Georgia Politics, Campaigns & Elections
The Georgia Republican State Convention adjourned quickly, with unfinished business, after disruptions by newcomers to the Party. The year was 1988, and then again in 2013. Replace Ron Paul with Pat Robertson, and and the dynamic was similar, even though 25 years and seven Presidential elections separated the groups.
In 1988, Georgia Republicans elected a single Congressman, Newt Gingrich, with Republican Pat Swindall losing to Democrat Ben Jones after the Feds indicted Swindall. We held 36 seats in the State House of Representatives and 11 in the Senate, a record number at the time.
The difference is the point in the political cycle the GAGOP finds itself at. In 1988, we were upstarts in the Peach State with nothing to lose, and everything to gain. The federal government, where we held the Presidency and a very charismatic Congressmen were our sources of fundraising strength. The Democratic Party was in its heyday, holding all statewide Constitutional offices and state legislative majorities in both houses so large as to allow the oppression of dissent.
Arguably the Georgia Republican Party stands today in a similar place to the Democratic majority of the 1990s. If you’re interested in how this may play out, take a couple minutes and watch Georgia’s Republican National Committeeman Randy Evans discuss the life-cycle of political parties. It provides some great historical context.
Michelle Nunn Readying a Run?
The first vote I ever cast was in 1990, when in the fall General Election, I picked up the ballot to see no Republican running against incumbent United States Senator Sam Nunn. Reports via Washington, DC, are that Nunn’s daughter, Michelle Nunn, is readying her own bid to become Senator Nunn.
“I don’t think she’ll make an announcement until the beginning of the summer, mid-June or early July. There’s no urgency and she has to resolve some things with the charity [Nunn is in charge of]. But she is running,” said one source close to Nunn, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to talk candidly about private discussions.
Another senior Georgia Democrat said the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee has called a few key Democrats in the state in recent days to tell them Nunn, the daughter of former Sen. Sam Nunn (D-Ga.), was definitely running for the seat.
While plans could still change, both sources say Nunn intends to wait until after a major early June event being hosted by her charitable organization, Points of Light, to make any announcement.
“We’d be very excited to have her in the race. We expect a decision in the next few weeks,” said Georgia Democratic Party Chairman Mike Berlon. “Michelle is going to present a brilliant contrast to anybody the Republicans have running in the spring … She’s a female, a proven administrator from a good family. We believe she can clearly win. She has all the tools to win this race in the general election.”
Georgia state House Minority Leader Stacey Abrams (D) said Nunn “could be an incredible voice” for Georgia.
“Michele is one of the smartest civic minds I’ve ever known and she’s persistently demonstrated not only a capacity for doing good work but a willingness to invest wholly to try to improve society,” said Abrams, a friend of Nunn’s.
Democrats Still Flailing
If you think our in-fighting’s rough, check out what’s going on in the Democratic Party of Georgia. Former DPG Chair David Worley said publicly that he’ll seek the ouster of current Chairman Mike Berlon at a June 6th meeting of the party’s Executive Committee.
David Worley, a former chairman of the state party, said Mike Berlon’s legal woes tarnish the party’s image and hamper its abilities to raise funds.
What ability to raise funds? According to a story by the Associated Press,
Berlon, who’s led the state Democratic Party since 2011, is also under fire over financial reports that show the organization has about $30,000 on hand as it tries to recruit a candidate who can mount a strong fight for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Republican Sen. Saxby Chambliss. The state Republicans have about 20 times that amount.
“I’m doing the best job I can as chair of the Democratic Party, and my private practice has nothing to do with that,” Berlon said. “I still have two years on my term and I intend to serve it out.”
Derrick Grayson Announces for U.S. Senate as Republican
According to a press release, minister and MARTA network engineer Derrick Grayson is running for US Senate as a Republican.
Minister Derrick E. Grayson, a Republican and Georgia native has announced that he is running for the U.S. Senate representing the people of the Great State of Georgia.
“The erosion of personal freedom and liberty as a result of federal policy and legislation is alarming. Instead of encouraging job creation, current policies promote a culture of dependence on big government and welfare programs. It is time we go back to the conservative values and the principles of limited government and individual responsibility that helped to make America a great nation.”
Because of a number of emails asking for a comprehensive list, we’re now tracking the 2014 Candidates on the website. Simply visit GaPundit.com and click on “2014 Candidates” in the menu bar at the top. It will necessarily be a work in progress until qualifying day in 2014.
Boehner visits Georgia, raises cash
Speaker John Boehner will be visiting Georgia today for a Columbus fundraiser on behalf of Congressman Lynn Westmoreland (R) and on Thursday for an event co-hosted by Southern Company CEO Tom Fanning. A $2500 bill gets you in to the Thursday event, while that $50k note gets you a sponsorshop.
Elections Law: Saving Primary Runoffs and Discarding At-Large Districts
Tom Crawford, of the Georgia Report, wrote behind their paywall,
Secretary of State Brian Kemp, in an attempt to salvage Georgia’s current system of runoff elections, has proposed a change in procedures for 2014 that would result in some federal runoff ballots still being counted more than a month after election day.
Kemp’s proposal was submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice this week as part of a lawsuit filed against him and the state of Georgia last year that tries to overturn the state’s system of runoff elections.
Kemp is proposing that after the primary elections are held on July 15, 2014, the election results will be certified and a primary runoff ballot will be finalized by July 22 for the primary runoff election scheduled for Aug. 5.
Military and overseas voters would be given until Sept. 9 to return their absentee runoff ballots by mail – five weeks after the runoff election is held on Aug. 5.
The general election will be held on Nov. 4, 2014, with a runoff if necessary on Dec. 2.
Under Kemp’s proposal, absentee ballots for the Dec. 2 runoff would be transmitted to military and overseas voters by Nov. 11, and voters would have until Dec. 30 to return those ballots by mail to the state elections division – nearly a month after the runoff election is held.
The proposal would affect federal runoff elections in Georgia: elections for the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives.
I’m concerned that any scenario under which Georgia voters are returning ballots after the actual election is held in the state and results reported publicly will fail to win over the Judge. I’m also concerned about the tight timeline for certifying elections and turning out ballots, given the problems experienced by Fulton County in certifying their election results last year.
Finally, I’d point out the tight timeline for the Georgia General Assembly to act when it returns next January in order to pass any changes agreed to by the Secretary of State and the Courts. Presumably any such changes to the election laws would require the United States Department of Justice to pre-clear them before candidate qualifying begins in late May.
I also noted last week that a separate U.S. District Court Judge found that at-large voting districts for the Fayette County Commission violate the Voting Rights Act.
But Fayette County isn’t the only Georgia jurisdiction litigating whether At-Large districts are permissible. Gainesville has been sued by the Georgia Association of Latino Elected Officials over claims that At-Large city council districts discriminate against the Latino population.
Jerry Gonzalez, executive director of GALEO…. presented a data analysis in March that he said showed Wards 3,4 and 5 have majority Hispanic populations, based on 2010 census data, including large voting-age populations. His analysis also showed minorities are voting differently than the majority population.
[GALEO Attorney Keegan] Federal said in the letter to [city officials] the Fayette case is a “bellwether” that Gainesville’s legal case won’t stand up in court. There are more Latinos in Gainesville than African-Americans in Fayette, and no Latinos have ever been elected to the Gainesville council, according to the letter.
“In light of the Fayette County decision, we hope that the city will reconsider its intransigent position and ‘Do the right thing,’” the letter states.
Douglas County Board of Commissioners Marks their Turf
The Douglas County Commission passed a resolution endorsing home rule, with the Board’s three Republican members protesting Republican legislative meddling oversight.
Commission Chairman Tom Worthan said the nine commission chairs that are part of the Atlanta Regional Commission and DeKalb County’s CEO had voiced their support for similar resolutions in their counties. Worthan said the group of county leaders includes six Republicans and four Democrats.
“It is about dialogue and it is about speaking and talking to each other,” Worthan said. “It’s about allowing county governments who are elected by the citizens of this county to make decisions for the citizens of the county. That didn’t happen last session. Hopefully we will improve on the dialogue and communication with our local delegation. I don’t see how any member of this board could not support the board of commissioners from making decisions for the people who elected us to do so.”
Worthan brought up the effort by Democrats, who have a 5-3 majority in the Douglas County state delegation, to change the makeup of the Board of Elections and Registration late in the 2013 session of the General Assembly.
Worthan said he hoped the resolution passed Tuesday “sends a message to our local delegation.”
Mitch Skandalakis seeks redemption
Since we’re spending so much time this morning revisiting the 1980s and 1990s, it seems fitting that former Republican State Rep. and Fulton County Commission Chair Mitch Skandalakis is seeking redemption via regaining his license to practice law.
Demetrios John “Mitch” Skandalakis, 55, is on a quest to get his name name back. The former Fulton County Commission chairman and onetime Republican candidate for lieutenant governor insists he isn’t trying to revive his political career, which imploded more than a decade ago with a federal corruption investigation and a six-month prison sentence.
He says he just wants to be a lawyer again. He wants to be trusted again. He wants his hometown to forgive him.
“It’s kind of like redemption,” Skandalakis said of his efforts to be readmitted to the Georgia Bar. “It’s more of a personal thing for me. It’s sort of like closure.”
The state Board of Pardons and Paroles has restored his civil and political rights, and this month the Georgia Supreme Court declared Skandalakis fit to be a lawyer again, undoing his 2005 disbarment. All that stands between him and a courtroom is the state bar exam, which he could take as early as July.
The Supreme Court noted that he “expressed remorse” and “took full responsibility for his conduct.”
Speaking publicly in depth for the first time about his criminal charges, Skandalakis told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution he never took bribes from a county contractor, as the contractor alleged. But he admits taking monthly payments that made it look that way, as well as what he ultimately pleaded guilty to: lying to an FBI agent about whether he ever voted in a way that helped businessman George Greene.
Seeking redemption via a return to the practice of law seems kind of like a prostitute moving to Nevada to “go legit.”
For those who weren’t around during the rise and fall of Mitch Skandalakis, it’s a good read about some of the relatively recent history of our party. For some others, it’s a cautionary tale.
Trials and tribulations, part two
Former Floyd County Chief Magistrate Chris Mathis remains in the pokey awaiting trial without bond scheduled to begin June 10, 2013, on charges of theft and fraud.
Mathis faces 14 counts of theft by taking, 14 counts of theft by deception, 13 counts of theft by conversion, five counts of exploitation of the elderly, four counts of felony deposit account fraud and one count each of first-degree forgery secreting property to defraud, theft of livestock and a violation of his oath of office.
Voters originally elected Mathis in 2004. He ran unopposed for re-election in 2008.
Magistrate Court is like a small claims court, dealing with civil claims that do not exceed $15,000.
A magistrate judge is responsible for the approval of criminal arrest warrants, setting the bond for people arrested on most criminal charges, presiding over violations of county ordinances and performing marriage ceremonies.
So he used to decide whether accused persons were granted release on bond but he’s now in jail without bond himself. Who said karma doesn’t have a sense of humor.
Also filed under irony, Fulton County Tax Commissioner Arthur Ferdinand revoked a car tag in the name of Fulton County Commissioner Liz Hausmann after Hausmann questioned the propriety of his buying a $40,000 SUV with county funds without seeking Commission approval.
It began when north Fulton Commissioner Liz Hausmann publicly questioned why taxpayers are funding a $39,000 Ford Explorer Limited for the state’s highest-paid elected official. Then Ferdinand sent a letter to the interim county attorney and county commissioners suggesting that she may live in Gwinnett County, which would make her ineligible for office.
Now Ferdinand has revoked the license plate on a 2004 Jeep in Hausmann’s name, which her daughter drives, and alerted law enforcement that the car has no valid tag, according to an interoffice memo. The tax commissioner said Hausmann still hasn’t given him valid proof that she lives in Fulton.
In court documents asking a Superior Court judge to put a stop to the action, Hausmann accused Ferdinand of retaliation, “tyrannical partiality” and violating her right to free speech. The Jeep is parked now because anyone who drives it could be arrested, her attorney said.
“I consider this escalation to be harassment to not only me, but also my family,” Hausmann said in a written statement.
Given this actions, Arthur Ferdinand is likely being vetted by the Obama Administration for a position in Washington.
Douglas County District Attorney David McDade called the GBI on himself. Really.
Douglas County District Attorney David McDade has asked Georgia Bureau of Investigation Director Vernon Keenan to conduct an independent probe of his office to remove any public doubt after allegations were raised in a television report.
McDade said he contacted Keenan Tuesday night and sent a written request Wednesday afternoon. He said he hopes this will end speculation that may have surfaced after a FOX 5 investigative report by Dale Russell that alleged mismanagement and nepotism in his office.
“It is important that the public have confidence in me and my office in everything that we do,” McDade said. “For this reason, I have personally requested that the GBI conduct a thorough examination of me and my office and report those findings. I am asking for this because I want the public to hear the facts from a trained, well respected law enforcement agency, independent from me, my office or anyone connected to Douglas County. The public deserves nothing less.”
One of my favorite restaurants frequently brings guests into the kitchen to see how they prepare meals, and even has tables back there for some events. It’s cool, especially for foodies, but as a customer, it assures me that management is 100% confident in the cleanliness of their kitchen, and the skills of their cooks and chefs. McDade asking the GBI to investigate his office gives me similar assurance that he probably wasn’t up to anything wrong, but I hope that some mechanism can be found for auditing local government bodies on a regular basis.
Sex and the Survey
Liberals are screaming because Gov. Nathan Deal wants to turn down $2 million in government cheese rather than send federal government surveys about sex to 12-year old Georgia students
Gov. Nathan Deal’s office said he was uncomfortable about asking students in middle school and high school whether they use condoms and how many sexual partners they have — even if it means a loss of federal funds.
“Many Georgia parents would object to public schools asking their seventh-grade child these questions, and Governor Deal agrees with them,” Deal spokesman Brian Robinson said. “We don’t think that federal funds for programs should be cut based on the use of these questions, but Governor Deal will refuse federal funds if they come to policies that run contrary to Georgia values.”
That stance has upset some advocates and parents who say Georgia, which has one of the highest rates of HIV/AIDS in the country, is being shortsighted.
In 2011, Georgia reported more than 2,500 new diagnosed cases of HIV — the fifth-highest total among states, according to CDC data. Teenagers accounted for 156 of those cases, said Jeff Graham, executive director of Georgia Equality, a lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender advocacy group. In all, more than 40,000 Georgians live with HIV/AIDS.
“It’s really unconscionable that the Department of Education would decide they wouldn’t even apply for those funds,” he said.
The CDC survey is sent to students across the nation, and states can choose what questions to ask. Students are instructed not to include their names and to answer honestly.
Georgia’s students have long answered questions on drug abuse, violence, alcohol use and even suicidal behavior, but the state has drawn the line at the sex questions for at least a decade. It wasn’t until this year that such a stance could risk millions in funds to prevent HIV and sexually transmitted diseases.
Given conservative opposition to Common Core educations standards, I think Deal is on safe ground here electorally as he heads into a year-long campaign for reelection.
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