Blog Topic: Raging Election

In the Loop: Jack Kingston Endorses Doug Collins for Congress

By Blake Aued | April 19, 2016 11:27am

Jack Kingston.

Former congressman Jack Kingston has endorsed Rep. Doug Collins (R-Gainesville) over former Athens congressman Paul Broun and two other challengers in Northeast Georgia’s 9th District Republican primary.

Kingston is an Athens native who represented Savannah in Congress for 20 years until, like Broun, he left his seat to run for Senate. (Broun finished fifth with 10 percent of the vote, while Kingston lost a runoff to David Perdue.) Kingston also served with Collins, who was first elected in 2012.

Here are the statements from Kingston and Collins released by the Collins campaign on Monday:

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In the Loop: Michael Stipe Joins Bernie Sanders at New York Rally

By Blake Aued | April 11, 2016 11:24am

Photo Credit: Yamiche Alcindor via Twitter.

Former R.E.M. singer Michael Stipe is looking forward to the day when a Bernie Sanders presidency isn't merely a Coney Island of the mind.

Stipe (and his Marxist beard)—who endorsed Sanders in a February Rolling Stone interview—introduced him at a Coney Island rally on Sunday. (Sanders grew up in Brooklyn, while Stipe is a part-time New Yorker.) The Vermont senator is trying to cut into former New York Sen. Hillary Clinton’s double-digit lead in the Empire State’s Apr. 19 primary.

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In the Loop: Actor Tituss Burgess Shames 'Shady' Georgia and UGA

By Blake Aued | April 11, 2016 10:50am

Photo Credit: "The Late Show" via Twitter

Athens native Tituss Burgess, star of Netflix’s “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt,” had some harsh words for his home state during an appearance on “The Late Show” Friday.

The Emmy-nominated actor, who graduated from Cedar Shoals High School and the University of Georgia, told host Stephen Colbert that he wants to give a commencement speech at UGA. The hypothetical speech, he said, would take aim at student apathy and the “religious liberty” bill passed by the state legislature but vetoed by Gov. Nathan Deal last month. He gave Colbert's audience a preview:

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In the Loop: Paul Broun's Ex-Chief of Staff Indicted

By Blake Aued | April 6, 2016 6:51pm

Former Athens congressman (and current candidate) Paul Broun's former chief of staff was indicted today on eight charges in an FBI investigation related to his alleged misuse of taxpayer money, according to the AJC.

David Bowser has been charged with one count of obstruction of proceedings, one count theft of government property, one count of concealment of material facts and five counts of making false statements.

Bowser is accused of paying consultant Brett O'Donnell $43,000 in taxpayer money to prepare Broun to debate opponents in his 2014 run for Senate and urging O'Donnell to portray himself as a campaign volunteer. O'Donnell plead guilty of lying to investigators in U.S. District Court last year.

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In the Loop: School Board Candidates Tackle Questions at Forum

By Blake Aued | April 5, 2016 3:04pm

Photo Credit: Joshua L. Jones

Kamau Hull (left) and John Knox at a Federation of Neighborhoods meeting Monday night.

In spite of increased interest in the inner workings of the Clarke County School District since thealleged sexual assault at Cedar Shoals High School came to light, only one Clarke County Board of Education seat is being contested this year.

In District 8, out on the Eastside, University of Georgia geography professor and father of a recent Cedar Schoals graduate John Knox is facing Kamau Hull, a lawyer and CSHS grad with a son in the district.

Hull and Knox—along with unopposed incumbent Charles Worthy and Jared Bybee, the lone candidate for an open seat on the board—appeared at a Federation of Neighborhoods forum Monday night. Here are a few of the questions they tackled, and their responses.

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In the Loop: Daniell Is Unopposed for Oconee Commission Chair

By Lee Becker | March 14, 2016 4:50pm

Photo Credit: Lee Becker

John Daniell.

John Daniell will run unopposed for chairman of the Oconee County Board of Commissioners in the May 24 Republican primary and in the November general election, unless someone files to run as an independent during qualifying from June 27–July 12.

No one filed to challenge Daniell during the five days of qualifying that ended at noon Friday, and no one filed to run as a Democrat for any Oconee County office.

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In the Loop: Qualifying Ends With Most Local Candidates Unopposed

By Blake Aued | March 11, 2016 12:12pm

Dave Hudgins.

Deputy Tax Commissioner Toni Meadow has drawn a familiar challenger in the open Clarke County tax commissioner's race.

Dave Hudgins, a lawyer and Athens-Clarke County planning commissioner who has run for ACC Commission twice, qualified to run for the office late Thursday. It's a position that traditionally has been handed down—the current tax commissioner, Mitch Schrader, who's not running for re-election for health reasons, was Nancy Denson's top deputy when she stepped down to run for mayor in 2010, and he ran unopposed that year and in 2012.

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In the Loop: Paul Broun Is Back!

By Blake Aued | March 3, 2016 12:14pm

Pop the popcorn. After two years’ absence, Dr. Broun may be going back to Washington.

Paul Broun, Athens’ controversial former congressman, is considering running for Congress once again—but this time in a different district.

Broun told the Athens Banner-Herald that he plans to make an announcement on Wednesday. “Stay tuned,” he said when asked what the announcement would be.

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In the Loop: Hillary Clinton and Marco Rubio Won in Athens

By Blake Aued | March 2, 2016 12:11am

Photo Credit: ABC News

"We'll settle this in Athens, Georgia, Madame Secretary!" Bernie Sanders debates Hillary Clinton in New Hampshire last December.

Bernie Sanders did well in Athens—but not well enough to avoid Hillary Clinton blowout in Georgia on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Marco Rubio won a plurality in Clarke County but finished a distant second statewide to Donald Trump.

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In the Loop: Sen. Tim Scott Stumps for Rubio in Athens

By Blake Aued | February 28, 2016 4:16pm

Photo Credit: Blake Aued

Athens might be Bernie Sanders country, but Republican presidential candidate Marco Rubio sent a prominent surrogate here today to round up votes for the Florida senator in Tuesday’s primary.

South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott stumped for Rubio at Cine this afternoon, speaking for 45 minutes to a group of about 30, including prominent local Republicans like Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp, state GOP Chairman John Padgett, Athens GOP Chairman Matt Brewster and Watkinsville city councilman Brian Brodrick.

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