Ga. 400 as a spine of Democratic growth in the ‘burbs

Our data team has crunched a new set of numbers on Georgia’s 6th District race, and they’ve come up with nifty new maps that show not only how every precinct voted in last week’s special election but also compare them to how Donald Trump and Tom Price performed in November.

One big takeaway: The Ga. 400/MARTA corridor running through the heart of the district could become a breeding ground for Democrats in future contests.

Not only did Jon Ossoff rack up big margins over Republicans along the route, which stretches from Sandy Springs north to Alpharetta, but Hillary Clinton won largely the same territory. Even Rodney Stooksbury, the little-known Democrat who challenged Price in 2016, managed to win parts of the territory without running any semblance of a campaign.

Check out the data here.

***

If you follow the doings of the Legislature, you know that one of the final dramatic moments of the last session was the failure of House Bill 159, the first attempted rewrite of the state’s adoption law in nearly 30 years.

State Rep. Bert Reeves, R-Marietta, was the author. But Republicans in the state Senate, against Reeves’ wishes, had tacked on an amendment to give protections to child placement agencies that refused to work with same-sex couples. Ultimately, the Senate sent the measure back to committee for a hasty burial.

Gov. Deal opposed the effort to amend the legislation, as did DFACS Executive Director Bobby Cagle. House Speaker David Ralston urged the Senate to pass Reeves’ bill. But as time dwindled down to the wee moments before adjournment, Senate President Pro Tempore David Shafer, who is making noises about running for lieutenant governor, threatened to have Rep. Reeves thrown off the Senate floor for trying to encourage senators to pass his bill.

***

We told you Monday about how U.S. Rep. David Scott, D-Atlanta, is one of at least 20 members of the House  to live outside of his congressional district.

The eight-term congressman has long lived in Inman Park, located in the Fifth District represented by Democrat John Lewis. That’s about 10 miles north of Scott’s 13th District congressional seat, which stretches around the outer loop of I-285 from Clarksdale to Stockbridge.

Scott said in an interview Tuesday evening that he once lived within the boundaries of his congressional district, but that the congressional reapportionment process drew him out of it.

Inman Park was part of “my old state Senate seat that I represented for many years,” he said. “And in my tenure in the state Senate I was very, very active statewide on a number of issues and I think that spoke well of me. I ran with that underneath me and the people accepted it.”

He dismissed Republican attacks against Democratic 6th District candidate Jon Ossoff for also living in the Fifth District. “It’s constitutional,” Scott said.

***

Donald Trump’s event for Republican Karen Handel won’t be the only fundraiser on the agenda for this weekend’s National Rifle Association convention in Atlanta.

Former Rep. Allen West will hold a fundraiser for Michael McNeely’s campaign to win the Georgia GOP chairmanship on Friday evening. Tickets start at $100, a co-hosting gig will cost $250.

***

The New Georgia Project, the voter registration group founded by Stacey Abrams, is on a hiring spree.

We’ve seen job postings for a raft of executive positions for the Atlanta-based nonprofit. And now there’s a hiring notice for chief executive officer of the organization.

Here’s how it reads:

New Georgia Project (NGP), a highly effective social justice and civil rights focused organization designing and executing innovative civic education and engagement programs touching thousands of people of color in Georgia is seeking a Chief Executive Officer (CEO).
This 501(C)(3) organization has a budget of $2,000,000 – $5,000,000 per year, running both long term and cyclical programs to engage its intended beneficiaries.  NGP has enjoyed strong and growing relationships with major donors and foundations since its inception. The successful CEO will build upon the NGP’s track record, aligning and sharpening its operations and brand with its strategic vision.
 It goes on to note that applicants need 10 years of experience, fundraising credentials and “a burning passion for social justice.”
 ***

President Donald Trump indicated he was pretty happy with the margin by which the Senate confirmed Sonny Perdue as secretary of agriculture on Monday evening.

Hours after Perdue was sworn in by Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, he was shoulder-to-shoulder with Trump at an executive action signing at the White House. Before signing the order, the president complimented Perdue on the 87 votes he won in the Senate, making him one of Trump’s most bipartisan Cabinet members.

“You had a good vote, too,” Trump told Perdue. “You didn’t have one of those 51-49 votes. He had a very big vote.”

***

Finally, former acting Attorney General Sally Yates has become a hot commodity on Capitol Hill.

The Senate Intelligence Committee announced Tuesday that the former Atlanta prosecutor will testify before one of its subcommittees, led by South Carolina Republican Lindsey Graham, on Russia’s involvement in last year’s elections on May 8.

She has also been invited to testify before the House Intelligence panel next month.

visit main article