Georgia
Democrats, voting rights activists pan Georgia GOP lawmakers’ revised legislative districts – Georgia Recorder
The redrawn legislative maps floated by Georgia Republican leaders have quickly found pushback from Democrats and voting rights advocates as a special redistricting session – the second in two years – gets underway.
A proposed state Senate map was released Monday, and a state House map was unveiled Tuesday afternoon, just one day before the first day of the special session. A reconfigured congressional map has not yet emerged.
All three must be redrawn after federal District Court Judge Steve Jones ruled in October that maps drawn in 2021 as part of the once-a-decade redistricting process dilute the voting strength of Black Georgians. Jones issued a detailed 516-page order following a nearly two-week data intensive trial held in September.
Jones gave lawmakers a Dec. 8 deadline to address the deficiencies to his satisfaction and outlined a remedy that called for two additional majority Black Senate districts in south metro Atlanta and five additional majority Black House districts, including two “in or around” Macon-Bibb County, two in south metro Atlanta and another in west metro Atlanta. His order also called for a new majority Black congressional district in west metro Atlanta.
Black Georgians have historically voted for Democrats at high rates.
State Republican leaders have opted to move forward with designing new political maps even as they appeal the ruling.
Public hearings were held on both legislative maps Wednesday afternoon. A committee vote on the House version could happen as soon as Thursday, when Democratic leaders are also set to present their alternative maps. The House Democratic proposal was released Wednesday.
Critics of the GOP’s proposed maps argue Republican leaders have either not addressed the judge’s concerns or made unnecessary changes elsewhere to make up for political ground ceded to comply with the order.
At a Capitol press conference, members of the Georgia Legislative Black Caucus said Wednesday that the proposed maps do not meet the goal of protecting Black voters and giving them a fair chance to elect the candidate of their choice.
“The order says the outcome might be numbers, it might be five state representatives seats, it might be two Senate, it might be one congressional, but regardless, the districts have to be fair,” said Garden City Democratic Rep. Carl Gilliard.
Reaction to the Senate map
On Wednesday, a couple dozen people representing various public policy and voting rights organizations railed against the proposed Senate map during a public hearing, arguing the new plan is based more on political motives than complying with the court order.
Gainesville Republican Sen. Shelly Echols, who chairs the Senate Reapportionment and Redistricting Committee, defended the proposal. She said after figuring out how to draw two majority Black Senate districts in south Atlanta, the next step was to address the shifting dominos for several districts around Atlanta.
All said, the revised map impacts 15 districts.
Echols says Republican lawmakers are still pushing to keep the old district maps intact by asking an appellate court to overturn Jones’ decision.
“We believe we’ve reached a plan that’s far better than those produced by the plaintiffs, while also complying with everything the judge requires,” Echols said. “It’s important to note the ripple effect is real when drawing plans. When new districts are located in the southern part of metro Atlanta, the nearby population has to be adjusted. Those changes then ripple out primarily north until they are resolved.”
But Georgia Democrats are accusing Republicans of playing shell games and consolidating Black voters inside a core of Atlanta in places beyond Jones’ remedy.
One of the proposed changes that critics say is problematic is the district represented by longtime Sen. Gail Davenport, a Jonesboro Democrat whose current district includes Clayton and DeKalb counties. The district would be redrawn to include west Henry County, Jonesboro, and Lovejoy.
The ACLU of Georgia said that the Republicans’ plans for Davenport’s district would unnecessarily form a new district in which nearly every Black voter already lives in another overwhelmingly Black district. The ACLU represents the historically Black fraternity Alpha Phi Alpha along with other plaintiffs that sued the state over the 2021 legislative maps.
“By moving around voters in districts outside the court’s area of focus, the committee plan increases the total number of Black-majority districts without meaningfully changing the configuration of the districts that the court found violated the VRA,” the ACLU wrote in a letter sent Monday to the House and Senate redistricting committees.
Davenport expressed her dissatisfaction with the Republican redistricting plans.
“I guess you all thought that we would sit by and say nothing,” she said. “But those of us who are Black here know why we were sent here, know that much blood was shed for our right to vote and for Black people to be represented.”
Under the proposed Senate map, Sens. Elena Parent and Jason Esteves would also see their current districts in metro Atlanta go from primarily white to districts with a significant Black population.
On the Senate floor Wednesday, several Democrats said the expensive legal battle and special session could’ve been avoided if Republican lawmakers heeded their concerns about the reconfigured maps passed at a special legislative session in 2021.
Sen. Nikki Merritt, a Grayson Democrat, labeled the GOP’s latest map an insult and blatant disregard for a judge’s order.
“They’re going to try to sell to you that we created two majority Black districts, but what they won’t spill is that they are robbing Black votes from other districts in order to satisfy,” Merritt said.
The House map
The GOP’s proposed House map creates the court-ordered five majority Black districts, but it also makes changes to about one-third of all the chamber’s districts in the process.
The map’s sponsor, Elberton Republican Rep. Rob Leverett, who chairs the House Reapportionment and Redistricting Committee, argued the alterations to 56 districts were all just part of the ripple effect from the court-ordered changes.
The plan also features several incumbent lawmakers from the same party who would be drawn into the same district, meaning they would have to face each other in a primary.
Among Democrats, those matchups include Smyrna Reps. Teri Anulewicz and Doug Stoner, Dekalb County Reps. Saira Draper and Becky Evans, and Gwinnett County Reps. Sam Park, who is the Minority Caucus Whip, and Gregg Kennard.
On the other side of the aisle, long-time state Griffin Rep. David Knight, who chairs the higher education budget committee, would be paired with two-term Concord Rep. Beth Camp. And first-term Milledgeville Republican Rep. Ken Vance, for example, would also find himself in a Democratic-leaning district.
Leverett said some of the district lines borrow from the work of the plaintiffs’ mapmakers used during the recent trial.
“We have appealed Judge Jones’s order, and so the bill that I filed has a reverter. If the appeal is upheld, we would revert to the 2021 maps,” Leverett said.
“But for now, we are complying. We are trying to comply with the judge’s order, and these would be effective at least for the next election cycle and probably more and potentially would stay in place if the appeal is unsuccessful.”
But voting rights advocates are pressuring House leaders to apply a lighter touch.
Janet Grant, vice chair of Fair Districts, criticized the proposed map for making changes that are well outside the targeted geographic areas identified in the judge’s order.
“We believe that a more surgical approach would yield a map that complies with the court order, doesn’t attempt to even the partisan score and disrupts far fewer Georgia voters,” Grant said at Wednesday’s public hearing.
Georgia Recorder reporter Ross Williams contributed to this report.
Troy’s season-long improvement continued on Saturday, resulting in a 28-20 victory at Georgia Southern.
Matthew Caldwell passed for two touchdowns and ran for two more for the Trojans, who won their second straight game. Troy (3-7, 2-4 Sun Belt Conference) outscored the homestanding Eagles 21-10 in the second half, knocking them out of first place in the Sun Belt East Division.
“It doesn’t get any better than this,” first-year Troy coach Gerad Parker said in his post-game interview on ESPN+. “I hold back tears and everybody called me soft, but this is an emotional game.
“We’ve been at the depths of hell (at) the start of this year. When you visit a place like that, there’s only one choice. You got to get your team out of it and have belief from these guys. … These guys have been unbelievable. Our staff and our players, how they’ve been resilient at all tells you something that’s good about college football.”
Caldwell’s 2-yard touchdown run gave Troy the lead for good at 21-17 with 13:34 left in the game. After the Eagles (6-4, 4-2) pulled within 21-20 on Gavin Stewart’s 45-yard field goal with 10:34 to play, the Trojans killed most of the clock with a 16-play, 75-yard drive ending in Caldwell’s 1-yard run and an eight-point lead with 2:32 remaining.
Caldwell ended the game 26-for-32 for 288 yards and two touchdowns, a 6-yarder to Brody Dalton in the second quarter and a 4-yarder to Devonte Ross in the third. The Trojans outgained the Eagles 441 yards to 246, with ill-timed penalties contributing to the first three Georgia Southern scores.
Georgia Southern went up 7-0 late in the first, with Josh Dallas scoring on a 4-yard run. That drive was kept alive by five Troy penalties, including a pass interference call in the red zone.
Stewart’s 21-yard field goal gave the Eagles a 10-7 lead at the half. After Troy went up 14-10 on Caldwell’s second TD pass, Georgia Southern took back the lead at 21-17 on Jalen White’s 1-yard run with 2:34 left in the third.
Georgia Southern never came close to tying the game in the final minutes, as Justin Powe’s diving interception gave Troy the ball back at the Eagles’ 48 with 1:56 left. Caldwell connected with Dalton on a 23-yard pass to convert third-and-7 and help run out the clock.
Ross caught 10 passes for 95 yards, while Damien Taylor ran for 92 yards on 18 carries. Gerald Green added a 33-yard run to help set up a touchdown, with tight ends Dalton and Ethan Conner combined for six receptions for 87 yards.
Troy went 11-for-14 on the third down in the game and ran 73 plays to just 48 for Georgia Southern. Linebacker Jordan Stringer led the Troy defensive effort with seven tackles and a sack, while freshman linebacker Jabril McNeil had two tackles for loss and a quarterback hurry.
Troy began the season 1-7, but beat Coastal Carolina 38-24 on Nov. 2 before its bye week. Since halftime of a 34-31 loss to Arkansas State on Oct. 26, the Trojans have outscored their opponents 82-55.
“They played team football and played for Troy and each other,” Parker said. “They’re starting to really feel that together and it feels great to sleep, but I’m just so happy for our guys.”
Troy is back in action at Louisiana next Saturday. That game kicks off at 4 p.m. and will be streamed live via ESPN+.
The No. 11 Georgia Bulldogs have a huge game against the No. 6 Tennessee Volunteers and Carson Beck’s sister Kylie Beck is certainly hyped for it.
The 19-year-old sophomore UGA cheerleader and sister of the team’s star quarterback has been crushing it all season in and out of her uniform.
While Kylie has upstaged Carson’s girlfriend Hanna Cavinder in her cheerleader uni and showed off the full splits in her “Dance Dawgs basketball fit, she’s also slayed in a cowgirl look in Texas, and flaunted her flawless legs in Florida. On Friday, Kylie was even bold enough to show her makeup-free mirror selfie for the world to see.
Viral Alabama cheerleader Lily Garofalo stuns in uniform mirror selfie
For Saturday’s big game, Kylie posted another cheerleader shot and captioned it, “ We are 🔙 Sanford #noplacelikehome #gameday.”
Gracie Hunt’s sister Ava posts cheerleader selfie to hype SMU football game
She’s definitely game ready with those flawless abs and sparkly fit.
Georgia is coming off a crushing loss vs Ole Miss and is in an almost must-win game if it hopes to make the college football playoffs. Whether or not the team loses on the field, Kylie already secured a win Saturday with her cheerleader uniform selife.
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Georgia
What channel is Tennessee football vs Georgia on today? Time, TV schedule to watch Week 12 game
Tennessee football has a crucial game and a chance to take a step toward the SEC Championship Game when it plays Georgia on Saturday in Athens.
The Vols (8-1, 5-1 SEC) can ensure they finish ahead of the Bulldogs in the SEC with a win while also pushing their rivals on the brink of elimination from playoff contention. UT will secure a SEC title game berth by winning at Georgia and Vanderbilt. QB Nico Iamaleava is questionable to play on Saturday after suffering a concussion last week.
Georgia (7-2, 5-2 SEC) is coming off of a 28-10 loss to Ole Miss last week, slipping outside of the top 10 in the latest CFP rankings.
Here’s how to watch the Tennessee football vs. Georgia game today, including time, TV schedule and streaming information:
Watch Georgia vs. Tennessee live on Fubo (free trial)
Tennessee vs. Georgia will broadcast nationally on ABC in Week 12 of the 2024 college football season. Chris Fowler and Kirk Herbstreit will call the game from the booth at Sanford Stadium, with Holly Rowe reporting from the sidelines. Streaming options for the game include FUBO, which offers a free trial to new subscribers.
- Date: Saturday, Nov. 16
- Start time: 7:30 p.m.
The Tennessee football vs. Georgia game starts at 7:30 p.m. Saturday from Sanford Stadium in Athens.
Knox News reporter Mike Wilson’s prediction: Georgia 24, Tennessee 20
Tennessee’s offense is looking better lately, but the Vols haven’t played a road game since Arkansas in early October. Georgia was a house of horrors in 2022 for Tennessee and its CFP hopes. It will be that again.
Odds courtesy of BetMGM as of Friday, Nov. 15
- Odds: Georgia -9.5
- O/U: 47.5 points
- Money line: Georgia -375, Tennessee +300
- Aug. 31: Chattanooga, W 69-3
- Sept. 7: vs. NC State in Charlotte, W 51-10
- Sept. 14: Kent State, W 71-0
- Sept. 21: at Oklahoma, W 25-15
- Sept. 28: OPEN DATE
- Oct. 5: at Arkansas, L 19-14
- Oct. 12: Florida, W 23-17 OT
- Oct. 19: Alabama, W 24-17
- Oct. 26: OPEN DATE
- Nov. 2: Kentucky, W 28-18
- Nov. 9: Mississippi State, W 33-14
- Nov. 16: at Georgia, 7:30 p.m. on ABC
- Nov. 23: UTEP, 1 p.m. on ESPN+ and SEC Network+
- Nov. 30: at Vanderbilt, TBD
- Dec. 7: SEC Championship Game in Atlanta, 4 p.m. on ABC
Record: 8-1 (5-1 SEC)
- Aug. 31: vs. Clemson in Atlanta, W 34-3
- Sept. 7: Tennessee Tech, W 48-3
- Sept. 14: at Kentucky, W 13-12
- Sept. 21: OPEN DATE
- Sept. 28: at Alabama, L 41-34
- Oct. 5: Auburn, W 31-13
- Oct. 12: Mississippi State, W 41-31
- Oct. 19: at Texas, W 30-15
- Oct. 26: OPEN DATE
- Nov. 2: vs. Florida in Jacksonville, W 34-20
- Nov. 9: at Ole Miss, L 28-10
- Nov. 16: Tennessee, 7:30 p.m. on ABC and ESPN+
- Nov. 23: UMass, 12:45 p.m. on SEC Network
- Nov. 29: Georgia Tech, 7:30 p.m. on ABC and ESPN+
- Dec. 7: SEC Championship Game, 4 p.m. on ABC
Record: 7-2 (5-2 SEC)
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