Blog Topic: Raging Election

In the Loop: Trump Endorses Kemp for Georgia Governor

By Blake Aued | July 18, 2018 5:08pm

Brian Kemp.

I guess we can declare a winner in the War of Who's Trumpiest.

The orange one himself, President Donald Trump, weighed in on the Republican primary runoff for Georgia governor this afternoon, using his preferred mode of communication to express his preference for Secretary of State Brian Kemp over Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle.

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In the Loop: Deal Endorses Cagle for Governor in GOP Runoff

By Blake Aued | July 16, 2018 3:26pm

Gov. Nathan Deal endorsed Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle in the Republican runoff for governor today over Secretary of State Brian Kemp.

The endorsement could help stop Kemp's momentum in the weeks leading up to the July 24 runoff. Cagle finished first out of five candidates with 39 percent of the vote on May 22, with Kemp trailing at 26 percent. Since then, though, Kemp has surged. A recent Atlanta Journal-Constitution poll gave Kemp a slight lead, 44 percent to 41 percent.

As his second term winds down, Deal remains popular, with an 85 percent approval rating among Republican voters—even higher than President Donald Trump.

The endorsement comes as little surprise, given that Deal and Cagle are both from Gainesville and have worked closely together over the past eight years to pass Deal's agenda in the state Senate.

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In the Loop: GOP Leader Leaves Gaines Campaign After Anti-LGBT Posts

By Blake Aued | June 14, 2018 4:04pm

Houston Gaines.

A prominent Athens Republican has stepped down from state House candidate Houston Gaines' campaign after an Atlanta magazine reported that she posted several anti-LGBTQ comments on Facebook Tuesday, the second anniversary of the mass shooting at a gay nightclub in Orlando.

According to Project Q, Joan Rhoden shared a photo on Facebook of pride-themed clothing at Target and accused "homosexuals" of spreading propaganda. She also characterized homosexuality as a disease and an "alternative lifestyle," criticized a New York bill that would add a third gender option to birth certificates and a cartoon featuring drag queens, defended Chick-Fil-A (a company that has taken anti-LGBTQ stances) and said that LGBTQ people's aim is "to annihilate free speech and dismantle the established facts of biology.”

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In the Loop: Mayor Denson: Elections Were a 'U-Turn' for Athens

By Blake Aued | May 31, 2018 4:28pm

Photo Credit: Joshua L. Jones/file

Tim Bryant moderates a debate between Mayor Nancy Denson and challenger Tim Denson in 2014.

Athens-Clarke County Mayor Nancy Denson called last week’s local elections—in which progressives backed by Athens for Everyone swept the mayor’s race and all six commission races—a “U-turn” in an interview with WGAU 1340 AM this morning.

Host Tim Bryant suggested that the results were “a left turn.” Denson responded, “It wasn’t just a left turn; it was a U-turn.”

Both Bryant and Denson chalked the results up to enthusiasm on the progressive side, while, as Athens GOP chairman Gordon Rhoden said in a recent mass email, conservatives stayed home.

“When you have that kind of passion from small, very vocal groups, and they organize, we saw what they did… I have to give them credit, they did an amazing job of taking over this election,” Denson said.

The state legislature’s decision to move nonpartisan elections like Athens’ from November to May also played a role, Denson said.

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In the Loop: Kelly Girtz Elected Mayor in a Landslide, and More Election Results

By Blake Aued | May 22, 2018 11:57pm

Photo Credit: Savannah Cole

Kelly Girtz celebrates with his son Noah and wife Andrea Griffith-Girtz.

With nearly twice as many votes as his nearest competitor, Athens-Clarke County Commissioner Kelly Girtz was elected the next mayor on Tuesday.

Girtz had received 60.5 percent of 15,720 votes cast with 20 of 24 precincts reporting and the other four partially reporting. Former commissioner Harry Sims recieved 30.6 percent, and businessman Richie Knight 8.9 percent.

Girtz called the results a continuation of the progressive wave in 2017 that swept two Democratic state representives into office in GOP districts. But Girtz also said he reached out to every part of the county during his year-long campaign and would continue to do so.

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In the Loop: Get Your ACC Election Results Right Here

By Blake Aued | May 22, 2018 10:26pm

Photo Credit: Savannah Cole

Mayoral candidate Harry Sims watches election returns at JR Crickets.

Ten of 24 precincts are now reporting, and Kelly Girtz remains in good shape in the mayor's race. He has 58 percent of 4,583 votes cast to Harry Sims' 32 percent and Richie Knight's 10 percent.

The first results in District 1 are in, and Patrict Davenport leads incumbent Sharyn Dickerson 164 votes to 134. But they're from Winterville, which is probably a little more progressive than other parts of the eastern Clarke County district.

In District 9, Ovita Thornton has opened up a 155-vote lead over Tommy Valentine.

More votes in District 2 are in, and Mariah Parker's lead over Taylor Pass has shrunk percentagewise but grown in raw number of votes, from 21 to 45.

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In the Loop: Where Should I Watch Tonight's Election Results?

By Blake Aued | May 22, 2018 4:34pm

You could watch the election results like I do—alone, with a laptop and a fifth of bourbon—or you could be social and go out and watch them with a group of people you can celebrate and/or cry with. If you choose the latter, here are your options:

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In the Loop: Mayoral Candidate Richie Knight Running Campaign on Company Dime May Violate State Law

By Alex Vanden Heuvel | May 20, 2018 7:31pm

Photo Credit: Nicole Adamson/file

Richie Knight speaks at a Mar. 29 mayoral forum.

Athens mayoral candidate Richie Knight may have violated Georgia campaign finance laws by using company resources for campaign purposes.

Interviews with a number of Knight’s former employees at HW Creative Marketing—the Athens firm Knight co-owns— and former campaign staffers suggest that Knight exceeded campaign contribution limits related to his campaign’s use of his business’s office space and payments made by his company to campaign workers. (Editor’s note: The author is dating a former Knight campaign volunteer, but she was not a source for this article.)

Marc Hershovitz, an Atlanta attorney who specializes in political law, confirmed the appearance of a pattern of apparent violations. Hershovitz’s clients in the past have included Democrats and Republicans, including former Gov. Roy Barnes, former Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin, state Sen. David Shafer and former congressman Ben Jones.

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In the Loop: Michael Williams' 'Deportation Bus' Failed on So Many Levels

By Blake Aued | May 16, 2018 9:57pm

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In the Loop: Gaines Slams Gonzalez at Oconee GOP Meeting

By Lee Becker | May 8, 2018 8:37pm

Houston Gaines.

Steven Strickland and Marcus Wiedower are competitors in the Republican primary on May 22, but they made it clear in comments to the Oconee County Republic Party late last month that they share the goal of taking back Georgia House District 119 from the Democrats in November.

Both blamed “complacency” for their and the party’s defeat in the four-person special election held last November to fill the unexpired term of Republican Chuck Williams. The election was won by Democrat Jonathan Wallace.

Houston Gaines, who has no competition in the Republican primary for Georgia House District 117, formerly held by Republican Regina Quick, was harsh in his criticism of incumbent Democrat Deborah Gonzalez, who defeated Gaines in another special election last November for the 117th Georgia House District.

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