Ross Williams, Georgia Recorder

In the Georgia political world, reaction to U.S. military attacks against three nuclear sites in Iran fell mostly, but not entirely, along party lines.

President Donald Trump announced the strikes Saturday night, calling them “a spectacular military success.”

The intervention into the war between Iran and Israel stoked fear of reprisal against U.S. military bases in the Middle East or terrorist attacks at home, but Trump and his allies said the strikes will prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons.

On Monday, Iran launched a retaliatory missile attack on a U.S. base in Qatar. Initial reports said U.S. air defenses intercepted the missiles and no casualties were reported.

Georgia GOP mostly backs strikes

Gov. Brian Kemp praised the U.S. bombings in an online post.

“America can never allow Iran to obtain a nuclear weapon. Thank you to President Trump, our service members and intelligence personnel, and administration officials who conducted this successful operation.”

Kemp later added that he and other governors around the country are in communication with Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to discuss threats of retaliation.

“We are coordinating with law enforcement on all levels as we closely monitor any possible threats,” Kemp said.

In March, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard testified before a congressional committee that the intelligence community “continues to assess that Iran is not building a nuclear weapon and Supreme leader (Ayatollah Ali Khamenei) has not authorized the nuclear weapons program that he suspended in 2003.”

Another U.S. assessment found that Iran was not pursuing a nuclear weapon and that, if they started making one, it would take them up to three years to complete it, according to CNN.

Most of Georgia’s Republican representatives in Congress followed the same formula: thanking Trump, thanking the troops and stating that Iran cannot be allowed to obtain nuclear weapons.

The exception was Republican Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene of Rome. In a series of posts, Greene characterized the attacks as representing a return to the GOP’s neoconservative wing and its support of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and away from Trump’s campaign promises of avoiding expensive and deadly foreign entanglements.

“Every time America is on the verge of greatness, we get involved in another foreign war,” Greene said. “There would not be bombs falling on the people of Israel if (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu had not dropped bombs on the people of Iran first. Israel is a nuclear armed nation. This is not our fight. Peace is the answer.”

Greene’s take puts her at odds with the majority of her party, said University of Georgia political science professor Charles Bullock.

“She’s maybe still stuck on that page where Trump supporters and Trump himself were not in favor of regime change, certainly, and wanting to concentrate on making America great again, not worrying about what’s happening in the rest of the world,” he said. “So she is still in that mode, it sounds like, while Trump has moved on, and for most Republicans, if Trump moves on, they move on with him.”

Bullock said Greene’s anti-war statements are not likely to hurt her in the ruby red northwest Georgia district or damage her relationship with Trump, but if the U.S. does become engaged in a major war, Georgia Republicans could have to answer for their support.

“A year from now, as we’re looking at the 2026 election, if the U.S. is an active participant – certainly if we have troops on the ground who are in harm’s way – that does make this an issue that Republicans are going to have to defend themselves on, where up until this point, they’ve been pretty consistent in indicating that they would not want to see the U.S. become involved in somebody else’s war,” Bullock said

The Georgia House of Representatives issued a resolution Monday praising Trump, Israel and the strikes in Iran, as well as honoring Georgians who have died in conflicts in the Middle East. A total of 100 lawmakers signed the resolution, including nearly all Republicans and one Democrat, state Rep. Esther Panitch of Sandy Springs.

Democrats mostly oppose strikes

Georgia Democrats characterized the attacks as reckless and argued Trump should have sought congressional approval before approving them.

The Constitution grants Congress the authority to declare war, but presidents from both parties have deployed troops without formal declarations of war.

Sen. Raphael Warnock invoked the specter of the Iraq War.

“President Trump, who has said he ‘might or might not’ bomb Iran and has indicated this week that he disagrees with the assessment of his own national intelligence advisers, has now entered another Middle East conflict,” Warnock said. “He has not sought congressional approval and has not sufficiently explained why this operation was necessary right now. With thousands of American troops at risk for potential retaliation, this is not ‘the art of the deal.’ This is war. And this is not the first time the American people have been told that it will end quickly.”

Sen. Jon Ossoff, who is up for re-election next year, was measured in his response, which was only two sentences.

“I pray for the safety of U.S. military servicemembers deployed around the world and express my admiration for their courage and professionalism,” Ossoff said in a statement following the strikes. “Congress must be promptly and fully briefed on tonight’s operation and consulted on the Administration’s strategy.”

Panitch, the state’s only currently serving Jewish legislator and a staunch supporter of Israel, celebrated the bombings on social media, arguing that a nuclear-armed Iran would be a danger to the Jewish state.

“When someone tells you they want you dead, have acted on it over the last 40 years, and have the ingredients to do it, you don’t wait until the warhead has been launched to protect yourself,” she said in a post.

A right-wing Republican state senator was arrested Thursday morning while attempting to enter the House chambers to attend the State of the State address by GOP Gov. Brian Kemp.

Controversial Trenton legislator Colton Moore was handcuffed and removed from the Capitol by state police following an altercation with staff members and law enforcement as Moore made several attempts to enter the House chamber floor for the annual governor’s address.

Georgia state Sen. Colton Moore tried to force his way into the House Chamber for the governor’s State of the State speech before his arrest. Ross Williams/Georgia Recorder

Moore was banned from entering the House chamber last year by GOP House Speaker Jon Burns after speaking ill of the late House Speaker David Ralston while the Blue Ridge Republican was being posthumously honored in the Senate. Moore took to the well and spoke about allegations that Ralston had used his position as speaker to benefit his law firm.

Calling the comments “some of the vilest that you can make about a good man,” current speaker Burns instructed the House doorkeeper not to allow Moore to set foot in the chamber.

The doorkeeper made good on that Thursday when Moore tried to enter the chamber along with his Senate colleagues for a joint session to hear from the governor.

The doorkeeper asked Moore to step aside and watch the governor’s speech from outside the chamber.

Moore tried to push his way in, but was stopped by the doorkeeper and other staff.

Moore insisted he was legally and constitutionally entitled to enter the chamber, but the doorkeeper disagreed, and so did the multiple Capitol police officers stationed outside the House awaiting Moore’s arrival. Moore had announced on social media earlier his intention to challenge the ban.

After several minutes of pushing and shoving, Moore fell to the ground. After more arguing, officers told Moore he was under arrest, cuffed him and led him away to a squad car.

Moore has been a controversial figure in the Senate. He was previously booted from the GOP caucus after lawmakers said he posted contact information for colleagues to social media and urged people to call them to urge a special session to target Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis for arresting former president, now President-elect Donald Trump.

Majority Leader Chuck Efstration told reporters after the speech that Burns did his duty to maintain order in the House chamber.

“The senator caused a very dangerous situation today with law enforcement, doorkeepers, staff and other individuals that were present,” he said. “I think House members that were standing behind the doors in the chamber were focused on the governor’s State of the State address and the important work to be done this legislative session, and that’s where the focus should be.”

Democrats have been content to watch the intraparty feuding from the sidelines.

“When elephants are fighting, get out of the way,” House Minority Leader Carolyn Hugley, a Columbus Democrat, told reporters afterwards.

It’s not yet clear what charges Moore may face. Georgia law prohibits legislators from being arrested during the General Assembly session, with the exceptions of felony offenses, breach of peace, and treason.

Moore is the third Georgia lawmaker arrested inside the Capitol in the last few years.

U.S. Rep. Nikema Williams, an Atlanta Democrat, was among a group of people arrested in 2018 while protesting the ballot counting in the 2018 governor’s race.

In 2021, state Rep. Park Cannon, an Atlanta Democrat, was arrested on the same charges as Williams for knocking on Kemp’s office doors during the signing of controversial election law overhaul Senate Bill 202.

The charges against Williams and Cannon were dropped by prosecutors later. However, their attorneys argued at a Georgia Supreme Court hearing in May that the laws that were used to arrest them are vague, overly broad, and violate their constitutional rights as free individuals.

In November, the state Supreme Court found the arrests of Cannon and Williams were legal, but advised the Legislature to clarify the types of disruptions that are prohibited under law.

The first day of early voting in Georgia crushed the previous record for in-person turnout, with more than 300,000 people casting a ballot Tuesday.

The previous record was 136,000 votes on the first day of advanced voting in 2020, according to Georgia Secretary of State officials.

In polling places across vote-rich metro Atlanta, backers of both political parties showed up in droves to back their favorite candidates on a busy first day of the end of the 2024 election.

U.S. Rep. Nikema Williams, who is also chairwoman of the Democratic Party of Georgia, said late Monday afternoon that she was heartened by the turnout.

“We have shocked the nation in Georgia before with historic voter turnout in 2020 and now we are even surpassing that,” the Atlanta Democrat said. “I am confident that voters are choosing their freedom when they vote, but I also understand that there’s a lot more days of early voting to go, and so we have to keep this momentum going.”

The first day of early voting coincided with a visit from GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump, who did an all-women town hall in Cumming that will air Wednesday on Fox News and a late-night rally in Cobb County.

“I tell you what, I’m hearing very good things now. It hasn’t been going on too long, but we’re seeing numbers. They’re saying, ‘Wow, those are big numbers,'” Trump told rally-goers Tuesday.

Cherokee County

But there were also signs of energy among right-leaning voters.

When the polls at Rose Creek Public Library in Woodstock opened up at 8:30 a.m. on Tuesday, more than 75 people were already in a line stretching around the building and looping up in a closed-off section of the parking lot.

Voters line up at the Rose Creek Public Library in Woodstock for the first day of early voting. Ross Williams/Georgia Recorder

The library parking lot quickly filled up beyond capacity, and some parked their vehicles along the curb. Still, the crowd grew as people were dropped off out front or walked over from nearby lots.

Some of the voters were bundled up against the chilly weather, but the mood was generally jolly, with some clapping and cheering when poll workers officially opened the doors.

Sharon Krecl of Canton was one of the first to walk out the doors, along with a friend who did not want her name published.

Most of Tuesday’s early risers said they are constant early voters because it is more convenient for them than waiting until Election Day.

“We’ve got other things to do,” Krecl said. “We don’t want to be standing in line. We figure it’s going to be a very busy election year.”

Woodstock retiree James Tanner said he wanted to bank his vote for Donald Trump in case he buys the proverbial farm before Nov. 5.

“Well I wanted to get it over with. I might die before Election Day, I wanted to make sure I get counted,” he said with a laugh.

Tanner stepped out of the library wearing a cap naming him as a Purple Heart recipient.

Trump voter James Tanner of Woodstock gives the thumbs up after casting his ballot. Tanner was one of the first Georgians to vote on Tuesday. Ross Williams/Georgia Recorder

“I’m like Trump, I took a bullet for this country,” he said.

Tanner was far from the sole Trump voter who lined up early in Woodstock Tuesday. More than two-thirds of the county supported the former president against Democrat Joe Biden in 2020.

The local Democratic Party is hoping to make the district, sandwiched between the more liberal north Atlanta suburbs and conservative rural north Georgia, a little bluer, announcing visits from big names like Sen. Jon Ossoff and former gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams, but most of Tuesday’s early voters said they want Trump back in office.

“He’s going to save America,” Tanner said. “America’s going down the hole, quick. Democrats, I don’t know what they got on their mind, but it ain’t America. We need somebody to take America back.”

“I just think he’s strong,” said Gail Kane of Woodstock. “I think he’s strong for our country, for somebody to go through what he’s going through and still keep running to be able to take care of our country, I mean, you can’t ask for better than that.”

Most of the voters listed border security, crime and the economy as their top concerns.

“He’s a businessman, so he’s dealt with other countries in his business and everything,” said Woodstock retiree George McCutchen. “So he knows what’s going on. It’s about running the country like a business. That’s the biggest thing.”

Some of the voters also expressed concern that the election might not be completely free or fair.

“We’re hoping, God willing,” Kane said. “I think the last election was a little bit, maybe, off. We’ll never know 100% for sure.”

“I think it’s more fair, too, when Election Day is Election Day,” she added. “Not election week or election couple days. Get it all done like we used to back in the old days. One day, count your votes the next day, whatever.”

Trump continues to allege malfeasance in the 2020 election, but his efforts to overturn the results have failed in multiple courts. In the past, the former president has expressed skepticism with early and absentee voting, implying that those votes are easier to falsify, but he has since moderated that stance and called on supporters to vote any way they can.

In a Tuesday morning press conference at the state Capitol, Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger sought to quash worries about election security, touting measures including maintaining accurate voter lists by cooperating with other states, verifying that only U.S. citizens are able to vote and a 100% audit of all races.

“We have the cleanest, most accurate voter list in the entire country,” he said.

Atlanta

Trump and his supporters are hoping places like Cherokee continue to see big crowds at polling places, while Harris voters hope to see strong turnout in Atlanta and some of its more left-leaning suburbs.

Poll workers in Atlanta reported steady crowds Tuesday, including at the Joan P. Garner Library at Ponce De Leon, where Pamela Matthews, a retired government contractor, cast her ballot for Harris.

Matthews said she thinks Harris’ policies would be better for the middle class economically, and that she prefers the vice president’s position on abortion. But she said she worries Harris’ connection with her boss, President Joe Biden, could harm her chances in Georgia.

“It’s hard for her because of the split between her and Biden, and things that she probably would do different from Biden, she’s really not talking a lot about it because she’s still serving underneath him,” she said. “So that’s a disadvantage for her to me. But hopefully, I mean, it’s so close now that she’s going to have to separate herself from him and really talk about the things that she would do differently.”

Matthews said she hopes to see Harris separate herself from Biden on the economy, and especially the war in Gaza.

“So many people are losing their lives, so I hope that she will take a stance against that and speak up because she would probably do, I think, things a little bit different, but she really doesn’t say much because of the position that she’s still in,” she added.

Democrats’ chances at retaining the White House appeared to leap when Biden dropped out and Harris became the nominee, but Leah Foster of DeKalb County said Biden’s forced departure left a bad taste in her mouth.

Leah Foster cast her ballot for Kamala Harris Tuesday. Ross Williams/Georgia Recorder

Foster voted in DeKalb County Tuesday morning after a wait of just under an hour.

While she said she’s not happy about how she feels Biden was treated, she appreciates him setting up his vice president to be the nominee and was pleased to vote for her.

“I’m voting for someone who doesn’t have the baggage,” she said. “And I’m not talking about the 34 convictions. I’m not talking about the alleged rape. I’m not talking about any of that. I’m talking about the inability to put America first, the inability to put the country first.”

Foster said she thinks Trump is too self-centered to serve another term and would harm the nation’s reputation abroad.

“I’m not voting for the lesser of two evils. I hear people say that, but I don’t view her as evil,” she said. “I view her as this is her time. This is America’s time. This is America’s time to say once again on the world stage who we are. Biden has brought back a lot of credibility to America on the world stage, and I just do not think that Trump would continue that. I think that we would fall back with him at the helm in that regard.”

Frankie Brown, right, and his friend and neighbor Ella Stephens, voted together in Atlanta Tuesday. Ross Williams/Georgia Recorder

Frankie Brown said he voted for a full Democratic ticket. He said on election night he’ll be watching the House and Senate results as closely as the presidential race.

“Republicans aren’t capable and aren’t ready to do anything but just flex their muscle and stuff, but I think we can get something done with the Democratic party,” he said. “We’ve got plans, we’ve got voting power, all we’ve got to do is make sure we get the Senate, that’s going to be a little worse, but I’m positive.”

Polls suggest a slim Republican majority could be the most likely outcome in the Senate, while control of the House is more difficult to predict. Brown said he hopes a Democratic trifecta will allow the party to take action in his most important issues, abortion and gun control.

Britany Hellyar-Luna, who voted in East Point in south Fulton County, showed up on the first day of early voting to avoid the lines. Also, she said there was no point waiting when she already knew how she planned to vote.

“As a same-sex couple, we want to protect our rights too,” she said as she left East Point First Mallalieu United Methodist Church, which is an early voting location. “That was not a hard thing to vote Kamala versus Trump.”

Octavis Smith voted early in south Fulton County on the first day he could, mostly because he wanted to get it over with. Jill Nolin/Georgia Recorder

Octavis Smith voted at the same East Point location on the first day but he said he mostly voted early just to get it over with so people would stop hassling him about the election.

Disillusioned by the negative ads and what he sees as self-serving politicians, the Democrat-leaning voter said he was not particularly enthusiastic about any candidate but ultimately backed Harris because he said he wants to see what she would do with the opportunity to potentially become the country’s first woman president.

“I really do want to see what she is going to do. I mean, I already saw what Trump is going to do,” he said.

Former president Donald Trump came to Savannah Tuesday to make an economic pitch to Georgia voters.

In a freewheeling speech that touched on topics ranging from immigration to the July attempt on his life at a Pennsylvania rally and how President Joe Biden looks in a swimsuit, the Republican presidential candidate said he would be better for the economy than his Democratic rival, Vice President Kamala Harris, arguing his tax and manufacturing policies will result in more jobs for American citizens.

“Georgia and Savannah are going to be right in the center of the action,” he said. “We’re going to rebuild our manufacturing, and it’s going to happen. It’s going to happen fast and beautifully. For years, Americans have watched as our country was stripped of jobs and wealth, and our companies were sold off to foreign countries. You’ve been watching, and it’s been a horror show.”

Trump reiterated his plan to levy heavy tariffs on exported goods, targeting China in particular. Trump also promised a 100% tariff on cars imported from Mexico and said the centerpiece of his economic plan would be a tax reduction for companies that base their manufacturing operations in the United States, which he predicted will create a “manufacturing renaissance” that would bring in billions to benefit American citizens.

“For years they knocked the word. The word tariff, properly used, is a beautiful word. One of the most beautiful words I’ve ever heard. It’s music to my ears. A lot of bad people didn’t like that word, but now they’re finding out I was right,” he said.

The Harris campaign has referred to the plan as a “Trump tax,” pointing to economic experts who largely agree that U.S. consumers shoulder the price of tariffs. The campaign cites estimates that the tariffs Trump proposes could raise costs for American households by between $2,000 and $6,000.

Trump sought to paint Harris and President Joe Biden as financially inept and responsible for high inflation rates in recent years.

During a portion of the speech in which he gave shoutouts to high-profile Georgia supporters, Trump praised Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, calling him “fantastic” in a sign that the former president is continuing to seek to mend the relationship with the popular Republican he once tried to oust. Last week, Trump’s running mate, Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance, shared a stage with Kemp during an event for evangelical conservatives.

The Trump campaign is likely betting that burying the hatchet will help convince suburban voters who align with Republicans but dislike Trump’s style to support him in November in what could be a tight race.

The campaign also likely believes that focusing on the economy will help Trump win the crucial swing state. A New York Times/Siena poll released Monday found 28% of Georgia respondents listed the economy as their top issue, more than any other topic. In the same poll, 54% of respondents said they believe Trump would do a better job with the economy, compared with 42% for Harris.

The Harris campaign countered with a number of events across the state, including a press call with billionaire businessman and reality TV star Mark Cuban, who criticized Trump’s economic plan.

But Democrats primarily stuck with what they view as their biggest strength, abortion rights.

The same Times/Siena poll found the second-highest number of Georgia voters listed abortion as their top issues at 16%. Among those polled, 66% said abortion should be always or mostly legal, and 25% said it should be always or mostly illegal, and 53% said Harris would do a better job on the abortion issue compared with 40% for Trump.

While Trump was preparing to take the stage, Harris campaign allies gathered in downtown Atlanta to highlight Trump’s record on abortion. Trump appointed three of the U.S. Supreme Court justices who helped overturn Roe v. Wade in 2022 with a 5-4 vote, ending a five-decade constitutional right to an abortion.

The issue was elevated last week after the first maternal deaths tied to Georgia’s six-week abortion ban became public two years after the law took effect, prompting Harris to visit Atlanta Friday to blast the strict abortion bans passed in GOP-controlled states like Georgia.

Former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, who is serving as a senior advisor for the Harris-Walz campaign, warned that another Trump term poses even greater risks to access to reproductive care.

“We have to remember this is not just about terminating a pregnancy,” Bottoms said. “This is about women who are attempting to access IVF treatment and also women who are experiencing miscarriages. Trump’s Project 2025 agenda even includes plans to restrict access to birth control. I’ve often asked the question, where’s the portion on vasectomies and Viagra?”

Trump’s allies are tied to the conservative presidential transition plan known as Project 2025 created by the influential Heritage Foundation, but the former president has tried to distance himself from the controversial document.

The DNC also promoted their funding of four billboards in Savannah ahead of Trump’s visit seeking to tie him to the overturn of Roe v. Wade.

Deputy Editor Jill Nolin contributed to this report

Georgia Recorder is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Georgia Recorder maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor John McCosh for questions: info@georgiarecorder.com. Follow Georgia Recorder on Facebook and X.

Republican Vice Presidential nominee J.D. Vance shared an Atlanta stage with Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp Monday night, where Vance made a call for conservative unity before a crowd of high-profile names and faithful conservatives.

“Think about the incredible team that we have. We have Brian Kemp, Donald Trump, Nikki Haley, Tulsi Gabbard, and Bobby Kennedy Jr. What an amazing team of patriots fighting for this country,” Vance said at a dinner for the Georgia Faith and Freedom Coalition, a conservative Christian lobbying group

“Of course, there’s a lot of disagreement between those five individuals I just named, and amazingly, amazingly, they’re all on Trump’s team for 2024, because we are the party of common sense,” he added. “We can disagree, and we’ve got to get common sense back in the White House, and that’s why we’re here.”

Kemp’s praise for Vance’s boss, former President Donald Trump, was subdued. His five-minute speech led with the importance of maintaining the Republican majority in the state House and Senate before mentioning the man who will be at the top of the ballot in November.

“This fight, as you know, does not stop at the state level. We have to expand our majority in Congress, take back control of the U.S. Senate, and send Donald Trump back to the White House,” he said. “The reason that we have to do that is because we know what the other side will do if they take control of the federal government.”

Kemp offered no praise for Trump or Vance but said a Vice President Kamala Harris presidency would bring more immigrants into the country and higher crime and taxes.

“The truth is the vice president is just another politician saying whatever they have to to win the election. That is what’s at stake this November. Not just one policy, not just one law. Kamala Harris wants to take our country farther away from its founding principles.”

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp said at an Atlanta Faith & Freedom Coalition dinner that a Kamala Harris presidency would be bad for the economy and crime. Ross Williams/Georgia Recorder

In his keynote speech, Vance, a converted Catholic, outlined the evolution of his own faith. He said he moved away from religion in college but came to rediscover it as an adult.

“I increasingly found the answers in the Christian faith that I discarded as a young man,” he said. “And that realization that the basic truths about being a good man, about being a good husband, about being a dedicated father, those truths found their best expression in the Christian faith of my grandmother.”

Vance said a second Trump administration would benefit Americans of all faiths, arguing that Trump would do better than Harris at fighting crime, stopping illegal immigration and lowering the price of goods.

But Vance told the conservative Christian crowd that Trump’s return to the White House would be especially good for people like them, saying that cultural conservatives will “always have a seat at the table in the Republican Party.”

“I stand here as the vice presidential nominee saying the Republican Party is proud to be the pro-life and the pro-family party,” he said. “Now we believe that human life is precious and every life is worthy of protection because we believe that every child, born and unborn, is created in the image of God. Now, following the Supreme Court’s landmark decision, we recognize that the obligation to help nurture and protect the women and the babies all over this country has only just begun.”

Vance pledged that will mean improving medical care for pregnant women and new mothers as well as enforcing “paternal responsibility.”

“We’re going to do new investments in counseling, in job training, and help with newborn expenses,” he said. “We’re going to do new investments in education and pregnancy care centers and so much more because we believe that this country must be more welcoming to families. And we’re committed to helping as many women as possible choose life and welcome new life into this world.”

Democrats have viewed abortion as a winning issue from them after the overturn of Roe v. Wade led to the dissolution of abortion rights in states including Georgia. The Faith and Freedom event came on the same day as a ProPublica report profiling the case of Amber Thurman, a Georgia woman who died in 2022 after presenting to a hospital with a rare complication from a medication abortion. Doctors waited 20 hours to perform a routine procedure to clear the fetal tissue from her uterus, called a dilation and curettage, or D&C, but it was too late, ProPublica reported.

Thurman’s death, which happened the month after the state’s six-week abortion ban took effect, represents the first time an abortion-related death has been officially deemed “preventable.”

As Vance was speaking, the DNC put out a press release detailing previous Vance statements on abortion as “a reminder of his close ties and unpopular promises to this anti-choice group.”

Political fallout

The dinner marks the closest thing to a reconciliation between Kemp and the Republican presidential nominee since a mostly one-sided spat ended their friendship in 2020 after Kemp declined to cosign Trump’s false claim of election theft in Georgia.

Things got so bad between the two that Trump enlisted former U.S. Sen. David Perdue to run against Kemp in the Republican gubernatorial primary in 2022, but Kemp easily fended off the challenge.

The bad blood seemed to mostly slip into memory since then, with Trump keeping silent on Kemp and Kemp vowing to support the Republican presidential nominee.

Then, in a move that left some Georgia Republicans gobsmacked, Trump attacked Kemp, first lady Marty Kemp, Attorney General Chris Carr, and other top Georgia Republicans during his August rally in Atlanta.

“Your governor, Kemp, and (Secretary of State Brad) Raffensperger, they’re doing everything possible to make 2024 difficult for Republicans to win,” he said just last month. “What are they doing? I don’t know. They’ve got something in mind, you know, they’ve got a little something in mind. Kemp is very bad for the Republican Party.”

The attack left politicos puzzled because Kemp is more popular than Trump is in Georgia – the governor had a 63% approval rating in June, according to polling from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. And while Trump narrowly lost Georgia in 2020 after winning in 2016, Kemp’s support grew significantly between his 2018 race against Stacey Abrams and their rematch in 2022.

Georgia is one of seven key swing states that could help determine whether Trump or Harris win the White House in November, and the race is expected to be close, with polls largely within the margin of error.

Not long after the Atlanta rally, Trump seemed to recalibrate his position on Kemp in a post on social media.

“Thank you to @BrianKempGA for all of your help and support in Georgia, where a win is so important to the success of our Party and, most importantly, our Country. I look forward to working with you, your team, and all of my friends in Georgia to help MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”

Speaking to the friendly crowd, Vance and Kemp sought to demonstrate a unified front, as did other Georgia GOP leaders, including fellow Trump target Carr, Georgia Labor Commissioner Bruce Thompson and Congressmen Mike Collins and Barry Loudermilk.

Georgia Recorder is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Georgia Recorder maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor John McCosh for questions: info@georgiarecorder.com. Follow Georgia Recorder on Facebook and X.

CHICAGO – In the sanctuary of a historic church converted into an event space, not far from the hustle and bustle of the Democratic National Convention, a group of young people with a passion for politics met.

The Youth VoteFest, hosted by University of Chicago’s Institute of Politics, aimed to provide lessons in political organizing with topics like how to run a high school voter drive building inclusive campus voting coalitions.

The young attendees heard from a series of high-powered speakers, including U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg; Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson; Florida Democratic U.S. Rep. Maxwell Frost, the nation’s first Gen Z member of Congress, and Tennessee Rep. Justin Pearson, who gained national attention when he was expelled from the House and later reinstated for participating in a protest over gun laws on the House floor.

Pearson told the participants about his first foray into public policy, when he spoke out to members of his local school board about a lack of adequate textbooks.

“If you use your power, you shame a couple people, things start to happen,” he said. “We have to remember that we are powerful. And we have to show other people their power. We don’t have to have fancy suits and fancy titles. All you have to do is use your voice, use your vote, use your power. We are powerful, and our power scares people.”

Organizers emphasized that the fest was nonpartisan, though several of the speakers and attendees indicated support for Vice President Kamala Harris for president. The Institute of Politics hosted a similar event featuring a conservative slate of speakers in Milwaukee last month to coincide with the Republican National Convention.

The IOP was founded by former Obama strategist David Axelrod, and its director is former Democratic U.S. Sen. Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota, who opened the program encouraging the youngsters in attendance.

“I want you to imagine, just look around, and every state legislature, you take 10 people out of the state legislature, and you replace them with 10 of you,” she said. “I want you to think about your city council, and you replace that city council with three of you. And I want you to think about Congress, and you replace congressional people with 20 of you. Do you think you would talk about other things in the legislature, at city council?”

“Your voice in the room matters, especially right now. And if young people, young people voted at the same percentage as people over the age of 65, the priorities of public policy in this country would change dramatically,” Heitkamp said.

Some members of the audience had already thrown their hats into various state and local rings. At 25, Ashwin Ramaswami is running for a seat on the Georgia Senate as a Democrat. His opponent is state Sen. Shawn Still, a Republican first elected in 2022, who was indicted in the Fulton County election interference case against former President Donald Trump. Still has pleaded not guilty and denied any wrongdoing

Ramaswami said campaigning as a Gen Zer comes with challenges – it’s tough to raise funds when all of your friends are recent college graduates – but with opportunities as well.

“When I’m canvassing, people that initially first see me, the first thing that pops out is my age, because they see me, they’re like, ‘oh, my kids are your age,’ or they don’t know how old I am,” he said. “I think after talking to me, they start to realize that I have a lot of experience, I have a lot of things I bring to the table. In a way, that’s an advantage, because then people start thinking about me in a different way.”

Other attendees, like Joseph Rice, student government president at Chicago’s Kennedy King College, said they were looking for pointers on increasing engagement on their college campuses. The sophomore finance major said he hopes to use what he has learned to make voter registrations drives more efficient.

“Me personally, I’m a blue guy, but I’m moving toward bipartisan, you know, just not to get the students to vote for who I want them to vote for, but for the students to vote for who they want to vote for, if that makes sense,” he said. “So I’m coming as a bipartisan approach, just so they can vote, just so they can have their information. Whether they vote for red or blue is their decision, and I respect that just as long as they get to vote.”

One of the guys was a red guy – former Illinois Republican Congressman Adam Kinzinger, who broke ranks with his party by voting to impeach Trump over the Jan. 6, 2021 riot at the U.S. Capitol and later sat on the House committee investigating the Capitol attack.

“People disagree on issues, all of us,” he said. “A hundred years ago, we were having the same debate about taxation and everything else. And in 100 years, we’re going to be having the same debate. But we’re facing a specific moment in this country where the question is, are you, as young people, when you get to be my age – I’m old, I’m 46 – when you get to be my age, are you going to have a democracy that works as well as I was able to have when I was your age?”

Georgia Recorder is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Georgia Recorder maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor John McCosh for questions: info@georgiarecorder.com. Follow Georgia Recorder on Facebook and X.

Advanced Placement African American studies will be offered in Georgia high schools with state funding, Superintendent Richard Woods said Tuesday, but some members of both political parties are still wondering why there was ever any question.

Woods, a Republican, said his reversal came after receiving a letter from Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr, a Republican, clarifying that House Bill 1084, the state’s 2022 law banning so-called divisive concepts in the classroom, exempts AP, international baccalaureate and dual enrollment classes.

“Thus, any such course developed by its controlling entity will be automatically adopted within the state-approved course catalog. It will not have to receive a recommendation from either the State School Superintendent of Georgia or the Georgia State Board of Education. It will also not require a vote to approve or deny adoption into the state-approved course catalog,” Woods wrote in a statement.

“As I have said, I will follow the law. In compliance with this opinion, the AP African American Studies course will be added to the state-funded course catalog effective immediately,” he added.

Woods said all AP courses will now come with a disclaimer in the state course catalog stating that they were not vetted by the state and that districts need to obey the law.

The school year has already begun for many Georgia students, and some districts, including Atlanta Public Schools and Cobb County Schools, said they are offering the course like any other AP class.

Georgia’s largest school district, Gwinnett County, previously said it would not offer the class, but county superintendent Calvin Watts said Wednesday that schools will work with students who signed up for the course last spring to allow them to change their schedules to add the class.

“While this is a victory in many ways, the State Superintendent’s actions caused undue burden on our schools and pain to many in our community, including our students,” he said. “However, I am grateful for the collective advocacy of our students, families, staff, and community to do what is right for our students. I am sorry that we went through this, but I am happy that in the end, our students can take this course and receive the full AP experience and rewards of completing the course successfully.”

Woods’ move is a reversal from last week, when he said he chose not to recommend state approval for the college-level class because of the divisive concepts law, although he said schools could still offer the class through a workaround. That didn’t satisfy many critics, who said treating a class on Black history and culture as separate and controversial appeared racist.

Republican Gov. Brian Kemp also evinced doubt about Woods’ decision, sending him a letter questioning aspects of the choice.

Last week, Woods said he was seeking to determine whether the law exempted AP and other advanced classes. That’s where Rep. Will Wade came in. The Dawsonville Republican who sits on the House Education Committee was the chief sponsor of the divisive concepts bill and said the bill absolutely exempts those classes.

“Once I understood that he was trying to find clarity, I felt obligated as the author of the bill to get clarification with the AG’s office, which he provided to me, and I shared it with the staff at the DOE to say, ‘Hey guys, I’m not sure why you are having confusion and what’s going on, but I want you to know that I’ve asked this question, and I’m happy to share it with you.’ And that occurred earlier this week,” Wade said.

The divisive concepts bill states that “Nothing in this Code section shall be construed or applied to …. Prohibit the full and rigorous implementation of curricula, or elements of a curriculum, that are required as part of advanced placement, international baccalaureate, or dual enrollment coursework; provided, however, that such implementation is done in a professionally and academically appropriate manner and without espousing personal political beliefs.”

Wade said he and the House Education Committee decided to add that carve out to protect students’ opportunity to take challenging classes meant for college students and earn extra credit.

“I think that he understands that he made a mistake,” he said, referring to Woods. “I understand he apologized last week for how we got where we got, but I can’t tell you why. I don’t know his legal opinion or who is advising him in his office, and I’m a big believer in teamwork and learning from mistakes. I’m a son of two educators, and that’s part of learning, and so I hope that the superintendent uses this as a great learning experience to improve communication and gain better understanding in the future as it relates to laws that affect his department and his responsibilities.”

Education Department spokeswoman Meghan Frick said Woods had been in contact with Carr before receiving the letter from Wade.

“This, along with clarification he sought and received from the AG regarding the course adoption process, is the first formal legal opinion we’ve received on this issue,” she said.

The Georgia Attorney General’s office spokesperson Kara Murray confirmed the office provided legal advice but said they could not provide comment on it because of attorney-client privilege.

Powder Springs Democrat David Wilkerson, another House Education Committee member, said he’s relieved at the resolution, but he worries the divisive concepts bill creates more messes that lawmakers will need to decide how to tidy up.

“Even though the advanced placement was there you still get the risk of a teacher giving their political views, and that’s never been clarified on what that exactly means, your personal political views,” he said. “Is slavery wrong? Is it not wrong? I think we all agree at this point that it was wrong, but that still could be espoused as a political view. So I think as long as 1084 is around, I think you’re going to have that concern. Now instead of having it at the DOE level, you’re going to have it at the district level.”

The course has been a flashpoint in the culture wars nationwide, including in Arkansas, where a lawsuit involving the course is underway, and in Florida, where Gov. Ron DeSantis said he would ban the course because he said it represented an attempt to indoctrinate children.

The battle lines have been different in Georgia, with Republicans who speak on the record opposing Woods’ original decision not to support the class.

Emory University political science professor Andra Gillespie said Woods may have realized he was fighting a losing battle without any allies, and Kemp may have calculated that appearing to fight against African American studies may have presented a bad look ahead of this year’s election.

“It could be something about not sending off unnecessary salvos in the culture wars,” she said. “This could be viewed as excessive, and it’s also something that could be framed as denying children the type of educational advantage that’s going to make them competitive for college, right? There are content discussions that I think Kemp and Woods and other Republicans are comfortable having, but this particular issue of denying a class for which Georgia students could get college credit, which would save them money in the long term and help them achieve a college education, is something that looks like that you’re actually denying people more things than you are providing more advantages and opportunities. And the optics of it look bad in a state where 30% of the population is Black.”

Georgia Recorder is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Georgia Recorder maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor John McCosh for questions: info@georgiarecorder.com. Follow Georgia Recorder on Facebook and X.

Former President Donald Trump came to Atlanta Saturday to deliver a sharp rejoinder to Vice President Kamala Harris’ high-energy rally four days prior — and to attack popular Georgia elected Republicans.

“Your Governor, (Brian) Kemp, and (Secretary of State Brad) Raffensperger, they’re doing everything possible to make 2024 difficult for Republicans to win,” he said. “What are they doing? I don’t know. They’ve got something in mind, you know, they’ve got a little something in mind. Kemp is very bad for the Republican Party.”

Trump’s speech at Georgia State University’s downtown convocation center marks his fourth visit to Georgia this year – the last one was to participate in the CNN debate, where President Joe Biden’s poor performance started the chain of events that led to the current president’s decision not to seek re-election and Harris’ ascension as the Democrats’ presumptive nominee.

That decision, made last month with just over 100 days left before the election, upended the race as Democrats’ celebrated a swell of enthusiasm and Republicans scrambled to recalibrate their attacks on Harris instead of Biden.

Trump sought to tie Harris to Biden Saturday and paint her as an extreme leftist, attacking her positions on the southern border, guns and public safety.

“She was the worst border czar, she was the worst czar in history,” he said, referring to an informal and unofficial title. “Kamala’s radical ideas belong in a San Francisco commune filled with far left freaks, but they do not belong in the White House. They do not belong in the United States of America. This November, Georgia is going to tell Kamala that we will not let her turn America into a communist country.”

He also insulted Harris’ intelligence, calling her “dumb” and “low IQ.”

More debate fallout

Democrats have been cranking up the pressure on Trump to debate Harris after the former president backed out of a debate originally planned when Biden was still seeking another term.

The Democratic National Committee unveiled a confrontational digital ad campaign in battleground states, starting in Atlanta, to press Trump to debate Harris. When Harris was in Atlanta Tuesday, she challenged Trump to bring his criticisms of her to the debate stage and “say it to my face.”

Trump announced Saturday morning on social media that he has proposed an alternative debate arrangement that would move the debate from ABC to Fox News and be held before a live audience. The Harris campaign has been trying to hold Trump to the original debate plan.

“We’re doing one with Fox — if she shows up, I don’t think she’s going to go,” he said Saturday. “She can’t talk. She can read a teleprompter, I’d give her about a six on a scale of 10. Six. For talking, I’d give her less than a one. We need people that can talk.”

But Texas Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett, who is a Dallas Democrat known for verbal sparring with Georgia Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, told reporters in Atlanta Saturday that she thinks Trump is all bluster and has no intention of debating Harris.

“When you think about it, the scariest thing for Donald Trump is to deal with any prosecutor, especially a Black woman prosecutor,” Crockett said, referring to Harris’ background as a San Francisco district attorney and California state attorney general.

There’s also the new age contrast in the race, with Harris’ rise to the top of the ticket enabling Democrats to flip the script on Republicans who questioned Biden’s mental fitness. Harris is about two decades younger than Trump.

“Now we get to focus in on all your crazy rants about Hannibal Lecter or sharks or whatever it is you that want to talk about. You end up being the crazy old uncle on the stage,” Crockett said. “So, I just don’t think that he’s going to do it. I think that he knows that he can’t talk about policy. When he does talk about policy, he loses.”

Trump has also attempted to paint Harris as a dishonest opportunist, but his recent comments casting doubt on her racial background were widely panned as racist at a recent convention for Black journalists.

Harris’ father is a Jamaican-American Black man, and her mother was an Indian-American woman. Trump has cited that Harris has been referred to as both Black and Indian-American throughout her political career in what many see as an attempt to paint her as disingenuous with the Black voting community.

A Trump party

A line of Trump supporters decked out in red MAGA hats and shirts bearing the former president’s face stretched for blocks outside the downtown Atlanta venue. Some wore shirts with the iconic photo of Trump after last month’s attempt on his life with the slogan “Fight, fight, fight.”

Among the crowd was Jajuan Moore, a truck driver originally from Los Angeles who now lives in College Park just south of Atlanta.

Moore, who is Black, said Trump’s comments about Harris’ race don’t bother him, and neither do statements about immigrants taking “Black jobs.”

“Donald Trump, he may say some things, but I don’t care. I’m glad he’s a proud white man, he should be a proud white man of his race, like I’m a proud Black man, and there ain’t nothing wrong with that.”

Moore said one of his favorite of Trump’s accomplishments during his first term was the COVID-19 stimulus checks.

“He was the first politician to give me something when I needed it the most,” he said. “I was struggling so bad. And you know what? He came through for the American people. He said I’m going to do what’s right. I’m going to do what I can, and he did what he did.”

Two stimulus checks came during Trump’s administration, totaling $1,800 per income tax filer and $1,100 per dependent child. A third payment came through Biden’s American Rescue Plan, paying out $1,400 per taxpayer and $1,400 per dependent child.

As Moore spoke from a crowded curbside, passersby cheered and chanted. The weather was hot but the mood was festive as merchants set up stalls or roamed the crowds offering all kinds of Trump shirts, hats, buttons, plushies, drinkware, lanyards and commemorative coins.

Zoe Simmons, a Gainesville University of Georgia student, stood in line with her parents and two sisters for over two hours before the doors opened. She said it was her fourth Trump rally, and she was there for the culture and atmosphere.

“Everyone is excited to be here. Everyone loves America, and it’s just like, as a young person, that’s nice to see. You don’t see that a lot on college campuses anymore,” she said.

Her father, Courtney Simmons, who works in education, said winning Georgia against Harris will be more difficult than defeating Biden.

“She’s certainly more, I wouldn’t say qualified, but she’s more aware of what’s going on,” he said. “She’s younger, she’s a person of color. I think those are all the things that Democrat voters are looking for. Hopefully moderate voters aren’t looking for that, but they may be. I think there’s also an undercurrent of anti-Trump.”

Courtney Simmons said he was almost as excited to see Trump’s new running mate, Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance, as he was to see Trump.

“I love his story. I mean, I think that is the American dream. That’s the American story.” he said. “So hopefully that’ll resonate with that demographic, that impoverished mountain demographic that probably doesn’t vote as often. Maybe they will.”

The speech marked the first Georgia campaign stop for Vance, who sought to set the stage for Trump with his own criticism of Harris.

Trump, Vance attack Harris on immigration

Vance said that Harris put a halt to construction of a wall along the southern border, a project that Trump famously began during his presidency. However, he assured the audience that immigration would be addressed swiftly under a Trump-Vance administration.

“If you’re in this country illegally, start packing your bags, you go home in six months!” Vance declared.

Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, a conservative firebrand and one of Trump’s fiercest allies, also sought to tie Harris with immigration, maintaining that immigration at the U.S-Mexico border is a failure of the Biden-Harris administration. Greene argued there was peace under Trump, highlighting the February murder of 22-year-old college student Laken Riley in Athens, Georgia. A Venezuelan man who entered the country illegally has been charged with her murder.

“Laken Riley is one name and face that is a victim murdered by an illegal alien, but there are many Americans that are victims from illegal alien crime, rape, and murder. She’s just one name that we know here in Georgia,” Greene said.

“Loyalty is protecting Laken Riley, not allowing an illegal immigrant to take her life,” Vance said in an effort to acknowledge that Riley’s death was not quickly forgotten among Georgians.

Trump also evoked the killing of Riley.

“Kamala is responsible for the death as though she was standing there watching it herself,” he said.

Trump pledged to “begin the largest deportation operation in American history” on the first day of his second term if re-elected.

Dredging up the past

Trump narrowly lost Georgia to Biden in 2020 after years of Democratic gains in metro Atlanta, winning with less than 12,000 votes. He has continually asserted without evidence that his loss was the result of foul play, as he did from the stage Saturday.

A Fulton County trial of Trump and 14 remaining co-defendants over alleged election interference has ground to a halt amid efforts to boot District Attorney Fani Willis over a romantic relationship with prosecutor Nathan Wade and a Supreme Court decision establishing a new standard for presidential immunity.

Trump criticized Gov. Brian Kemp, First Lady Marty Kemp and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger in a social media post even before the rally. Kemp and Raffensperger, who are Republicans who resisted Trump’s pressure campaign to overturn the 2020 election results, pushed back on X.

“Georgia’s elections are secure,” Raffensperger wrote in a post Saturday. “The winner here in November will reflect the will of the people. History has taught us this type of message doesn’t sell well here in Georgia, sir.”

Kemp encouraged Trump to focus on the future instead of the past.

“My focus is on winning this November and saving our country from Kamala Harris and the Democrats – not engaging in petty personal insults, attacking fellow Republicans, or dwelling on the past,” Kemp said. “You should do the same, Mr. President, and leave my family out of it.”

A Trump-endorsed GOP candidate, former U.S. Sen. David Perdue, challenged Kemp in 2022, but Kemp ended up beating Perdue by 52 percentage points. Kemp went on to beat Democrat Stacey Abrams to secure a second and final term as governor.

Trump’s comments about Kemp in particular were widely panned by notable Georgia Republicans who quickly took to social media to voice their dismay.

“The Trump rally in Atlanta makes it more likely Kamala Harris wins. He’s his own worst enemy,” said conservative radio host Erick Erickson.

Battleground Georgia

Georgia Democrats said Harris has the momentum to chalk up a repeat presidential win in the Peach State.

Georgia Congresswoman Nikema Williams, an Atlanta Democrat who chairs the Democratic Party of Georgia, said Georgia Democrats are working to turn the new energy on their side into action on the ground. Williams and Crockett spoke to campaign volunteers in downtown Atlanta who were being trained on door-to-door canvassing.

“Our vice president is fighting for our freedom to vote. She’s fighting for economic freedoms. She’s fighting for our reproductive freedoms. And those are the conversations that matter to Georgians on the ground, and that’s what we’re going to do for the next 90 days here in battleground Georgia,” Williams told reporters Saturday.

Next week, Harris is scheduled to make her 16th visit to Georgia since being sworn in, stopping by Savannah as part of a swing state tour with her yet-to-be-announced vice presidential pick.

Polls still show Trump with an advantage in Georgia, though Harris’ position has improved over that of her boss and the presidential race in Georgia is seen as competitive.

Real Clear Politics’ polling average showed Trump with a 3.8% lead over Biden in Georgia ahead of Biden’s withdrawal late last month. Against Harris, Trump’s advantage drops to 2% in the average, which includes polls from July 9 through 30.

“After Texas, Georgia is on my mind,” Crockett told Harris campaign volunteers Saturday.

“We understand that our collective freedoms are running right through Georgia,” she added. “I need y’all to understand that while I know Democrats say every election is the most important election of our lifetime, I’m here to tell you that this is absolutely the most important election of our lifetime.”

Georgia Recorder Deputy Editor Jill Nolin contributed to this report.

Georgia Recorder is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Georgia Recorder maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor John McCosh for questions: info@georgiarecorder.com. Follow Georgia Recorder on Facebook and X.

Georgians will be electing at least one new member of Congress next year – Republican Congressman Drew Ferguson announced he will not be seeking another term Thursday morning.

In a brief statement, the representative from The Rock said he looks forward to spending more time with family.

“Georgia is truly a special place, and it’s calling us home,” he said. “Julie and I look forward to spending more time with our children and grandchildren while continuing to work to keep Georgia the best state in America to live and do business.”

A dentist by profession, Ferguson served as mayor of his hometown of West Point before launching his congressional campaign in 2016 after the retirement of former Congressman Lynn Westmoreland. Ferguson squeaked out a win in the crowded Republican primary in the conservative west Georgia district and has gone on to win reelection by comfortable margins since he was sworn in the following year.

Ferguson earned attention in the fall when the House held a contentious series of votes to elect a new speaker. He was among several Republicans to withdraw support for Ohio Republican Congressman Jim Jordan after Ferguson said he and his family received death threats from Jordan allies.

That vote irked some conservative constituents enough to protest outside his Newnan office, but other right-leaning voters’ grievances have been simmering for longer, said Jared Craig, a Republican who unsuccessfully challenged Ferguson in the 2022 primary.

Jim Bennett will run for the Congressional seat currently occupied by Congressman Drew Ferguson next year. Ferguson announced Thursday he will not be seeking re-election in his west Georgia district. Ross Williams/Georgia Recorder

“During the last couple of months of the Trump administration and into the Biden administration, he started voting differently,” Craig said.

Craig said voters came to oppose Ferguson’s votes on issues like red flag gun laws and benefits for veterans, and they complained he was usually not available to meet with constituents. His vote to certify President Joe Biden’s victory in the 2020 election also rankled some.

“He started to go kind of towards the middle, where he had held himself out to be hard right,” Craig said.

The 3rd District, which includes much of west Georgia, is likely to send whoever wins the Republican primary to Congress. The district supported former President Donald Trump over Biden nearly two-to-one in 2020.

Craig said he’s not running again and is supporting Jim Bennett, a former police officer and the only Republican to have announced a run for the seat before Ferguson’s announcement.

In a call with the Recorder shortly after Ferguson made his announcement, Bennett said his campaign will continue to prioritize issues like stopping undocumented immigration, reducing inflation and cutting government spending, adding that his campaign is preparing to shift from fighting Ferguson to opposing anyone with eyes on the now-open seat.

“I do not believe for a moment that the establishment is done with District 3,” Bennett said. “I do not believe for a moment that the establishment will not have a candidate in this race, but he will not be more America first than me, because that simply isn’t possible. That’s how we’ll go forward.”

With Ferguson out, chances are good that numerous conservative-minded Georgians will throw their names in the hat. Philip Singleton, a former state representative and current chief of staff for Congressman Rich McCormick, said his name could be one of them.

“Julie and I are praying and seriously considering what God has in store for us,” he said in a text. “We are very open to a run in my home of GA3.”

Parts of the district are represented in the state Legislature by influential Republicans, including Sens. Mike Dugan, Matt Brass and Randy Robertson.

But district lines can change ahead of the 2024 election season, especially when a federal judge said they violated the Voting Rights Act. That’s what happened to the district lines in Georgia’s Congressional maps, and lawmakers just wrapped up a special session redrawing them to comply.

The Republicans in charge say the new maps are fine, but if Judge Steve Jones disagrees, he could appoint an outside expert to account for Black Georgians’ voting rights. The 3rd District lines were not altered by the new maps, but a court-drawn map could lead to entirely new boundaries for any or all of the state’s 14 congressional districts.

Georgia Recorder is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Georgia Recorder maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor John McCosh for questions: info@georgiarecorder.com. Follow Georgia Recorder on Facebook and Twitter.

The museum at the Carter Center in Atlanta typically echoes with the oohs and ahhs of tourists and the banter of field tripping schoolchildren, but all was silent Monday night as hundreds of well-wishers walked through the colorful displays to honor a flower-draped casket.

Rosalynn Carter, former first lady of Georgia and the United States, is set to make her final journey to her Plains, Georgia home Wednesday after fans across the state and country say farewell.

Carter, 96, died at her home Nov. 19 a few days after her family announced she had entered hospice. Her husband of 77 years, former President Jimmy Carter called her his “equal partner in everything I ever accomplished,” and she was widely admired for her decades of advocacy, especially her work on behalf of people with mental illnesses and their caregivers.

Mental health advocate Aisha Bryant of Midtown Atlanta said she had the opportunity to meet Carter at Emory University in 2017 through her work with people with autism. She said the former first lady’s humility and kindness stuck with her.

“I just remember her being so humble towards me and just everything that she’s done in life, I didn’t expect that she’s just so happy, so calm, the demeanor about herself,” she said.

Many people in the crowd had personal stories of encounters with Rosalynn Carter. When she crossed your path, she always made you feel special, said Shellie Stuart, who came to the Carter Center Monday from Lincoln City, Oregon – about 2,700 miles away

Stuart met the Carters through her work with Friendship Force International, a nonprofit promoting cultural exchange around the world and accompanied them on travels, including a 2002 diplomatic mission to Cuba.

“I was always amazed at how Rosalynn Carter had time for everybody,” she said. “Everybody mattered. Nobody was made to feel less important than anybody else. She was a huge inspiration to me and my friends. We felt that it was important to come here from Oregon, just to pay our respects and be part of this.”

John Lang, who made the 10-hour trip from Columbus, Ohio looked back fondly on the seven or eight Habitat for Humanity projects he accompanied the Carters on in the U.S. and in foreign lands that include India, Haiti and Thailand. He said he’ll never forget Rosalynn Carter’s beautiful smile, but she was far more than just a pretty face at the president’s side.

“She was out there working day in and day out,” he said. “I saw her in 90 degree weather, sweating with all the rest of us. And I think that’s one of the things a lot of people don’t realize, that Mrs. Carter and President Carter actually did the work.”

Lang said the former first couple were just as loving and affectionate as they are often described.

“They really were always holding hands, just on little short jaunts or going to get something to eat, you know, they would be holding hands, and I thought that was a true recognition of a marriage and that commitment to the other person,” he said.

Melissa Danielson of Forsyth said she also worked with Rosalynn Carter as her art registrar in the 1990s. When dignitaries sent the Carters gifts and awards, Danielson would catalog them before Rosalynn Carter would decide where to put them in the Carter Center.

“It was a pleasure working for them,” she said. “They were such compassionate people, very humble. She was such a wonderful lady to work for. She’s very down to earth and caring so much about people. My heart goes out to her family right now. I mean, she was a grandmother, great-grandmother, those are the people that I feel for deeply right now.”

Carter’s family members are set to say their goodbyes in a series of private services leading up to her funeral on Wednesday.

On Tuesday, invited guests will pay tribute at Glenn Memorial Church at Emory University. According to the Carter Center, every living former first lady is expected to attend – Melania Trump, Michelle Obama, Laura Bush and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton – as is current first lady Jill Biden, who is expected to arrive in Atlanta Tuesday with President Joe Biden.

Other notable guests expected to attend include former President Bill Clinton, Vice President Kamala Harris and second gentleman Doug Emhoff, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp and first lady Marty Kemp, Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens and “multiple members of Congress and Georgia elected officials,” according to the Carter Center.

On Wednesday, Carter’s motorcade is scheduled to travel the 160 miles south to Plains for a private service at Maranatha Baptist Church, where the Carters worshiped, volunteered and taught for decades.

Members of the public are invited to line the motorcade route down Bond Street and along Ga. 280 in downtown Plains.

Georgia Recorder is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Georgia Recorder maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor John McCosh for questions: info@georgiarecorder.com. Follow Georgia Recorder on Facebook and Twitter.