Georgia Politics, Campaigns, and Elections for May 31, 2022

The Treaty of Augusta was signed on May 31, 1783, between the Creek Indians and Georgia Commissioners. A second, identical document would be signed on November 1 of that year.

The first graduation ceremony for the University of Georgia was held on May 31, 1804.

Savannah-born John C. Fremont was nominated for President of the United States by the Radical Republicans on May 31, 1864. Fremont had previously been nominated for President by the Republican Party as their first presidential candidate in 1856.

The Capital City Club in Atlanta was chartered on May 31, 1889.

United States Secretary of State William Jennings Bryan certified the 17th Amendment as part of the Constitution on May 31, 1913, authorizing the direct election of United States Senators. Georgia never ratified the Amendment.

A summit between President Ronald Reagan and Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev ended on May 31, 1988. Four years later, in 1992, Gorbachev was dancing for dollars in the United States, including the keynote address at Emory University’s graduation.

Georgia Politics, Campaigns, and Elections

Car v. pedestrian accidents have increased dramatically in Georgia, according to the Center Square via the Gwinnett Daily Post.

In 2021, the number of pedestrian traffic fatalities in The Peach State increased by 45.6% from 2019 and 23.8% from 2020, according to an analysis from the Governors Highway Safety Association. But it’s not just a Georgia problem; the organization’s review found that the 7,485 pedestrian traffic deaths nationwide in 2021 was a 16.7% increase from 2019 and an 11.5% increase from 2020.

Georgia had an estimated 348 pedestrian traffic fatalities in 2021, increasing from 281 in 2020 and 239 in 2019. That represents 2.62 deaths per 100,000 residents in 2020 and 3.22 deaths per 100,000 in 2021.

The report found that dangerous driving behaviors, including speeding and impaired and distracted driving, are primarily responsible for the uptick in pedestrian deaths.

“What we have been seeing on the road has been an increase in speeds, and we’re not talking about just a few miles over, we’re talking about people who are traveling well above the legal speed limit,” Robert Hydrick, communications manager for the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety, told The Center Square.

“…The speed limit is the law, and it’s there to protect everyone on the road, not just vehicles,” Hydrick added. “It’s also there to protect pedestrians, bicyclists, motorcyclists [and] all roadway users. When people are traveling well above the speed limit, that creates a very dangerous situation for the other roadway users who are obeying the law and doing the things that are needed to be done to prevent crashes.”

“Enforcement is the first and foremost way to get people to obey the law,” Hydrick said. “Our state troopers and local law enforcement officers are doing everything they can to enforce the law. Unfortunately, they cannot be everywhere at once, and it just takes — and it’s part of our messaging — people to understand that what’s on a phone is not more important than someone’s life.”

The metropolitan Valdosta region notched a record low unemployment rate, according to the Valdosta Daily Times.

Georgia Labor Commissioner Mark Butler said Valdosta recorded an all-time low unemployment rate of 2.4% in April, down one percentage point during the month. A year ago, the rate was 4.2%.

“As employers continue to fill their vacancies with qualified job seekers, we are encouraged to see many Georgians eager to return to the workforce,” Butler said. “This dedication on the part of both employer and job seeker is what has enabled us to fill the demand for goods and services in record numbers across the state.”

An interesting tidbit or four from the Athens Banner Herald:

In the U.S. Senate race, Herschel Walker easily won the Republican nomination, receiving 68% of the votes in Georgia. But in Athens and Oconee, while Walker still got the most votes, it was not by as large of a margin, with 53% of the votes in Athens and 58% of votes in Oconee County going to the former Georgia football star.

In the Georgia gubernatorial race, incumbent Brian Kemp, who is a native the Athens, had a large win over opponent David Perdue, with a 51-point lead. That lead was even greater in Athens and Oconee, with 82% of residents in both places voting for the Athens native while only 13% voted for Perdue.

Athens as a majority did not vote for its former representative Jody Hice in the Republican Secretary of State race. Statewide, Hice lost to the incumbent Brad Raffensperger, with Raffensperger securing most of the votes among Clarke County voters.

In Oconee, Hice performed better than Raffensperger, securing the most votes at 49% of the county.

On Thursday, Georgia Secretary of State Raffensperger is expected to testify in the Fulton County District Attorney’s probe of the 2020 election, according to the Associated Press via the Valdosta Daily Times.

Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger has been summoned to appear before the special grand jury Thursday, according to a subpoena obtained by The Associated Press through an open records request. Five other people in his office have received subpoenas to appear in early June and the office has received a subpoena for documents. State Attorney General Chris Carr has received a subpoena to appear June 21.

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis opened the investigation soon after she took office in January 2021. She made clear when she requested a special grand jury earlier this year that one purpose for doing so would be to issue subpoenas to people who might not cooperate otherwise.

The 23 members of the special grand jury and three alternates were selected May 2 but Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney, who’s overseeing the panel, said the grand jurors wouldn’t begin meeting until June.

Willis has confirmed that her investigation includes looking into a January 2021 phone call in which Trump pushed Raffensperger to “find” the votes needed for him to win the state.

The other people from the secretary of state’s office summoned to appear are Gabriel Sterling, chief operating officer; Ryan Germany, general counsel; Chris Harvey, former head of the elections divisions; Frances Watson, former chief investigator; and Victoria Thompson, a former executive assistant who is now a legislative liaison.

The federal government says that Dominion voting machines are vulnerable but have not been exploited to change election results, according to CNN via the Albany Herald.

Federal cybersecurity officials have verified there are software vulnerabilities in certain ballot-marking devices made by Dominion Voting Systems, discovered during a controversial Georgia court case, which could in theory allow a malicious actor to tamper with the devices, according to a draft analysis reviewed by CNN.

The vulnerabilities have never been exploited in an election and doing so would require physical access to voting equipment or other extraordinary criteria standard election security practices prevent, according to the analysis from the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.

“We are working closely with election officials to help them address these vulnerabilities and ensure the continued security and resilience of US election infrastructure,” CISA Executive Director Brandon Wales said in a statement to CNN. “Of note, states’ standard election security procedures would detect exploitation of these vulnerabilities and in many cases would prevent attempts entirely. This makes it very unlikely that these vulnerabilities could affect an election.”

The CISA analysis is of a security assessment of Dominion Voting Systems’ ballot-marking devices done by a University of Michigan computer scientist at the behest of plaintiffs in a long-running lawsuit against Georgia’s Secretary of State.

The Associated Press concludes that Republican Brad Raffensperger won his primary election because of Democrats voting in the GOP Primary. From the AP via the Valdosta Daily Times:

An Associated Press analysis of early voting records from data firm L2 found that more than 37,000 people who voted in Georgia’s Democratic primary two years ago cast ballots in last week’s Republican primary, an unusually high number of so-called crossover voters. Even taking into account the limited sample of early votes, the data reveal that crossover voters were consequential in defeating Trump’s hand-picked candidates for secretary of state and, to a lesser extent, governor.

Gov. Brian Kemp did not ultimately need Democrats in his blowout victory against his Trump-backed opponent, but Raffensperger probably did. The Republican secretary of state cleared the 50% threshold required to avoid a runoff election by just over 27,000 votes, according to the latest AP tallies. Based on early voting data alone, 37,144 former Democrats voted in the Republican primary. The total number of crossovers including Election Day votes, set to be revealed in the coming weeks, may be even higher.

Crossover voting, also known as strategic voting, is not exclusive to Georgia this primary season as voters across the political spectrum work to stop Trump-backed extremists from winning control of state and federal governments. The phenomenon is playing out in multiple primary contests, sometimes organically and sometimes in response to a coordinated effort by Trump’s opponents.

Trump’s opponents encouraged Democrats to help defeat U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene in her Georgia primary last week. The congresswoman, who has embraced election lies and spoken at an event organized by a white nationalist, won by more than 50 percentage points.

Back in Georgia, Raffensperger’s team pushed back on the idea that he won the GOP primary because of Democrats. The team suggested that a number of crossover voters were actually Republicans who voted Democratic in recent years to protest Trump.

“It is clear that Brad Raffensperger carried a majority of the Republican vote here in the state of Georgia, and that there are people who stopped voting in Republican primaries after 2016 who are now reengaged,” said Jordan Fuchs, a consultant to the Raffensperger campaign.

From the Capitol Beat News Service via the Albany Herald:

[T]he huge margin of Kemp’s primary win — amassing nearly 74% of the vote to just 22% for Perdue — could help unite Republicans. Perdue took the first step Tuesday night when he urged supporters to get behind Kemp going forward.

Sitting on a huge budget surplus, Kemp gave teachers and state workers pay raises, refunded taxpayers $1.1 billion and launched a phased-in rollback of state income tax rates.

“Kemp had a lot to work with,” Charles Bullock, a political science professor at the University of Georgia, said. “He had a good legislative session.”

U.S. Rep. Jody Hice, R-Greensboro, lost to incumbent Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger. Like Kemp, Raffensperger was targeted by Trump for refusing to help the then-president overturn Georgia’s 2020 presidential election results.

John Gordon, another Trump-endorsed challenger, lost to Attorney General Chris Carr. Patrick Witt was beaten by state Insurance Commissioner John King.

In statewide races, Herschel Walker and state Sen. Burt Jones, R-Jackson, were the only members of the Trump ticket to win their primaries. Walker won primarily because of his universal name recognition as a University of Georgia football great, while Jones was bidding for the vacant post of lieutenant governor.

Bullock said Trump’s down-ballot picks weren’t able to overcome their lack of name recognition because he didn’t put any money into their campaigns.

“The candidates didn’t have any way to get the word out,” Bullock said. “Endorsements don’t have any value if you don’t get the word out. … They don’t turn a nobody into a winner.”

[Kennesaw State Political Scientist Kerwin] Swint said the size of Kemp’s primary win and the enthusiasm Republican voters are showing to bounce back from the 2020 losses bode well for the governor.

“Republicans are certainly pumped,” Swint said. “Kemp has the greater momentum now heading into the general election.”

State Senator Burt Jones is the Republican nominee for Lieutenant Governor, according to the Savannah Morning News.

Jones avoided a runoff by 813 votes in a race that saw 1.11 million ballots cast. He finished with 50.07% of the vote. The runner-up, Georgia Sen. Butch Miller, conceded the race on Friday. He finished with 31.12% of the vote.

Jones won’t learn his Democratic opponent for the general election for a month. Kwanza Hall and Charlie Bailey are headed to a June 21 runoff. Hall was the top vote getter with 30.14%; Bailey garnered 17.64.

With his win, Jones became the only Donald Trump-endorsed candidate for state office to advance to the general election. Trump’s picks for governor, secretary of state, attorney general and Insurance commissioner all lost.

From the Capitol Beat News Service via the Rome News Tribune:

“I hoped for a different outcome in the election, but the people have spoken, and the votes have now been counted,” Miller said Friday. “Earlier today, I spoke with and congratulated the victor, Burt Jones, and wish him well. I look forward to supporting Burt in the upcoming general election.”

Governor Brian Kemp joined eighteen other state governors in calling on the Biden Administration to address the baby formula shortage, according to WALB.

“Baby formula is essential to 8.2 million Americans, and after months of inaction by the federal government, the out-of-stock rate for baby formula now stands at 40% nationwide,” said Kemp. “This crisis has been exacerbated by surging inflation and the rising costs of consumer goods, and President Biden and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration have failed to adequately address the nationwide formula shortage. Instead of shifting blame and delaying action, my fellow governors and I are imploring them to take additional steps to increase formula availability while also addressing the underlying regulatory barriers that led to a shortage of this significance.”

The 17-county “Heart of Georgia” region passed a Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax for Transportation (T-SPLOST), according to WTOC.

Officials say the TSPLOST is expected to generate more than $235 million over 10 years for a total of 580 projects across 17 counties.

This TSPLOST renews one set to expire at the end of the year.

In Wayne County, this means sales tax will remain at eight percent total, with one percent going directly toward these transportation projects.

Some of the other counties included in the regional TSPLOST are Candler, Evans, Jeff Davis, Tattnall and Toombs Counties.

From the Advance News:

The Transportation Investment Act (TIA) of 2010, known locally as TSPLOST, was introduced to voters via referendum in 2012 and passed in three of Georgia’s 12 regions, River Valley, Central Savannah River Area, and the Heart of Georgia Altamaha (HOGA) which includes Appling, Bleckley, Candler, Dodge, Emanuel, Evans, Jeff Davis, Johnson, Laurens, Montgomery, Tattnall, Telfair, Toombs, Treutlen, Wayne, Wheeler, and Wilcox.

Under State law, TSPLOST is a 10-year sales tax. Everyone participates via sales transactions, regardless of residency, so it is not a burden on business owners or homeowners. Voters may renew the sales tax at the end of each decade. County voting results will be combined to produce a regional total. If a majority of the votes cast in the Region’s election are in favor, then it is considered passed, and the sales tax will continue to be imposed in the entire Region, all 17 counties.

In the HOGA Region, renewal of the T-SPLOST will ensure completion of an additional 580 projects with a total project value of over $235 million: 71 new projects in Toombs County, 26 new projects in Montgomery County, and 12 new projects in Wheeler County will move forward if the renewal is passed, and the local community will continue receiving its fair share of future discretionary funds. These projects are particularly critical for our community and the entire HOGA Region because of its geographic location on the Interstate 16 corridor. Current supply chain challenges are projected to last well into 2022. The Georgia Port is projected to process 7.5 million containers this year, an increase of almost 2.5 million over last year. With 80+% of those containers going on a truck, this economic development will create even more wear and tear on infrastructure on the I-16 corridor between Savannah and Atlanta.

Anne Allen Westbrook won an open seat election for House District 163, according to the Savannah Morning News.

[W]inner Anne Allen Westbrook was able to beat her well-known opponent, local media personality Weslyn “Mahogany” Bowers, by a comfortable margin of 22%. She effectively won the post, as no Republicans entered the race, meaning only third-party or write-in candidates can challenge her in November’s general election.

Westbrook is an attorney who served as a legislative aide to Georgia Rep. Edna Jackson during the 2022 session of the Georgia General Assembly. Westbrook leveraged the strong foundation she established in an earlier bid for the same House seat. In 2020, she lost in a Democratic primary runoff by 19 votes.

This election cycle, Westbrook’s on-the-ground campaign efforts and tireless work with the local chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense were key ingredients to her successful campaign. Westbrook also had the backing of several prominent local officials including Jackson, Savannah Alderwoman Linda Wilder Bryan and Alderman Nick Palumbo.

Westbrook acknowledges her 2022 campaign was more robust than her 2020 bid. She canvassed in-person and attended as many neighborhood association meetings and community events as she could, she said. In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic limited her facetime with voters.

“Anne is one of the longest running and most dedicated volunteers,” said Shannon Lawhon, the deputy chapter leader of Moms Demand Action. “A lot of our work wouldn’t have been possible without her.”

Along with gun safety, Westbrook said her other key priorities as a state legislator next year will be ensuring voting rights for all Georgians – she will push to repeal some of the provisions of the 2021 voting reform law, known as SB 202 – expanding health care, ending Georgia’s maternal mortality crisis, and expanding quality public education.

Hall County Chief Juvenile Court Judge Lindsay Burton won election to the Superior Court, according to the Gainesville Times.

A new Juvenile Court judge will likely be appointed by mid June to replace Chief Juvenile Court Judge Lindsay Burton, who will be elected to a Superior Court judgeship.

Burton ran unopposed in the Tuesday election for the nonpartisan judgeship vacated by Superior Court Judge C. Andrew Fuller, who announced earlier this year that he would not run again.

In addition to filling Burton’s position, the Hall and Dawson courts received American Rescue Plan funding in December to add a fourth Juvenile Court judgeship, an expansion already planned for 2024. Assistant Public Defender Matt Leipold was announced in March, and he will handle some civil Superior Court matters.

“We anticipate getting that (American Rescue Plan Act) funding from the state again in 2023, and part of those funds would again be used to have Judge Leipold hear Superior Court matters next year,” Court Administrator Jason Stephenson said.

“Being a Superior Court judge has been a goal of mine for a long time,” Burton said. “I sincerely enjoyed my work in the district attorney’s office in trying felony cases, and so I look forward to getting back to presiding over trial work with the district attorney’s office and the public defender’s office, who do a great job.”

Former Georgia First Lady Betty Foy Sanders has died, according to WRDW.

She served alongside Carl Edward Sanders Sr., the Peach State’s 74th governor. They were in office from 1963 until 1967.

Governor Brian Kemp released a statement Sunday on her passing.

“Marty, the girls, and I were saddened to learn of Mrs. Betty Foy Sanders’ passing,” said Kemp. “…She represented so much of what makes Georgia the greatest state in our nation to call home. With her sharp wit, class, and famous sense of humor, she was the epitome of a southern woman. During her years as first lady and during her long and fulfilling life afterwards, she was devoted to beautifying our state, preserving Georgia’s proud history, and helping students of the arts further their education and talents.”

Kemp went on to thank God for Sanders’ service, her life contributions to fellow Georgians and the example she set for many others. She was 95.

I really like the way they said Mrs. Sanders “served alongside” Governor Sanders, as I think that’s accurate for most First Ladies.