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EDITOR’S NOTE: As Georgia stands at the crossroads of political influence and policy direction, State Affairs proudly presents its inaugural Georgia Power 50 list, illuminating the individuals whose leadership shapes the state’s trajectory. From the bustling halls of the Capitol in Atlanta to the corridors of power in Washington, D.C., these titans of governance, policymaking, business and economic development represent the pinnacle of influence in Georgia’s political landscape. Join us as we unveil the 50 most powerful and influential figures whose actions reverberate throughout the Peach State and beyond.
Welcome to State Affairs’ inaugural Georgia Power 50.
This list includes lawmakers, government leaders and other top state decisionmakers who are likely to shape politics and policy and determine Georgia’s path forward during the rest of 2024 and beyond.
Although this is not a definitive list of today’s impactful and influential Georgia leaders, it includes people who are actively setting the political agenda in our state. We hope this list stimulates thought and conversation about Georgia’s future. We invite your feedback on these and other power players in our state.
STATE AFFAIRS’ INAUGURAL “GEORGIA POWER 50” LIST
- Gov. Brian Kemp wields significant influence as the state’s chief executive, holding the power to shape policy decisions, allocate resources and set the tone for governance. Kemp's influence extends beyond the Peach State. A key figure within the Republican Party, Kemp makes decisions and takes actions that resonate with not only Georgians but also political stakeholders across the nation. His handling of high-profile issues such as health care, education, economic development and voting rights significantly impacts millions of Georgians’ lives and sets the agenda for state-level debates and initiatives. In April 2020, less than a month after states began emergency shutdowns in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Kemp defied the trend and reopened Georgia for business. The “Kemp Way” has also led to Georgia retaining its ranking as the No. 1 state to do business for the 10th consecutive year. This coming year, Kemp, whose recent State of the State remarks critiquing dysfunction in Washington have sparked rumors he may seek national office after his second term ends, is the 2024 vice chairman of the Republican Governors Association, meaning additional influence nationally.
- Rep. Jon Burns, speaker of the state House of Representatives, was elected to the post in 2023 after serving in the House since 2005 and as majority leader since 2015. The Effingham Republican took over from his longtime ally and mentor Speaker David Ralston, who died unexpectedly in November 2022. Exercising major influence over the House agenda, Burns presides over House floor sessions, appoints committee chairs, assigns bills to committees and calls matters before the House for debate. Heading into the election cycle, Burns has announced cuts to income and property taxes and called for changes to election processes, including the elimination of computer-generated codes on ballots, and removing the secretary of state’s office from the state election board.
- Lt. Gov. Burt Jones presides over the day-to-day proceedings of the state Senate. Shepherding legislation and debates over state policy has propelled Jones into a position of influence. The Jackson Republican chairs the Senate Committee on Assignments, which designates senators to various committees. His high-profile stature has allowed him to push key priorities and legislation out front. Just this week, Jones’ influence was on display when the Senate passed Senate Bill 426 despite Kemp’s declaration at the start of the year that he would not push for comprehensive tort reform this session. Jones, who faced scrutiny — and who could face criminal charges — for acting as a Trump elector in the 2020 election, is also immersed in his family’s 56-year-old business, Jones Petroleum, which has amassed a portfolio that includes Piggly Wiggly supermarkets, Marathon and Valero convenience stores, shopping centers and 50 fast-food locations in Georgia and Alabama.
- U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock oversees arguably one of the most influential Black churches in America — Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta — and is the first Black U.S. senator from Georgia. He has been a leader in the campaign to expand Medicaid in Georgia, helped increase the state’s voter registration and helped build a powerful voting coalition that played a role in putting Joe Biden in the White House. Warnock, author of a book about his life, commands crowds wherever he goes and is among the most highly sought-after speakers in Congress. Warnock serves on the Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee; the Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation; and the powerful Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee. Last December, he and Sen. Jon Ossoff announced three federal grants that will help create three new passenger rail corridors linking cities across Georgia and other major Southeastern cities.
- Attorney General Chris Carr has taken a tough stance against gangs and drug and human trafficking since he was appointed by Gov. Nathan Deal in 2016. He built multi-agency task forces to crack down on criminals while advocating for tougher sentencing laws, and he joined a multistate class-action case against opioid drug manufacturers that has resulted in more than $600 million in settlement funds allotted to fund treatment, prevention and recovery services for opioid addiction in Georgia. Carr has also represented the state in lawsuits to enforce Georgia’s strict abortion law and led election integrity cases defending Gov. Kemp’s win over Stacey Abrams in 2018 and the unfounded election fraud claims of Trump and his supporters in 2020. A key partner in executing the public safety agendas of two governors — Deal and Kemp — and a former chief of staff to U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson, Carr has told supporters he’ll run for governor in 2026 and has begun to amass a campaign war chest.
- Sen. John F. Kennedy serves as the Senate president pro tempore. Aside from his famous name, the Republican is second-in-command in the Senate and oversees the body’s administrative affairs. In January, Kennedy co-sponsored the controversial Senate Bill 390, proposing to ban government money for Georgia libraries with ties to the American Library Association, which some lawmakers claim is influenced by Marxist beliefs. Since his election to the Georgia Senate in 2014, he has served as former Gov. Nathan Deal’s floor leader and majority caucus chairman.
- Rep. Jan Jones, House speaker pro tem, has served in the second-most powerful position in the House since 2010. She made history as the state’s first female speaker of the House, a role she assumed for two months after former Speaker David Ralston died in November 2022, demonstrating a steady hand as House leader in the run-up to a new two-year legislative session. Considered a no-nonsense and pragmatic conservative by her House colleagues, Jones has become a policy leader on education issues, authoring bills to create the state charter schools commission and a law to let high school students enroll in college or tech schools as juniors. Over the past year, she has led an effort to shore up pre-K education and won the backing of House Speaker Jon Burns for an ambitious $100 million proposal to overhaul pre-K classrooms and boost teacher salaries. Serving on the House redistricting committee, she’s helped redraw electoral districts in ways that benefit Republicans, in 2021 as well as last November, when she staunchly defended the Republican majority’s plans for state and congressional districts, which a federal judge upheld. She has joined other Republican leaders in the General Assembly to change election law — advocating for successful bills to limit early voting, absentee ballots and drop boxes — and to implement more security measures on voting system equipment.
- Sen. Steve Gooch, Senate majority leader, is on all the right committees that determine where bills are assigned and how money is spent, and he keeps tabs on whether the Senate, government entities, public officials and elections are operating ethically. Often seen as a peace-broker between divided factions in his party, the veteran lawmaker has earned his peers’ respect, having served as the majority leader of the Senate Majority Caucus in 2022. Before that, Gooch served as the Senate majority whip and chair of the Senate Transportation Committee. He has long been a champion of issues such as transportation and infrastructure. He has worked to provide public-private partnership opportunities to state and local agencies creating more affordable mechanisms to decrease the taxpayer burden for projects. He also led efforts to improve connectivity throughout Georgia for broadband expansion and small-cell wireless broadband deployment that has led to hundreds of millions of federal and state funds for rural broadband.
- Rep. Chuck Efstration was elected House majority leader by his GOP peers in 2022 after a decade of service in the House, where he has chaired the Judiciary Committee and campaigned for law-and-order legislation. A former assistant DA and felony prosecutor, Efstration sponsored a bill to let the state attorney general prosecute criminal gang activity in jurisdictions across the state and other bills to crack down on gangs and rioters. After Ahmaud Arbery’s racially tinged murder in 2020, he co-sponsored a bipartisan hate crimes law. As majority leader he has supported the GOP’s measures to reduce taxes, create a prosecutorial oversight commission, impose cash bail on more crimes, implement school vouchers, expand mental health parity reform and promote Gov. Kemp’s budget priorities.
- Brad Raffensperger, the secretary of state, likely has one of the most recognizable political names in the nation. Not only has he stood up to a sitting president over election issues, but Raffensperger has also taken it on the chin from Georgia GOP peers who’ve chipped away at his power as state elections czar. But Raffensperger isn’t having it. He has stood tall against opposition and death threats, shepherding Georgia’s controversial election reform law known as SB 202 into place in 2022. He has also since called on state lawmakers to increase fines and jail time for people who attempt to hack into or take possession of any election equipment. Raffensperger has repeatedly insisted no widespread fraud or tampering with election equipment has occurred during any recent elections and held firm that any wholesale changes to the state’s voting systems will have to wait until 2025.
- Georgia Supreme Court Chief Justice Michael P. Boggs’ peers elected him to head one of the busiest state supreme courts in the nation at one of the most challenging times for Georgia’s judicial system. Boggs assumed the role while the country was grappling with the effects of COVID-19, which led to tremendous backlogs of court cases that Georgia’s judicial system is still dealing with. He recently told lawmakers that state courts have made significant progress in reducing case backlogs but that security and shortages of judicial professionals remain a problem. Boggs is a strong proponent of alternative justice avenues for people with mental health and addiction issues. He’s a member of Gov. Kemp’s Behavioral Health Reform and Innovation Commission, where he leads the Mental Health Courts and Corrections subcommittee and has helped lead the expansion of such accountability courts in Georgia.
- Rep. Matt Hatchett chairs the powerful House Appropriations Committee, which plays a key role in writing the state’s $37.5 billion budget and determines how much money goes to schools, colleges, hospitals, roads, law enforcement and social services each year. The former majority whip and caucus chair took over from longtime appropriations chair Terry England when he retired in 2022. Hatchett is also director of development for the Mercer University School of Medicine.
- Sen. Blake Tillery, chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, runs the Senate’s budget writing team that ultimately determines how and where the state’s money should be spent from the Senate perspective. A rising star in the state Republican Party, Tillery was named a Georgia Trend “40 Under 40” honoree in 2013 and is a member of the Conservative Policy Leadership Institute and a graduate of Republican Leadership for Georgia. Though Kemp decided to put the brakes on tort reform this year, Tillery plowed ahead in the Senate, sponsoring SB 426, a bill that limits people’s ability to sue insurance companies directly in lawsuits involving trucking accidents instead of suing the trucking company or driver involved. The bill, a top priority of Lt. Gov. (and Senate President) Burt Jones, is intended to limit “runaway jury” awards and stabilize insurance rates for commercial truck drivers. Tillery is also vice chair of the State Institutions and Property Committee and the Government Oversight Committee, secretary of the Retirement Committee, a member of the Reapportionment and Redistricting Committee and ex-officio member of the Finance Committee.
14. U.S. Rep. Andrew Clyde, who sits on the Appropriations Committee, is a member of the far-right House Freedom Caucus, which led the push to oust House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and wields strong influence over spending bills. Clyde wants to prohibit federal funding for prosecuting any major presidential candidate before the election and funding state prosecutions in general. A Trump loyalist, he voted to overturn the 2020 electoral results and called the Jan. 6 riot “a normal tourist visit.” He has angled to eliminate the 1973 law allowing home rule for D.C. and abolish the district’s mayoral office, a campaign that picked up steam last fall and ruffled feathers in Washington but is unlikely to survive a Senate filibuster.
15. Marty Kemp, Gov. Brian Kemp’s wife and the first lady of Georgia, leads initiatives and pushes for passage of legislation that fights human trafficking and supports young victims of sex trafficking. As the daughter of the late former Rep. Bob Argo, Marty Kemp has politics in her DNA. She has the ear of many influential Georgians. The University of Georgia grad and small-business owner is pursuing priorities she believes are integral to creating a better Georgia, such as the Georgians for Refuge, Action, Compassion and Education (GRACE) Commission, designed to fight the threat of human trafficking in Georgia. She is a regular fixture at major announcements from her husband, who often (unsurprisingly) calls her the “Best First Lady in America.”
- U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff, the first Jewish senator from Georgia, likes to tout his role in the rollout of bipartisan legislation passed by Congress, including the Inflation Reduction Act, which has brought more than $18 billion in investments in clean energy projects to Georgia, and the infrastructure law that he and Sen. Raphael Warnock have leveraged to funnel funding for transportation projects across the state. Among them are new construction on the Atlanta BeltLine, upgrades to roads and bridges, improved pedestrian and bike safety projects, and planning grants for high-speed rail between Atlanta and Savannah. A member of the Senate Judiciary and Homeland Security committees, Ossoff has led investigations into the state foster care system and federal prisons in Georgia, including sexual assaults of female inmates and medical treatment of inmates in immigration detention facilities. He also sponsored a law that requires cameras in federal prisons. In the current legislative session, the former investigative journalist has introduced bills to prevent child trafficking and opioid trafficking, upgrade military facilities, provide mental health support for veterans and support farm operations in Georgia, including aid to citrus growers.
- Jim Kennedy, chairman emeritus of Cox Enterprises and chairman of the James M. Cox Foundation, is the patriarch of the eighth-richest family in America. He has guided his family’s 126-year-old, $22 billion global media conglomerate through the ebb and flow of America’s business cycles. So when he talks, people listen. The family has long had an influential role in national and state politics, donating millions of dollars over the years to Democratic and Republican causes. Kennedy’s grandfather and the company’s founder, James M. Cox, was a Democrat who was governor of Ohio and a former presidential candidate. The Atlanta-based company owns The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Autotrader, Kelley Blue Book and various cable and broadband services.
- Andre Dickens, Atlanta’s 61st mayor, assumes the chairmanship of the Atlanta Regional Commission this year, becoming the first Atlanta mayor to head the powerful regional planning and intergovernmental coordination agency. As mayor, he has begun to deliver on his goal of creating 20,000 affordable housing units by 2030, with 3,500 units built and 8,000 more underway since he took office in 2022. In January he signed an executive order to spend $4.6 million to help the city’s homeless population by expanding shelter services and building rapid housing out of shipping containers. Though episodes of violent crime and gang activity have plagued his tenure, in 2023 Atlanta saw a 21% drop in homicides and 15% fewer crimes against people. Dickens has come under fire for his push to build the Atlanta Public Safety Training Center, commonly known as “Cop City,” the scene of numerous confrontations between protesters and law enforcement. Opponents say the compound will destroy 85 acres of woodland and disturb the community.
- Fred Ridley, chairman of the Augusta National Golf Club, has been caretaker-in-chief of the exclusive golf club since 2017. The club hosts the Masters Tournament every April. One of the world’s biggest and most exclusive sporting events, the Masters Tournament boasts the second hardest ticket to get in sports, following the Super Bowl. And Ridley controls it all. The lawyer and amateur golfer maintains the Augusta National Way — in his own way. About a year after becoming chairman of the private and secretive organization, Ridley announced the creation of the Augusta National Women’s Amateur, with the inaugural championship taking place the week before the 2019 Masters.
- Fani Willis, the district attorney for Fulton County — encompassing much of Atlanta, the state’s capital and largest city — gained national and international attention as the lead prosecutor in the investigation into former President Donald Trump's efforts to influence the 2020 presidential election results in Georgia. In February 2021, Willis initiated an investigation into a phone call between Trump and Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, where Trump urged Raffensperger to “find” enough votes to overturn the election results. The conclusion to this rising legal star’s story has yet to be written — even as she heads to court to learn if she’ll continue to lead the county’s election interference case. Willis has been accused of benefiting from a romantic relationship with special prosecutor Nathan Wade, amounting to prosecutorial misconduct that accusers say should disqualify her from the Trump trial. Unlike other court cases against Trump, Georgia’s 98-page, 41-count indictment connects the dots of similar alleged criminal acts in other states and names names.
- U.S. Rep. Nikema Williams was chosen by state Democratic leaders, including then-Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms and two-time gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams, to take over the storied 5th Congressional District seat of civil rights icon John Lewis after his death in July 2020. She won the election handily that November. A state senator from 2017 to 2021, Williams is a longtime Democratic party organizer who since 2019 has served as chair of the state Democratic Party, the first Black woman to take on that role. She has vowed to carry on the fight for voting rights championed by Lewis and has co-sponsored legislation to restore elements of the Voting Rights Act as well as other bills to protect voters who move, to reduce wait times at polls and to ensure all workers get time off to vote. So far her election-related legislation has garnered support in the House but not in the Senate. Most recently, Williams has introduced legislation to create a $50 million fund managed by Black churches to address health care disparities and chronic health challenges among minority populations, and to establish a federal grant program for student entrepreneurs at historically Black colleges and universities. Meanwhile, in this big election year in Georgia, Williams and Democratic Party leadership are tasked with galvanizing more support for President Joe Biden, as well as local and statewide Democratic candidates, in a still-purple but Republican-leaning state.
22. Tyler Harper, agriculture commissioner, heads the nation’s oldest state agriculture department and Georgia's No. 1 industry, with an economic impact of $75 billion-plus. Federal overreach and policies make it tough for farmers, producers and ultimately consumers, he told State Affairs last year. In his first 60 days in office, Harper made key hires, restored the agency’s law enforcement division and looked into the controversial soil amendment issue. The seventh-generation South Georgia farmer said he supports legislation this session to restrict adversarial foreign countries and their agents from buying Georgia farmland. Such a bill would be in line with dozens of other states that have limited or banned foreign countries from buying U.S. farmland. The Senate is set to consider a resolution to create a Senate Study Committee on the Preservation of Georgia’s Farmland. Harper has been mentioned as a possible gubernatorial candidate for 2026.
- Pat Wilson, the state’s economic development commissioner since 2016, leads a team that has landed some of the largest international corporate investment deals in state history for several years running, including the massive Rivian and Hyundai electric auto plants and dozens of other companies in the e-mobility and green tech sectors. In fiscal year 2023, the department won investments of more than $24 billion across 426 projects, committing employers to create 38,400 jobs, most of which will be located in communities outside of metro Atlanta. Wilson also courts and supports development and expansion of public-private partnerships focused on technological innovation and workforce development in the important agricultural, aerospace, tourism and entertainment industries, all of which have expanded exponentially over the past decade.
- Griff Lynch, president and CEO of Georgia Ports Authority, leads Georgia’s deepwater ports in Savannah and Brunswick — the Peach State’s gateway to the world. Wood pulp, paper, paperboard, food and clay are Georgia’s top five exports, while furniture, retail consumer goods, machinery, appliances and electronics are the state’s main imports. The 1,800-employee authority accounts for nearly 500,000 jobs through the state and contributes $29 billion in income and $122 billion in revenue. Savannah is the nation’s third-busiest gateway for container trade, and Brunswick is the second-busiest auto port complex. And Griff Lynch is at the helm of it all. The Maritime Association of the Port of New York-New Jersey, which inducted him into its International Maritime Hall of Fame last year, called Lynch “a proven leader in the maritime industry.”
- Sonny Perdue, chancellor of the University System of Georgia, was appointed by the Board of Regents in 2022. As chancellor, he oversees 26 public colleges and universities, 48,000 faculty, 330,000 students and a $10 billion budget. About $3.3 billion of that comes from state general funds. Georgia’s governor from 2003 to 2011, Perdue haggled over $66 million in state funds for teaching expenses that Gov. Kemp vetoed in the 2024 budget last year but restored in his midyear budget this year. Kemp, the House and the Board of Regents also approved funding for a $50 million medical school at the University of Georgia, which will become the second public med school in the state if approved by the Senate, as expected. Perdue said the new medical school will help address the chronic shortage of physicians in Georgia.
- U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene. Say what you will about the far-right, two-term congresswoman, but she’s making a name for herself — even if it’s cloaked in controversy. The pro-Trump politician was the top fundraiser in Georgia’s congressional delegation last year. Meanwhile, a survey of U.S. adults last June showed 11% of respondents had very favorable opinions of the congresswoman, while 35% had very unfavorable opinions of her. MTG — as she’s also known — is such an enigma that she was ousted last July from the U.S. House Freedom Caucus, an ultraconservative group. Taylor Greene has come under fire for baseless conspiracy theories and incendiary remarks viewed as racist and anti-Semitic. When she was a freshman in Congress in 2021, the Democratic-controlled U.S. House of Representatives stripped Greene of committee assignments after her social media posts showed she was spreading dangerous and racist conspiracy theories. Greene has since had committee privileges restored. She was assigned in January 2023 to the House Committee on Homeland Security.
- Josh McKoon, chair of the Georgia Republican Party and former state senator, was picked to lead the party last summer, promising delegates at the GOP state convention that he’d unite Republicans and raise millions of dollars for 2024 candidates. That’s a tall order because the party in Georgia is split among loyal supporters of former president Trump who embrace his relentless brand of election denialism and those who support the more moderate views of Gov. Kemp, who dismisses such concerns as wrongheaded and in the rearview mirror. McKoon promotes the GOP’s positions on small government, anti-abortion laws, guns and civil liberties, and defends Trump’s legal claims and political stances, all of which recent polls indicate have energized more conservative and independent voters to support both Trump and the GOP.
- Mike Giles, president of the Georgia Poultry Federation. Which came first, the chicken or the egg? In Georgia, it doesn’t matter. Both commodities make poultry the leading sector in agriculture, Georgia’s No. 1 industry. In fact, in 1995, the state General Assembly declared Georgia the “Poultry Capital of the World.” As such, the Georgia Poultry Federation holds sway in the Peach State. And Giles, who has headed the federation since 2009, is the gatekeeper of the Gainesville-based federation. Take, for instance, Athens’ new 70,000-square-foot-plus Poultry Science building, now the home of the University of Georgia’s College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Department of Poultry Science. Industry leaders — including federation president emeritus Abit Massey — came together with donations, and Giles was instrumental in facilitating the donations. Furthermore, he has been a steward of this agricultural economic engine, an ambassador for Georgia and its farmers statewide and internationally with global partners and export.
- Arthur Blank, businessman and philanthropist, is one of Georgia’s most influential economic development leaders. The retired co-founder of Home Depot owns the Atlanta Falcons football and Atlanta United soccer franchises. His AMB Sports + Entertainment Group operates Mercedes-Benz Stadium in downtown Atlanta, which will host World Cup matches in 2026. As chairman of the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation, he gives away nearly $100 million yearly to support causes including the environment, democracy, mental health and youth development. Blank has committed to giving away at least half his personal wealth to charity.
- The Atlanta World Cup Host Committee is bringing the biggest sporting event on the planet to Georgia: the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The event will be hosted in three countries — Canada, Mexico and the U.S. — and Atlanta is one of 11 U.S. cities that will host games and welcome hundreds of thousands of fans from around the world. Eight games will be played in Mercedes-Benz Stadium, including two knockout-round matches and a semifinal. The net economic impact for Atlanta is estimated at $415 million. It took a village to bring the game to Atlanta. The host committee includes MB Sports & Entertainment Group, the Atlanta Sports Council, Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau, City of Atlanta and the Georgia World Congress Center Authority.
- Kirby Smart, head coach of the University of Georgia Bulldogs football team. With a 10-year, $112.5 million contract that takes him through 2031, Smart is one of Georgia’s highest-paid state employees and the third-highest-paid college football coach in the nation. Just how influential is he? The first day of the 2023 legislative session, Georgia lawmakers ducked out early to fly to Los Angeles to see the Georgia Bulldogs play in the College Football Playoff National Championship. Along with building a powerhouse football dynasty, Smart has brought lots of talent and money to the Peach State, making him a go-to guy when it comes to putting Georgia out front.
- Sen. Matt Brass heads the Senate Rules Committee and as such holds a particularly influential role, presiding over the rules and order of business for the Senate. Part of the committee’s duties include setting the calendar for consideration of bills and resolutions presented on the Senate floor each day. The rules committees in both chambers play vital gatekeeping roles on Crossover Day and sine die, when legislators jockey frantically to get a flurry of bills considered on the floor before time runs out.
- Rep. Butch Parrish holds the powerful House Rules Committee chairman seat vacated with the death of Rep. Richard Smith on Jan. 30. The House Rules chair wields tremendous influence in determining what legislation gets to the House floor. In announcing Parrish’s appointment, House Speaker Jon Burns said, “Chairman Parrish has done an exceptional job representing his district [House District 158], fighting for our rural communities, and championing policies that lift up every Georgia family — including most recently with his work to improve healthcare across our state. Through his integrity, hard work, compassion and dedication to the interests of our state, he will also carry on the indelible legacy of Chairman Richard Smith — and I am confident that Chairman Parrish will serve the Georgia House and the people of our great state extremely well in this new role.”
- Rep. Shaw Blackmon, chair of the House Ways and Means Committee, holds sway over taxes, tariffs, and other revenue-raising measures in the state. All tax bills must start in House Ways and Means. In this role he also helps shape the revenue side of the budget. Blackmon has worked with Gov. Kemp to cut the state income tax progressively over the next several years, saving Georgia taxpayers about $3 billion. This year he joined Speaker Burns in introducing more tax bills to double the homestead exemption on property and raise the state income tax child credit to $4,000 from $3,000. Blackmon has supported hefty pay raises for teachers and law enforcement, as well as significant new investments in behavioral health and K-12 education. He’s also among lawmakers calling for creating new conditions for film companies to receive generous state tax credits, including hiring more Georgia workers and filming in rural Georgia.
- Sen. Chuck Hufstetler, chair of the Senate Finance Committee, has a fairly powerful role because the committee, much like Ways and Means, oversees Georgia’s taxing authority and revenue collection and deals with the financial services industry. Hufstetler is sponsoring SB 366, or the Tax Expenditures Transparency Act, which says all appropriations must be tied to a current or future revenue source. It passed the Senate and has traction in the House. Hufstetler also wants to limit tax credits for film companies and suspend tax credits for immense data centers run by companies like Microsoft that house thousands of computer servers but employ few people and heavily sap the power grid.
- James Earl “Jimmy” Carter Jr., former U.S. president and former Georgia governor, is among the most famous Georgians, putting his home state on the map not only in the United States but also abroad. As governor, he vowed to end racial discrimination and led an overhaul of state government, reducing its 65 agencies to 22. At the same time, he vastly increased the number of Black appointees to state boards and agencies. He carried that accomplishment with him to the White House, where he appointed more Blacks to cabinet positions than his predecessors and immediate successor, Ronald Reagan. Carter became a fixture in setting policies and working for peace globally. He brokered a peace pact between Israel and Egypt that still holds today. But after his 1977-1981 presidency, Carter cemented his legacy and influence with The Carter Center, which he co-founded in 1982 with his wife, Rosalynn Carter. The center’s mission has steadily expanded to include monitoring elections and eradicating diseases worldwide, and works to improve public health and human rights conditions at home and abroad. Although Carter, the longest-living president, entered hospice a year ago this week (Feb. 18, 2023), the mere mention of his name evokes respect for his service-minded spirit, power and influence in the halls of Georgia’s Capitol and still motivates everyday citizens to pick up a hammer for a Habitat for Humanity project.
- Sen. Kay Kirkpatrick is chair of the Senate Children and Families committee and a retired orthopedic surgeon. She is among the General Assembly’s busiest, and most influential, lawmakers. The Republican has passed several bills to help Georgians have better access to health care and more options and is often sought after for her vote on key issues. In addition to chairing Children and Families, Kirkpatrick is vice chair of the health and human services committee. She also serves on the appropriations committee, the insurance and labor committee and the veterans, military and homeland security committee.
- Gretchen Corbin, president and CEO of the Georgia Lottery Corp. since 2018, works to maximize revenues for the HOPE Scholarship and grants and pre-K programs for Georgia students. Corbin, the third highest-paid lottery executive in the nation, and her staff collected $26.5 billion in proceeds to support educational programs for over four million Georgians since 1993. The Lottery provides $1.2 billion in annual funding to education and has amassed $1.9 billion in reserves, which some lawmakers and educational advocates would like to see spent on more seats for pre-K students, need-based college aid, and other educational priorities. A former commissioner of the Technical College System of Georgia and the Georgia Department of Community Affairs, Corbin has spent her career in state government directing resources to communities, businesses and economic development projects. She helped develop the HOPE Career Grant to provide free tuition to students in high-demand career paths, an initiative that Gov. Kemp and other GOP leaders in the Legislature want to expand.
- Chris Clark, CEO of the Georgia Chamber of Commerce, heads the 47,000-member organization that promotes economic development and pro-business policies around the state, often at the invitation of state leaders. Clark also leads a team of lobbyists at the chamber’s political affairs arm who advocate for policies and investments related to the state’s skilled workforce and infrastructure. Clark said the chamber’s legislative focus this year will include passing occupational licensure reform to help more people, including those with criminal records, secure credentials and get to work, and tort reform to rein in “frivolous lawsuits” against Georgia businesses. Under Clark’s leadership, the chamber is pushing for lower state income and corporate taxes and making the state’s economic incentives, such as tax credits for the film industry, “more competitive, transparent and accountable.” The Republican-leaning chamber vets and supports a bipartisan slate of political candidates in every election cycle and will issue its much-coveted endorsements of statewide and district legislative candidates vying in 2024 races later this year. -
- Charles S. Bullock III, a political science professor at the University of Georgia School of Public and International Affairs, has been a fixture at the university for nearly 50 years. The political science guru has observed nine governors and 28 sessions of the Georgia General Assembly and has taught political science to multiple generations of students, including Pat Wilson, commissioner of the Georgia Department of Economic Development; Richard Dunn, director of the Governor’s Office of Planning and Budget; and Republican Sen. Colton Moore. Bullock is a walking encyclopedia and Google search engine when it comes to politics. He is America's foremost authority on redistricting and a keen observer and prognosticator on the machinations of Southern politics and voting rights. During his career, Bullock has written or collaborated on 30 books and 150 articles and is considered the “Dean of Southern Politics.”
- Rep. Mesha Mainor became the only Black Republican lawmaker in the Statehouse after switching parties last July. Saying she was fed up with the Democrats’ rigid political agenda, Mainor was pushed over the edge by criticism of her support for a GOP-driven bill to provide $6,000 in school vouchers to allow students in failing school districts to attend private schools, as well as her “yes” vote for a prosecutorial oversight commission. The school voucher bill failed, but it catalyzed Mainor’s defection to the Republican Party, whose candidates have made steady inroads into capturing Black votes in Georgia in the past few election cycles. Though Black voters, who make up about 30% of the overall vote in Georgia, were key to Biden’s victory in 2020 and helped Democrats secure control of the U.S. Senate with the 2022 election of Sen. Raphael Warnock, Black turnout in Georgia in 2022 was about 8% less than in 2018. The GOP in Georgia hopes Mainor’s outspoken embrace of the party’s pro-school choice, tough-on-crime, pro-law enforcement agenda will help get priority bills passed and mobilize more conservative Black voters.
- Rep. James Beverly is the House minority leader and serves on several influential committees, including Rules, Appropriations and Health. The Macon Democrat has represented Middle Georgia in the House since 2011. An optometrist, Beverly often advocates for legislation that addresses health inequities, which this year includes Medicaid expansion (which has gained some traction among GOP members) and reducing maternal mortality among Black women. He is also leading the Democrats’ push to pass the Safe at Home Act, a bipartisan bill to protect tenants’ rights, which requires that rental properties are “fit for human habitation” and that landlords must give three days’ notice and can’t shut off cooling before eviction action.
- Randall Walker, mayor of Perry and president of the Georgia Municipal Association. After a four-decade career in the energy industry, in 2019 Walker was elected mayor of Perry, home of Georgia National Fairgrounds & Agricenter, which hosts huge agricultural events and draws a million visitors a year. Walker set about revitalizing Perry’s downtown area and stepped up his involvement in statewide politics. Last year he helped lead opposition to a bill that would bar local governments from regulating housing standards, such as lot sizes and roof designs. Facing pushback from the Home Builders Association of Georgia and the Georgia Chamber, which argued that excessive regulation is stifling construction of affordable housing, Walker and other mayors in the municipal association, which represents 537 cities in Georgia, held the line, and the bill didn’t pass.
- The Rev. Bernice King, youngest daughter of Martin Luther King Jr. and chief executive officer of The Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change. Ever since she was photographed at the age of 5 at her famous father’s funeral, Bernice King has been in the world spotlight. Now 60, Martin Luther King’s youngest child continues her family legacy. The influential minister and lawyer not only heads the King Center but also is involved in numerous human rights issues that take her around the globe as a thought leader and strategist. And when she makes a phone call, people answer.
- Lauren Curry, Gov. Kemp’s chief of staff, has the ear of the state’s most powerful politician. She is the first woman in Georgia history to hold the position, and as such she manages the governor’s time, agenda, message, administration and the unexpected. Curry is well acquainted with Georgia’s state government and how it works, having served in top positions in a half-dozen state agencies. The experience Curry gained as press aide to former Gov. Sonny Perdue should benefit Kemp as well.
- Stephen Lawson, a veteran GOP strategist, is a senior adviser to House Speaker Jon Burns and has been handling his external communications and strategic messaging since December. Lawson has already helped Burns to trumpet his support of income and property tax breaks and to thread the needle of supporting GOP lawmakers’ exploration of Medicaid expansion while also saying Kemp’s more limited Medicaid plan should be given time to work. Lawson maintains his partnership at Full Focus Communications, the public affairs communications firm he runs with Cody Hall, a longtime deputy and political adviser to Kemp. Lawson has worked on the campaigns of Florida Govs. Rick Scott and Ron DeSantis, Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Tyler Harper, Lt. Gov. Burt Jones and Congressman Mike Collins. In 2020, he was deputy campaign manager for former U.S. Sen. Kelly Loeffler, who narrowly lost in a runoff to U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock.
- Chris Womack is CEO of Southern Company, one of the largest energy providers in the United States, with substantial operations in Georgia. Womack oversees a company that employs thousands of Georgians and plays a crucial role in powering the state's economy. The decisions and strategies he implements directly impact the energy landscape, infrastructure development and job creation within Georgia. Womack’s connections and involvement in political circles allow him to shape energy policies and regulations that affect the state’s energy sector and broader economic interests. His leadership in promoting sustainable energy solutions and addressing environmental concerns positions him as a key player in Georgia’s transition to a more sustainable and resilient energy future.
- Michael Thurmond, CEO of DeKalb County, has faced unending queries from people wondering when he’ll run for governor. For now, the Clarke County-born Democrat and lawyer is focused on running DeKalb County, considered one of the Southeast’s most diverse counties. DeKalb is the only county in the state with an elected chief executive independent from the legislative branch. It’s a job Thurmond won in a landslide in 2016. Before that, he became the first Black elected to the Georgia General Assembly from Clarke County since Reconstruction. From there, he became the first African American elected to statewide office — labor commissioner — without prior appointment. Thurmond is widely regarded as a “turnaround expert,” having transformed the culture and enhancing operations of complex government agencies such as the Georgia Division of Family and Children Services, the Georgia Department of Labor and the DeKalb County School District. As labor commissioner, he was summoned to England to give his advice on workforce development. Other states regularly sought his advice as well.
- Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee may determine the legal fate of many local and national politicians as well as the outcome of key state and national elections this year. The judge overseeing the election interference case against former President Donald Trump and 15 of his associates, a sprawling racketeering case alleging a criminal conspiracy to overturn the 2020 election, could send Trump to prison and summarily end his 2024 bid for the White House. Or McAfee could find the ex-president not guilty, a verdict that would act as jet fuel to Trump’s campaign. In the interim, he could find merit in charges by some defendants in the case that lead prosecutor Fani Willis has engaged in professional misconduct and disqualify her, diminishing the likelihood that Trump or his co-defendants (who include Trump’s former attorney Rudy Giuliani, former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, former state Sen. Shawn Still, and former Georgia GOP chair David Shafer) ever have their day in court.
- U.S. Rep. Earl “Buddy” Carter is in his fifth term representing the 1st Congressional District in southeast Georgia. A member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee and the House Budget Committee, he has supported legislation to reduce emissions and increase U.S. energy production. A pharmacist, he supports legislation to improve the health care system and is co-sponsoring a bill to address Georgia’s high infant mortality rate. A champion of the Georgia ports and international trade since his days in the Statehouse, Carter this year won a $15 million federal grant to improve the Port of Brunswick and is leading a bipartisan effort in the Georgia congressional delegation to authorize a study to widen and deepen the harbor in the Port of Savannah. Carter is well known for his affable ways and bright personality. When he and U.S. Rep. Nikema Carter, an Atlanta Democrat, lost a bet with their Alabama colleagues over the winner of the Georgia vs. Alabama football game in December, the Pooler Republican donned a bright-red jacket and tie to hand-carry bags of Chick-fil-A sandwiches to the victorious ’Bama reps. He pops up regularly on national news and talk shows to offer pithy quips on D.C. doings. In January, after 15 rounds of voting for a new House speaker, he told WJCL-TV in Savannah: “Democracy is messy. … It’s almost as if we’re just wandering in the wilderness up here.”
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Weekend read: 70 years ago, Georgia bucked landmark Brown v. Board of Education decision
When the U.S. Supreme Court threw open the doors of public schools to Black students 70 years ago, Southern states — such as Georgia — did not go quietly when Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka became the law of the land.
“For six or seven years nothing happened. It was like it hadn’t come down,” said Charles Bullock, professor of public and international affairs at the University of Georgia.
Some states took action to desegregate schools, “but the Deep South didn’t,” Bullock said. There was “a lot of litigation,” he added. “Someone said as long as we can legislate, we can segregate. So nothing much happens until January of 1961.”
That is when a federal judge ordered the immediate admission of Hamilton Holmes and Charlayne Hunter to the University of Georgia.
“Georgians accept the challenge and will not tolerate the mixing of races,” Georgia’s then-governor, Herman Talmadge, said when the decision came down.
Talmadge went on to deride the high court, saying its “views on sociology will not make any difference.”
He wasn’t alone.
In Virginia, U.S. Sen. Harry Byrd issued a call for “massive resistance” to the Supreme Court’s decision. In Mississippi, U.S. Sen. James Eastland declared that “the South will not abide by nor obey this legislative decision by a political body.”
Brown towers as one of the most significant Supreme Court rulings in American history. Students from the era attended a 70th-anniversary event held at Burnett Administrative Center in Topeka on Thursday.
Tiffany Anderson, the first African American female superintendent hired by Topeka Public Schools, said the decision allowed for “tremendous progress” in the area of equitability simply by expanding educational opportunities.
“Whether or not you’re a parent of color or in poverty, you have access,” she said. “Those are ways to close the opportunity gaps.”
Don Perkins, though, said the district’s race relations had not evolved in a meaningful way. His children, who attended Topeka Public Schools in the 1980s, were exploited by the district for their athletic abilities, he said.
“I always smelled the chlorine but just wasn’t allowed to swim.”
He remembers his first taste of racial integration as a Black student at East Topeka Junior High.
“I got a lot of support from students, but not necessarily teachers,” said Perkins, who was elected student council president but couldn’t get any support from educators for activities.
Perkins recounted how the ruling hardly erased discrimination. For instance, Black students were barred from Topeka High’s indoor swimming pool when he attended from 1955 to 1957. “I always smelled the chlorine but just wasn’t allowed to swim,” he said.
The U.S. Supreme Court decision is rooted deep in Topeka, forever stitched in Kansas’ tapestry.
A moving mural by artist Michael Young commemorating the decision — depicting teachers, students, protesters, soldiers — can be found outside the old Supreme Court room in the Statehouse. About a mile south, a museum commemorates the case and its aftermath.
States challenging school segregation in the early 1950s included Kansas, South Carolina, Delaware and Virginia, as did Washington, D.C. The mounting litigation was bundled into a single case — Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka.
The Kansas case was filed on behalf of 13 Black Topeka parents and their school-aged children who were forced to attend segregated schools. The students would often have to walk for hours, braving the elements, when white classrooms were closer.
The court ultimately declared state-sanctioned segregation in public schools unconstitutional after concluding the plaintiffs were not allotted “equal protection of the laws guaranteed by the 14th Amendment.” “Separate but equal” was determined to be “inherently unequal.”
The decision reverberated. The high court then decided Briggs v. Elliott, finding desegregation in South Carolina was unconstitutional. Again the issue was the distance to the classrooms — some Black students walked eight miles each way to and from school after the local government refused to provide bussing.
The price of desegregation in South Carolina was steep. The petitioners in the Briggs case lost their jobs and their land. A pastor who championed the cause had his home burned to the ground. The federal judge who sided with petitioners was forced to leave the state by order of the South Carolina House of Representatives.
Pushing for change
Marquis Burnett grew up in the shadow of his late father, McKinley, a prominent Civil Rights figure. While serving as the Topeka chapter NAACP president, McKinley Burnett spearheaded the recruitment of the 13 Black families that were plaintiffs in the Brown v. Board case.
“I’m not saying the case wouldn’t have happened, but if it wasn’t for him it wouldn’t have happened when it did,” Marquis Burnett said of his father. “A lot of people think it was the Brown case, but it was actually the Topeka NAACP’s case that established integration. They’re the ones who filed the case and picked Brown [and the other plaintiffs].”
His father consistently pressed the Topeka school board for racial integration, and the board responded by drastically altering meeting times in hopes he wouldn’t show. He was also met with threats of physical violence from board members, Burnett said.
“On several occasions, board members wanted to resolve it with a fistfight,” Burnett said. “But he said, ‘No, we’ll let the courts settle it.’”
Burnett said he’s skeptical that the current conservative-leaning U.S. Supreme Court would have rendered the same verdict in the Brown ruling as its 1954 judicial counterparts.
Burnett said the Brown v. Board ruling was not necessarily viewed favorably by Black teachers at Topeka’s segregated elementary schools, who were concerned about the fate of those schools after the ruling came down.
“They thought they would lose their jobs, but that didn’t really happen because our teachers were exceptional,” he said. “We had good teachers, and that is something that should definitely be emphasized.”
Marquis Burnett planned to attend the event Thursday at Burnett Administrative Center on Thursday, a building named in honor of his father.
‘Culture of community’
Beryl New began attending Monroe Elementary in the wake of the Brown ruling. The school was eventually transformed into the Brown v. Board of Education National Historical Park.
New said teachers at Monroe embraced a “culture of community” and a “high expectation for excellence” in the classroom. As for the lasting impact of the Supreme Court’s ruling, New drew a parallel to current hotbed issues.
“This concept of ‘school choice’ has a whole different meaning today. I can choose to send my children to a private school or a public school or choose to go to the public school I want to,” she said. “Back then, there was no choice if you were a child of color in Topeka. So removing that right from tax-paying citizens was a great injustice.”
After the ruling, New said, many parents did not want to move their children to an integrated school “because of the loving atmosphere” at the segregated schools they attended.
“But if they wanted to do it, they ought to have the right to do it,” New said. “And I think that’s what the Topeka case really highlighted.”
At the time of the Brown ruling, white parents in Topeka “did not want Black teachers to teach their children,” New said.
“But many of the Black teachers who taught at the segregated schools had advanced degrees,” she said. “So you couldn’t get a higher quality of teacher, but their skin color was the issue.”
New’s “pleasant memories” of Monroe Elementary stood in stark contrast to her experience at racially integrated Topeka High School in the 1960s. New said her counselor at Topeka High bluntly told her “she wasn’t college material” and should instead enroll in secretary school.
New’s education credentials include 12 years as an English teacher, followed by several years as principal at Lawrence High School. Then, New moved to Highland Park High School, where she became the first Black female head principal in the history of Topeka Public Schools’ main three high schools.
Brown v. Board’s lasting impacts
Visiting from Charlottesville, Virginia, this week, Aleen Carey said she felt goose bumps Tuesday evening while taking in the majestic atmosphere of the former Monroe Elementary School building.
As a former educator, she said that the Brown ruling holds a deeper meaning for her — and that she taught her former students about the “Charlottesville Twelve,” which has similarities to the case.
“As a Black resident of the United States, this historical place has made such a difference in the lives of my family and every other Black person in the United States,” Carey said. “I just wanted to be able to say that I had stood here and seen it for myself. This is more important than anything else I could be doing on my visit.
“What it means to be a Black person and have the education I’ve had, you can’t put that into words what something like this means.”
It was a joyous moment for Carey, but she also remains concerned about political agendas seeking to roll back strides made during the Civil Rights Movement.
Former President George W. Bush was on hand in 2004 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Supreme Court ruling and the official public opening of the Brown v. Board museum.
“So even though [Bush] wasn’t my favorite president, the respect shown to say this is a very important piece of American history and to be here means something,” she said.
Carey also remains concerned about diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) at state universities in Virginia.
Lawmakers in many states have proposed or enacted legislation aimed at rolling back DEI initiatives at public colleges and universities.
In Kansas, the GOP-controlled Legislature passed House Bill 2105 in April — prohibiting postsecondary educational institutions from using DEI practices in their admissions, educational aid and employment decisions.
Undoing the racial equity strides that followed the Brown decision is unfathomable for Carey to contemplate.
“It’s unbelievable, sad, infuriating and frustrating,” she said. And it’s really hard to think about when you’re at a place like this, knowing the courage it took to make Brown v. Board happen.”
Newsletter editor Issac Morgan contributed to this story.
Matt Resnick is a statehouse reporter for State Affairs Pro Kansas/Hawver’s Capitol Report. Reach him at [email protected].
Issac Morgan is the newsletter editor for State Affairs. You can contact him on X or at [email protected].
Turnout battle: More Republicans casting ballots in early voting for general primary
The Gist
Whether they’re concerned with a Georgia Supreme Court race or women’s reproductive rights, voters showed up to cast early ballots this week in the Georgia primary election. And Republicans embraced the opportunity more than Democrats, continuing a trend in recent years.
“This isn’t Democratic voters becoming Republicans. This isn’t even a massive turnout of Republicans,” Atlanta political strategist Fred Hicks told State Affairs. “What it is is Democrats are disaffected and they’re staying home in key blocs, particularly African Americans.”
At Chastain Park Recreation Center, Atlanta attorney Stephen Mooney cast his vote with an eye on a Georgia Supreme Court race.
“I felt it was important to cast a vote. We have one candidate who’s putting his personal views over just calling balls and strikes. I want to make my voice known,” Mooney said.
Democratic U.S. Rep. John Barrow, who is running a campaign centered on protecting women’s reproductive rights, is challenging incumbent Justice Andrew Pinson.
Mooney, who identifies as Republican, said he typically votes early in elections. For the upcoming cycle, he said he’s concerned with crime, the economy and world affairs, including the conflict in Gaza.
Katherine Hernacki, who mostly votes Democrat, said she tries to cast ballots at every opportunity to make sure her registration didn’t expire and to preserve her vote.
“I would say that right now one of the biggest motivating factors for me is protecting women’s rights to reproductive freedom,” Hernacki, 50, told State Affairs.
She and Mooney both said current Georgia state officials have been doing well, specifically when it comes to the economy.
What’s Happening
As of Friday morning, according to GeorgiaVotes.com, 453,035 Georgians had cast early votes. Republicans outpaced Democrats, 242,140 to 203,305. There were 7,545 nonpartisan ballots cast.
The Secretary of State could not provide the party breakdown of primary election turnout for 2020 and 2022.
The total turnout for the 2024 primary is 36% lower than it was in 2022.
“This will be the fourth straight statewide election where Republicans have outpaced Democrats,” Hicks said.
More Republican voters turned out in the 2022 primary and general election as well as the presidential primary in March and now this one, said Hicks, who has worked on Democratic and Republican campaigns across the country for the past 20 years.
There was a little positive news for Democrats: The Georgia Secretary of State’s office said more Democrats — 15,008 — voted absentee than Republicans. Records show 14,835 Republicans cast mail-in ballots.
Why It Matters
Primaries historically have had low turnout, and this election cycle is no different. As of Friday morning, 6.4% of Georgia’s 7 million registered voters had cast ballots in person or by mail.
Ahead of the general election in November, primaries give voters an idea of who the candidates are. As campaigns continue, citizens get an early opportunity to form their political opinions.
What’s Next?
Friday, May 17, is the last day of early voting in Georgia’s primary election. Polls will reopen Tuesday, May 21, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. The general election will happen Nov. 5.
Related stories:
Have questions, comments or tips? Contact Tammy Joyner on X @lvjoyner or at [email protected].
Contact Nava Rawls at [email protected].
New middle Georgia House district up for grabs due to influential incumbent’s departure
The Gist
For the first time in over a decade, voters in parts of middle Georgia’s Bibb and Houston counties will vote for a new state House representative.
House District 143 is a newly redrawn district that now extends from Macon to Warner Robins. That redistricting prompted the departure of longtime incumbent Rep. James Beverly, D-Macon. His term ends in January.
Democrat Anissa Jones and Republican Barbara Boyer are vying for Beverly’s seat. Both are uncontested in the primary.
The two appear on the May 21 primary ballots, but the primary is, in effect, a dress rehearsal for the Nov. 5 general election because neither has a primary opponent.
Jones is a chiropractor who has held numerous seats on civic and local government boards. Boyer is a retired attorney who now runs an antique shop. Georgia is an open primary state, meaning voters can choose the party ballot they wish to vote for.
What’s Happening
House Minority Leader Beverly announced in March he would not seek re-election, in part, because his district had been redrawn. A federal judge ordered state lawmakers to redo their electoral maps because they diluted Black voting power.
Before the remapping, House District 143 was largely Democrat, majority Black and consisted primarily of Macon County. The redrawn district now includes parts of Macon and extends 20 miles south to Warner Robins and remains majority Black.
Boyer, a political newcomer, said Republicans asked her to run because of her legal background. She sees the redistricting as good for middle Georgia.
“Macon and Warner Robins have always sort of been merged together in a lot of ways, and I just don’t see there’s a problem with it.”
The new House district, for example, now includes parts of nearby Houston County, which has “a pretty good school system,” Boyer said.
“I’m interested in how they run their school system compared to how Bibb County runs theirs,” she added. “Our [Macon-Bibb] district really needs a lot of help with their school system.”
If elected, Boyer said she would work to improve education, curb crime and bring more businesses to middle Georgia.
“I think I cross party lines pretty good,” she said. “I have a lot of Democratic friends and a very diverse group of friends. So I think I have a better chance of getting some Democrat and independent votes.”
Jones is a Macon native. She is the former vice chair of the Macon Water Authority Board, an alum of Leadership Macon and a past president of the Main Street Macon Board.
Jones did not return calls from State Affairs for comment.. Her top issues include public safety, economic development and more investment in infrastructure, according to her website.
Why It Matters
The winner of House District 143 will fill a vital seat that Beverly has held since 2011. He often advocated for legislation addressing health inequities, including a last-minute proposal by state Democratic leaders to expand Medicaid.
The Peach Care Plus Act would have let the state get a federal waiver to buy private health insurance for people who make around $20,000 a year. The measure failed. Beverly, a Macon optometrist, also pushed for legislation that would reduce maternal mortality among Black women.
He also led the Democrats’ effort to pass the Safe at Home Act, a bipartisan bill to protect tenants’ rights. The bipartisan bill requires rental properties to be “fit for human habitation.” Landlords must give three days’ notice and can’t shut off cooling before an eviction. Gov. Brian Kemp signed the bill into law in April.
Beverly said his decision to leave was also based on the likelihood that Democrats will not win a majority in the 180-member House.
In addition to Beverly’s departure as House minority leader, the Senate also will lose its minority leader, Sen. Gloria Butler, D-Stone Mountain. She has served since 1999. The two are among 16 legislators who are retiring. Most of the 236-member Georgia General Assembly will be running for office, many unopposed.
What’s Next?
Early voters casting ballots in person have until Friday at 5 p.m. Poll officials, however, have the discretion to keep the polls open until 7 p.m., a Georgia Secretary of State official said. Polls will reopen Tuesday, primary election day, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Residents voting in Tuesday’s primary can check their precinct location here.
Boyer and Jones will face each other in the Nov. 5 general election. The winner will succeed Beverly, who will leave office in January.
Meet the House District 143 primary candidates
Barbara Boyer
Age: 68
Residence: Macon
Occupation: Retired attorney who now owns an antique store in Macon. “I love to stay busy.”
Party affiliation: Republican
Top issues: Improving education, attracting more businesses and addressing public safety, especially encroaching crime.
Campaign cash on hand: $600 as of May 7
Family: She and husband Wesley, a bankruptcy attorney, have a daughter and granddaughter
Dr. Anissa Jones
Residence: Macon
Occupation: Chiropractor
Party affiliation: Democrat
Top issues: Public safety, economic development, more investment infrastructure.
Campaign cash on hand: $30,679.92 as of May 6
Have questions, comments or tips? Contact Tammy Joyner on X @lvjoyner or at [email protected].
All you need to know heading into the May 21 primary
Gist
Georgia’s primary is only days away, and there’s a lot to unpack.
The May 21 primary will be the first time some Georgians will be voting in new districts for state and congressional candidates. They’ll also be voting in local races for sheriff, judges, school board or county commission members. Primary winners who have challengers will go on to compete in the Nov. 5 general election. Georgia is an open primary state, meaning voters can choose the party ballot they wish to vote for.
This year, Georgians who voted by absentee ballot in the primary could face challenges due to mail delivery delays.
What’s Happening
North Georgia and metro Atlanta are seeing significant mail delivery delays. The holdup, according to media reports, appears to be at the United States Postal Services’ new Regional Processing and Distribution Center in Palmetto. The problem has led to dangerous situations in which people are not getting critical medication.
Georgia’s U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff recently grilled USPS Postmaster General Louis DeJoy on the delays. Ossoff told DeJoy during an April 16 hearing that on-time delivery rates were abysmal. He said 66% of outbound first-class mail had been delivered on time while 36% of inbound mail had been delivered on time in the past three months.
DeJoy blamed the problem on the difficulty in condensing operations at the facility.
With the approaching primary, state lawmakers are concerned mail delays could disrupt the election process.
Mike Hassinger, a spokesman for the Secretary of State, told State Affairs that Georgia voters are ready.
“Georgia voters are already registered,” he said. “They know how they like to vote. More than half of them vote early. About 5% vote absentee by mail, just in general, and then the rest are voting on election day. So we’ve been able to set up systems that are familiar with Georgia voters so that the percentage who might be worried about their absentee-by-mail ballots are relatively small.”
Why It Matters
Georgia emerged as one of the country’s most important political battleground states during the 2020 election. The Peach State will once again play a key role in deciding who wins the 2024 presidential election in November.
In the May 21 primary, Georgia voters will whittle down their choices for whom they’ll send to Congress and to the state capitol next year.
Under a federal court-approved redistricting process last year, Georgia now has new congressional and state district electoral maps. Those maps created one majority Black seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, five new majority-Black districts in the state House and two in the state Senate.
The redistricting resulted in new seats, intriguing matchups and former politicians returning to the fray. You can see the newly drawn maps here.
What’s Next?
Here’s what you need to know to ensure a smooth voting process:
To vote early.
Early voting is April 29 to May 17. Find your polling place here.
To vote absentee.
Here’s what you can do to avoid problems if you vote absentee:
- Get your absentee ballot application done early. You can request an absentee ballot here. (The registration deadline for the May 21 primary was April 22.)
- Track your application through Georgia BallotTrax. You must have a valid absentee request on file with your county board of elections to see your absentee ballot status in Georgia BallottTrax.
- If you’ve been having mail delays, place your completed absentee ballot in an official drop box during advanced voting instead of using the United States Postal Service. Check your county voter registration and election office for drop box locations. And, yes, your absentee ballot counts. It is counted in the final tally, not just close races.
- If you change your mind about voting absentee and decide to vote in person, take your absentee ballot to your local election office, where workers will void it.
- If you need to contact your county election office, find that information here.
Update: This story has been updated with the mail-in ballot registration deadline for the May 21 primary.
Have questions, comments or tips? Contact Tammy Joyner on X @lvjoyner or at [email protected].
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