On September 26, 1928, future President Franklin D. Roosevelt spoke in Atlanta on behalf of Democrat Alfred Smith’s campaign for President.
The first televised debate between major party candidates for President took place on September 26, 1960 between Democrat John F. Kennedy and Republican Richard M. Nixon.
Kennedy emerged the apparent winner from this first of four televised debates, partly owing to his greater ease before the camera than Nixon, who, unlike Kennedy, seemed nervous and declined to wear makeup. Nixon fared better in the second and third debates, and on October 21 the candidates met to discuss foreign affairs in their fourth and final debate. Less than three weeks later, on November 8, Kennedy won 49.7 percent of the popular vote in one of the closest presidential elections in U.S. history, surpassing by a fraction the 49.6 percent received by his Republican opponent.
Georgia Politics, Campaigns, and Elections
Governor Brian Kemp ordered the activation of state government resources ahead of the expected landfall of Hurricane Ian, according to WTOC.
Governor Kemp posted to Twitter Sunday about preparations in Georgia; “As we prepare for whatever this storm may bring, I have ordered the activation of @GeorgiaEMAHS’s State Operations Center, beginning tomorrow. We are leaving nothing to chance and will closely monitor the storm’s evolution throughout the week.”
In coordination with Director Chris Stallings of the Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency (GEMA/HS), the National Weather Service, and other storm response partners, Governor Brian P. Kemp has ordered the activation of the State Operations Center on Monday, September 26, to prepare for any potential impact from Tropical Storm Ian later in the week. According to the National Weather Service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Tropical Storm Ian is expected to begin rapidly strengthening today and will continue to do so through Tuesday, at which point it will become a Category 4 hurricane. Though models suggest it will weaken before making landfall on Thursday, and its ultimate route is still undetermined, Ian could result in severe weather damage for large parts of Georgia.
“I want to thank Director Stallings and his team, as well as our emergency management partners throughout the state who stand at the ready, ensuring Georgia is prepared for whatever this major storm system could bring,” said Governor Kemp. “I urge my fellow Georgians to monitor this storm as it evolves and calmly take the necessary precautions to keep their families and neighbors safe, if the storm continues to intensify. Throughout the week, I will work closely with GEMA/HS, the weather service, public safety organizations, and others to ensure we leave nothing to chance.”
Governor Kemp and GEMA/HS are closely monitoring the status and path of the storm and will provide updates when appropriate. In the interim, Georgians are encouraged to remain weather aware by keeping a close eye on weather forecasts and media reports on Tropical Storm Ian. Those who find themselves in Ian’s eventual path can also consult this informational website provided by GEMA/HS that includes tips on storm preparedness before, during, and after a hurricane.
About the State Operations Center
The State Operations Center is a Multi-Agency Coordination Center used by state, federal, local, and volunteer agencies, as well as private sector organizations, to respond to disasters or emergencies that require a coordinated state response. It also includes the state’s 24-hour warning system.
Learn more at: https://gema.georgia.gov/what-we-do/response
Governor Kemp will campaign on Tuesday with Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin, according to the AJC.
The two Republicans will stump together on Sept. 27 in Alpharetta, marking one of the Georgia governor’s first campaign forays into the competitive suburban communities ringing Atlanta since he won the May primary.
Just like in 2018, Kemp has focused much of his campaign on deep-red rural areas where he’s trying to drive up the score against Democrat Stacey Abrams. But while he hardly stumped in the suburbs four years ago, Kemp hopes to make new inroads this cycle.
He has a tough task ahead. After flipping Democratic in 2016 for the first time in decades, Cobb, Henry and Gwinnett counties now form a cornerstone of the state Democratic coalition. Abrams hopes to build on President Joe Biden’s 2020 gains in suburban and exurban communities while competing in rural areas.
Youngkin’s strategy in Virginia has emboldened that approach. Ever since Youngkin won an upset victory by embracing cultural issues in the classroom, Kemp and his allies have tried to channel the same electoral forces to drive worried parents to the polls.
Harry Enten writes at CNN that Democrat Stacey Abrams is a clear underdog in the Gubernatorial election in November.
Last week saw the release of three different polls from the Peach state that meet CNN’s standard for publication. All three put GOP Gov. Brian Kemp ahead of Abrams in their rematch from 2018.
• CBS News/YouGov gave Kemp a 52% to 46% advantage
• Marist College had Kemp up 50% to 44%
• Monmouth University found that 49% of Georgians would support Kemp while 45% would back Abrams
These polls line up with the average of recent surveys, which has Kemp ahead by around 5 points with about 50% of the vote. The latter is an important nugget because winning in November requires a majority of the vote to avoid a December runoff.
Part of Kemp’s advantage is that he is an incumbent this year. Of the six states that narrowly backed Biden in 2020 and are holding governor’s races this year, Georgia is the only one with a GOP incumbent on the gubernatorial ballot. Incumbents don’t receive as big a boost at the ballot box as they used to, but they still do get some sort of bump.
Indeed, Kemp is a well-liked governor. The polls out last week put his net approval (approve minus disapprove) or favorability (favorable minus unfavorable) ratings in positive territory. That’s not an easy feat in a swing state like Georgia.
But it’s not all about Kemp. Abrams sported a negative net favorability rating in the Marist poll and was at break even in the Monmouth survey.
And while Kemp does best among voters most likely to turn out, he leads among all registered voters too. In other words, his edge over Abrams is not merely about turnout.
Former Vice President Mike Pence will raise money with Republican candidates, according to the AJC.
Pence will hold an Oct. 13 fundraiser in Atlanta with state Sen. Burt Jones, the GOP nominee for lieutenant governor, and state Sen. Tyler Harper, the Republican contender for agriculture commissioner.
He’ll head to Thomasville later the same day to raise cash for U.S. Rep. Drew Ferguson of West Point and Chris West, the GOP nominee running against veteran Democratic Rep. Sanford Bishop.
Tickets for both events start at $1,000 and rise sharply for access to private receptions and other perks. A spokesman for Jones and Harper said the vice president “knows how to pick strong American first and Georgia first winners.”
Georgia has run a $6 billion dollar surplus, according to Fox5Atlanta.
Georgia ran a surplus of more than $6 billion in the budget year that ended June 30, meaning the state’s next governor and lawmakers could spend or give back billions.
The State Accounting Office, in a Friday report, said Georgia ran a $6.37 billion surplus even after spending $28.6 billion in state taxes and fees in the 2022 budget year. Total state general fund receipts rose a whopping 22%.
Even after filling its rainy day fund to the legal maximum, Georgia has $6.58 billion in “unreserved, undesignated” surplus — cash that leaders can spend however they want.
“The governor will continue to leverage state resources to help families in our state fight through 40-year-high inflation caused by failed Democratic leadership in Washington,” said Kemp spokesperson Tate Mitchell.
Republican leaders have held fast to pessimism about state revenue forged in the Great Recession, when steep revenue drops and an unwillingness to raise taxes led to painful cuts in state services. Kemp said at a campaign appearance on Sept. 12 that “unfortunately, growth has slowed two quarters in a row, and many are predicting even rougher times in 2023.”
Part of their concern is that a steep rise in interest rates to combat inflation could slow the economy or tip it into recession. There’s also a state income tax cut beginning Jan. 1, 2024. It will reduce Georgia’s current tax — with a top rate of 5.75% and lower brackets below — to a flat tax of 5.49%. That would cost about $450 million in the first year, and budget writers must begin accounting for it next year.
The Georgia Senate Veterans, Military and Homeland Security Subcommittee on Veterans’ Nursing Facilities heard testimony, according to the Capitol Beat News Service via the Albany Herald.
In Georgia, the Department of Veterans Service maintains two skilled nursing facilities in Milledgeville and Augusta. Currently, the two homes can provide skilled nursing services to around 400 Georgia veterans, said Russell Feagin, director of health and memorials at DVS.
But around 2,000 veterans in Georgia need such placements, according to a VA estimate cited during the meeting. A variety of factors has stymied the state’s ability to serve more veterans in such homes.
And like other health care facilities nationwide, the veterans’ homes face challenges hiring and keeping enough staff, especially because they cannot match private-sector wages, he said.
“An increase in dollars will help solve the problem in Milledgeville and actually Augusta,” DVS Commissioner Patricia Ross said. “But we still will not come close to that 2,000 number that the VA says we should have within the state.”
Savannah Democrats rallied in support of abortion rights, according to WSAV.
On Saturday, Mayor Van Johnson as well as several other democratic candidates came together to voice their disapproval of Georgia’s six-week abortion ban.
The group also distributed information centered around engaging and mobilizing voters.
Early voting begins on October 17th in Georgia.
Dougherty County Board of Elections will apparently have sufficient numbers of poll workers for November, according to the Albany Herald.
The call for poll workers for the Nov. 8 election went out, and the response has been overwhelming, so overwhelming that the number of applicants exceeded the number needed to ensure all 26 Dougherty County voter precincts will be up and running on Election Day.
“We had a tremendous amount of people who mailed in applications or came in for applications,” Dougherty County Elections Supervisor Ginger Nickerson said. “We received hundreds of applications. I’d like to give my appreciation to the citizens of Dougherty County and surrounding counties who came to our assistance.”
The City of Brunswick would use Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) proceeds to improve its drainage, according to The Brunswick News.
The City Commission established a stormwater utility fee in 2018 to raise money for drainage. At the time, Alberson said the city estimated it had $18 million to $20 million worth of work to alleviate drainage to a comfortable level. Fixing every problem the drainage system has could take $30 million or more, he said.
Aside from a few hundred thousand dollars kept in reserve, the stormwater utility’s $1 million annual budget is already spoken for.
“It’s primarily used for salaries and equipment,” Alberson said. “All of our stormwater crewmembers are paid out of that money, and then we purchase equipment. Our backhoe, our street sweeper, anything related to runoff.”
That leaves precious little for actual repairs. Public Works employees handle some smaller in-house jobs, but those typically amount to a few thousand dollars and affect maybe a city block or two.
Drainage projects are the largest category on the city’s SPLOST project list, coming in at $11.5 million.
United States Representative Jody Hice (R-Monroe) is accepting applications for the military academies nominations and invites students to enter the Congressional App Challenge competition, according to the Gwinnett Daily Post.
City of White Mayor Perry Bell died in an accident, according to AccessWDUN.
Murray County Deputy Coroner Jonathan Sosebee said Bell, 54, wrecked and was struck by another rider at the Lazy River Motocross track near Dalton.
Sosebee said Bell was too severely injured to be evacuated by helicopter and died at a hospital in Chatsworth.
White won a plurality in a special election earlier this year to become mayor. White sought to restore the mayor’s powers after many were transferred to a city manager and the previous mayor resigned.
Following Bell’s death, White Mayor Pro Tem Gary Crisp will take over mayoral duties. Crisp told WSB-TV that it’s likely the city will hold another special election to replace Bell.
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