U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock (left) and Gov. Brian Kemp (right) are eying reelection in 2022. (Photos by Beau Evans)
Controversial changes to Georgia’s voting laws are quickly taking center stage in the upcoming 2022 elections as Democratic U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock and Republican Gov. Brian Kemp look to defend their seats.
Warnock, the senior pastor of Atlanta’s Ebenezer Baptist Church who won a historic runoff in January, said Sunday the country is “at an inflection point” with GOP lawmakers in many states including Georgia pushing bills that Democrats have labeled voter suppression.
Meanwhile, Republicans including Kemp have loudly backed Georgia’s recently passed bill overhauling mail-in and early voting as a move to bolster election integrity after the 2020 cycle saw Democrats win the state’s presidential election and both U.S. Senate seats.
The Georgia bill, which Kemp signed last month following party-line approval in the General Assembly, requires tighter absentee voter identification, empowers state officials to take over poor-performing county election boards, expands early-voting weekend hours and bans non-poll workers from handing out food and drinks within 150 feet of voters waiting in line outside precincts.
Warnock, who is seeking election to a full six-year term after defeating Republican then-Sen. Kelly Loeffler, pushed for passing national legislation in Congress called the “For the People Act” allowing voter registration on Election Day, minimum early-voting periods and no-excuse absentee voting.
That legislation would reverse changes Georgia Republicans made to the state’s voting system that prompted Major League Baseball (MLB) to move this year’s All-Star Game from Atlanta to Denver earlier this month.
“Let’s be very clear: They’re trying to restrict voting,” Warnock said in an online talk held Sunday by the Union Theological Seminary. “Some people don’t want some people to vote.
“You will see me very much engaged on this issue in the next several weeks because nothing less than our democracy is at stake.”
Republicans have slammed the proposed national voting-rights legislation as federal overreach into states’ authority to set election rules that would give Democratic incumbents and candidates an advantage in future elections.
They have also scorched MLB’s decision to ditch Atlanta for the All-Star game, arguing misinformation from Democrats about Georgia’s election bill sparked the move, which will damage local businesses relying on the game’s economic boost.
“The last thing we need is to be playing politics with people’s paychecks during a global pandemic,” Kemp said in recent Twitter comments about the All-Star Game. “Unfortunately, minority-owned businesses will be among the hardest hit by MLB’s decision to pull the game out of Atlanta.”
Kemp, who is seeking a second term in 2022, has given dozens of interviews on the All-Star issue and voting bill in recent weeks as he aims to shore up rifts in the state Republican Party due to election-fraud claims from former President Donald Trump, who narrowly lost Georgia.
Kemp’s refusal to intervene more in certifying the 2020 presidential election results drew official censures from several local GOP branches over the weekend including in Lowndes, DeKalb, Appling and Jasper counties.
Warnock and Kemp both face tough reelection campaigns in 2022, which is already assembling an early field of candidates.
Two Republican challengers have lined up so far against Warnock including Latham Saddler, an Atlanta banking executive and U.S. Navy SEAL veteran, and Kelvin King, an Atlanta small-business owner in construction and U.S. Air Force veteran.
U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter of Savannah is also considering a run against Warnock. Carter told Athens-based radio station WGAU last week he is doing “due diligence” before making deciding whether to campaign.
Kemp has drawn two primary challengers ahead of a likely rematch against 2020 Democratic opponent Stacey Abrams. Former Democratic state lawmaker Vernon Jones, who is among Trump’s most vocal allies in Georgia, and Appling County educator Kandiss Taylor have launched campaigns for governor.
Gov. Brian Kemp unveiled plans Friday to expand broadband access for thousands of Georgians in Middle Georgia, marking the latest move to boost high-speed internet in rural parts of the state.
Washington EMC is set to partner with the Kansas City-based fiber optic company Conexon to build a 3,000-mile fiber network serving more than 12,000 homes in several counties, the governor announced at a news conference in Tennille.
Those counties include Baldwin, Emanuel, Glascock, Hancock, Jefferson, Johnson, Laurens, Warren, Washington and Wilkinson.
“The announcement we are making today will have a real impact on hard-working Georgians by providing new job opportunities, improved education tools and access to telemedicine,” Kemp said in a news release Friday.
Communities in rural and other underserved parts of the state have struggled to increase broadband access amid infrastructure and funding shortfalls, a situation highlighted by internet troubles many local businesses and schools have faced during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The latest partnership will include more than $54.5 million in investments to boost internet reliability and bring high-speed access to all households in the Washington EMC network within the next three years, the governor’s office said.
Under the new deal, Washington EMC will own the fiber network and lease excess capacity to Conexon, the governor’s office said. Conexon will handle service setup, operations, billing and troubleshooting for the roughly 12,000 homes.
“For too long, Washington EMC members, like many others living in the beautiful rural areas of our state, have gone without necessary services like quality, high-speed internet,” said Wendy Sellers, Washington EMC’s president and CEO. “It’s impossible to comprehend the impacts and frustrations that come with no access to broadband.”
The new partnership follows separate plans announced in February by Conexon to build a $210 million, 6,890-mile fiber network for 80,000 customers of two other utilities, Central Georgia EMC and Southern Rivers Energy.
Those utilities serve households in Bibb, Butts, Clayton, Coweta, Crawford, Fayette, Henry, Jasper, Jones, Lamar, Meriwether, Monroe, Morgan, Newton, Pike, Putnam, Spalding and Upson counties.
Kemp credited legislation the General Assembly passed in 2019 authorizing local electric membership cooperatives (EMCs) to provide broadband services. Several EMCs in rural areas across the state have taken advantage of the opportunity since then.
“The legislation is doing exactly what it was intended to do: Encourage EMCs and community leaders to work together on developing creative solutions to close the gap on the digital divide in our state,” Kemp said.
Medical marijuana is nearing reality for thousands of Georgians suffering from serious health conditions as state officials sift through applications for growing licenses and lawmakers recently paved the way for pharmacies to become dispensaries.
A program years in the making to regulate the cultivation, extraction and distribution of low-grade marijuana oil is set to award licenses to six groups from among 70 applicants later this spring or early summer.
Patients in Georgia will only have access under state law to oil extracts containing small amounts of marijuana’s active ingredient called tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC.
Once selected, the winning six applicants will have 12 months open a maximum five dispensaries each and start providing medicinal low-THC oil to nearly 19,000 patients signed up on a state registry, according to state law and data from the Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH).
Cultivators could start providing THC oil to patients much sooner than the year-long time limit based on applicant projections, said Andrew Turnage, executive director of the Georgia Access to Medical Cannabis Commission tasked with overseeing the program.
“We are cautiously optimistic that this could be a very good Christmas for lot THC oil patients in Georgia,” said Turnage, a former Hall County deputy sheriff who has served top roles on the state Board of Nursing and Board of Cosmetology and Barbers.
Medical cannabis, the scientific term for marijuana, has been in the works in Georgia since 2015 when state lawmakers legalized oils containing no more than 5% THC. The law was tweaked in 2019 to create licensing rules and allow some universities to research THC’s treatment benefits.
Georgia is among 11 states to legalize low-THC oil for medical purposes, according to the National Conference of State Legislators. Most other states except Idaho, Kansas and Nebraska have already set up programs for broader medical cannabis or legalized recreational use.
While Georgia’s medical cannabis program is more restrictive than many states, lawmakers recently moved to expand who can qualify for dispensing licenses and where they can be located.
Legislation passed in the General Assembly earlier this month aims to allow local pharmacies to dispense low-THC oil, pending approval from the state Board of Pharmacy. There would be no cap on the number of licenses available for pharmacies to secure, an allowance that has made some critics wary.
The bill, which Gov. Kemp has not yet signed, would also give local governments more leeway on where dispensaries can open similar to zoning rules for alcohol vendors, potentially waiving a requirement for medical cannabis providers to keep 3,000 away from schools, churches and activity centers.
That leeway aims to give local officials more control over where to locate dispensaries rather than abiding by state mandates, said state Rep. Micah Gravley, R-Douglasville, who spearheaded the bill in this year’s legislative session.
He stressed that enough security measures like fencing, cameras and a state-run tracking system will be in place to keep cannabis plants and oils from going to people who do not suffer from diagnosed medical needs.
“These are not families that want to get high,” Gravely said. “These are families that need oil.”
Advocates hail medical cannabis as an effective treatment method for a host of serious illnesses including cancer, multiple sclerosis and epileptic seizures that avoids the need for highly addictive opioids.
Researchers at the University of Georgia in 2019 found states with medical cannabis programs have seen a nearly 15% reduction in opioid use among residents.
Many patients in Georgia have already benefited from medical cannabis treatment, according to advocates. Nora Bushfield, a Decatur attorney, described how cannabis helped nearly eliminate the severe seizures her 41-year-old daughter used to experience daily.
“It was just a miracle,” said Bushfield, who is part of group currently seeking a state medical cannabis license. “We kept waiting and waiting for her to have a seizure, and she didn’t.”
“We are not too different form a lot of other people who have children or loved ones who need this medicine.”
Critics worry legalizing marijuana for medical treatments could open the door for more tolerant policies seen in states such as California and Colorado, where many people have easier access to marijuana both for medicinal and recreational purposes.
They also argue cannabis, which remains federally classified as a banned narcotic, can serve as a gateway drug to abuse more dangerous substances like cocaine or opioids, particularly for children whose brains are still developing.
Ginger Wagner, a member of the nonprofit Let’s Get Clear Georgia, has pressed for tighter rules on medical cannabis after the death of her 19-year-old son, whose marijuana use led to experimenting with harder drugs. He died from an overdose of Xanax laced with fentanyl in 2015, Wagner said.
“It’s certainly something that you can get addicted to,” Wagner said of marijuana. “We want to make sure that the people who are supposed to be getting this, who are very helped from all of this, that it’s getting in the right hands.”
The nonprofit’s founder, Gregg Raduka, said patients could potentially still develop dependence even from small amounts of THC. He called for more age restrictions, buffer zones to keep dispensaries away from schools and stricter oversight on doctors prescribing medical THC for pain treatment.
“It’s very difficult for a physician to document chronic pain,” Raduka said. “The concern is whether people would seek out THC oil who may not have a legitimate medical need for it.”
The state commission’s Turnage sought to assure the program will have guardrails in place to ensure only qualified patients will receive medical cannabis, particularly after lawmakers this year approved about $622,000 to hire an attorney, police-trained inspector, and two license administrators.
He also emphasized the low-THC oil permitted by state law contains much smaller THC amounts than illegal marijuana strains, making it a risky option for recreational users who might consider abusing medical cannabis.
“This is a marginal level compared to any street drug,” Turnage said. “Anyone that’s looking to get high, this probably going to be their last choice on the list.”
Going forward, Turnage said he hopes certain universities will take interest in researching the medicinal benefits of THC oil, though the only two colleges authorized by state law to secure growing licenses – the University of Georgia and Fort Valley State University – have not applied for licenses so far.
The bill pushed by Gravley this year would let other universities gain approval to research THC oil produced by licensed cultivators. Turnage said several schools are interested in conducting research including Clark Atlanta University, Morehouse College, Emory University and Augusta University.
“If the universities decide that they want to pursue their university licenses, we are very excited about the possibilities that exist for university research,” Turnage said.
“This has been proven as a great option for people that have struggled in some of the worst struggle categories.”
Vernon Jones (at podium) speaks with supporters of then-President Donald Trump at a rally in Buckhead on Nov. 6, 2020. (Photo by Beau Evans)
Vernon Jones, a former Democratic state lawmaker and one of former President Donald Trump’s most vocal allies in Georgia, is the latest Republican to open a 2022 primary challenge against Gov. Brian Kemp.
A controversial figure, Jones served as DeKalb County CEO from 2001 to 2009 between terms in the state House of Representatives. He did not seek reelection last year after trumpeting support for Trump and drawing backlash from Georgia’s Democratic party, which he left to become a Republican.
He announced his gubernatorial campaign in a news conference Friday outside the state Capitol building in Atlanta.
Jones’ candidacy marks a test for backers of the former president who lobbed claims of election fraud in the 2020 cycle, as well as for Kemp, who faced attacks from Trump and hardline conservatives for not moving to overturn the state’s election results that saw President Joe Biden by a narrow margin.
Kemp has sought to rebuild support among Georgia Republican voters by defending changes to mail-in and early voting laws that he signed last month, calling them necessary to bolster election integrity. Democrats and voting-rights advocates have slammed the changes as attempts at voter suppression.
Jones is the second Republican to open a primary challenge against Kemp after Appling County educator Kandiss Taylor launched her bid in February. He could face a slew of other primary contenders before likely battling his 2018 Democratic opponent Stacey Abrams in a rematch for governor.
Georgia’s candidate field for 2022 is taking shape early with several high-profile announcements in recent weeks, including Democratic state Sen. Jen Jordan’s run for state attorney general against the Republican incumbent, Chris Carr.
Republican U.S. Rep. Jody Hice of Greensboro has also launched a primary challenge against Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, as has former Alpharetta Mayor David Belle Isle.
Democratic U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock, the senior pastor of Atlanta’s Ebenezer Baptist Church, has drawn two Republican challengers in his bid to hold the seat he won in historic fashion during the 2020 election cycle.
Republicans Latham Saddler, an Atlanta banking executive and U.S. Navy SEAL veteran, and Kelvin King, an Atlanta small-business owner in construction and U.S. Air Force veteran, announced their candidacies this week.
Democrats in Georgia are pushing to continue building momentum amid changing suburban demographics and strong grassroots efforts that saw the party win the state’s presidential election and the two Senate seats in the 2020 cycle.
Republicans are angling to lock in their current statewide seats and reverse 2020 losses such as Warnock’s seat and suburban Atlanta congressional districts that flipped for Democrats in recent years but could swing back to Republicans after redistricting this fall.
Republicans will be in charge of the redistricting process because they control both chambers in the General Assembly.
Also up for grabs statewide in 2022 will be Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan’s seat, though his office recently signaled he may not seek a second term. Contenders are likewise lining up to run for Georgia labor and insurance commissioners.
The upcoming primary elections are set for May 24, 2022, and the general elections set for Nov. 8, 2022.
ATLANTA – First-time unemployment claims in Georgia rose last week even as initial claims nationwide fell dramatically.
However, longer-term figures on unemployment reported Thursday by the state Department of Labor weren’t nearly so dismal.
Jobless Georgians filed 38,382 first-time unemployment claims last week, up 4,759 from the week before.
That contrasted sharply with a nationwide drop in claims of 193,000 during the week. Initial unemployment claims for the U.S. stood at 576,000 as of April 10, the lowest since mid-March of last year when the nation’s economy first began feeling the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
Georgia’s numbers for the month of March gave more reason for optimism. The state’s unemployment rate declined by 0.3% last month to 4.5%.
“March is yet another month where we have seen job growth throughout the state,” Georgia Commissioner of Labor Mark Butler said. “Georgia has gained a vast majority of the jobs that were lost since March of last year, and we continue to remain strong in economic growth and business development.”
Jobs in Georgia increased by 21,800 last month, reaching a total of nearly 4.5 million. But that’s down 151,000 compared to March of last year.
The job sectors experiencing the most month-over-month job gains were administration and support services with an increase of 3,500 jobs. Next was health care, which added 2,400 jobs in March, followed by local government with 1,800.
Notably absent from the list was the accommodation and food services job sector, which week after week and month after month has led the way in job losses in Georgia leading to the filing of unemployment claims.
Last week, 11,906 Georgians previously working in that sector of the economy filed initial unemployment claims, far ahead of the administrative and support services sector, which accounted for 4,043 claims. Manufacturing was next with 3,160 claims.
The labor department has paid out nearly $20.6 billion in state and federal unemployment benefits since the beginning of the pandemic. The agency has processed more than 4.6 million initial unemployment claims during that time, more than during the last nine years combined before COVID-19 struck.
More than 223,000 job openings are currently listed on the EmployGeorgia website, triple the number that were listed in March 2020.
