ATLANTA – Four Democrats and two Republicans want U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s job.
But only one has raised even half the campaign cash the controversial Greene, R-Rome, amassed during the first nine months of the 2022 election cycle.
Greene, who was stripped of her committee assignments by majority Democrats last February during her first weeks in office for inflammatory remarks and social media postings, raised $6.3 million toward her reelection bid through the end of last month, according to a report filed with the Federal Election Commission.
Only U.S. Army combat veteran Marcus Flowers, a Democrat challenging Greene, is even in the same ballpark when it comes to fundraising. His campaign brought in more than $3.3 million during the first nine months of this year and reported nearly $1.1 million cash on hand as of Sept. 30.
None of the other Democrats vying for a chance to challenge Greene has raised $1 million. Holly McCormack, an insurance agent, came closest with just less than $700,000.
Rome City Commissioner Wendy Davis’ campaign brought in just more than $250,000 during the first nine months of the election cycle. Businesswoman Lateefah Conner has brought in about $110,000.
The two Republican hopefuls looking to unseat Greene in next May’s GOP primary fared even worse. Small business owner Jennifer Strahan had raised about $56,000 through the end of last month, while Mark Clay raised just $6,000.
While Greene is dominating her potential challengers in fundraising, she hardly needs the cash in light of the free publicity she has been attracting.
She and fellow conservative Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida have been crisscrossing the country hosting “America First” rallies, continuing to cast doubts on the results from the 2020 presidential election and criticizing the various COVID-19 vaccines.
Greene cruised to victory last November in Georgia’s heavily Republican 14th Congressional District, winning almost 75% of the vote after the Democratic candidate moved out of state and dropped out of the race before Election Day.
The district includes all of 11 counties in Northwest Georgia and part of a 12th, stretching from Haralson and Paulding counties on the south to the Tennessee line.
This story is available through a news partnership with Capitol Beat News Service, a project of the Georgia Press Educational Foundation.
ATLANTA – U.S. Rep. Carolyn Bourdeaux raised more than $733,000 during the third quarter, the Suwanee Democrat’s campaign reported Friday.
Combined with earlier fund-raising, that brought her total to more $2 million for this election cycle and left her campaign with $1.7 million cash on hand as of Sept. 30, according to a report filed with the Federal Election Commission.
Bourdeaux, who will seek a second term representing Georgia’s 7th Congressional District next year, hasn’t taken any contributions from corporate political action committees.
“These fundraising numbers show that Carolyn is hitting the ground running, Bourdeaux spokesman Andrew Scibetta said. “We’re grateful for the enthusiasm and continued support from Georgians who are working so hard to re-elect her next November.”
Bourdeaux defeated Republican Dr. Rich McCormick for an open 7th District seat last year, winning 51.4% of the vote to 48.6%.
McCormick, a former Marine helicopter pilot and emergency medicine physician, is seeking a rematch in 2022. His campaign raised $600,000 in July, August and September, putting him past the $1.1 million mark for the election cycle.
“Dr. McCormick embraces his role as a Republican majority maker and is building a war chest and Rolodex of donors to take all challengers that stand in the way of delivering a Republican House of Representatives in 2022, said Al Chaul, McCormick’s campaign manager.
A third candidate in the race, Republican Yahanseh George, reported raising $6,755 during the third quarter.
Georgia’s 7th Congressional District takes in large portions of Gwinnett and Forsyth counties.
This story is available through a news partnership with Capitol Beat News Service, a project of the Georgia Press Educational Foundation.
Early voting for November’s city elections began this week, and while only a handful of Georgia’s municipalities are holding contested mayoral elections, Atlanta’s will undoubtedly have the most impact throughout the state.
“Lots of groups rate Georgia very highly as a business-friendly state, and Atlanta as a forward-looking city,” said Tom Smith, an economics professor at Emory’s Goizueta Business School. “Atlanta’s mayors have historically been very aggressive in what the city has to offer businesses, making sure those workers are protected, and that they have access to housing, libraries and roads.
“People underestimate the mayor’s overall impact in coordinating and creating relationships with the state’s domestic and international partners.”
In a shocking move earlier this year, incumbent Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms announced she would not seek reelection, thus setting up a wide-open race that brought out more than a dozen hopefuls, including Bottoms’ predecessor, former Mayor Kasim Reed.
Also running are Atlanta city councilmen Antonio Brown and Andre Dickens, city council President Felicia Moore, real estate investor Kirsten Dunn, attorney Sharon Gay, nonprofit founder Kenneth Hill, insurance executive Rebecca King, legal scholar Walter Reeves, businessman Roosevelt Searles III, public accountant Richard Wright, and Glenn Wrightson, Nolan English and Mark Hammad.
Like many other major American cities, Atlanta was hammered by the effects of the coronavirus as well as a spike in violent crime and civil unrest. In a survey released this week by the personal finance website WalletHub, Atlanta ranked No. 1 among 50 American cities with the highest increase in homicide rates during COVID.
“The last three years have not been at all what I would have scripted for our city,” Bottoms said on May 7.
The mayor cited a major cyberattack on city offices in her first months in office and a federal investigation into corruption under Reed. She also blamed former president Donald Trump.
“There was last summer,” Bottoms said. “There was a pandemic. There was a social justice movement. There was a madman in the White House. It is abundantly clear to me today that it is time to pass the baton on to someone else.”
During the 2020 presidential election, Bottoms was seen as a rising star in Democratic Party politics and was briefly mentioned as a possible running mate for Joe Biden. After Biden picked Kamala Harris as his vice presidential choice, Bottoms was also rumored to be in line for a top Cabinet position.
Earlier this week, Bottoms’ hopeful successors met in a televised debates in which they clashed over crime, ethics and other issues. The debates were part of the Atlanta Press Club Loudermilk-Young debate series and were aired over Georgia Public Broadcasting stations.
Brown, Dickens, Gay, King, Moore, Reed and Wright have scored highest in recent polls, and a runoff is all but assured.
Reed continues to be dogged by allegations of corruption during his previous two terms as mayor but is assuring voters he has been cleared of any wrongdoing. Moore in particular has made Reed’s tenure a central theme of her campaign.
“People jailed, indicted, awaiting trial. Thirty million dollars and counting for [Department of Justice] responses, and it keeps going,” Moore said to Reed during the debate. “The tone is set from the top, criminals like your melody. Why should Atlanta voters believe that you are singing a different tune?”
“The bottom line is I never dishonored my office and I kept my word to the people of Atlanta,” Reed responded.
Atlanta’s new mayor will also have to deal with a movement in the wealthy residential and financial district known as Buckhead to form its own city.
A proposed city of Buckhead would carve out about 25 square miles – or about 18% of the city of Atlanta’s land area – as well include about 20% of the city’s population. It would also cost Atlanta more than $250 million in property, sales and lodging taxes, as well as business license revenues. The General Assembly is expected to address the cityhood proposal during the 2022 legislative session beginning in January.
Many of Georgia’s other contested mayoral races are inside metro Atlanta, including the cities of Marietta, Sandy Springs, Dacula, East Point, Fairburn, Johns Creek, Roswell, South Fulton, Stone Mountain and Tucker.
On the edge of the metro area are contested mayor’s races in Braselton and Sugar Hill. Voters in Warner Robins in Middle Georgia also will choose a mayor.
Voters in Columbus will decide a 1% special-purpose local-option sales tax that would collect $400 million over 10 years for public safety and governmental projects.
And a special election will be held in Chatham County to fill the state House seat that became vacant with the death of Rep. Edward “Mickey” Stephens, D-Savannah. Five candidates are seeking the seat.
Rep. Calvin Smyre, D-Columbus, the dean of the General Assembly, is awaiting U.S. Senate confirmation as President Joe Biden’s ambassador to the Dominican Republic. A special election has not yet been called to replace him, should the Senate approve his nomination.
This story is available through a news partnership with Capitol Beat News Service, a project of the Georgia Press Educational Foundation.
Georgia’s nationally watched U.S. Senate race – a contest that could decide the balance of power in the world’s greatest deliberative body – keeps raking in the big bucks.
On Friday, U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock reported his campaign raised more than $9.5 million during third quarter 2021 in a report filed with the Federal Elections Commission.
According to campaign manager Quentin Fulks, Warnock’s average donation is $37, with more than 145,000 individuals contributing to his campaign. Warnock’s coffers also include more than $17.2 million in cash on hand.
Also on Friday, Republican Senate candidate Latham Saddler reported a fundraising haul of $1.1 million. In total, Saddler has brought in more than $2.5 million since he launched his campaign.
The former Navy SEAL, along with Agriculture Commissioner Gary Black, businessman Kelvin King, and UGA football legend Herschel Walker are all seeking the GOP nomination to face Warnock in November 2022.
Earlier this week, Walker reported raising $3.7 million during the first five weeks of his campaign. Contributions came from nearly 50,000 donors from all 50 states.
As of Friday morning, Black had not yet reported his fundraising numbers. Back in July, Black reported raising more than $703,000, while King’s campaign said he had raised nearly $680,000 during the third quarter, including a $300,000 loan he made to his campaign.
This story is available through a news partnership with Capitol Beat News Service, a project of the Georgia Press Educational Foundation.
Georgia Power drew heavy criticism Thursday night over plans to bury more than 20 million cubic yards of coal ash at its Plant Bowen in Bartow County.
“Please don’t gamble with our lives,” Vicki Freeman of Atlanta pleaded during an online public hearing on the proposal. “Mandate that Georgia Power move that coal ash to a safe landfill with a proper liner.”
The Georgia Department of Natural Resources’ Environmental Protection Division held the online hearing as part of a public comment period that will last until Nov. 15.
Plant Bowen is the nation’s ninth-largest power plant in net generation of electricity, according to Georgia Power. Nine miles southwest of Cartersville, it began operating in 1975 and is bordered by the Etowah River and Euharlee Creek.
Georgia Power wants to install a liner under the plant’s Ash Pond 1 and bury the residual coal ash over a 254-acre area, making it the largest single coal ash site in Georgia, according to the Sierra Club. Coal ash is the byproduct of burning coal for electricity.
Almost all of the commenters during the public hearing were concerned over sinkholes that could cause the toxic coal ash to leak into nearby rivers and creeks as well as groundwater supplies.
“I was astonished at its size,” said LaGrange resident Judy Lawrence. “My parents always said, ‘Do something right the first time and you won’t have to do it again.’ Georgia Power hasn’t gotten that message. The company knows the type of land they’re building this on, and they know the risks.”
In 2002, a four-acre-wide sinkhole opened up underneath Plant Bowen that released 2.25 million gallons of coal ash into Euharlee Creek. That spill caused arsenic levels in the creek to spike to levels 120 times higher than federal drinking water standards allow. More sinkholes developed in December 2008.
“Simply lining the coal ash dump will not prevent groundwater contamination,” said Dawn Cason of Powder Springs. “We know the plant rests on unstable terrain. Previous sinkholes have developed. It’s not a matter of speculation but only a matter of time.”
Coal ash contains contaminants including mercury, cadmium and arsenic that can pollute groundwater and drinking water.
“It’s like Georgia Power is playing Janga, waiting for this coal ash to topple into our water,” said Atlanta’s Neil Sardana. “It’s incomprehensible this plant is even being considered. It will poison people and put our lives and health at risk. It’s absolutely insane.”
The EPD’s permitting program for ash ponds due to be closed in place requires post-closure care for 30 years, including ongoing maintenance of the cover and groundwater monitoring. Results from monitoring must be reported at least twice a year and posted on Georgia Power’s website.
“What’s troubling is that nothing in either the EPD’s requirements or Georgia Power’s proposal address the instability of this terrain,” said Jesse Demonbreun-Chapman of the Coosa River Basin Initiative. “Thirty years of post-closure maintenance is also insufficient. Thirty years is the same time between the plant’s startup and the first appearance of sinkholes in the area.”
After the public comment period ends, the EPD will respond to comments in writing, post comments on its website and make changes to Georgia Power’s permit based on comments from the public.
This story is available through a news partnership with Capitol Beat News Service, a project of the Georgia Press Educational Foundation.
