Georgia
Marjorie Taylor Greene says Republicans will move out of Georgia if Stacey Abrams wins
ATLANTA – Georgia Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene is predicting a mass exodus of Republican voters if Democrat Stacey Abrams is elected because the state’s subsequent governor.
Throughout an episode of her MTG Stay social media video sequence earlier this month, she hosted Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz, who she considers an “America First” ally. The 2 talked about quite a few points, however touched upon Georgia primaries and the upcoming basic Midterm Election in November.
“So, however Stacey Abrams, although, she desires to be governor and I feel she’s all in on this,” Rep. Greene mentioned.
Abrams ran unopposed within the major and incumbent Gov. Brian Kemp beat out Republican challenger David Perdue final month. It units up a rematch of the 2018 election that would show to set new data on cash spent on a gubernatorial race. Republican strategist Ryan Mahoney estimated it may value $250 million general after campaigns and different teams end spending.
“George Soros is closely backing her. She’s obtained cash… she’s obtained extra money than God at this level,” Greene mentioned.
Gaetz questioned how future elections would function if Abrams moved into the Governor’s Mansion with incumbent Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger nonetheless in workplace.
“She wins and he or she’s the governor with Brad Raffensperger as secretary of state, how lengthy will it take to avoid wasting Georgia from that as a result of they’re gonna do institutional issues to hurt the voting course of,” Gaetz acknowledged.
Greene didn’t have a direct reply to that, however made the prediction that an Abrams win would flip Georgia even nearer to a Blue state by lively attrition.
“Yeah, effectively primary, we have now a number of issues. Primary, most individuals I do know who like that’s youngsters have grown and so they’re empty-nesters, all of them say, we’ll transfer. They’re saying they are going to transfer out of Georgia. They are going to transfer to Alabama, Tennessee or Florida,” Greene mentioned.
“We’ll take ‘em,” Gaetz quipped.
“Yeah, y’all are getting all people,” Greene responded.
2022 MIDTERMS GEORGIA PRIMARY RUNOFF ELECTION RESULTS
The secretary of state’s race was probably the most high-profile of 4 Democratic statewide runoffs this week, with nominees additionally being chosen for lieutenant governor, labor commissioner and insurance coverage commissioner.
Trump focused Raffensperger after the 2020 basic election for failing to overturn his slim loss within the state. Raffensperger — who gained the reward of some Democrats for refusing to bend to strain from the previous president — dispatched a problem from a Trump-endorsed major challenger with out being pressured right into a runoff.
The importance of the place was highlighted by Raffensperger’s look as a witness Tuesday earlier than the U.S. Home Jan. 6 committee.
Raffensperger gained his major outright, however Democrats on Tuesday made their closing alternative for state Rep. Bee Nguyen to face him in November. Nguyen really took over the seat of fellow Democrat Abrams within the Georgia Legislature when she selected to run for governor the primary time. Abrams now backs Nguyen’s bid to beat Raffensperger within the fall.
Abrams and her fellow Democratic candidates should make the case that Kemp and his fellow Republicans have left a file of failure over the last 4 years and their present insurance policies don’t gel with the typical Georgian.
In the meantime, Kemp might must go even additional to the fitting than he did through the major season to get the greater than 250,000 individuals who voted for his challenger, former Sen. David Perdue, to get out to vote for him in November.
Greene believes a part of the rationale that Kemp and Raffensperger gained their primaries was due to the state’s open major system.
“Do Georgians have batter partner syndrome?” Gaetz requested, including that possibly if voters present their candidates just a bit extra “love,” they are going to be taken higher care of by their candidates.
GET THE LATEST HEADLINE ON GEORGIA POLITICS
Greene responded by explaining Georgia’s open major. A number of experiences recommend many Democrats really swapped sides throughout this major season to oppose candidates endorsed by former President Donald Trump. An evaluation supplied by knowledge agency L2 discovered that greater than 37,000 individuals who voted in Georgia’s Democratic major two years in the past crossed over to solid ballots within the Might 24 Republican major.
Gaetz retorted that the Florida Gators ought to have the ability to decide the referees subsequent time they play the Georgia Bulldogs, if that had been the case.
Nonetheless, each representatives imagine the concern of an Abrams victory alone will drive Republican voters to the polls or drive them away completely.
“So, they’re saying Stacey Abrams… in order that’s Republican votes leaving. That’s an enormous drawback,” mentioned Greene.
“Purple flight,” Gaetz mentioned.
“Hopefully, she gained’t win, however we’ll see what occurs,” Greene mentioned.
GET THE LATEST HEADLINES ON THE 2020 MIDTERM ELECTIONS
Georgia politics, as soon as sleepy and Republican-dominated, have by no means settled down since 2018, and the depth is clearly driving voter curiosity. Greater than 1.9 million Georgians solid ballots within the primaries. Republican turnout of almost 1.2 million topped the earlier 2020 file, whereas Democratic turnout of greater than 700,000, regardless of few compelling races, topped the 2018 midterm file, however not the 2020 file.
Anticipate the adverts, rhetoric, and debate to warmth up together with the summer time temperatures. Election Day is lower than 140 days away on Nov. 8 with early voting set to start Oct. 17.
The Related Press contributed to this report
Georgia
U.S. News & World report says this Georgia favorite is one of the best restaurants to work for
Former Georgia football coach Mark Richt discusses “Chick Fil A Dawg Bowl 2024”
Former Georgia football coach Mark Richt discusses “Chick Fil A Dawg Bowl 2024” and his fundraiser to raise money for Parkinson’s and Chron’s research.
Chick-fil-A has been recognized as one of the best companies to work for in Georgia and the United States, according to U.S. News and World Report.
The company, which was founded in 1946, has been praised for its employee benefits and its commitment to creating a positive work environment.
Chick-fil-A is known for its friendly customer service and its delicious chicken sandwiches. The company has over 10,000 employees and is a major employer in the state of Georgia.
Why is Chick-fil-A the best restaurant to work for in Georgia?
According to the report, the top benefit that is provided is medical insurance. On a scale from 1 to 5, here are some of its ratings:
- Quality of pay: 3
- Stability: 4
- Work life balance: 5
Who founded Chick-fil-A?
The trio behind Chick-Fil-A is the Cathy family and siblings are Bubba, Dan, and Trudy.
For more information, visit usnews.com.
Vanessa Countryman is the Trending Topics Reporter for the the Deep South Connect Team Georgia. Email her at Vcountryman@gannett.com.
Georgia
Your Georgia Power bill will increase in January. State says hike necessary ‘to keep grid going.’
ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) – In January, your Georgia Power bill will increase by 3.5%.
That adjustment equates to a $5.85 increase on each monthly bill for the average resident using 1,000 kilowatt hours of energy, according to a Georgia Power spokesperson.
The Georgia Public Service Commission approved the rate increase in mid-December, following similar rate increases in 2023 and 2024.
These annual rate increases were orchestrated as part of a 2022 agreement between the commission and the utility company.
“No one wants a rate increase, but in order to keep the grid going, we have to fund it,” said Commissioner Tim Echols.
Echols said the board negotiated the rate increases to occur annually rather than all at once in 2022, to help limit the impact on Georgia consumers.
He said the state approved 60% of what Georgia Power was seeking in their proposed rate adjustments.
Echols commiserated with customers experiencing higher energy bills.
“We’ve had too many rate increases over the last three years,” Echols said.
Some customers voiced frustration over a separate bill bump this summer.
Georgia Power is expected to make $306 million in additional revenue from the January rate hike, down from the originally projected $400 million estimate in 2022, according to a state spokesperson.
“Another increase in January, so I’m mentally preparing and trying to budget for that to kind of see what that shock is going to be like,” said one Georgia Power customer named Marcus.
A Georgia Power spokesperson told Atlanta News First the company is committed to keeping utility bills affordable and said the average Georgia Power customer pays 15% less than the national average on their energy bills.
“As much as you hate having your power bill going up a few dollars, you would really hate rolling blackouts,” said Echols, who said maintaining a reliable power system is his top priority as a commissioner.
The rate increase comes as Southern Company, Georgia Power’s parent company, is reporting notable profits.
In an October earnings report, Southern Company reported earnings of $3.9 billion, compared with $3.1 billion for the same period in 2023.
The company said those earnings were partially offset by increased expenses and taxes.
A Georgia Power spokesperson also recognized the profit earnings by Southern Company, attributing the “high performance throughout the year” to weather and growth across the system, they said in a statement to Atlanta News First.
“Our parent company, Southern Company, has reported high performance throughout this year, largely due to weather and growth across our system,” the Georgia Power spokesperson said.
Said Echols: “I feel like the investments have made Georgia a more reliable place to live and to work.”
On Tuesday, a Georgia Power spokesperson pointed to customer assistance programs for those struggling to keep up with their energy bills.
Earlier this year, the utility company expanded an income-qualified discount program for those with limited incomes and in need of financial resources.
Copyright 2024 WANF. All rights reserved.
Georgia
2 Georgia men among federal death row inmates spared by President Joe Biden
ATLANTA – Two of the federal inmates on death row whose lives have been spared by President Joe Biden are from the state of Georgia.
Biden commuted the sentences of 37 of the 40 people on federal death row on Monday morning, converting their punishments to life imprisonment.
PREVIOUS STORY: Biden gives life in prison to most federal death row inmates: What to know
Those two inmates from Georgia are Meier Jason Brown and Anthony Battle.
FULL LIST OF INMATES
Battle was convicted and sentenced to death in 1997 for killing a prison guard. He was the first Georgia man to receive a federal death sentence after Congress restored capital punishment in 1988.
Battle was sentenced to die after he killed 31-year-old guard D’Antonio Washington. Battle, who was serving a life sentence for the 1987 murder of his wife, repeatedly struck Washington in the back of the head with a hammer at the Atlanta Federal Penitentiary.
According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, when Battle was given a chance at the end of his trial to ask jurors to spare his life, he told them that Washington “died like a dog.”
Brown was convicted and sentenced to death in 2003 for the fatal stabbing of a postal worker.
Brown was sentenced to death by a federal jury in Savannah.
On Nov. 30, 2002, Brown killed 48-year-old postmistress Sallie Gaglia during a robbery. He reportedly stabbed her 10 times.
In a statement, Biden said, “I’ve dedicated my career to reducing violent crime and ensuring a fair and effective justice system.”
“Today, I am commuting the sentences of 37 of the 40 individuals on federal death row to life sentences without the possibility of parole,” Biden continued. “These commutations are consistent with the moratorium my administration has imposed on federal executions, in cases other than terrorism and hate-motivated mass murder.”
Biden also said that he condemns the murders and grieves for the victims, but he was guided by his conscience and his experience as a public defender, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, vice president, and president. He added that he is “convinced more than ever that we must stop the use of the death penalty at the federal level.”
With Biden’s move, there are now just three federal inmates still facing execution.
They are Dylann Roof, who carried out the 2015 racist slayings of nine Black members of Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina; 2013 Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev; and Robert Bowers, who fatally shot 11 congregants at Pittsburgh’s Tree of Life Synagogue in 2018, the deadliest antisemitic attack in U.S. history.
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