.
GBI Director Vic Reynolds said in September that “an investigation is not justified” because there was no other evidence tying cell phone signals to ballot harvesting.
The latest complaint says a cooperating witness can confirm the allegation, but True the Vote didn’t identify the witness to the secretary of state’s office.
It’s standard practice for the secretary of state’s office to open investigations upon receiving complaints. Next, state election investigators will try to find more information and eventually present their findings to the State Election Board.
Investigators have previously debunked many other fraud claims involving alleged counterfeit ballots, mismatched voter signatures, ballot stuffing and ballots cast in the names of deceased voters.
But 14 months after the election, the accusations keep coming.
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Country star Jason Aldean’s concert for Republican Burt Jones has been rescheduled from this weekend to Feb. 19 because of the spread of the omicron variant.
Jones, who is running for lieutenant governor, also secured a letter from the state ethics commission that the event will be permissible because “no contributions will be accepted during the legislative session for this event.”
Your Insiders stand ready to cover the Aldean concert whenever it happens.
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As always, Jolt readers are some of our favorite tipsters. Send your best scoop, gossip and insider info to patricia.murphy@ajc.com, tia.mitchell@ajc.com and greg.bluestein@ajc.com.
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