Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and his deputy Gabriel Sterling testify on June 21, 2022, at the U.S. House committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.

Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and his deputy Gabriel Sterling testify on June 21, 2022 at the U.S. House committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.

The panel:

Donna Lowry — Capitol correspondent, @donnalowrynews, Lawmakers, Georgia Public Broadcasting

Kevin Riley — Editor, @ajceditor, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Margaret Coker — Editor-in-chief, @mideastmargaret, The Current

Stephen Fowler — Political reporter, @stphnfwlr, Georgia Public Broadcasting

 

The breakdown:

1. What does the future look like for Georgians featured on the national stage?

  • Brad Raffensperger testified in front of the January 6th Committee on Tuesday. He could see mass appeal to moderates as a result. 

    • Raffensperger is not without his critics. He has come under fire from Democratic Secretary of State hopeful Bee Nguyen for alleging voter fraud.
  • Two Georgia Republicans, GOP Chair David Shafer and Brad Carver, have been subpoenaed by the Justice Department for records related to their submitting of "false electors". 
    • Evidence presented by the January 6th Committee has demonstrated that the Trump campaign orchestrated the effort in Georgia.

Kevin Riley speaks on the Department of Justice investigating false electors in Georgia.

 

2. Georgia's runoffs set up races to watch in November.

  • Wade Herring is taking on Buddy Carter in Georgia's 1st District. The two have both grown up in Georgia and attend the same church. After Jan. 6, Herring moved his family's pew away from Carter.
  • The 2nd District's Republican runoff saw underdog Chris West edge out a win over Jeremy Hunt. He'll face Rep. Sanford Bishop for the seat in November.

Margaret Coker breaks down the results from Georgia's 1st District Republican runoff.

3. Cherokee County voters spurn school board hopefuls nominated by a national PAC.

  • The 1776 Project PAC nominated school board candidates in Cherokee, Coweta, and other counties. They hoped to install a majority to ban what they call critical race theory.

    • Voters rejected the candidates in favor of well-known locals.
    • Donna Lowry emphasized the importance of local elections.

4. Sen. Raphael Warnock is celebrating President Biden's proposed lifting of the national gas tax.

  • Biden wants to put the federal gas tax on holiday, saving Americans around 18 cents.

    • Kevin Riley says while there's not much Biden can do as president, this effort shows Americans that Biden does sympathize at a time where he is unpopular.
    • Donna Lowry says issues like inflation, gas prices, and insulin costs are bread-and-butter issues that get presidents reelected.

Friday on Political Rewind:

Fred Smith and Amy Steigerwalt join the panel.

Tags: Political Rewind  Bill Nigut  Georgia  Brad Raffensperger  Bee Nguyen  David Shafer  buddy carter  first district  school board  critical race theory