Walton County GOP Update
Last night a sizable portion of Georgia’s candidates for United States Senate and Tenth Congressional District attended the Walton County Republican Party Barbecue hosted by Roy Roberts at his farm. Two photos illustrate the mood of the electorate in the Tenth District. The signs below are in Loganville, in Walton County and were photographed yesterday.
In front of the Loganville American Legion post, this patriotic display was still roadside.
And back in April, this graffiti was also spotted in Walton County.
So, hellfire, patriotism and the Constitution. Pretty much sums up the current holder of the Tenth Congressional District seat, and likely will define his successor. The only thing missing is guns. Any questions?
While we’re discussing signs of the end of times, remember in 2010 when Jody Hice, who is running for the Tenth, made headlines for a billboard asking, “Had enough of Obama’s change?” that replaced the “c” in change with a hammer-and-sickle. At the time, Hice said,
“I believe that we’re in trouble as a nation,” Hice said in an interview Wednesday. “We’re facing a president and policies that endanger our future, endanger our America. There’s no question it’s socialist at the base.”
If the Primary Election for the Tenth Congressional District becomes a search for Congressman Paul Broun’s ideological heir, this probably means Hice is a front-runner.
All signs point toward an imminent announcement by Stephen Simpson for the Tenth Congressional District. And by “signs” I mean “printed materials that say 2014”. Look for something the third week of June in Watkinsville.
As far as the race for U.S. Senate, I’m awarding 2 style points to Congressman Jack Kingston for his faux-patchwork stars-and-stripes, seen here as he talks with Senator Johnny Isakson. Three points were available with one point deduct for it not being actual patchwork.
Other Senate candidates in attendance were Karen Handel, potential candidate David Perdue, Paul Broun, and Phil Gingrey. I heard Kelly Loeffler was in attendance but cannot say that I saw her, though I’ve heard talk lately that she’s giving serious consideration to a 2014 campaign.
Three points for Phil Gingrey’s campaign (out of a possible three) for the best women’s t-shirts I’ve seen for a campaign this year. By spending an extra dollar or two, you get what one of the women said was a shirt she wears to non-campaign events like grocery shopping or running the kids around. That multiplies the exposure you get over using a plain boxy generic-fit shirt that only comes out of the drawer for political events.
In the final metric from last night, State House Majority Caucus Chair and Tenth Congressional District Donna Sheldon gets three points for retail politics. I counted more “Donna Sheldon” lapel stickers on people than any other candidate and a number of them were on her State House underlings colleagues. Advertising often gets more attention because it’s hard to assess retail politicking, but retail wins votes.
Brightest shirts award goes to Brian Slowinski and his family.
Mike Collins and his father, former Congressman Mac Collins were in attendance as well, as was Gary Gerrard.
Election Law Update
Fayette County commissioners could decide as early as Thursday whether to appeal a federal judge’s decision aimed at giving black residents a better shot at getting elected to public office.
The United States Department of Justice postponed the first elections for Mayor and Commission of a consolidated Macon-Bibb County government, submitting questions about the mid-summer timing of elections.
Bibb County Attorney Virgil Adams said Tuesday that a letter from federal officials requires the county’s legislative delegation to respond within 60 days to a list of questions related to the election that was scheduled for July 16. Officials say lawmakers are asked to explain how they decided on the election’s timing and format, and explain proposed changes to school board elections.
Authorities want answers on whether the summer election would have unequal racial impacts on voter participation.
Georgia Secretary of State records show black voter turnout was significantly lower during July primaries than during the November 2012 elections.
Less than a year after pushing through a consolidation charter with partisan elections in November, Georgia’s General Assembly this year decided that elections for the new consolidated government would be nonpartisan and held July 16.
That angered some Bibb County Democrats who asked the Justice Dept. to overturn that under the Voting Rights Act.
The Democrats argued that holding the election in July would reduce the impact of black voters who, statistics show, are less likely to vote in summer elections. They also argued for partisan elections, continuing the practice in the city of Macon and Bibb County.
[The Department of Justice’s] 60-day deadline extends beyond the original scheduled date of the election, July 16.
State Rep. Allen Peake, a Macon Republican, helped put together the non-partisan bill. Peake said local state lawmakers don’t necessarily have notes and minutes of the meetings they held where non-partisan elections were discussed.
While Peake expressed disappointment in the Justice Department request, he also said he and the other delegation members will collect what they do have and make it available to Justice Department officials.
Peake also said the issue could become a moot point if the U.S. Supreme rules unconstitutional that portion of the voting rights act that says the Justice Department can review any voting changes in several states including Georgia and Alabama.
The case before the Supreme Court involves a challenge from Selby Couny in Alabama, which questions whether Section 5 of trhe 1965 Voting Rights Act remains applicable today.
Dalton Mayor Pennington Delays Decision on Deal Challenge
Greg Bluestein of the AJC reports that Dalton Mayor David Pennington has pushed back from this month to at least mid-June in order to find some schedule meetings with possible supporters. Rumor has it the Mayor’s hospitality suite at the GAGOP State Convention was virtually empty.
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