by Dave Williams | Nov 22, 2024 | Capitol Beat News Service
ATLANTA – Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger Friday officially certified the results of this month’s presidential election in Georgia.
Official certification of President-elect Donald Trump’s win in the Peach State over Vice President Kamala Harris came after county election officials completed a hand count of more than 700,000 ballots statewide.
The risk-limiting audit found minor discrepancies in the totals for Trump and Harris but nothing that would change the results. Trump gained 11 more votes than he received from the machine count after the polls closed on Election Night, while Harris received six fewer votes.
“The votes were counted accurately, securely, and quickly,” Raffensperger said Friday. “This was the most secure election in Georgia’s history.”
With the results now certified, the next step will be certification of Georgia’s slate of presidential electors by Gov. Brian Kemp. Those electors will meet at the state Capitol Dec. 17 to certify the results they will send to Washington, D.C., where Congress will meet on Jan. 6 to count all of the states’ electoral votes.
Trump won 312 electoral votes in this month’s election, well above the 270 required to win the presidency. Harris totaled 226 electoral votes.
by Dave Williams | Nov 21, 2024 | Capitol Beat News Service
ATLANTA – Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr Thursday became the first candidate to enter the race for governor in 2026.
The Republican said GOP victories in Georgia and across the nation two weeks ago have built momentum for his bid to succeed term-limited Gov. Brian Kemp.
“There’s a groundswell of support around the country for strong conservative leadership,” Carr said. “The time is now to prioritize better jobs, make our communities safer, and reverse the left’s failed immigration policies. I am and will remain committed to furthering these principles, just as I’ve done as your attorney general.”
While Carr is the first Republican to enter the gubernatorial race, he won’t be the last. Other likely candidates to succeed Kemp include Lt. Gov. Burt Jones and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger.
Jones could have the inside track to gain the support of President-elect Donald Trump. While the lieutenant governor is a staunch Trump ally, the former president backed unsuccessful primary challenges to both Carr and Raffensperger in 2022.
Raffensperger’s refusal to “find” the 11,780 votes Trump needed to carry Georgia in 2020 following his defeat by Democrat Joe Biden in the Peach State garnered most of the attention. However, Carr also declined to take part in Trump’s efforts to overturn the election results.
On Thursday, Carr cited his work as attorney general to protect Georgia families from human trafficking, gang violence, and fentanyl. He also pointed to his role in making Georgia a business-friendly state while serving as commissioner of the state Department of Economic Development from 2013 until 2016.
Then-Gov. Nathan Deal appointed Carr attorney general in 2016. He won election to a full four-year term in 2018 and was reelected in 2022.
Before moving into state government, Carr served six years as chief of staff to U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson.
by Dave Williams | Nov 21, 2024 | Capitol Beat News Service
ATLANTA – A manufacturer of household paper products will invest nearly $600 million to expand its plant in Macon, Gov. Brian Kemp announced Thursday.
Canada-based Irving Tissue will add at least 100 new jobs to the more than 400 existing jobs at the Macon facility.
The company produces a variety of household paper products, including soft bathroom tissue and paper towels.
“We are proud to continue to invest in the state of Georgia and truly appreciate the commitment to helping us expand and grow in Macon,” Irving Tissue President Robert Irving said. “We’ve also been able to expand because of the highly skilled workforce in the area and continued support of our valued employees, customers, and suppliers.”
Irving Tissue will be filling management, supervisory and machinist positions. Interested individuals can learn more about those jobs at careers.jdirving.com.
The Georgia Department of Economic Development’s Global Commerce team worked on the project in partnership with the Macon-Bibb County Industrial Authority.
by Dave Williams | Nov 21, 2024 | Capitol Beat News Service
ATLANTA – A statewide audit of the Nov. 5 presidential election in Georgia found minor discrepancies but nothing that would alter Republican Donald Trump’s victory in the Peach State over Democrat Kamala Harris.
A hand count of randomly selected ballots in all 159 counties gave Trump 11 more votes than he received from the machine count after the polls closed on Election Night, while Harris received six fewer votes. Trump defeated Harris in Georgia by 184,259 votes on his way to recapturing the presidency, according to audit results released Wednesday.
“Georgia’s election systems are our nation’s best,” said Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, whose office oversees elections in Georgia. “This audit shows that our system works and that our county election officials conducted a secure, accurate election.”
The General Assembly passed legislation in 2019 requiring a post-election, pre-certification audit of election results following the introduction of voter-verified paper ballots as a backup to touch-screen voting machines.
In total, county election officials audited 442 batches of ballots. Of those 442 batches, 381 – or 86.1% – showed no deviation from the original candidate totals. Of the other 61 batches, all fell within an expected margin of error for a hand count.
by Dave Williams | Nov 20, 2024 | Capitol Beat News Service
ATLANTA – Gov. Brian Kemp has been elected chairman of the Republican Governors Association (RGA) for 2025.
The election of Kemp and Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte as the RGA’s vice chairman took place at the end of the association’s annual conference.
“Republican governors are making commonsense, conservative policies a reality, putting families and children first, and making our states the best places to run a business and raise a family,” Kemp said Wednesday.
“I look forward to working with my fellow Republican governors and President Trump to keep getting the job done for the American people and to add even more Republican governors to our ranks.”
Joining Kemp and Gianforte on the RGA’s 2025 leadership team will be the association’s executive committee: Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves, Missouri Gov.-elect Mike Kehoe, Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt, Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee, and Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin.
South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster will serve as the RGA’s policy chair.
Republicans will hold the edge in governor’s mansions next year, 27 to 23 over the Democrats, the same margin as this year.
