Political Wire

Black Vote Surges in Georgia

June 30, 2018 at 11:36 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Turnout among black voters soared in last month’s Georgia primary, a show of strength that could bode well for Democrats in this year’s contests for governor and other statewide offices,” the Atlanta Journal Constitution reports.

“The number of black voters rose 43 percent in the May 22 election when compared with 2010, the last time there was a competitive race for governor. The data show the broad majority of African-American voters pulled Democratic ballots, which could bolster the hope of Stacey Abrams, who is racing to be the nation’s first black female governor. Her Republican opponent will be decided in a July 24 runoff between Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle and Secretary of State Brian Kemp.”

“At the same time, the proportion of white voters continues to decline. White voter participation in last month’s primary was down 9 percent from 2010.”

Georgia Candidate Bought Condo From Lobbyist

June 15, 2018 at 6:51 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“The leading Republican candidate in Georgia’s high-profile governor’s race, Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle (R), bought a condominium in downtown Atlanta 10 years ago from a State Capitol lobbyist, seemingly at a discount,” a New York Times investigation has found.

“Real estate records show that Mr. Cagle, who faces a runoff for the Republican nomination on July 24, purchased the one-bedroom apartment at 24 percent less than its appraised value — below comparable sales prices — and sold it last year at a 29 percent profit. He was preparing for his first run for governor when, without an agent, he negotiated the deal with Terry Hobbs, a longtime lobbyist who represents the natural gas marketer Scana.”

Georgia Candidate Caught on Tape Admitting He’s a Hack

June 8, 2018 at 7:01 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Georgia Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle (R) “told a former rival in a secretly recorded conversation that he engineered the passage of a bill he described as bad ‘a thousand different ways’ because it would deprive another opponent in the race for governor of millions of dollars in support,” the Atlanta Journal Constitution reports.

“Cagle told Clay Tippins in the recording that he circumvented the state Senate’s top education leader and swallowed his own misgivings over the bill, which raised the cap on tax credits for private school scholarships to $100 million, purely to prevent Hunter Hill from receiving financial help from a super PAC.”

Stacey Abrams Wins Democratic Nod for Georgia Governor

May 22, 2018 at 9:41 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Stacey Abrams (D) “won the Democratic nomination for Georgia’s top office on Tuesday, defeating ex-state Rep. Stacey Evans (D) and advancing her quest to become the nation’s first black female governor,” the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

“She will face one of five Republicans in November in the race to succeed Gov. Nathan Deal, a competition that will test whether the state is truly competitive after more than a decade of GOP rule.”

Georgia Candidate Holds ‘Bump Stock’ Giveaway

October 17, 2017 at 1:01 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

State Sen. Michael Williams (R), a candidate for governor in Georgia, is giving away a “bump stock,” the rapid-fire gun modification linked to the Las Vegas shooting, in a campaign contest to highlight his opposition to new regulation on the devices, NBC News reports.

“Williams, who is positioning himself as the most pro-Donald Trump candidate in a crowded GOP field to succeed term-limited Gov. Nathan Deal (R), said the contest is a celebration of the Second Amendment.”

Said Williams: “The tragedy in Las Vegas broke my heart, but any talk of banning or regulating bump stocks is merely cheap political lip service from career politicians. Georgia’s gun owners deserve a governor who will stand with them when liberals and Hollywood elites attack our fundamental rights.”

Yates Won’t Be Running for Governor

May 16, 2017 at 10:38 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Former Acting Attorney General Sally Yates told the New Yorker she won’t run for governor of Georgia.

Said Yates: “I am totally ruling out the governor’s race. I am not running for governor.”

But she added: “I recognize that I may have a voice that I didn’t have before. And part of what I want to be able to do is to figure out how I can responsibly use that voice in a way to impact things that I think really matter. I just don’t know what form that takes. I’ve got to give something more back.”

Carter May Run Again in Georgia

November 19, 2014 at 9:14 am EST By Taegan Goddard 15 Comments

Jason Carter (D) told the Atlanta Journal Constitution he could run again for Georgia governor.

Said Carter: “I’m not ruling it out. And I’ll certainly commit to having a role in this debate that we’ve started, and the future of politics in this state. And whether that puts me on the ballot again is a question that has to be answered later. I’m not going anywhere.”

[speech_bubble type=”std” subtype=”a” icon=”pwdome.jpg” name=””]Carter’s grandfather lost his first run for Georgia governor in 1966 and came back to win in 1970. Six years later he was elected President of the United States. [/speech_bubble]