Georgia
In an open Georgia congressional seat, a Republican nominee ties himself tightly to Trump
ATLANTA (AP) — Leaving no daylight between himself and Donald Trump made Brian Jack the Republican nominee for Georgia’s 3rd Congressional District, and the former political director in Trump’s White House isn’t changing approach as he faces Democratic underdog Maura Keller.
Six times during a half-hour Atlanta Press Club debate, Jack noted how he’d worked with Trump. The former Republican president has repeatedly endorsed Jack, including during a Tuesday speech in Atlanta.
Both major parties are contesting all 14 of Georgia’s congressional districts, where Republicans currently hold a 9-5 majority. In the next highest-profile race besides the 3rd, Republican Wayne Johnson is trying to unseat longtime incumbent Democrat Sanford Bishop in southwest Georgia’s 2nd District.
But with no other statewide races on the ballot, the presidential campaign overshadows all else in Georgia politics. Bishop and many other incumbents are spending more time campaigning for presidential nominees than fending off their own foes in districts that are even less competitive after a court-ordered redistricting in 2023.
3rd District
When asked during the Sunday debate whether there was anything that he differed with Trump on — such as how Trump responded as a mob stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021 — Jack instead emphasized that voters should view electing him and Trump as a package deal to return to Trump’s policies on economic issues, immigration and public safety.
“I’m incredibly proud of what we accomplished together,” Jack said.
It’s a safe strategy for the 36-year-old Peachtree City native who worked for then-House Speaker Kevin McCarthy after Trump left office. The 3rd District hugs the Alabama state line from Carrollton south to Columbus and hooks east into Atlanta’s southern suburbs. It’s an open seat because incumbent Republican Drew Ferguson is retiring. Republicans typically win about two-thirds of the vote in the district, according to the Princeton Gerrymandering Project.
Keller, Jack’s Democratic opponent, is a retired Army lieutenant colonel and Fayetteville resident. She is running on a platform of abortion rights, better veterans services and higher wages.
“I am a common-sense candidate with common sense policies and I am respectfully asking for your vote,” Keller said during the debate. “Unlike my opponent — he only cares about one person, and that is Donald Trump and the extreme agenda that he has — I have been here for 28 years and I will make sure that my priority focus is you.”
2nd District
Republicans had high hopes of defeating Bishop in 2022, but the Democrat cruised to a 16th term with 55% of the vote. The GOP’s Johnson, who worked in the U.S. Department of Education under Trump, pledges to focus on economic uplift in the 2nd District, which runs across 30 counties in southwest Georgia, stretching into Columbus and Macon.
“Why do you think people are going to be better off if they give you two more years in office than they have been for the past three decades?” Johnson asked rhetorically at an Atlanta Press Club debate where Bishop was absent.
Johnson proposes that the federal government provide subsidies so someone can buy a house with a monthly $1,000 payment and buy a car with a monthly $200 payment. He paints himself as moderate on abortion, but says Georgia’s ban on most abortions after fetal cardiac activity begins is “getting close to getting it semi-right.”
What to know about the 2024 Election
Bishop too calls himself a moderate, courting largely white farmers who drive the rural economy and supporting military bases. He focuses on legislative achievements and what his seniority helps him accomplish, touting the benefits of recent federal spending packages.
But the incumbent isn’t above some partisan red meat. While Johnson was debating Bishop’s empty podium in Atlanta on Sunday, Bishop was with former President Bill Clinton in Albany, rallying voters for Democratic nominee Kamala Harris. There, Bishop painted the choice starkly, saying Republicans would “eliminate the Department of Education, cut Head Start, take over the Justice Department, make the president above the law. It’s good or evil. Forward or backward.”
Other Congressional Races
Like Bishop, many other incumbents are prioritizing presidential politics. That’s certainly true of Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene, who is ignoring Democrat Shawn Harris in northwest Georgia’s 14th District. First-term incumbent Republican Mike Collins in the 10th District east of Atlanta is helping GOP candidates outside Georgia instead of campaigning against Democrat Lexy Doherty.
But at least they’re acknowledged as real Democrats. The party has disowned its nominee in the 11th District northwest of Atlanta. Katy Stamper, who won a Democratic primary, was a conservative activist when she went by another name. Democratic Party officials instead urge supporters to write in Tracey Verhoeven against incumbent Republican Barry Loudermilk.
In the 12th District around Augusta, Republican Rick Allen is seeking his sixth term against a familiar challenger — Liz Johnson, the Democratic nominee for the the third consecutive election. In coastal Georgia’s 1st District, Republican Buddy Carter is also vying for his sixth term against Democrat Patti Hewitt.
Other Democratic longshots include Bob Christian against incumbent Rich McCormick in the redrawn 7th District, Darrius Butler against incumbent Austin Scott in middle and south Georgia’s 8th District, and Tambrei Cash against incumbent Andrew Clyde in northeast Georgia’s 9th district.
Republicans also have longshot candidates. Democratic U.S. Reps. Lucy McBath and David Scott, who easily won primaries in sharply redrawn metro Atlanta districts, have easier general elections. McBath faces Republican Jeff Criswell in the 6th District and Scott faces Republican Jonathan Chavez in the 13th District.
In the 5th District in Fulton, DeKalb and Clayton counties, John “Bongo” Salvesen is vying against U.S. Rep. Nikema Williams. Longtime GOP activist Eugene Yu is running against Democrat Hank Johnson, whose 4th District now stretches from DeKalb County into southwestern Gwinnett County.
___
Associated Press writer Charlotte Kramon contributed.
Georgia
Two freshman Georgia football players arrested on shoplifting charges
Georgia offensive lineman Dontrell Glover and running back Bo Walker were arrested for shoplifting at a Walmart on Friday, less than a week after the Bulldogs won the SEC Championship.
According to the Athens Banner-Herald, the freshmen were booked into Clarke County jail in Athens on two counts of misdemeanor shoplifting. Glover and Walker were arrested Friday evening and released on $1,526 bond before 8 p.m.
“We were informed of the charges and are currently in the process of gathering additional information,” Georgia spokesman Steve Drummond said in a statement. “This is a pending legal matter and we will not have further comment at this time.”
Walker played six games this season and rushed for 100 yards and three touchdowns. Glover started 11 games in 2025 and was named to the All-SEC freshman team.
Advertisement
Last month, offensive lineman Nyier Daniels was dismissed from the team by head coach Kirby Smart after he was arrested on more than a dozen criminal charges after he allegedly tried to flee from police north of Athens.
The Bulldogs beat Alabama last Saturday in the SEC title game and earned a place in the College Football Playoff. They will play again on Jan. 1 against the winner of Ole Miss-Tulane in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals.
Georgia
DOJ files suit to obtain 2020 election records in Fulton County, Georgia
The Justice Department sued Fulton County, Georgia, this week in an effort to obtain more than five-year-old ballots tied to the 2020 presidential election which President Donald Trump lost.
The eight-page complaint filed in federal court in Atlanta on Thursday, names Fulton County Clerk of Courts Che Alexander as a defendant, alleging that the clerk violated the Civil Rights Act by failing to produce records tied to the 2020 presidential election as requested by state and federal officials.
The lawsuit asks that the court demand that the records be produced within five days of a court order.
According to the lawsuit, the Fulton County Board of Registration and Elections last month refused to comply with an Oct. 6 subpoena, from the state’s election board, for election records, including used and void ballots, stubs, and signature envelopes from the 2020 presidential election, saying in a Nov. 14 letter that the records were “under seal” in accord with state law.
The lawsuit states that the board later failed to respond to a letter from Attorney General Pam Bondi on Oct. 30, demanding the records which she said were needed to review the state’s compliance with federal election laws and meet state transparency efforts.
Alexander and the Fulton County Board of Registration and Elections did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Friday night.
Alexander had previously said in an Oct. 21 letter to the state election board that “the records sought are under seal and may not be produced absent a Court Order,” according to the lawsuit.
Trump was indicted on felony charges in Fulton County in August 2023 along with 18 other co-defendants in connection with efforts to overturn his election loss.
Trump pleaded not guilty to charges that were dropped last month by a prosecutor who took the reins of the case following Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis’ disqualification from prosecuting Trump in the matter.
Georgia has long been a sore spot for Trump after a narrow loss in 2020 that he has spent years disputing.
After a manual recount of election results in Georgia that reaffirmed President Joe Biden’s narrow win in the state in 2020, Trump, who was then seeking a second term, had also called then-Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and implored him to “find” the votes needed to defeat Biden in the 2020 election. Since then he has continued to falsely claim he won the state.
The Fulton County lawsuit from the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division comes as it announced on Friday that it had filed federal lawsuits against four states — Colorado, Hawaii, Massachusetts and Nevada — alleging that the states had violated the Constitution by failing to produce statewide voter registration lists upon request.
Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, said in a statement Friday that states “have the statutory duty to preserve and protect their constituents from vote dilution.”
“At this Department of Justice, we will not permit states to jeopardize the integrity and effectiveness of elections by refusing to abide by our federal elections laws. If states will not fulfill their duty to protect the integrity of the ballot, we will,” Dhillon said.
Georgia
Georgia’s Utility Regulator Rushes Deal for Georgia Power Before Public Hearing – CleanTechnica
Support CleanTechnica’s work through a Substack subscription or on Stripe.
ATLANTA, Georgia — An hour before hearing testimony from the public and advocacy groups, the Georgia Public Service Commission (PSC) posted a settlement agreement approving Georgia Power’s plan to build the most expensive gas plants in the country, leaving Georgians to foot the bill.
The settlement, which the PSC is expected to vote on during its Dec. 19 meeting, approves Georgia Power’s “Requests for Proposals,” or RFP, despite clear warnings from the Sierra Club, Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, and PSC’s own staff that Georgia Power’s plan hinges on a data center bubble. The utility’s proposal is expected to cost at least $15 billion in capital costs, though the total costs have yet to be publicly disclosed. The proposed settlement would dramatically increase Georgian’s energy bills for years to come for data centers that might not even be built. Several counties in Georgia have already passed moratoriums on data centers, awaiting more insight into their potential impact on local communities.
“This proposed settlement is the largest single investment in electric infrastructure in the state’s history. It calls for building the most expensive gas plants in the country and will result in higher prices for consumers and more pollution in our communities. It will cause temperatures to go up, more frequent and more powerful storms, and deadlier floods and heatwaves,” said Dekalb County resident Lisa Coronado during the Dec. 10 hearing. “But Georgia Power doesn’t care about any of that. When the temperatures go up, Georgia Power makes more money because Georgians run their air conditioning more often. When climate-change fueled storms wreck our infrastructure, Georgia Power passes repair costs onto us.”
The settlement includes promises of “downward pressure” for ratepayers’ bills, but Georgia Power’s claim that typical ratepayers will eventually see a reduction of $8.50 per month is short-sighted. First, Georgia Power has made similar promises in the past and continued to raise rates. Second, the proposed rate decrease would only cover three years, whereas ratepayers will have to pay for gas plants for 45 years.
In response, the Sierra Club released the following statement:
“The PSC’s own expert staff said Georgia building gas plants was not in the best interest of ratepayers,” said Adrien Webber, Sierra Club Georgia Chapter Director. “At a time when the PSC should be fighting for affordability for Georgians, they instead push through a plan that will continue to squeeze Georgia families already struggling to make ends meet. As we consider our next steps, it’s clear that the people of Georgia demand change from our PSC and the Sierra Club will continue to fight to make that change happen.
“‘Georgia Power’s agreement is still based on the idea that data center projects are coming, which is not guaranteed,” Webber continued. “The PSC’s own staff saw Georgia Power’s plan as overbuilding for projects that may or may not appear, threatening to leave the cost for ratepayers to pick up. It’s infuriating that Georgia Power and the PSC refuse to even take public comment or insight from advocates into consideration before coming to this agreement. Filing this agreement just an hour before the second round of hearings shows that the PSC refuses to be held accountable to the people of Georgia.”
About the Sierra Club: The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with millions of members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person’s right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.
Sign up for CleanTechnica’s Weekly Substack for Zach and Scott’s in-depth analyses and high level summaries, sign up for our daily newsletter, and follow us on Google News!
Have a tip for CleanTechnica? Want to advertise? Want to suggest a guest for our CleanTech Talk podcast? Contact us here.
Sign up for our daily newsletter for 15 new cleantech stories a day. Or sign up for our weekly one on top stories of the week if daily is too frequent.
CleanTechnica uses affiliate links. See our policy here.
CleanTechnica’s Comment Policy
-
Alaska7 days agoHowling Mat-Su winds leave thousands without power
-
Texas1 week agoTexas Tech football vs BYU live updates, start time, TV channel for Big 12 title
-
Ohio1 week ago
Who do the Ohio State Buckeyes hire as the next offensive coordinator?
-
Washington4 days agoLIVE UPDATES: Mudslide, road closures across Western Washington
-
Iowa6 days agoMatt Campbell reportedly bringing longtime Iowa State staffer to Penn State as 1st hire
-
Miami, FL6 days agoUrban Meyer, Brady Quinn get in heated exchange during Alabama, Notre Dame, Miami CFP discussion
-
Cleveland, OH6 days agoMan shot, killed at downtown Cleveland nightclub: EMS
-
World6 days ago
Chiefs’ offensive line woes deepen as Wanya Morris exits with knee injury against Texans