A White House delegation will also visit the East Georgia Generating Station later this week to commemorate the achievement, which Georgia Power says makes Vogtle the nation’s largest carbon-free generating facility. The visit will serve as a reminder of the Biden administration’s decision to join an international pledge to triple the world’s nuclear energy by 2050.
Will history look back on this project as a blessing or a waste? Georgians are wondering who is footing the bill for the bulk of the $17 billion cost overruns? Political leaders are already working to fix the situation.
Georgia Power has similarly adopted a 30-second TV ad featuring longtime employees speaking passionately about working for “America’s largest clean energy power generation company.”
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Credit: Photo provided
Credit: Photo provided
A real dinosaur? Katie Stamper won the Democratic primary for Georgia’s 11th Congressional District last week and will challenge Rep. Barry Loudermilk for the seat in November, but she is also a long-time Republican primary voter who supports Republican candidates.
Stamper’s history of supporting Republicans came to light days after the primary, as Democrats began scrutinizing their last-minute winner.
Georgia Democrats are required by law to qualify candidates who meet certain standards – there is no loyalty oath – but Stamper’s background appears to have come as a surprise even to party officials.
Party officials have criticized Stamper’s campaign as a Republican attempt to mislead voters, but it’s not clear what it will accomplish: Stamper has little chance of beating incumbent Rep. Barry Loudermilk (R-Cassville) in a heavily Republican district.
Democratic leaders are concerned about the candidacy of Janice Van Ness, a former Republican state senator who is now running as a Democrat against incumbent Rockdale Commission Chairman Oz Nesbitt. The two topped a five-candidate race that will face a June 18 runoff election.
Credit: Nathan Posner for the AJC
Credit: Nathan Posner for the AJC
Rep. Nikema Williams of Atlanta, who chairs the Georgia Democratic Party, said in a statement late Tuesday that neither candidate has been endorsed by the party.
“Georgia Republicans know that their extreme policies are unpopular with voters, which is why Republicans across the state, including Katie Stamper in the 11th Congressional District and Janice Van Ness in Rockdale County, felt they needed to lie to Georgians about their true partisanship in order to get votes,” she said.
“The Republican ploy to pose as Democrats and effectively take away the choice voters should have in November’s election is shameful and anti-democratic.”
They’re not the only Republicans posing as DINOs (Democrats in Name Only): Several far-right “rebels” in heavily Republican Oconee County also ran for local office as Democrats in this election.
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Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Georgia 3rd place. Brian Jack is boasting the endorsement of former President Donald Trump and many MAGA supporters in the June 18 runoff election for Georgia’s 3rd Congressional District. Mike Duggan is emphasizing a more local appeal.
The Georgia governor, a former state Senate Republican leader, announced endorsements Wednesday from sheriffs representing eight western Georgia counties that he plans to use to underscore his calls for tougher border security and stronger crackdowns on crime.
“Just as they have worked tirelessly to protect and serve our community, I have consistently advocated for public safety throughout my time in the community and in Congress,” he said.
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Credit: Shin Hyo-seob/AJC
Credit: Shin Hyo-seob/AJC
Dissatisfaction with David Scott. Now that U.S. Rep. David Scott (D-Atlanta) won his primary and is on track to be re-elected in November, articles are once again questioning his ability to do his job.
Scott is the top Democrat on the powerful Agriculture Committee, and Politico is again reporting that some party members believe he is not doing enough as the farm bill is being debated and are looking for ways around him.
“Several Democrats have told other senators they want someone other than Scott to handle future negotiations on the bill, including whether there will be any movement to take it up on the House floor, according to two other people familiar with the conversations,” Politico reported last week.
Scott delivered prepared remarks at the start of last week’s Agriculture Committee meeting outlining his opposition to the Republican-drafted farm bill. He remained in the chamber as debate over amendments dragged on for more than 12 hours. Afterward, he issued a statement criticizing Republicans for pushing a bill that doesn’t have enough support to pass into law.
“This bill may have made it through committee, but it has no future,” he said.
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Credit: Irvin Temker/AJC
Credit: Irvin Temker/AJC
More money means more problems. We’ve reported many times before about former Senate candidate Herschel Walker having more than $4 million in unused campaign funds in his campaign account during his unsuccessful 2022 challenge to Sen. Raphael Warnock.
But in comments to Politico, the remaining money appeared to be new to Walker. Via Politico’s Brittany Gibson:
“It wasn’t money that was left in my account, that’s what everyone is saying,” Walker said.
When asked to clarify what he meant, Walker said he was working on a paper and quickly hung up the phone. “We’ll talk about it sometime,” he said, but did not respond to several more questions, including one last week.
– POLITICO
Whether or not Walker acknowledges the cash, it is detailed in multiple federal election filings, and Republicans are eager to see him spend it on GOP candidates or return it to donors.
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Credit: AJC file photo
Credit: AJC file photo
Courthouse steps. After the legislative session was adjourned, a preliminary hearing is scheduled for today for state Sen. Sean Still, a Gwinnett County Republican who is one of 19 people charged in the Fulton County election interference case.
Preliminary hearings rarely make the news, but Still’s Democratic opponent, Ashwin Ramaswami, is nonetheless seizing the opportunity: His campaign staff said he plans to stand on the steps of the Fulton County courthouse this afternoon to comment on the case.
Still has pleaded not guilty to charges including fraud, impersonating a public official and forgery. Prior to being elected to the Senate in 2022, he served as one of 16 Republican electors who voted to certify then-President Donald Trump as the winner of the election weeks after Joe Biden won the state.
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Credit: Jenni Gartman for the AJC
Credit: Jenni Gartman for the AJC
listen. On today’s Politikally Georgia, Congresswoman Lucy McBath, D-Marietta, talks about her re-election bid in a newly drawn district and her relationship with President Joe Biden.
In the second half of the show, University of Georgia professor Audrey Haynes will offer her opinion on the day’s political news, including which Republicans won the Democratic House primary.
Listen live at 10 a.m. on WABE 90.1 or follow “Politically Georgia” on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
In case you missed it, Tuesday’s episode featured Chase Oliver talking about becoming the Libertarian Party’s presidential candidate and the possibility of becoming a third-party election tamperer. AJC’s Shannon McCaffrey also joined the show to discuss the latest on the Fulton County election interference case.
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Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC
Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC
Spoiler alert. Chase Oliver of Atlanta became the Libertarian Party’s presidential candidate last weekend, and AJC’s Michelle Baruchman ran a piece looking at the impact he could have on Georgia’s elections.
Although Oliver lives in Georgia and has run in other Georgia races, where third-party candidates typically get 1% to 2% of the vote, political experts predict he doesn’t have the name recognition to draw a significant number of voters, and is more likely to sabotage the race and steal Republican votes from former President Donald Trump.
“Their main influence is getting Democrats elected,” said Kerwin Swint, dean of the School of Government and International Studies at Kennesaw State University.
Credit: Susan Walsh/AP
Credit: Susan Walsh/AP
Washington Today:
- President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris attended a campaign event in Philadelphia to launch a new effort to appeal to Black voters.
- The House and Senate are in recess until June 3rd.
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Increased staff. Collin Cummings is returning to Gov. Brian Kemp’s Georgia’s First political operation after serving as deputy campaign manager for former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie’s presidential campaign.
Cummings previously ran voter turnout efforts for Kemp’s 2022 campaign and will now spearhead the governor’s state legislative priorities through the Georgians First Leadership Committee.
He joins Georgians First Executive Director Chelsea Rappersberg and Senior Advisor Cody Hall.
Today we published a story that goes into more detail about why Kemp is expanding his staff and filling his schedule with out-of-state events, including a trip to the Republican National Convention.
Keep an eye on this area, and I don’t think we’re going to have many second-term governors in the future who are going to throw people at political activity without a good reason.
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As usual, Readers are our favorite sources of information on Georgia politics, so send us your best scoop, gossip and inside information at greg.bluestein@ajc.com, tia.mitchell@ajc.com, patricia.murphy@ajc.com and adam.vanbrimmer@ajc.com.
