Thursday on Political Rewind: State Republicans in the General Assembly are urging the governor to issue an order forbidding schools from imposing mask mandates for students and staff. Meanwhile, President Joe Biden has answered critics within his own party who accused him of failing to take action as a moratorium on evictions expired late last week.
Monday on Political Rewind: Concern about the resurgence of COVID-19 in Georgia is growing as the summer break draws to a close. Meanwhile, congressional leaders in Washington, D.C. allowed the end of an federal eviction moratorium over the weekend.
Thursday on Political Rewind: Georgia Republicans have begun taking steps to a possible takeover of Fulton County elections. A letter signed by two dozen state senators supports a performance review of the county’s election chief. Also: the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s moratorium on evictions during the pandemic is set to end this Saturday, potentially unleashing a wave of pent-up evictions around metro Atlanta.
The push and pull between the state and local officials during the pandemic is familiar: Last year, Republican Gov. Brian Kemp blocked local leaders from imposing their own facial covering requirements. This year, his power to do so is more limited.
Tuesday on Political Rewind: Voting rights advocates remain concerned Republican legislators are angling to use Georgia’s new voting law to take over operation of Fulton County elections. However, critics of past chaos in the county’s elections say change is needed. Meanwhile, as cases of COVID-19 propelled by the dangerous delta variant spread in the state, Savannah Mayor Van Johnson has once again issued a mask mandate for the city.
Savannah is once again requiring masks in indoor public places and urging businesses to follow suit, citing rapidly increasing community transmission rates of COVID-19.
Tuesday on Political Rewind: Gov. Brian Kemp says he’ll ask the General Assembly to pass laws to fight crime during a special session of the legislature later this year. The session’s primary mission will be to redraw political maps based on new census data. But Kemp has the power to add measures to combat violent crime, especially in Atlanta, to the agenda.
Plus, we look at the outcome of the U.S. Senate field hearing examining Georgia’s new voting law.
Thursday on Political Rewind: Gov. Brian Kemp and Georgia legislators will face a happy problem as they begin determining how to spend state revenues over the next year. Despite the pandemic, Georgia tax collections reached a record $3.2 billion in the recently ended fiscal year.
Wednesday on Political Rewind: In a fiery speech in Philadelphia, President Joe Biden reasserted his contention that Republican-backed election bills passed in Georgia and other states amounted to "Jim Crow 2.0." Meanwhile, Texas Democratic legislators have blocked the GOP effort to pass a controversial election bill by fleeing to Washington and denying state House leaders the quorum needed to pass legislation.
Tuesday on Political Rewind: With the first pitch in Major League Baseball’s All-Star Game set to be thrown in Denver tonight — not Cobb County — Republicans have launched a blistering campaign blaming Democrats for the move. MLB moved the game in response to the state's new election law, which league officials insist discriminates against minority voters.
Monday on Political Rewind: The latest campaign financial reports in races across the state reveal once again the staggering sums of money that now are commonplace in political campaigns. After releasing his first campaign ad late last week, Gov. Kemp traveled to Perry, Ga., over the weekend to launch his bid for reelection. Meanwhile, GPB and the AJC reviewed the use of drop boxes in 2020 voting.
Friday on Political Rewind: Gov. Brian Kemp has officially launched his campaign for reelection. He starts the race with a formidable war chest but he continues to face criticism from former President Donald Trump and his allies. Is there a credible Republican primary challenge waiting in the wings?
Thursday on Political Rewind: Overall, the pandemic’s grip on the state has loosened. New cases and hospitalizations have fallen to new lows, and deaths from the virus have become far more rare. As a result, Gov. Brian Kemp lifted the restrictions he had imposed more than a year ago. But Georgia remains in the lower tier of states for putting shots in arms, especially in rural areas.
The reshaping of the Georgia Supreme Court under Gov. Brian Kemp continues, as new Chief Justice David Nahmias takes the reins and six finalists vie to fill the court’s third vacancy since 2020.
