Ups, Downs and In-betweens
May Primaries: Tuesday, May 21, is the date set for primary elections in races for county and state offices, as well as U.S. House seats and judicial positions. Some incumbents have no opposition, but redistricting has changed some legislative boundaries. You can check the My Voter page on the Georgia Secretary of State’s website (mvp.sos.ga.gov/s/) to find your polling place location and view a sample ballot. The general election is Tuesday, Nov. 5.
Among the most-watched primary races are those for two U.S. House seats. Georgia’s District 3 Rep. Drew Ferguson (R-The Rock), first elected in 2016, is not running again. Several candidates are vying for the right to run in the general election to succeed him. In the 13th District, long-time Rep. David Scott (D-Atlanta), whose district configuration has changed, faces several challengers.
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis is being challenged in the primary by Democrat Christian Wise Smith, who ran against her four years ago. Republican Courtney Kramer is expected to be the GOP nominee.
The March presidential primary produced the anticipated victories for both parties’ candidates: President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump. The turnout was a low 11.1%.
Exterior rendering of Rivian’s future Georgia manufacturing campus. This rendering shows a view of the front of the plant building, along with planned greenspaces filled with native plants. | Photo credit: Rivian
Rivian Reversal: Around the Capitol and in economic development circles, frustration greeted the news that EV startup Rivian is delaying construction on the much-touted $5 billion Georgia plant in Morgan County.
Company founder and CEO RJ Scaringe made the announcement in March when he unveiled a new midsize SUV that will be made at an existing Illinois plant instead of the Georgia site. He said the Morgan County facility “remains really important to us,” but the company did not provide a new timeline.
Site plan of Rivian’s future Georgia manufacturing campus. Over 50% of the site’s acreage will remain unpaved. | Photo credit: Rivian
The incentive package Georgia offered to Rivian totals some $1.5 billion.
The New York Times reported that investors have grown wary about Rivian’s prospects and that the company’s stock has fallen by around 90% since November 2021. The stock closed up 13% after the announcement of the Georgia plant delay, however.
Minority Leaders Step Down: Two of the state’s top Democrats, each a minority leader in their respective legislative chambers, are not running for re-election: State Sen. Gloria Butler (D-Stone Mountain) and State Rep. James Beverly (D-Macon).
Butler is ending a long career that began with her election to the state Senate in 1998. During her first term in office, she was named Freshman Legislator of the Year by the Georgia Legislative Black Caucus and held leadership positions throughout her tenure.
Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, who presides over the Senate, called Butler “a fantastic leader, legislator and friend” and said, “Her even-keeled approach to politics is something that should be replicated.”
Beverly, who was elected to the statehouse in 2011, plans to focus on his optometrist business in Macon but says he has not ruled out running for office in the future.
We’re No. 6!: The Atlanta metropolitan area is now the nation’s sixth-largest, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, pulling ahead of Washington, D.C. and Philadelphia.
The 29-county region, officially the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell metropolitan statistical area, grew to 6.3 million between July 2022 and July 2023 and had the third-largest population rise in the country.
Additionally, two North Georgia counties, Jackson and Dawson, were among the nation’s top five in annual percentage growth from July 2022 to July 2023. Jackson ranked fourth and Dawson was fifth.
New Adjutant General: Maj. Gen. Richard “Dwayne” Wilson becomes adjutant general of the Georgia National Guard May 4, succeeding Maj. Gen. Thomas Carden, who was appointed deputy commander of the United States Northern Command at the North American Aerospace Defense Command in Colorado. Wilson’s military awards include the Legion of Merit and the Bronze Star.
Federal Charges: Former Insurance Commissioner John Oxendine | Photo credit: contributed
Oxendine Guilty Plea: Former Georgia Insurance Commissioner and one-time gubernatorial candidate John Oxendine pleaded guilty to a federal charge of conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud, just weeks before his case was set to go to trial. He agreed to pay nearly $700,000 in restitution as part of his plea agreement. Sentencing is set for July.
Oxendine was insurance commissioner for 16 years and ran unsuccessfully for the Republican nomination for governor in 2010. He is the second former state insurance commissioner to face criminal charges in recent times. Former Commissioner Jim Beck is currently serving time in prison after his 2021 conviction for embezzlement.
