Political Rewind: GOP lawmakers want look into Ga. college curriculum; Duncan opposes Buckhead city

The panel:

Patricia Murphy — Politics reporter and columnist, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Rene Alegria — CEO, Mundo Hispanico Digital

Dr. Andra Gillespie — Professor of political science and director, James Weldon Johnson Institute for the Study of Race and Difference at Emory University

The breakdown:

1. Pushback to legislation honoring Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas with statue in Ga. Capitol.

• On Monday, the state Senate voted along party lines to erect a statue in honor of Georgia-born Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas.
  • Justice Thomas, the longest-serving member currently serving on the high court, was born in Pin Point, Ga., in 1948.
• Senate Bill 326 received backlash from Black state lawmakers. Sen. Nikki Merritt said that Thomas is controversial within the Black community:
  • “He’s not well-received by the Black community," Merritt said. "I don’t know if some of you guys know that…It’s not because he’s a conservative Republican. We think he is a hypocrite and a traitor."

2. GOP lawmaker asks state's public colleges and universities to report on spending, curriculum focused on anti-racism and social justice.

• Rep. David Knight, a Republican from Griffin, Ga., sent leaders of Georgia's public colleges and universities a letter requesting information on spending and curriculum surrounding “diversity, equity, inclusion, advocacy and activism.”

3. Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan says he is opposed to the Buckhead city movement.

• The high-ranking state Republican for the first time explicitly stated his opposition in an interview with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Thursday.
• His comments come during a series of huge setbacks for proponents of Buckhead's succession.
  • On Monday, the Atlanta Board of Education passed a resolution calling on state lawmakers to oppose legislation for succession.
  • Additionally, a list of prominent Georgia businesses, including some of Atlanta's biggest real estate developers, voiced opposition in a letter released earlier this month.

4. Republican Governors Association weighs in on Georgia's gubernatorial Republican primary.

• The unusual move includes half a million dollars into ads for incumbent Gov. Brian Kemp.

5. New insight into Republican Senate candidate Herschel Walker sheds more light on past troubles.

• The Associated Press reported new information about an incident involving police and his mental health struggles.

Monday on Political Rewind: 

Jim Galloway joins our panel to discuss the latest developments in Georgia politics.