John Willis Menard became the first black man elected to Congress on November 3, 1868 from the Second District of Louisiana. Menard’s election opponent challenged the results and prevented Menard from taking his seat, though in defense of his election Menard became the first black man to address Congress.
On November 3, 1913, details of the federal income tax were finalized and published after the ratification earlier in the year of the Sixteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution.
Bacon, Barrow, Candler, and Evans Counties were created on November 3, 1914 when voters approved Constitutional Amendments – prior to these Amendments, Georgia was limited to 145 counties. On the same day, Carl Vinson was sworn in to Congress from Georgia, becoming the youngest member of Congress at the time. Vinson would eventually become the first Member of Congress to serve more than fifty years. Vinson’s grandson, Sam Nunn would serve in the United States Senate.
The Chicago Tribune published the infamous “Dewey Defeats Truman” headline on November 3, 1948. Ultimately, Democrat Truman won 303 electoral votes to 189 for Republican Dewey.
Laika, a female Siberian Husky mix who was found stray on the streets of Moscow, was launched into space aboard Sputnik 2 on November 3, 1957.
On November 3, 1964, Democrat Lyndon B. Johnson was elected President over Republican Barry Goldwater.
On November 3, 1970, Jimmy Carter was elected Governor of Georgia.
Democrat Cynthia McKinney became the first African-Amercian female elected to Congress from Georgia on November 3, 1992.
On November 3, 1998, Democrat Thurbert Baker was elected Attorney General and Michael Thurmond was elected Commissioner of Labor, becoming the first African-Americans elected to statewide executive office in Georgia.
One World Trade Center opened on November 3, 2014, more than thirteen years after the 9/11 attacks.
Georgia Politics, Campaigns, and Elections
The latest Absentee Voting file from the Secretary of State’s Office indicate that 637,242 early ballots were cast. By Nov. 3, 2024, 4,051,758 ballots had been cast, according to Georgia Votes.
Early voting ended Friday, with 8.5% of Glynn County voters casting ballots, or 5,095 total votes in the Public Service Commission and Brunswick municipal elections.
Also on the ballot is the referendum on whether to implement a homestead exemption for homeowners in Brunswick’s city limits.
According to the Glynn County Board of Elections, 4,988 cast in-person ballots at one of the three early voting locations, and 107 cast mail-in ballots.
By the time the early voting polls closed Friday, 2,012 ballots had been cast on St. Simons Island, 1,549 at the downtown Brunswick polling location and 1,427 at the Ballard community center.
The only contested races on the ballot are the District 2 and 3 seats on the Public Service Commission and the Brunswick mayor’s office.
Incumbent Mayor Cosby Johnson is facing only one challenger, former City Commissioner Vincent T. Williams. Williams did not seek reelection to his North Ward seat in 2021 so he could run against Johnson in the last mayoral race.
Effingham County voters will decide a sales tax referendum tomorrow, according to the Savannah Morning News.
Effingham County residents will get to vote on two community-impacting items on this week’s ballot, deciding first if the school system can continue to collect a one-cent sales tax to fund capital improvement projects and secondly to decide if Rincon businesses can compete with those in surrounding municipalities by allowing liquor sales within the city limits.
Election Day is Nov. 4 and voters can cast their ballot at their assigned precinct from 7 a.m.-7 p.m.
The Effingham County Chamber of Commerce released a statement last week on their Facebook page encouraging residents to “vote yes” for ESPLOST.
“ESPLOST helps Effingham County continue investing in safe, modern, and growing schools — without raising property taxes,” the post reads. “From classrooms and buses to technology and safety upgrades, ESPLOST keeps our schools strong and our community moving forward.”
Rincon Mayor Kevin Exley confirmed that for the first time in the town’s history, a vote to allow liquor stores within the city limits is on the ballot. The move has brought about mixed responses from residents but Exley feels he can meet them somewhere in the middle.
“We are in the Bible belt and we respect those residents in our city,” said Exley. “But we are at a point now where we are surrounded – our whole county is selling. I think that we held out for a long time, which says a lot about how we view our residents. We are going to do this the right way and make sure it is not open season for liquor stores.”
“Rincon is the last of our county that is not doing liquor sales,” said Exley. “Springfield, Guyton and Port Wentworth have been selling liquor for a while now. Our folks have to go to another city to get it. It only makes sense that we do it now in Rincon. We were the lone hold out for years. We are not going to cover our city with liquor stores. They will be spaced out throughout the city.”
Bryan County voters will decide a property tax homestead exemption referendum, according to the Savannah Morning News.
Voters in Bryan County may be surprised to see another homestead exemption in House Bill 476 at the ballot box Nov. 4 but State Representative (R) Ron Stephens of House District 164 clarified that the new piece of legislation mirrors House Bill 581.
House Bill 476 was introduced during the 2025 state legislative session in case the Bryan County School District (BCSD) opted out of House Bill 581, which was created to limit how much property taxes could increase based on the rate of inflation. According to Stephens, House Bill 476 will benefit those with homesteaded properties by freezing property tax increases.
Even if House Bill 476 does not pass Election Day, voters will benefit from House Bill 581, which provides the same tax provisions, Stephens said.
“In other words, they’re going to be taxed at that same rate going forward,” said Stephens. “We put this bill in to give local homeowners something this year that would mirror 581, so they are going to get 581 whether they vote for this or not. We were afraid that the homeowners were going to be subject to massive backdoor taxes, as they have been over the years through reevaluation of their homes.”
State Rep. Jesse Petrea added that it [will], “Simply ensure that going forward homeowners are protected against excessive tax increases brought about by dramatic increases in their evaluations and their assessments.”
Petrea also pointed to what he described as “excessive growth” in Bryan County and how the influx of newcomers into the region has cost lifelong residents more money year after year.
“Because so many people are moving in, it’s driving up the valuation of homeowners who have no intention of leaving,” said Petrea. “They have been here and will continue to be but their assessment goes up because people are pouring in and they’re paying more for homes than a lot of local folks would believe is reasonable. Every time they do that, it makes their properties [taxes] go up as well, because it readjusts the appraisals based on the fair market value. Those increases in their assessments means their taxes for schools are going up rather dramatically.”
From the Valdosta Daily Times:
Lowndes County has multiple elections happening now, both county and city-wide, and there are two state-wide elections for districts two and three for Georgia’s Public Service Commission.
Every city in the county is holding elections for city officials, and Lowndes County’s special-purpose local-option sales tax (SPLOST) budget referendum is on the ballot.
Only one local seat is contested — School Board District 2 — but voters are also asked to decided on two state PSC races and the sales tax referendum.
The SPLOST XI referendum vote is as follows: “Shall a special 1% sales & use tax be imposed in Lowndes Co for a period of time not exceeding 6 years & for the raising of an estimated $230,000,000 for the purpose of Lowndes Co outlay projects?”
This will replace the existing sales tax when the existing tax is scheduled to expire. The revenue will be used to fund various local projects.
From the Athens Banner Herald:
An important ballot issue in Oconee County is the proposed renewal of the 1% educational special sales tax, or ESPLOST. The proposal notes the tax would extend for five years and raise not more than $86,770,555. The money would be used for a wide range of uses, from school improvements, land acquisition, and technology, to bus maintenance.
In the city of Watkinsville, incumbent Mayor Brian Brodrick is challenged by Bob Smith, a former mayor who resigned the position in March 2021, which opened the way for Brodrick’s election to the post.
Smith, a native of Watkinsville, is in real estate and formerly served in the state House of Representatives, while Brodrick is a marketing and public relations professional with Jackson Spalding. He has served on the City Council for more than 17 years.
In Bishop, incumbent Mayor Drew Kurtz is challenged by Joey Allen, a former councilmember. Kurtz was appointed earlier this year following the retirement of Johnny Pritchett, the longtime mayor who cited health problems.
There are three council seats open in Bishop.
Post 1 incumbent Chuck Hadden is challenged by Jacob Spaulding, Post 2 incumbent Deborah Lucas faces A.J. Schmidt, and Post 4 incumbent Mindy Porterfield is challenged by Jeff Davis.
In the Post 3 seat, the incumbent Hudson Holder was ruled disqualified for the election as the Oconee County Board of Elections ruled his residence was outside the city limits.
In Winterville, two council seats are up for election. The seats will be filled by the top two vote getters among Dianne Greene, Bruce Johnson, and Timothy Pierce.
Also, there are two referendum elections for two questions regarding alcohol sales in Winterville.
One is to permit liquor by the drink by authorized businesses. The other is for the Sunday sale of beer and wine between the hours of 12:30 p.m. and 11:30 p.m. by authorized retailers.
Residents will vote yes or no on each question.
Here are the candidates in the Nov. 4 elections for Richmond and Columbia counties:
Richmond County
Augusta Commission District 4: Temporarily appointed incumbent Tanya Barnhill-Turnley, Lonnie Wimberly
Blythe Mayor: Edward LaJoie, Rebecca Bartlett Newsome, Anna M. Reeves
Blythe City Council: Incumbent Phillip Stewart, Sascha Oliver Hageman, Renee Kaufman, Mike Rineer
Hephzibah City Commission: Three incumbents – Joseph “Jody” Boulineau, Robert J. Buchwitz and Lewis V. McFalls – are running unopposed.
Columbia County
Columbia County Board of Commissioners District 2: Democrat Howard W. Johnson and Republican Jim Steed, to fill the unexpired term of Trey Allen, who resigned.
Grovetown City Council: Incumbent Sylvia C. Martin, Jacqueline Rivera-Player, Veronica Simpkins, Kay Turner
Harlem Mayor: Incumbent Roxanne Whitaker is running unopposed.
Harlem City Council: Joshua Brantley, Dustin Driggers, Tara McNaylor
Voters who live with the incorporated limits of 13 cities will literally be busy because they will have to go to two different locations to vote in all of the races that they are eligible to vote in. They will have to go to the polling locations for their respective cities to vote in municipal elections and they will then have to go to their regular county polling location to vote in the elections for two Public Service Commission seats and an E-SPLOST referendum.
Voters who live in state House District 106 will also cast votes in a special election for that seat while they are at their county voting location.
All Gwinnett voters will cast ballots in the PSC and E-SPLOST elections.
The E-SPLOST, which is facing significant opposition, will decide whether an education-specific special sale tax will be continues for another six years and raise $1.47 billion to support capital projects in Gwinnett County Public Schools and Buford City Schools.
The special election to replace state Rep. Shelly Hutchinson in the state House District 106 seat will be between Republican Jamie Parker and Democrats Akbar Ali and Marqus Cole.
Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens is seeking reelection to a second consecutive term. He is being challenged by Helmut Domagalski, Kalema Jackson and Eddie Andrew Meredith.
In another high-profile city race, Rohit Malhotra and Marci Collier Overstreet are seeking to become the next president of the Atlanta City Council. The Dickens-endorsed Overstreet is a current councilmember representing southwest Atlanta, while Malhotra is a nonprofit leader with a background in public policy.
Campaigning for two contested seats on the Georgia Public Service Commission has intensified during the early voting period, turning a relatively quiet election cycle into a partisan fight over utility rates and energy policy.
Two Republican incumbents, Tim Echols and Fitz Johnson, are being challenged by Democratic nominees Peter Hubbard and Alicia Johnson in an unusual off-year election delayed by litigation. Republicans fear that, since these state PSC races are being held outside major election years when voter attention to statewide races is low, local elections in Democratic-leaning cities could result in an upset.
The special election, which has attracted national attention, represents the first time since 2020 that any members of the all-GOP commission have stood for reelection in a general election. This is Fitz Johnson’s first time facing voters since he was appointed to the panel in 2021.
Georgia Republican Party Chairman Josh McKoon said in an interview that because of the unique nature of the election and likely low turnout, his focus is on raising awareness, saying that it would be disappointing to have a statewide position elected by a small fraction of voters.
“Unfortunately, there are a lot of people in the state that have no idea that these two statewide offices are up for election,” McKoon said.
Nearly 638,000 people, or about 9% of registered voters, had cast ballots during the early voting period for the 2025 general election, according to the Georgia Secretary of State election data hub. By comparison, nearly 3.8 million people voted early in the last presidential election.
High-profile Georgia Republicans have stepped in to help raise the election’s profile. After Gov. Brian Kemp headlined a rally to energize the state party and “came to (his) rescue,” as Echols said in his “Energy Matters” radio show this week, others have joined in. U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene reminded her followers on social media to vote early, saying that Republicans are “skipping an extremely important election” and that “Democrats will turn Georgia into California!”
“(Kemp) has done quite a bit for me lately. He’s done a series of commercials. He’s engaging I call it ‘his machine,’ and there’s not a more popular Republican in the state of Georgia than Gov. Brian Kemp,” Echols said in the Wednesday episode titled “Tim’s future is on the line. What will happen?”
When asked if he is feeling more comfortable after the high-profile endorsements ahead of Tuesday, Echols said he’s “making slow progress.” He’s seeking another term in the District 2 seat, which represents a swath of east Georgia that goes as far north as Hart County and as far south as Savannah.
Fitz Johnson, who is running for the District 3 seat, which includes Fulton, DeKalb and Clayton counties, has been stumping in conservative areas outside his district. The five members on the commission must live in specific regions of the state but are elected by voters statewide. Fitz Johnson said in a text message “there’s no doubt this is going to be a close election” but that he feels like he is getting his message across to voters.
“Voters clearly understand the difference between our sound conservative leadership versus Democrats’ reckless climate mandates,” he said.
The Democratic candidates have centered their campaigns on recent utility bill increases, with the Democratic Party of Georgia having a statewide “My Power Bill’s Too High” tour during the early voting period. That message echoed a $2.2 million campaign from the Georgia Conservation Voters Action Fund highlighting the current commission’s approval of six Georgia Power rate hikes in the last two years. That campaign, which launched a website linked theyraisedyourbill.com blaming the two Republican incumbents for energy bill increases, has “engaged over a million voters” ahead of Election Day, according to Allie Brown, deputy director of Georgia Conservation Voters.
“GCV Action Fund launched this campaign because we need cheaper, cleaner power. To get that, we need new leadership on the Public Service Commission,” Brown said in a statement. “Our campaign reminds voters what they already feel every month: they can’t afford more of the same. Tim and Fitz have raised our bills, and now it’s up to voters to stand up and fire them on Tuesday.”
Hubbard said his strategy for reaching voters uses specific economic data to target Georgians most affected by rising energy costs. Hubbard said that his campaign is “very much micro-targeting” Georgia Power customers.
“They don’t usually know about the PSC unless someone like us tells them about it. It’s still pretty obscure, but they all know their power bill’s gone up, and I tell them why,” Hubbard said Saturday while campaigning in Lawrenceville in Gwinnett County.
At each house, Hubbard would tell the resident who answered the door that “if you’re a Georgia Power customer and you’ve seen your power bill go up, we can help do something about that,” while reminding them to vote for him and Alicia Johnson.
These messages have resonated with some voters. Tiffany Barkley, a 28-year-old nurse from DeKalb County who voted early, said the current commission’s decisions were a key concern and that she wants to see the commission be more accountable to the public.
Anne Branscome, a 79-year-old retiree in DeKalb County, said that a change in the PSC “at this point in time is enormously important,” referring to a growing number of data centers under proposal or being built in Georgia. These data centers require large amounts of energy and water, and Branscome said she is concerned that officials aren’t considering their impact on the future.
“We need people to understand that we can still have technology, and we can still do the right things, and we can use the right ways to do it,” Branscome said. “And we feel like there’s too much corporate interest driving this whole effort without much thought or preparation.”
The Republican campaign has focused on boosting turnout among reliable voters in low-turnout areas, including areas without a local contest on the ballot, and on framing the election around the parties’ ideological differences.
McKoon said that the party is “certainly highlighting the partisan differences,” saying that Georgians “don’t want to go down the road of financing Green New Deal initiatives that, frankly, don’t work and will undermine the reliability of Georgia’s electric grid.”
Sandy Springs voters will decide between incumbent Mayor Rusty Paul and three challengers, according to the AJC.
Incumbent Rusty Paul is the city’s second mayor in its 20-year history. He was first elected in 2013 and is running for a fourth term.
City Council members Jody Reichel and Andy Bauman say they can add fresh ideas to City Hall, and both are pledging that if they win they’ll serve only two terms.
And business owner Dontaye Carter, who ran against Paul in 2021, says he’d add more diversity to the sprawling suburb.
McIntosh County voters will go to the polls on January 20, 2026 in a Special Election to decide whether to invalidate an earlier rezoning by the County Commission, according to The Brunswick News.
McIntosh County Probate Judge Harold Webster issued an order Friday setting Jan. 20, 2026, as the date for the special election that will include one question.
Residents will vote yes or no on this question: “Shall the Action of the Board of Commissioners of McIntosh County, Georgia, amending the McIntosh County Code of Ordinances Appendix C Sec. 219 HH Hog Hammock District of the McIntosh County Zoning Ordinance be repealed?”
The controversial ordinance amendment was passed by the McIntosh County Commission in September 2023 despite heavy opposition by residents of Hog Hammock who feared the zoning rule changes would lead to higher property taxes. Higher taxes would make it unaffordable to continue living in the last intact Gullah-Geechee community along Georgia’s coast, they argued.
Opponents gathered the necessary signatures under the Georgia constitution’s Home Rule Provisions to prompt a referendum that Webster initiated in July 2024. It was set for Oct. 1, 2024, but never came to fruition after the county sued to stop it, saying that the Home Rule Provisions do not apply to zoning laws.
The county argued a petition could not be used to overturn a zoning law because zoning powers are provided to counties under a separate section of the constitution.
A group from Sapelo Island intervened and sued, saying the provisions apply to zoning laws because zoning laws are a form of local legislation.
The Georgia Supreme Court last month sided with the Sapelo residents and said that the referendum could move forward and that the petition they filed was valid under the Home Rule Provisions.
Governor Brian Kemp delivered an update on how the federal government shutdown is affecting Georgia, according to a Press Release.
Governor Brian P. Kemp today provided an update on the impacts to Georgia from the ongoing federal government shutdown caused by Democrat senators’ unwillingness to vote for a clean Continuing Resolution — the same bill they previously voted for on 13 separate occasions. As a consequence of their inaction, and according to the latest guidance from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the Department is unable to issue Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits for November.
The SNAP program is federally funded and requires budgetary action from the U.S. Congress to load money onto beneficiary cards. There is no mechanism by which the state can replace benefits on customer cards. Additionally, the Office of Management and Budget has informed all states across the country that it cannot reimburse any state funds expended on federal programs. The one and only viable and long-term solution to funding SNAP and any other federal program is for Democrat senators to do their jobs and vote to reopen the federal government.
“In the latest example of D.C. Democrats putting bad politics over the people they claim to care about, Senators Ossoff and Warnock and others in their party are denying hundreds of thousands of Georgians the SNAP benefits they need to feed their families,” said Governor Brian Kemp.
“Their repeated failure to reopen the federal government will be felt at kitchen tables all around the state, right as we approach the holidays. While they waste time playing the blame game, my office is in contact with food banks, nonprofit organizations, and community partners across the state to hear feedback on how the shutdown is affecting them and to assess current demand. But the only way to quickly and effectively resolve this issue is for Democrats to vote to reopen the federal government immediately.” [said Kemp.]
Current SNAP recipients may continue to use any remaining benefits on their EBT cards following November 1, but will not receive new benefit payments until the federal government shutdown ends. Unspent SNAP funds remain accessible for nine months from the date of last use.
The Georgia Department of Human Services has been communicating with retailers, food banks, and other organizations for over a week on the impacts of the shutdown to prepare them for this sudden and disruptive impact caused by the callous intransigence of D.C. Democrats (see here). Georgians impacted by the discontinuation of SNAP benefits should review the food bank and food pantry resources below, as well as search for local church and non-profit organizations that are stepping up to help in this difficult time as Democrats continue to abandon their job responsibilities and constituents.
Georgians can reach their two U.S. Senators’ offices through the numbers below to urge them to open the federal government immediately and restore funding for SNAP so families will not go hungry this fall:
Jon Ossoff – (202) 224-3521
Raphael Warnock – (202) 224-3643
A number of federal parks on Lake Lanier will be closed because of the government shutdown, according to AccessWDUN.
Due to the government shutdown, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) has announced multiple park closures starting on Friday.
USACE says that registered campers must depart the parks by 3 p.m. on Saturday unless otherwise stated by their local office. Any reservations made will be canceled and refunded.
A limited number of parks featuring water access points with standalone boat ramps will remain open with restroom and other facilities closed.
The parks remaining open on Lake Lanier are:
Old Federal Campground
Bolding Mill Campground
Bald Ridge Creek Campground
Nix Bridge Park
Thompson Creek Park
Duckett Mill Campground
Toto Creek ParkThere are also multiple parks ran by the City of Gainesville that should be unaffected including:
Lake Lanier Olympic Park
Holly Park
Lanier Point Park
Longwood ParkIt is important to note that in June of this year, AccessWDUN reported that Hall County and USACE reached a cost-sharing agreement to reopen previously closed parks earlier in the year due to staffing shortages.
It is unclear at this time if the other roughly 30 parks operated by USACE will be affected due to the agreement or if they will shutter.
U.S. Rep Andrew Clyde (R-Athens) released a statement on the closures, according to AccessWDUN.
“The recent announcement of several Lake Lanier park closures is just the latest example of how the ongoing Schumer Shutdown is negatively impacting Northeast Georgia,” Clyde said. “My House Republican colleagues and I did our job; we passed a clean, bipartisan continuing resolution to keep the government open. The pressure is now on Senate Democrats, including Senators Warnock and Ossoff, to abandon their radical demands and vote to reopen the government.”
Gwinnett County announced they are allocating $250,000 for food and hygiene products, according to AccessWDUN.
After recent news that Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) funding would lapse due to the government shutdown, Gwinnett County has announced they are stepping up their food distribution efforts.
The county will use exi[s]ting annual contracts to purchase a large supply of shelf-stable food and in-demand hygiene and household items.
A zero-dollar distribution agreement will then be made with six ministries in Buford, Duluth, Grayson, Lawrenceville, Lilburn and Norcross to help get the supplies to people in need.
According to the Food Research and Action Center, roughly 11.2% of households in Gwinnett are on SNAP. That’s compared to 13.9% in Hall County, 16.4% in Lumpkin County, 13.5% in White County, 10.6% in Dawson County, and 4.4% in Forsyth County for selected counties in the region.
This all comes on the heels of two federal judges ruling on Friday that President Donald Trump’s administration must continue to pay for SNAP by using emergency reserve funds.
“When federal safety nets are disrupted, local governments and communities have to step in,” Gwinnett Chairwoman Nicole Love Hendrickson said. “More than 90,000 Gwinnett residents rely on SNAP, and as those benefits pause, we’re doing what we can to fill the gap. What started as food distribution has become a lifeline for thousands of families.”
The items being purchased in Gwinnett include soups, cereals, peanut butter, pancake mix, fruit cups, granola bars and electrolyte drinks, along with paper towels, disinfecting wipes, laundry detergent, dish soap and other basic household needs.
Residents can pick up free food and resources at the following locations starting at 3 p.m. while supplies last:
Nov. 4 at Lenora Park in Snellville
Nov. 18 at Bryson Park in Lilburn
Dec. 9 at Rock Springs Park in Lawrenceville
Dec. 16 at Shorty Howell Park in Duluth
Dec. 23 at Rhodes Jordan Park in LawrencevilleThe county will also provide more than 450 meals to students in afterschool programs. Older adults 60 or older who are homebound, ill or incapacitated will also be able to a five-day supply of frozen meals each week through the Health and Human Services Division’s Home Delivered Meals Program. To learn more, residents can call (678) 377-4150.
“Every number we share represents a life touched,” Hendrickson said. “We’re asking the community to stay involved — donate, volunteer, or simply spread the word. Every act of kindness moves us forward.”
Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr joined a letter with other AGs seeking federal law changes regarding hemp, according to the Capitol Beat News Service via the Savannah Morning News.
While Georgia lawmakers consider new regulations for intoxicating hemp products, Attorney General Chris Carr is joining most of his peers across the country in a call for a federal law that would sweep the products from all store shelves.
Gas stations, convenience stores and other locations have been selling gummies, vapes and other products derived from the hemp plant that can get users just as high as smoking marijuana.
They can do this because of a 2018 federal law that legalized the industrial use of hemp. The problem that Carr and a bipartisan coalition of 38 other attorneys general cite in a letter to Washington lawmakers is an “inadvertent ambiguity” in that law that has been “wrongly exploited by bad actors.”
They sent their letter last week to members of Congress, including Susan Collins of Maine, the Republican chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee. It says a crackdown on the psychoactive element of hemp will not harm the industrial hemp industry.
“Importantly, the prohibition on products containing intoxicating levels of THC—of any kind and no matter how it is derived—will not inhibit the cultivation of hemp for industrial and agricultural uses since hemp does not contain intoxicating levels of THC,” the Oct. 24 letter says.
Carr announced Wednesday that he had signed the letter, saying he was alarmed that poison control centers were reporting an increase in the number of children exposed to these substances.
“The public health consequences are stark and severe,” said the announcement from Carr’s office.
Hemp-related products are a growing market in Georgia. Breweries have been turning to THC beverages as beer sales sag.
State leaders recognize concerns about dangerous products but also want to support the new industry. Lawmakers met this summer to study concerns in hopes of crafting legislation to tighten regulations.
A revised federal law would pre-empt state efforts.
Christopher Lackner, president and CEO of the Hemp Beverage Alliance, a national group that represents companies across the country, including in Georgia, called the attorneys general letter “concerning.”
The industry agrees that high-potency products packaged to look like candy and marketed to children should be prohibited, Lackner said.
“But we can do that without destroying the thriving regulated hemp beverage industry that is already in place across the country,” he said.
The industry has become mainstream in many places, including in Minnesota, which has also legalized marijuana dispensaries. The attorney general there, Keith Ellison, posted a clarification online Wednesday about his decision to sign the letter to Congress, writing that it had “generated some confusion” and that he wants the local hemp products edible industry to thrive.
He wrote that Minnesota has tight regulations, but “highly potent” THC products have been entering the state from elsewhere.
“My intent in signing the letter is to urge Congress to close that loophole,” he wrote. “This will help prevent out-of-state companies from ignoring Minnesota’s carefully crafted THC regulations and selling harmful products in our state.”
Carr’s office said Thursday that he had no clarifications of his own to offer for why he signed the letter, which says “industry actors have nefariously misinterpreted” the 2018 law to create synthetic “Frankenstein THC products that get adults high and harm and even kill children.”
The Houston County Board of Elections has been sued on allegations of discrimination, according to the Macon Telegraph.
Just a week before Election Day, the Houston County Board of Elections was sued again for allegedly denying Black residents an equal opportunity to vote, according to court records from Thursday.
The most recent lawsuit was filed by the Southern Poverty Law Center on behalf of Jaqueline Rozier and Hiram Morgan. The SPLC was founded in 1971 by a group of lawyers to sue on matters regarding racial discrimination.
At-large election methods in jurisdictions where Black voters constitute a minority of the voting-age population defeat the preference of Black voters, as well as staggered terms and runoff elections, according to the lawsuit.
The lawsuit requests a judge to declare that the Board of Elections violated the Voting Rights Act and enjoin them from administering elections until their method complies with the act.
State Senator John F. Kennedy (R-Macon) is running for Lieutenant Governor in 2026, according to the Statesboro Herald.
Interviewed by phone while making a recent visit to Statesboro, he sized up the shuffle set to take place in Georgia’s government in 2026.
“We are at a very critical time for Georgia in our, not just politics and not just 2026 being a very important year for us politically, but we’re going to have a changing of the guard – if you will – of all of our top constitutional officers,” Kennedy said, “and I quite frankly think that we’ve been lucky to have Brian Kemp’s leadership and hands on the helm of our state and our economy, and it’s critically important that we maintain, going forward, some of those same pro-business, pro-growth policies.”
Now 60, he was born a little less than two years after the assassination of the president whose famous initials he shares. But the Georgia-born state senator’s middle name is Flanders, not Fitgerald. Also, although he grew up in the little town of Adrian, about halfway between Swainsboro and Dublin, his father was from northeast Georgia, and he doesn’t know if he’s any relation to the late Sen. Joseph E. “Joe” Kennedy of Claxton, who represented the 4th District for 24 years and was president pro tem circa 1983-1990.
“One of my platforms is that we’ve got to keep Georgia growing,” Kennedy said. “I think that means that we have a pro-business environment for our job creators so that folks can find good-paying jobs and take care of their families, and that’s not just a talking point, it’s something that I have worked hard for.”
After Kemp last year identified “lawsuit abuse reform” as a top legislative priority, Kennedy sponsored the bills and led in getting them passed, he notes, and the governor signed them into law.
“That’s going to have a big impact on making sure that we stabilize insurance rates that people are paying in Georgia, stabilize the insurance market and keep a pro-job-creating business environment,”Kennedy said.
Exactly what this legislation does is beyond the scope of this profile, but he said the purpose was to “rebalance” the situation, and that some insurers and medical or health care providers that were leaving Georgia are already deciding to come back.
“It is a very balanced, very fair bill that simply rebalanced our civil justice rules in ways where they were clearly out of balance,” he said. “It was never the goal of the work we did on the tort reform measures that people that are harmed or injured shouldn’t be fully and fairly compensated.”
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