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David Perdue takes steps to run against Warnock in 2022
Featured News, Featured Stories, News February 15, 2021
ATLANTA, Ga – The 2022 U.S. Senate race starts heating up with former U.S. Senator David Perdue (R – Ga) filing paperwork to potentially run against Senator Raphael Warnock (D – Ga).
The former senator, who lost his runoff against Jon Ossoff on January 5, established the “Perdue for Senate” campaign on Monday with the Federal Election Commission.
This move doesn’t necessarily mean Perdue will enter the race, and Fox News is reporting, he will decide in the coming weeks. However, the conservative news outlet also indicates Perdue is leaning toward running.
If Perdue runs against Warnock, it leaves another prominent Georgia Republican and former Ninth District Representative Doug Collins in an interesting position. Sources say Collins’ also considering another Senate bid in 2022.
Taken from the FEC website on February 15, 2021.
In a jungle primary, Collins came in third against Warnock and former Senator Kelly Loeffler (R). Warnock later beat Loeffler in the runoff.
Related: Doug Collins will appear on BKP Politics on Tuesday, February 16 at 8 a.m.
Perdue won his Senate seat in 2014 and quickly aligned himself with President Trump in 2016. The President has strongly indicated that he would be involved in the Georgia 2022 elections following Governor Brian Kemp’s refusal to overturn the election.
Ossoff received 50.6 percent of the vote in the runoff to 49.4 percent for Perdue. On November 3, Perdue led Ossoff before dropping below 50 percent to push the race to a runoff.
Warnock and Ossoff’s wins handed the Senate control over to the Democrats, with 50 Senators and Vice President Kamala Harris (D) serving as the tie-breaking vote.
Senator Raphael Warnock
2022 will see Georgia become a political hotbed once again with Governor Brian Kemp (R), Lt. Governor Geoff Duncan (R), and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger (R) up for reelection. Many in the Republican Party aren’t happy with the incumbents following the November 3 election. Trump’s stated he intends to find primary candidates against Kemp at least. Politicos look for Stacey Abrams (D) to run against Kemp in the general election as a 2018 rematch.
Taylor enters governor race, others likely to follow
News, Politics, State & National February 10, 2021
BAXLEY, Ga. – Kandiss Taylor became the first Republican to challenge Brian Kemp (R) in Georgia’s 2022 race for Governor.
Flanked by supporters, Dr. Kandiss Taylor made her announcement outside the Appling County Courthouse. Taylor was adamant that her campaign better reflects the small-town values of everyday people.
“I’m running for the people. I’m not represented, and the people aren’t represented,” said Taylor. “I think we’ve gotten to this place of RINOs, Republican in name only, and they’re not representing the people, and the people don’t even show up to vote because they think they’re all the same.”
The mother of three and longtime educator didn’t shy away from her struggles in her failed run for Senate against Kelly Loeffler last year. One of those struggles was her fundraising. According to the Federal Elections Commission, Taylor’s Senate campaign had just over $30,000 in total contributions. By comparison, Kemp enters the year with over $6 million. Nevertheless, Taylor believes the lessons she learned last year put her in a better position at a run for Governor and welcomes the challenge.
Taylor might be the first Republican to throw her hat into the 2022 gubernatorial primary, but she likely won’t be the last. Before leaving the White House, Trump was clear about his disapproval of Kemp after not calling for a special session regarding voter fraud. While it may be over a year before the election, Trump may be weighing his options on who to support in the primary. Politicos wonder if prominent Georgia Republican Doug Collins will jump into the race. He already earned Trump’s good graces, and many believe the former Ninth District Congressman isn’t finished with politics. However, Collins could choose to run against Senator Raphael Warnock (D) who’s up for election in 2022.
On the Democrat side, all eyes are on Stacey Abrams (D) as another potential contender. After her loss to Kemp in 2018, Abrams turned her focus to voter suppression. That same year Abrams started Fair Fight. The nonprofit played a heavy role in the contentious presidential and Senate races with the Fair Fight 2020 campaign. Democrats leaned on digital tactics and groups like Fair Fight’s $90 million war chest to make up the difference after the party suspended door-to-door canvassing due to the pandemic. While Abrams continues to say silent regarding her political future, Republicans aren’t taking any chances. In late January, Republican strategists launched StopStacey.org.
The Libertarian Party of Georgia isn’t staying quiet either. Outspoken podcaster Shane Hazel threw his hat into the race during a live stream on his show, “Radical with Shane Hazel.”
“Secret’s out, man. Running for governor here in Georgia,” said Hazel.
Hazel isn’t new to Georgia politics. Hazel was the third party candidate that ran against David Perdue (R) and Jon Ossoff (D) last year. Of the nearly 5 million votes between the three candidates, Hazel received 111,039, or 2.32% of the total vote.
Rep. Kasey Carpenter revolts against local GOP to defend his in-state tuition bill for DACA recipients
Opinion February 2, 2021
Dalton’s Republican state Rep. Kasey Carpenter (R-Dalton) denounced his home GOP on the House floor in defense of his legislation (HB 120) to grant illegal aliens in-state tuition rates. The bill would allow undocumented international students living in Georgia to pay less tuition than Americans and legal immigrants from most other states in Georgia’s public universities and the technical college system.
“As far as DACA recipients receiving in-state tuition rates, These individuals are here thru no fault of their own. They are or will be taxpayers in the state of Georgia. I am interested in creating more givers than takers to our economy. Affordable College education is a step in that direction. The state pays the same rate whether that student pays in-state or out-of-state tuition. It is the university or college that takes the hit. Many take that hit on students from surrounding states. The federal government has failed America in regard to immigration. Unfortunately, we have to come up with the best solutions with the situation we have been handed. Making lemonade out of lemons,” Carpenter told FYN.
For the academic year 2019-2020, the average tuition & fees for Colleges in Georgia is $4,721 for in-state and $16,879 for out-of-state, according to collegetuitioncompare.com.
Last week Rep Carpenter made a short speech to the Georgia House blasting his bill’s opponents, lamenting the period in history when the U.S. had “a show-up” immigration policy, verbally merged ‘immigrants’ with illegals – and with an audible groan from an off-camera House member, cited the biblical story of Joseph and his family in ancient Egypt to defend his tuition legislation.
The now growing controversy began when the Whitfield Republican Party sent out an email opposing the legislation shortly after its introduction. The email read, “Carpenter is renewing his attempts to make Georgia a magnet for a new wave of illegal.” Rep Carpenter responded with a Facebook post saying his tuition bill was crafted for DACA recipients and would “only apply to individuals considered lawfully present in Georgia as of 2013, aka DACA.”
Carpenter had the following to say about Whitfield GOP, “My problem with our local GOP is they sent out miss information about this bill without even calling beforehand. Sometimes local parties have individuals involved with their own agenda. It doesn’t speak to the entire party but A select few.”
A 2019 11th Circuit Appellate Court decision ruled that DACA does not provide lawful status and denied a group of DACA recipient’s lawsuit demand for admission to the three public-funded public Georgia universities that do not allow illegal aliens to attend at any tuition rate.
DACA is a 2012 executive amnesty program put in place by then-President Barack Obama that grants deferred action on deportation along with a work permit and Social Security Number to illegal aliens. Georgia issues driver’s licenses and official state ID Cards to DACA recipients as well as other “public benefits.”
“I am having our legislative Council review the 2019 Appellate Court decision. If they are considered not lawfully present, I am regards to this bill, then in-state tuition would not be required by this bill,” Carpenter stated.
Rep. Kasey Carpenter (R-Dalton)
Carpenter also blasted the bill’s opponents on Facebook, saying, “looks like it may be time for a new Republican Group to be established in Whitfield County.”
“This is the first time I remember seeing a state legislator of any party move to replace his county party apparatus,” said Gold Dome denizen D.A. King. “But I have only been involved in state politics for seventeen years. It seems that the Whitfield Republican Party is overly conservative for the man they sent to Atlanta to represent them,” King chuckled. King, a recognized authority on illegal immigration and president of the Dustin Inman Society, is an outspoken critic of Carpenter’s tuition legislation.
