ATLANTA (AP) — Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis is accusing the estranged wife of a special prosecutor she hired of trying to obstruct her criminal election-interference case against former President Donald Trump and others by seeking to question her in the couple’s divorce proceedings.

A motion filed last week by a defense attorney in the election case alleges that Willis was involved in a romantic relationship with attorney Nathan Wade. A lawyer for Willis wrote in a filing Thursday that lawyers for Wade’s wife, Joycelyn Wade, served a subpoena to the district attorney last week.

The filing says that the subpoena is being sought “in an attempt to harass and damage” Willis’ professional reputation and accuses Joycelyn Wade of having “conspired with interested parties in the criminal Election Interference Case to use the civil discovery process to annoy, embarrass, and oppress” the district attorney.

The attempt to question Willis is “obstructing and interfering” with an ongoing criminal case, lawyer Cinque Axam wrote in the court filing Thursday seeking to quash the subpoena.

Andrea Hastings, a lawyer for Joycelyn Wade, said they want to help her “resolve her divorce fairly and privately” and that any response to Willis’ motion will come in a filing with the court.

Willis was served with the subpoena the same day that defense attorney Ashleigh Merchant, who represents former Trump campaign staffer and onetime White House aide Michael Roman, filed a motion alleging an inappropriate relationship between Willis and Nathan Wade. She asserted that their alleged actions created a conflict of interest and led to Willis profiting personally from the prosecution. The motion seeks to have the indictment thrown out and to have Willis and Wade removed from the case.

Willis’ office has said they will respond to Merchant’s motion in a court filing but have not provided a timeline for that. Her filing on Thursday in the divorce case does not address whether she and Wade have been romantically involved.

The district attorney’s lawyer wrote that Nathan and Joycelyn Wade have been separated for more than two years and are involved in “an uncontested no-fault divorce” and there is an “absence of any relevant basis” to question Willis.

Merchant has not provided any solid proof to support her allegations of an inappropriate relationship. She mentioned “sources close” to Willis and Wade without elaborating.

Merchant’s motion also mentions that filings in Wade’s pending divorce are sealed but that she has filed a motion to unseal them. A coalition of news organizations, including The Associated Press, filed a motion Tuesday to gain access to those filings.

“Ms. Willis alleges that her deposition is being sought in an attempt to harass and damage her professional reputation. Why would her truthful testimony risk damaging her reputation?” Merchant wrote in an email Thursday.

She accused Willis of trying “to create a conspiracy where none exists,” noting that she filed her motion on the deadline for pretrial motions in the election case.

“We believe her filing in Cobb County is just another attempt to avoid having to directly answer the important questions Mr. Roman has raised,” Merchant wrote.

Merchant wrote in her motion last week that Wade has been paid large sums and has used some of his earnings to take Willis on vacation to Napa Valley, Florida and the Caribbean. She said that amounts to the pair “profiting significantly from this prosecution at the expense of the taxpayers.”

Merchant said she can find no evidence that Wade — whose law firm website touts his experience in civil litigation, including car accident and family law cases — has ever prosecuted a felony case. She questioned his qualifications to try this case.

Willis defended her hiring of Wade and his qualifications during an address at a church in Atlanta on Sunday but has not commented publicly on the allegation of a romantic relationship. Among other things, she cited Wade’s 10 years of experience as a municipal court judge and 20 years in private practice.

“Because the parties agree that the marriage is irretrievably broken and the concept of fault is not at issue, there is no information that District Attorney Willis could provide that might prove relevant to granting or denying the divorce,” the filing says.

Also Thursday, Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee set a Feb. 15 hearing on Merchant’s motion and ordered prosecutors to file their response by Feb. 2.

Trump and Roman were indicted by a Fulton County grand jury in August along with 17 others. They’re accused of participating in a wide-ranging scheme to try to illegally overturn the 2020 presidential election in Georgia. Four of those charged have already pleaded guilty after reaching deals with prosecutors. Trump, Roman and the others who remain have pleaded not guilty.

Roman was the director of Election Day operations for the Trump campaign and also had worked in the White House.

Prosecutors say he helped coordinate an effort to contact state lawmakers on Trump’s behalf to encourage them to “unlawfully appoint presidential electors.”

He is also alleged to have been involved in efforts to have Republicans in swing states that Trump lost, including Georgia, meet on Dec. 14, 2020, to sign certificates falsely saying Trump had won their states and that they were the electors for their states. He was in touch with local Republican officials in several states to set up those meetings.

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ATLANTA – Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger is referring the cases of 17 Georgians suspected of having voted twice in 2022 to district attorneys in nine counties where those voters live.

These voters are suspected of voting once in Georgia in the November 2022 general election and again in another state.

“One illegal vote cast is too many,” Raffensperger said Tuesday. “Georgians deserve to have their voice heard fully, not have it diluted by bad actors.”

The allegations came to light as a result of Georgia’s membership in the Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC), a network of 24 states and the District of Columbia that share data on voters.

The cases of double voting came from Barrow, Chatham, Cobb, Douglas, Fannin, Forsyth, Fulton, Morgan, and Tift counties.

Voter turnout in Georgia has been on the upswing in recent election cycles. Georgia saw the largest increase in turnout of any state in the 2018 midterm election, and set turnout records in 2020 and 2022.

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ATLANTA – Gov. Brian Kemp is talking up Georgia to foreign business and political big wigs for the second January in a row.

Kemp is spending the week in Switzerland attending the World Economic Forum, meeting business executives and political leaders and taking part in discussion panels.

“We get a lot of value being able to see, talk to, and pitch a lot of people in one place,” Kemp told Capitol Beat Tuesday in an exclusive interview from Davos, Switzerland. “The exposure we get is really helpful selling the state.”

The trip includes meetings both with executives from companies with an existing presence in Georgia and those that might be interested in setting up shop in the Peach State.

On Tuesday, the governor met with officials from Korean automaker Hyundai, which is building a massive electric vehicle manufacturing plant west of Savannah, and multinational technology company Cisco, which has offices in Midtown Atlanta. Tomorrow, the state will host a luncheon reception for 25 companies.

Kemp also participated in a panel discussion on the EV industry, which has become a major player in Georgia with both the Hyundai plant and a manufacturing facility Rivian is building east of Atlanta along the Interstate 20 corridor.

The governor will lead Georgia’s delegation to meetings elsewhere in Switzerland later this week before heading back home on Saturday.

Kemp, a potential candidate for the U.S. Senate after his second term as governor expires in 2026, dismissed the notion that he’s out to burnish his own national and international profile by going to Davos.

“My No.-1 goal is selling our state,” he said. “That’s the reason I came to the forum.”

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(CNN) — Most Iowa GOP caucusgoers refuse to accept President Joe Biden’s 2020 election victory and say they would view former President Donald Trump, whom CNN projected will win the caucuses Monday night, as fit for office even if convicted of a crime, according to CNN’s entrance poll for the Iowa Republican presidential caucuses.

Trump’s victory highlights his strength among key groups that form the bulk of the GOP electorate, according to the entrance poll. Roughly half of Iowa caucusgoers described themselves as “very conservative,” and nearly half identified as part of the MAGA movement, referring to the “Make America Great Again” slogan popularized by Trump in 2016. Broad majorities in both of those groups broke for Trump, as did the lion’s share of White evangelicals and those age 65 and older.

The results also highlight the stark educational divide that has become a defining feature of the GOP electorate. While Trump held a commanding lead among Iowa caucusgoers without college degrees, college graduates were more closely divided among Trump, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.  

Entrance polls are a valuable tool to help understand caucusgoers’ demographic profile and political views. Like all surveys, however, entrance polls are estimates, not precise measurements of the electorate. That’s particularly true for the preliminary set of entrance poll numbers, which haven’t yet been weighted to match the final results of the caucus. But the results provide a glimpse of the type of voters turning out to participate in the first contest of the 2024 campaign.

The results of the entrance poll mark a shift in the Republican electoral landscape from the 2016 Iowa caucuses, when White evangelicals and very conservative votes broke in favor of Texas Sen. Ted Cruz over Trump. (Cruz went on to win the state that year but lost the nomination to Trump.)

Trump’s strength with the Iowa electorate is also evident in caucusgoers’ response to his previous election loss and the criminal charges he faces. About two-thirds said they do not believe that Biden’s victory over Trump more than three years ago was legitimate. There is no evidence of widespread voter fraud in the 2020 election. More than 6 in 10 said that they would consider Trump fit for the presidency if he were to be convicted of a crime, with only about one-third saying they wouldn’t see him as fit in that circumstance.

Among the minority of caucusgoers who said Trump would be unfit for the presidency if convicted, about half backed Haley on Monday, with about one-third supporting DeSantis.

Trump’s support in Iowa has been locked in for some time, the entrance poll suggests, while his rivals have seen more recent gains. About 80% of Trump’s supporters said they made their decision to back him prior to this month. By contrast, a majority of Haley’s supporters said they made their decision sometime in January, as did roughly half of DeSantis’ backers.

Asked which of four personal qualities mattered most to them in a candidate, about 4 in 10 caucusgoers said they wanted to see a candidate who shared their values and about 3 in 10 that they wanted someone would fight for people like them, with fewer looking for a candidate who had the right temperament or could defeat Biden. While voters’ decision-making processes are too complicated to be described by a single question, the divide in responses highlights the very different appeals that Trump, DeSantis and Haley offer to their respective supporters. 

Roughly half of Trump supporters said they were looking for a candidate who would fight for people like them, with about one-third prioritizing a candidate who shared their values, and few attributing their decision to Trump’s temperament or perceived electability. A wide majority of DeSantis supporters, by contrast, said they most wanted to see a candidate who shared their values. And Haley supporters were more divided: about 37% said they prioritized temperament, 27% a candidate who shared their values, and 24% someone who could defeat Biden, with few looking for a fighter on their behalf.

About 38% of all GOP caucusgoers called the economy their top concern out of a list of four issues, with about one-third citing immigration, about one-eighth citing abortion, and roughly another one-eighth picking foreign policy. Most GOP caucusgoers – about 6 in 10 – said they’d favor a federal law banning most or all abortions nationwide, the entrance poll also finds. 

The entrance poll for Iowa’s Republican presidential caucus was conducted by Edison Research on behalf of the National Election Pool. It includes 1,628 interviews with Republican caucus participants across 45 different caucus locations. Results for the full sample have a margin of error of plus or minus 2.0 percentage points; it is larger for subgroups.  

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Friday morning, the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW), Local Union 613, hosted their annual Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. breakfast at their Pulliam St. headquarters. Senators Jon Ossoff and Rev. Raphael Warnock were in attendance. They were joined by Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens, DeKalb County CEO Michael Thurmond and Atlanta City Council President Doug Shipman. Additionally, Ambassador Andrew Young and Wanda Cooper-Jones, the mother of Ahmaud Arbery, were in attendance. 

Dr. King was a supporter of labor unions. He traveled to Memphis against the advice of his closest advisors because he wanted to argue for the improvement of working conditions for sanitation workers. Echol Cole and Robert Walker were crushed by a faulty garbage truck compactor as they sought shelter from a rainstorm in the back of the truck on February 1, 1968. After that, 1,300 Black sanitation workers formed a union and went on strike.

“That is why Negroes support labor’s demands and fight laws which curb labor. That is why the labor-hater and labor-baiter is virtually always a twin-headed creature spewing anti-Negro epithets from one mouth and anti-labor propaganda from the other mouth,” King said in a speech in December 1961.

King ultimately led a march on Beale Street on March 28, 1968, that turned violent when police and protesters clashed. On April 3rd, 1968, he would deliver his “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop” speech at the Mason Temple in Memphis which essentially foretold his death the following day at the Lorraine Motel.

Those historical facts were not lost on the minds of the attendees of Friday’s brunch. 

“Three years after the passage of the Voting Rights Act, and four years after the passage of the Civil Rights Act, which integrated public accommodations, they were still forced to live in segregated settings,” said Senator Warnock. I think that’s important to underscore because we tell ourselves a simple story about the movement. We say that a long time ago there was segregation. Dr. King had a dream, everybody got it, and we lived happily ever after. But then workers in 1968 couldn’t get inside the truck. Their bodies were literally crushed. And this is why the labor movement is so important because poor people, working people are still often crushed by the machinery of power.”

The IBEW 613 is characterized as Georgia’s House of Labor. In 2023, members celebrated the contributions of Dr. King, and those who traveled with him: Andrew Young, John Lewis, Ralph David Abernathy and others. Each collectively made sacrifices to the principles of freedom, equality and justice for his life and his contributions.  

“Dr. King told laborers that work that serves humanity as dignity at work,” said Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens. “That is partly why we are working so hard to make sure that Atlanta is a city of opportunity for all and while we are working so hard to make sure our city lives up to its true promise and where our residents can not just survive, but that they can thrive.”

There were also celebrations inside Georgia’s House of Labor. For example, Teamsters unions ratified a new five-year contract on August 22nd. The deal raises pay, eliminates a two-tier wage system for drivers, provides another paid holiday and ends forced overtime. When the deal was announced, it calmed fears that a work stoppage could have skyrocketed shipping costs during the Christmas shopping season. 

Another example is the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE), the Teamsters, and Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) is in a strong position because they believe the movie and television studios cannot withstand another strike in 2024. Why? Each union showed solidarity with the Writers Guild of America (WGA) to pursue its strategy of shutting down productions early in its 148-day strike. Crew unions, the writers and actors unions all banded together around a common goal.

As a result, the 60,000 members represented by the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, reached a tentative three-year deal in November with executives from top entertainment companies including Disney, Netflix, Warner Bros. Discovery and Universal.

Lastly, the United Auto Workers’ (UAW) new agreement with General Motors grants a 25% increase in base wage through April 2028 and will cumulatively raise the top wage by 33%, compounded with estimated cost-of-living adjustments to over $42 an hour. After the UAW ratified a new labor agreement with Stellantis (the company that manufactures Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and Ram Trucks), labor  members will receive a 25% raise, the starting wage for new employees increased 67% and the top wages will increase 33% compared to their pre-strike levels.  

Which brings everyone back to Dr. King’s embrace of Organized Labor. Thurmond essentially said everyone cannot be 100% for him, even though he works with many people in the room.

“But we got to do more than celebrate,” said DeKalb County CEO Michael Thurmond. “We have to rededicate ourselves to finishing the unfinished work before us.  It’s a difference than being unified, as opposed to being unanimous. And see, when you’re out of power at the state level, we have to recognize that the only time we really need to be unified and you unanimous is when we are holding those who oppose us.”

Senator Ossoff echoed similar sentiments.

“Our purpose is to lift up those who build and make things, those who labor and each day those who have built this nation as we undertake historic efforts to rebuild America’s infrastructure,” said Ossoff. “We serve those who will benefit from that infrastructure and those who are building as we reinvigorate American industry and manufacturing.”

As the aroma of bacon, grits, potatoes and waffles filled the air at the IBEW 613, Senator Warnock left everyone with one distinct message.

“So as you remember Dr. King, let us remember the key words: He said that anybody can be great because everybody can serve,” said Senator Warnock. “You only need a heart full of grace and a soul generated by love. So thank you organized labor.”

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Georgia State Representative Imani Barnes has made a quick and swift impact during her brief time as a legislator. The Democrat from Tucker has introduced legislation that would require the Georgia Department of Community Health (DCH) to establish a grant program for creating emergency psychiatric assessments, treatment and healing units in hospitals. This is House Bill 913, also known as the “EmPATH Georgia Act.”

“Maintaining accessible and affordable health care remains at the forefront of the General Assembly’s priorities, and with this legislation, it is my hope that we can continue to build on that foundation and establish available avenues for any and all Georgians struggling with mental health concerns and access to psychiatric care,” said Rep. Barnes. “I am eager to partner with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle as we work to create a therapeutic alliance and improved emergency department throughput in all hospitals throughout the state.”

The legislation has been co-signed by the Georgia House Minority Leader, James Beverly, State Representatives Mary Margaret Oliver, Gregg Kennard, Dr. Michelle Au, and Sam Park. 

According to the bill, it would provide intensive crisis treatment that shall include an evaluation by a psychiatrist within 24 hours of an individual’s admission a health care facility. Another provision in Barnes’s legislation provides services 24 hours a day, seven days a week to individuals on a voluntary and involuntary basis in a community based setting as an alternative to emergency department admission, inpatient hospitalization, and other higher levels of care. 

Last year, House Bill 520 would have recruited more mental health workers, helped people who bounce between hospitals, jails and homelessness, and studied other needs. It failed to cross the finish line on Day 40 of the 2023 legislative session. The Senate version of the measure removed language that would have barred insurers from withholding certain drugs and mandated a housing plan for certain mentally ill homeless people, regardless if an individual has a criminal record. 

Additionally, Barnes has introduced the “Safe Teens Act,” that would authorize local boards of education and other public school governing bodies to offer driver education as an elective course. This is formally known as House Bill 914. 

“Research indicates that motor vehicle accidents are one of the leading causes of death for young drivers aged 15 to 20,” said Rep. Barnes. “With this proposed legislation, it is my intent to ensure all young drivers in Georgia are given the opportunity to equip themselves with the necessary tools and resources to be properly educated on driver safety.”

Currently, drivers education classes are private courses in the State of Georgia ranging from $39.99 to $50. 

“Young drivers are often distracted or inexperienced, thus leading to increasing reports of reckless or impaired driving,” continued Rep. Barnes. “ As a member of the House Committee on Higher Education, I am passionate about giving Georgia’s students access to all forms of education and, in this case, driver safety. It is my hope that this legislation will make Georgia’s roads safe and open doors for young drivers across the state to learn how to be safer and smarter when operating a motor vehicle on Georgia’s roads and highways.”

Barnes introduced legislation in 2023 that would have provided free breakfast and lunch programs for all public school students in this state, who qualify for reduced price meals under federal and state guidelines. Currently, families at or below 130% of the federal poverty line can receive free lunch. Families between 130% and 185% of the federal poverty line can receive a reduced-price lunch. Within these guidelines, a family with three children must earn less than $32,318 in order to receive free lunches. 

This legislation was vetoed by Georgia Governor Brian Kemp. However, the state school board stepped in by approving $6.3 million in federal funds to support Rep. Barnes’s legislation. However, this is not law. Rep. Barnes plans to reintroduce the legislation during the 2024 session. 

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(CNN) — Former President Donald Trump holds a wide lead over his Republican presidential competitors among likely GOP caucusgoers in Iowa, the final Des Moines Register/NBC News/Mediacom poll before Monday’s caucuses found.

Overall, 48% of likely caucusgoers say Trump would be their first choice, 20% name former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, and 16% Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, with the rest of the field below 10%.

Trump stood at 51% in the December DMR/NBC poll and 43% in October, with his chief rivals in the teens in both of those prior polls.

Haley’s numerical move to second place is within the margin of error. Neither her support nor DeSantis’s has changed significantly since the December poll, when DeSantis stood at 19% to Haley’s 16% in a survey with a 4.4 point error margin.

In this poll, Haley faces a sizable enthusiasm gap compared with Trump or DeSantis. While majorities of their supporters say they are enthusiastic about their candidates, only about 4 in 10 of hers say the same.

Overall, roughly two-thirds of likely caucusgoers – 68% – say their minds are made up about whom to support. The poll was fielded among 705 likely GOP caucusgoers during the final stretch of campaigning from January 7 to January 12, with Trump’s backers far more likely to say they are committed to their candidate than those supporting other candidates.

About 8 in 10 Trump supporters – 82% – say their minds are made up, up from December when 70% said they were locked in. Fewer Haley backers, 63%, or DeSantis supporters, 64%, are similarly locked in, though both have solidified a majority of their supporters for the first time in the NBC/DMR poll’s tracking of this measure.

And Trump’s backers are likewise more enthusiastic about supporting him than are supporters of either Haley or DeSantis. While 88% of Trump-backing likely caucusgoers say they are extremely or very enthusiastic about him, a smaller majority of DeSantis backers – 62% – feel the same way and just 39% of Haley’s supporters in Iowa express that level of enthusiasm for her.

Trump’s dominant position carries through major demographic and political divides. His support stands above 50% among likely caucusgoers without college degrees (59%), registered Republicans (54%), evangelical Christians (51%) and those who would be attending for the first time (56%).

Haley performs somewhat better than her overall standing among independents (33% support her, compared with 37% who back Trump) and college graduates (27%, compared with 34% for Trump), while DeSantis support is somewhat higher than his statewide position among evangelical Christians (22%).

The poll also finds Trump with the highest favorability ratings in the field; 69% hold a favorable view of the former president, compared with 58% who view DeSantis favorably, 52% who have a favorable view of Vivek Ramaswamy and 48% who have a favorable view of Haley.

The final Iowa Poll from the Register in 2016 found Trump with 28% support to Texas Sen. Ted Cruz’s 23%, with Florida Sen. Marco Rubio at 15%. Cruz edged Trump 28% to 24%, with Rubio at 23%, in the final results from that year’s Iowa caucuses.

The DMR/NBC/Mediacom poll was conducted by telephone January 7 to 12 among a random sample of 705 likely Republican caucusgoers. Results for the full sample of likely caucusgoers has an error margin of plus or minus 3.7 percentage points.

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(CNN) — Congressional leaders have come to an agreement on a two-tranche short-term funding bill to keep the government funded into March, a source familiar with the matter told CNN.

The new continuing resolution will fund the government through March 1 and March 8. The agreement comes just before the first funding deadline of January 19. The second government funding deadline was February 2.

House Republicans will have a conference call Sunday night to discuss the continuing resolution, the source told CNN. And the text of the resolution is expected to be posted Sunday evening, a spokesperson for Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said.

Schumer and House Speaker Mike Johnson announced last weekend that they had reached an agreement on topline spending numbers, the first step in the process to fund the federal government.

Those numbers include $1.59 trillion for fiscal year 2024, with $886 billion for defense spending and $704 billion in non-defense spending. Schumer and Johnson also agreed to a $69 billion side deal in adjustments that will go toward non-defense domestic spending.

But far-right members of the House GOP conference slammed the deal and some have pushed to include border policy changes in exchange for not shutting down the government. The blowback highlights the challenge for Johnson, who is leading an extremely narrow majority.

Johnson said Friday the deal remains in place after he appeared to be at least entertaining the idea of abandoning it in meetings with conservatives.

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ATLANTA (AP) — The prospect — albeit still dim — that Georgia could fully expand Medicaid has prompted Democrats and patient advocates to turn up the pressure on Republicans in the state legislature to act.

But political experts, advocates and policy analysts say GOP lawmakers face significant headwinds to approving a plan they have long derided as wasteful, and that could ultimately doom the effort.

“There’s reason to be a little more optimistic than one year or two years ago, but there’s not a groundswell of support and willingness to change the status quo on the part of the Republican members of the legislature,” said Harry Heiman, a health policy professor at Georgia State University.

The biggest obstacle is Georgia Pathways, the state’s limited Medicaid expansion that includes the nation’s only work requirement for Medicaid recipients, said Laura Colbert, executive director of the advocacy group Georgians for a Healthy Future.

Republican Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp has championed the program, which launched in July. Though it is off to a rocky start, with just under 2,350 people enrolled as of mid-December, the Kemp administration has sought to extend it past its September 2025 expiration date.

“Governor Kemp has put a lot of political capital into Pathways,” Colbert said.

Colbert said she was optimistic that Georgia lawmakers would eventually approve a fuller expansion of coverage for low-income adults, but not necessarily this year.

Kyle Wingfield, president of the conservative Georgia Public Policy Foundation, said he, too, was skeptical Kemp would be willing to retreat from Pathways.

He also warned that Republican lawmakers could face backlash for any Medicaid deal from Republican primary voters.

Expanding Medicaid to low-income adults who make up to 138% of the federal poverty level, with the federal government picking up 90% of the cost, was a key part of the Affordable Care Act. Georgia is among 10 states that have not done it.

Wingfield said he thinks Republicans in Washington, and to a lesser extent in Georgia, have accepted that the Affordable Care Act is here to stay, but that acceptance may not be shared by rank-and-file GOP primary voters.

“When it comes to the voters in a Republican primary, I don’t think I’d want to be the one finding that out,” he said.

But Brian Robinson, a Republican political consultant who counts the Georgia Alliance of Community Hospitals and House GOP caucus among his clients, says he thinks Republicans face little risk from primary opponents if they vote for Medicaid.

“The political issue of the danger has faded over the time,” Robinson said. “We’ve had some mini-expansions in Georgia and there’s been no blowback on Republicans. In fact they’ve proudly touted it for groups like new mothers.”

Republicans in Georgia also risk alienating the conservative organization Americans for Prosperity with a vote to expand Medicaid coverage.

The group is opposed to expansion, even as part of a deal that would repeal permitting requirements for hospitals and health services, said Tony West, the group’s Georgia State Director. That sort of deal has emerged as a possible compromise between Republicans and Democrats.

West wants lawmakers to focus solely on repealing the permitting requirements and leave Medicaid expansion by the wayside.

“I think we’re taking our eye off the ball,” he said.

Conversely, Wingfield raised the possibility that some Democrats could balk at a deal, noting that Medicaid expansion has been a key political issue for the party in Georgia.

“What do they gain from taking one of their signature issues off the table and letting the Republicans claim a large share of the credit for it?” he asked.

At least for now, Democrats in the General Assembly don’t appear concerned about losing their ability to hammer the GOP on Medicaid. The Democratic caucus organized a lengthy hearing Wednesday focused on the economic and health benefits of expansion that featured health care providers, advocates and policy experts.

In opening remarks, Democratic state Rep. Michelle Au, a doctor, noted Georgia had one of the highest rates of uninsured residents in the country and some of its worst health outcomes.

”As we start this 2024 legislative session, it is my hope that all options are on the table,” she said.

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Governor Brian Kemp voiced his support for school vouchers, the completion of the Atlanta Police and Fire Training Center, pay raises for public school teachers and state employees, and a tepid support of healthcare expansions during his annual State of the State Address. 

Governor Kemp also made contrasts from his administration to President Biden’s administration and Blue States, in his biggest signal yet that he could become a player in national politics in years to come. 

“My commitment to the people of our state is very simple: an upfront promise to put hard working Georgians first,” Kemp said. “Our priorities like education, public safety, and health care, but also keep the government efficient, responsible and accountable. The federal government may have abandoned those principles. But here in Georgia, thanks to the partnership between my administration and the General Assembly, we deliver real results for the people of our state ahead of schedule and under budget. Thanks to a strong and calm and conservative fiscal management of state revenues.”

Those revenues have resulted in an $11 billion surplus, despite falling tax revenues. During his speech, Kemp proposed a 4% cost of living increase for public employees and a $2,500 raise for teachers.

In the midst of that, Kemp offered his support for school vouchers. During his address, Kemp said the free market drives competition and innovation that results in a better product for the consumer. He also believed the same principles hold true for education.

“I believe we have run out of ‘next years,’ ” Kemp said during his annual State of the State address to a joint session of the Georgia House and Senate. “I firmly believe we can take an all-of-the-above approach to education, whether it’s public, private, homeschooling, charter or otherwise.”

During last year’s legislative session, eighteen Republicans voted against a plan that would create $6,500 vouchers. At the time, Democrats hated the idea because the funding for the vouchers would come directly from the Georgia State Budget. They also made the argument the move would fundamentally destroy Georgia’s K-12 public education system. 

“He is using his political power to block Medicaid expansion and defund public schools,” said Rep. Billy Mitchell, D-Stone Mountain, Chairman of the House Democratic Caucus.

Next, Governor Kemp applauded Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens and Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum for their efforts in fighting crime. Kemp used the moment to voice his support for the full completion of the Atlanta Police and Fire Training Center, to rapturous applause in the House Chamber. 

“While the mayor and I come from different political parties and don’t agree on everything, we do agree on the importance of reducing crime and keeping our citizens safe,” Kemp said. “Bipartisan majorities of both chambers, the mayor, and myself all agree on the critical need for the completion of the Atlanta Public Safety Training Center.”

On January 18, 2023, The Georgia Bureau of Investigation alleged environmental activist Manuel “Tortuguita” Terán fired the first gunshot from inside a tent after ignoring officers’ orders and refusing to come out, hitting Georgia State Trooper Jerry A. Parrish. Terán was subsequently shot and killed. Parrish was recognized during Kemp’s State of the State address after recovering from his injuries. Since then, sixty-one protesters of the site they dubbed as “Cop City” were charged by Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr under the state’s RICO Statute and the trial is scheduled to begin this month. 

“As long as I’m your governor, there will be no gray area or political double talk: We support our law enforcement officers. We support our firefighters and first responders,” Kemp said.

The first phase of the Atlanta Police and Fire Training Center is set to open later this year.

“That is why last year, thanks to the work of the General Assembly, I was proud to sign a budget that included a $6,000 pay raise for state law enforcement officers,” Kemp said. “That pay raise was a recognition of the contributions these brave men and women make as they put their lives on the line, day in and day out.”

Regarding healthcare expansion, the Democrats said Georgia Republicans know they have policies that are indefensible. During the Georgia Chamber’s annual Eggs and Issues legislative breakfast, Georgia House Speaker, Jon Burns, said the House’s top priority would be increasing access, lowering cost and creating better outcomes for Georgia families will be a top priority. Moreover, during Eggs and Issues, Governor Kemp proposed $50 million that would help fund the creation of a medical school at the University of Georgia because he said the state has had trouble recruiting healthcare professionals. 

“With these new assets on the way we will further address the growing need for healthcare professionals in our state and ensure that we are doing everything that we can to address the challenges across the healthcare spectrum, from workforce to cost to access to quality,” said Kemp. 

Democrats seized on the fact rural healthcare in Georgia is largely non-existent. The current inability to access equitable and quality healthcare that is within minutes from residents in rural Georgia is woefully unacceptable. Additionally, the closures of the Atlanta Medical Center in 2022 and Wellstar’s closure of its care center in East Point on January 12th, also presents challenges to individuals in Fulton County needing care. 

“We need a people-centered legislative plan,” Mitchell said. “Instead the governor has kept his head in the sand. He is using his political power to block Medicaid expansion. Each year they block Medicaid expansion, it costs Georgians $3 billion. The people of Georgia are being misled. They’re flushing literally billions of dollars of taxpayer dollars down the drain.”

Georgia is one of ten states that has not agreed to expand the Medicaid program.

“This isn’t just a policy oversight, it is a moral failing,” said Georgia State Senator Nabilah Islam Parkes, a Democrat from Lawrenceville. Hundreds of thousands of our people are left without adequate health care. Consider this: a modest investment of less than 1% of this state budget would fully expand Medicaid and unlock new federal funding. This move would not just be a lifeline for those in need of health care. It would be a catalyst for economic growth, projected to generate over $65 billion in new economic activity in Georgia over a decade and support more than 56,000 new jobs across the state.”

While Kemp was completing his address, the Governor’s Office of Planning and Budget released a $37.5 billion mid-year budget request and a $36.1 billion spending proposal for fiscal 2025. The legislature’s budget writing committees will meet for three days next week to review the two budgets.

“In an election year, I don’t expect us all to agree on every issue,” Kemp said. “But in the middle of all that, I ask that we also remember Georgia is different for a reason. That our success is not an accident, but the result of resilient people who elected their leaders to keep state government efficient, responsive and accountable.” 

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