Politcally Georgia: Ahead of Atlanta visit, Cory Booker casts Georgia as key battleground

Today’s newsletter highlights

Rick Jackson claims fear of reprisals is keeping lawmakers from endorsing against Burt Jones.
Could there be a Sine Die stall?
Still no deal to pay TSA workers.

Battleground state

Credit: AP

Credit: AP

U.S. Sen. Cory Booker’s new book “Stand” keeps returning to one figure that will feel familiar to Georgia readers: the legacy of John Lewis, the late civil rights leader.

Booker invokes Lewis early in the book, then circles back to the Georgia icon near the end. He recalls one of their final conversations: a long drive through New Jersey and the lessons that helped shape his marathon 25-hour Senate speech.

The New Jersey Democrat said that was no accident.

“Even before I met him, he already was my hero,” Booker told the AJC. “And then to get to know him and have him not just be colleague, but to be a friend, was one of the more transformative influences on my life.”

That connection to Georgia is front and center as Booker heads to Atlanta on Friday for an event with U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock at the First Baptist Church of Decatur.

In an interview previewing the visit, Booker framed Georgia as both a political battleground and a moral force shaped by generations of activism.

“It is a place where so many people have made such courageous stands for justice,” he said, pointing to a legacy that spans from Lewis to today’s leaders.

That includes Warnock, whom Booker described in reverential terms.

“Nobody in the history of the Senate has ever been like him,” Booker said. “It’s stunning, the journey he’s had and the moral voice he possesses among his colleagues.”

One of the book’s more powerful moments centers on Booker and Warnock voting to confirm Ketanji Brown Jackson to the U.S. Supreme Court, when then-Vice President Kamala Harris urged them to write letters to loved ones marking the moment.

“To vote for a Black woman Supreme Court justice never happened before,” he said. “It was this historic moment, and Kamala Harris in her wisdom gave us an assignment.”

Things to know

Credit: Patricia Murphy/AJC

Good morning! Here are three things to know for today:

While Geoff Duncan’s candidacy for governor might be naturally tailored to white, college-educated suburban voters, he still needs the support of Black voters to win the Democratic nomination, writes Greg Bluestein.
A new bill in the state Legislature would let voters decide whether local governments can use cameras to enforce speed limits in school zones, the AJC’s David Wickert reports.
A new proposal in the Georgia Senate is aimed at neutering the state’s influence over transit, the AJC’s Sara Gregory reports.

Legislative leverage

Credit: Arvin Temkar, Miguel Martinez/AJC

Most candidates in the Georgia governor’s race are eager to show any momentum they can by rolling out endorsements from lawmakers around the state.

But GOP hopeful Rick Jackson told a Winder crowd he’s not asking members of the Legislature to endorse him because he’s been told there have been reprisals from his GOP opponent, Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, for those who do.

The incentive not to endorse against Jones is real, since the lieutenant governor has the power to block members’ priority legislation in the final days of the session. As governor, Jones — or any of the potential winners — could do much more to punish those who backed their enemies in the election.

“I’ve told the speaker that I wouldn’t ask any of the state reps to publicly endorse me, because I’m more concerned that they finish out the legislative session,” Jackson said. “The other side, they’re holding up bills and threatening people because they took a picture with me … and that’s just a bunch of garbage.”

Jones’ team dismissed Jackson’s accusations.

“Oh bless Rick Jackson’s heart, what a precious way to explain not having many endorsements,” said Kayla Lott, adding that Jones has earned support in every corner of the state and has President Donald Trump’s backing. “Rick Jackson’s endorsements? Bought and paid for, or non-existent — take your pick.”

Apart from Jones, Jackson told the packed breakfast crowd at the Golden Corral that he considers House Speaker Jon Burns “one of the most selfless people downtown, along with Gov. Kemp.” And he pointed to Burns’ literacy bill as good policy that could address one of the state’s most critical challenges.

But it wasn’t all five-star reviews for the General Assembly. Painting himself as a political outsider, he called for term limits for members, most of whom he said are more interested in donors than voters. Jones, he said, is the worst offender.

Jackson did pick up one endorsement in Winder, though, from Public Service Commissioner Bubba McDonald. “I was the first statewide elected official to endorse Donald Trump for president,” McDonald said. “Today I’m also the first statewide elected official to endorse Rick Jackson for Governor of Georgia.”

Sine Die stall?

Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC

It was an unusual request. And it got House Republicans’ attention.

During a closed-door caucus meeting Wednesday, GOP leaders asked members to share their travel plans for the days after the legislative session is set to end one week from today. For a body that has long treated Sine Die as sacrosanct, the ask stood out.

There was no directive to cancel trips or delay vacations. But several veteran lawmakers told us they couldn’t recall leadership ever making a similar request over at least the last decade — a signal, they suspect, that leaders are at least contemplating pushing back the final day.

The backdrop is tense. House leaders haven’t forgotten the Senate’s abrupt adjournment last year, a move that upended end-of-session negotiations.

And this year, fault lines are deepening over rival budget proposals, big-ticket legislative initiatives and the speaker’s sweeping literacy overhaul.

It could be nothing more than precautionary planning. It could be a warning. It could just be saber-rattling. Either way, the final days under the Gold Dome could be unpredictable.

Not so fast

Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC

A push by the state Senate to have lawmakers’ sexual harassment settlements made public is hitting a roadblock in the House.

State Sen. Randy Robertson added that provision — dubbed the “Epstein amendment” — to Senate Bill 482. The bill is now in the House Public Safety & Homeland Security Committee, where Chair Clint Crowe, R-Jackson, said it would be removed.

“I think there was some concerns about whether or not we can legislatively intervene in nondisclosure agreements and settlement agreements,” he said. “That’s a separate topic for another day that probably isn’t applicable on this bill.”

Don’t write off the amendment just yet. We’re told it’s also tacked on to at least three other bills.

Ad watch

Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC

A group backing Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger’s bid for governor is launching a new statewide TV ad with a familiar theme.

The $1 million buy from Hardworking Georgia Families highlights his support for restrictions on transgender athletes in women’s sports.

He’s the latest Republican to lean further into the culture wars issue that has been a favorite of GOP candidates for the last decade.

Airport politics

Credit: File

Republicans have already used Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport as a backdrop for attacks over the partial government shutdown by filming campaign videos and rolling out mobile billboards targeting Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff.

Now Democrats are returning fire. The Democratic Party of Georgia launched a mobile billboard of its own this morning that will circle the airport with the faces of GOP Senate contenders Buddy Carter, Mike Collins and Derek Dooley.

The message for Carter and Collins is blunt: “Stop blocking TSA funding.” A billboard targeting Dooley tells him to “Demand that Trump fund TSA.”

Under the Gold Dome

Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC

The Legislature won’t meet today. Lawmakers will meet in committees. There are three legislative days left in the session. Some happenings:

10 a.m.: House Judiciary Non-Civil Committee meets to discuss Senate Bill 572, which would prohibit people from using force in self-defense against police officers if the officers properly identified themselves.
10 a.m.: House Public Safety and Homeland Security Committee meets to discuss Senate Bill 482, which would require people to identify individuals by name in police photos and videos when requesting copies of that footage.
11 a.m.: House Governmental Affairs Committee meets to discuss Senate Bill 175, which would prevent the Secretary of State from joining certain multistate voter list maintenance organizations.
1 p.m.: House Banks and Banking Committee meets to consider Senate Bill 424, which would make gold and silver legal tender in Georgia.

Listen up

Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC

Today on the “Politically Georgia” podcast state Rep. Saira Draper, D-Atlanta, joins the show to talk about the latest push to reshape Georgia’s voting system. Then state Sen. Sonya Halpern, D-Atlanta, discusses her concerns about some sweeping tax proposals.

You can listen and subscribe to “Politically Georgia” for free on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.

Have a question or comment for the show? Email us at politicallygeorgia@ajc.com or give us a call at 770-810-5297 and you could be featured on a future episode.

Make or break

Credit: Ben Hendren

Today is a crucial day for the negotiations over ending the partial government shutdown — or at least getting Transportation Security Administration workers paid.

If a deal is not reached today, it is unlikely that Congress will have enough time to act before their scheduled two-week recess that begins Monday.

With no agreement, there is a chance the recess will be postponed or canceled. That creates even more incentive for a breakthrough today. But as of Wednesday night, Democrats and Republicans still could not agree.

Meanwhile, security lines at the airport were still a problem this morning. You can follow along with the AJC’s live updates.

Today in Washington

Trump will meet with his Cabinet and host a Greek Independence Day Celebration at the White House.
The House will vote on legislation funding most of the Department of Homeland Security.
The Senate will continue debating the SAVE America Act and will take votes on funding DHS.

Who is Jack Brian?

Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com

U.S. Rep. Brian Jack, who is deputy chair of the Republican Party’s campaign arm for U.S. House races next year, received some light ribbing from Trump during Wednesday night’s big fundraising dinner.

Trump said Jack was in the tough position of having two first names, and recently he had to correct someone for asking about a congressman named “Jack Brian.”

“He was telling me what a great guy Jack Brian is; I said who is he?” Trump told the crowd. “There’s nobody named Jack Brian, but he was talking about Brian Jack. Brian, you’re a tremendous guy.”

House Speaker Mike Johnson announced that the dinner raised $37 million for the National Republican Congressional Committee. Jack, R-Peachtree City, is likely to become the chair ahead of the 2028 election cycle.

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