At one of the biggest Republican events in the state, Dr. John Cowan (@JC4Constitution) is encouraging folks to get vaccinated at a nearby tent. Cowan, a conservative Republican from here in Rome, ran for Congress last year and lost to Marjorie Taylor Greene. #gapol
One of the first things folks see as they enter the pavilion: “Trump Won” shirts and placards that are familiar sights at every Georgia GOP event these days. #gapol
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene kicks the event off by putting fellow Republicans on notice: “Republican voters and donors are sick and tired of Republicans that are selling them out. And it’s our job to do the job that you hired us to do.”
It’s gonna be a wild 2022 primary. #gapol
Georgia @GovKemp is greeted by mostly cheers — but some loud boos — as he addresses the crowd with his standard stump speech: highlighting his support for the state’s new election laws, the reviving economy and his pandemic response. #gapol
Burt Jones, who just entered the race for lieutenant governor, sounds very Trump-ian with his kickoff speech.
“Ladies and gentlemen, I think we have a real swamp in Georgia.” #gapol
I’m at the site of a Fulton County elections office where FBI officials confirmed they are conducting “court authorized activity” but declined further comment for now. Trump has repeatedly threatened to open an investigation into his 2020 defeat in Georgia. #gapol
Fulton County Clerk Che Alexander and Fulton County Commission Chair Robb Pitts just entered the building, saying they will comment after they get a briefing.
Georgia House Democrats walk out of the chamber en masse in protest of a Republican-backed bill to block taxpayer funds from being used to pay for gender-affirming care for state prison inmates. #gapol
“Take a walk!” House Democrats chant after bolting from the chamber in defiance of the GOP bill. When I asked House Minority Leader Carolyn Hugley whether she worried this could push Republicans further to the right, she said: “There’s not much left” to go. #gapol
Plays into this: Georgia Democrats are channeling their fury and frustration inward as liberal voters and grassroots organizers demand a more aggressive, confrontational response to President Donald Trump’s return to power. #gapol
The town hall crowd peppers Rep. Rich McCormick with boos and catcalls as he struggles to answer a pointed question from a resident who says she’s a descendant of Patrick Henry who pressed him on whether Trump was moving toward “tyranny.” #gapol
Republican state Sen. Colton Moore was just arrested by state Troopers after he tried to defy a House order that banned him from the chambers. He was knocked to the floor after a scuffle, and was led away after telling authorities they were denying his rights. #gapol
Backstory from yesterday here: A far-right Republican state senator said he plans to ignore his banishment from the state House and attend Thursday’s State of the State address by Gov. Brian Kemp. #gapol
Fulton County is now starting to report its totals. Georgia’s most populous county, Biden won 73% of Fulton’s vote in 2020. Harris is on a similar track with half the county’s precincts reporting. #gapol
Keep an eye on Forsyth County, an exurban GOP stronghold. In 2020, Trump captured Forsyth with nearly two-thirds of the vote. Democrats are working to shave his margins there - winning by losing less - particularly targeting independent women there. #gapol
Clayton County might be the spot that has most spooked Democrats, because of lagging early voting turnout. So far, Clayton is about on pace where it was in 2020. #gapol