Georgia Politics, Campaigns, and Elections for June 26, 2017

On June 26, 1918, the Georgia General Assembly ratified the Eighteenth Amendment, which outlawed the production, sale, and transportation of alcohol. Governor Hugh Dorsey did not sign it for nearly a week, but the United States Secretary of State considers an Amendment ratified when the state legislature has voted on final passage.

On June 26, 1945, the United Nations Charter was signed in San Francisco.

The Berlin Airlift began on June 26, 1948 after the Soviet Union had blockaded West Berlin, which was occupied by the United States, Great Britain, and France.

The first Harry Potter book, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, was released in the UK on June 26, 1997.

Gone with the Wind was re-released on June 26, 1998.

Georgia Politics, Campaigns, and Elections

Governor Nathan Deal announced that the state will invest $10.5 million in the Environmental Protection Division’s oversight of the water metering program.

 “This investment is a crucial one for our state as we continue to enhance efforts to manage and protect Georgia’s most valuable resources,” said Deal. “Marjie has proven herself a valuable asset to my administration and our state, and I am confident her background and expertise will serve the agricultural community and its stakeholders well.”

Last December, EPD assumed oversight of the state’s agriculture irrigation metering program, which provides important data for management of the state’s water resources and supports the water conservation efforts of producers. Though several thousand irrigation systems have been successfully metered since 2003, measurement of agricultural water use in all critical areas of the state needs to be completed.

Georgia Court of Appeals Judge Charlie Bethel will be elevated to sit on the Georgia Supreme Court for at least one case today at 10 AM, after Justice Britt Grant recused herself form hearing a case on Georgia’s Certificate of Need program.

Designated judges are appointed when a justice must recuse himself or herself from a particular case. The Supreme Court of Georgia maintains a list of select judges from around the state and when the need arises, the court appoints the next judge on the list.

The Supreme Court of Georgia will hear arguments in the case on Monday during its 10 a.m. session. In this case, owners of a women’s surgical center in Cartersville are appealing a Fulton County court ruling that rejects their constitutional challenges of Georgia laws that require them to obtain a “certificate of need” from the state before making an addition to their facility. In addition to hearing arguments, Bethel, of Dalton, will participate in the court’s decision.

Superior Court Judge David Cannon of the Blue Ridge Circuit pinch-hit on the Supreme Court last week.

Judge David Cannon of the Superior Court of the Blue Ridge Judicial Circuit served Tuesday in place of Georgia Supreme Court Justice Nels S. D. Peterson in the appeal of City of Marietta v. Summerour.

In addition to hearing arguments, Cannon participated in the court’s decision. Designated judges are appointed when a justice must recuse himself or herself from a particular case.

“It was a considerable honor to be asked to sit on the Georgia Supreme Court for a case today,” Cannon said on social media. “I enjoyed my experience, I did my homework at the bar meeting last week and read all the motions and briefs, a notebook about 4 inches thick, and reviewed again over the weekend.”

Chatham County Superior Court Judge Louisa Abbot is upset with conditions at the courthouse.

Abbot directed her ire at two specific conditions — a malfunctioning air conditioning and heating system and a repeatedly overflowing bathroom in an office that houses judges’ staff attorneys — at the J. Tom Coleman Courthouse on Montgomery Street.

That sounds bad, but Two Peachtree is far, far worse.

Senator Johnny Isakson want NAFTA negotiations to improve market conditions for Georgia poultry exports.

Senator Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., led a bipartisan group of senators recently in urging the administration to use the renegotiation process for the North American Free Trade Agreement to break down “unfair trade barriers” and improve market access for American poultry farmers, processors and exporters.

“With the ratification of NAFTA in 1994, the United States, Canada and Mexico committed to a shared goal of eliminating tariffs on goods exchanged between the three nations,” the senators wrote. “Unfortunately, in practice, this goal has proven difficult to achieve. This has been particularly true for American poultry, which continues to face trade barriers in North America more than 20 years after NAFTA’s enactment.”

Karen Handel will be sworn-in to Congress at 6:30 PM tonight.

“I remain humbled by this extraordinary privilege to serve the citizens of Georgia’s sixth district, and I look forward to getting right to work for them this week.” said the Congresswoman-elect.

Gwinnett County Commissioner Tommy Hunter may still face a recall effort after his colleagues voted to publicly chastise him.

“The threshold, or the trip point, the date for the ability to start recall proceeds is about to come forward so we’ll find out whether people who have been saying they’re going to organize a recall will do something,” Commission Chairwoman Charlotte Nash said.

Residents who want to see him removed from office have had to wait for a recall to become available to them since January. That’s because state law prevents a recall from being launched during the first or last 180 days — essentially six months — of an elected official’s term.

Hunter started a new term at the beginning of the year, meaning the 180-day waiting period won’t come to a close until the end of this week. County spokesman Joe Sorenson said the county’s elections office has not received any inquiries about conducting a recall recently.

“Right now, we’re looking at the requirements and trying to access the possible outcome before we make a decision which way to go with that,” Gwinnett County Democratic Party Chairman Gabe Okoye said. “We’ve got some lawyers look at it and on Wednesday, they’ll make a recommendation and I’ll look at it and decide which way to go.”

 The number of food stamp recipients in Georgia dropped by 300k from 1.9 million in April 2013 to 1.6 million.

The fact that food stamp use has remained relatively high, while the economy has largely rebounded from the recession, makes some believe that many food stamp recipients are taking advantage of the system.

State Sen. Renee Unterman, R-Buford, said food stamps rightly serve vulnerable people – especially children and elderly – but that it’s time to crack down on able-bodied people milking the system.

“I think there’s a lot of fraud with food stamps,” Unterman said. “There’s a history of a lot of waste in our program.”

She’s seen it herself. She pointed to the underground market in which people illegally sell food stamps for cash, weapons and drugs. One time, when she was in a Kroger supermarket, Unterman said a woman offered to pay for her groceries with her food stamp card if she gave the woman a little cash.

Savannah City Council will likely prioritize new sidewalks and trying to lower the crime rate.

The first Diamondback Terrapins of the season hatched at the Georgia Sea Turtle Center.

2018 Georgia Elections

Democratic State Rep. Stacey Evans (Cobb) has been busy racking up endorsements.

On Friday, an email signed by Democratic strategist Paul Begala went out seeking donations for Evans’s campaign for Governor.

Candidates like Stacey remind me why I’m a Democrat in the first place. Hope is why I’m a Democrat.

Growing up in a family that lived paycheck to paycheck, her story is familiar to many working families in Georgia. She’s seen hardship firsthand. And she never lost hope.

Thanks to the HOPE Scholarship, Stacey was the first member of her family to attend college. Stacey is exactly why the scholarship came along. Trust me, I know a little something about hope.

30 years ago, I met another north Georgian with a vision for the HOPE Scholarship. James Carville & I dropped everything to make sure that man, Zell Miller, was elected governor. Zell will always be remembered as the governor that gave Georgia HOPE. Just a few years later I had a front row seat as a certain boy from Hope, Arkansas, Bill Clinton, inspired a nation. And in 2008, I watched an Illinois Senator, Barack Obama, offer change and hope as a candidate, and deliver it as President.

Georgia knows hope and authenticity when they see it. And I tell ya, Jasper, it’s Stacey Evans. As Governor, Stacey’ll be a champion for every Georgia child because she knows that going to college can literally change your life.

Georgia is at a crossroads. Hope isn’t what it used to be. Cuts to the HOPE Scholarships and Grants have forced tens of thousands of students to drop out of school.

I won’t stand for that… and neither should you. That’s why I’m working my heart out to make sure Stacey Evans is Georgia’s next Governor. Never underestimate the power of hope. Stacey didn’t when she was young. And there’s no reason we should now.

This morning, former Governor Roy Barnes endorsed Evans.

Gov. Roy Barnes endorsed state Rep. Stacey Evans of Smyrna in the 2018 Democratic gubernatorial primary. She faces state Rep. Stacey Abrams of Atlanta, who will give up her post as House minority leader this week. Both are attorneys.

From the Evans campaign press release:

“There’s a whole lot riding on this race for governor. Georgia is a changing state. If Republicans win in November, they get to redraw the maps. Again. And just like last time, they’re going to be able to draw those maps to keep Democrats in the minority. Georgia families cannot let that happen, and with Stacey Evans as our nominee, it will not happen.”

“We can win this election and we have to win this election. I’ve never been more sure of anything. But this election is not won in Washington D.C. It is won right here, in Georgia. Georgians aren’t laying up worrying about what Washington D.C. wants or some national party divide. They’re worried about how they’re going to pay for their kids’ and grandkids’ college. They’re worried about their healthcare premiums, and if their wages are enough to cover it all.

“Stacey Evans gets that and that’s why I’m supporting her bid for governor. Stacey’s story is powerful. Her work for working Georgia families is powerful. It gives me hope. And I’ll be standing with her every step of the way through this election.”

The Washington Examiner looks at the potential dynamic in the 2018 Democratic Primary for Governor and what it may portend for the future of the Democratic Party.

Democrats have been saying forever and a day that Georgia is the next state they intend to flip in their favor. They promised to do just that during last November’s presidential election, and again in last week’s special election in the 6th Congressional District for an open House seat.

Eventually, they have to start winning elections in Georgia for Georgia to be a true battleground.

And so there will be a big question as to what’s the best way to win in Georgia. Is it merely to maximize turnout among African-Americans and transplants in the Atlanta area, or is it try to claw back the rural blue-collar voters that Democrats ancestrally had when they used to win in Georgia?

That is a serious, existential question for Democrat operatives as they look at winning back anything in the Trump Belt.

The truth is, most Democrats in Washington think that the urban Atlanta model is the one that is most likely to succeed for Democrats because where the numbers are — which makes Republicans strategists in Washington and Georgia happy.