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Political Rewind: GOP leaders urged Perdue not to run; Rivian coming to Ga.; Raffensperger testifies
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The Panel:
Kevin Riley — Editor, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Dr. Amy Steigerwalt — Professor of political science, Georgia State University
Dr. Tammy Greer — Professor of political science, Clark Atlanta University
Tia Mitchell — Washington correspondent, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Breakdown:
1. GOP state lawmakers asked former Sen. David Perdue to not enter Georgia's gubernatorial race against Kemp.
- Axios reporter Emma Hurt first reported on the story, which saw GOP lawmakers send a letter to Perdue.
- Dr. Amy Steigerwalt highlights how Democrats could respond.
2. Rivian to set up shop in Rutledge, Ga., with an electric vehicle factory.
- The Amazon-linked manufacturer is promising 7,500* jobs.
- The plant could help Gov. Brian Kemp with his message of a strong economy in the state.
- Dr. Tammy Greer said rural communities surrounding the factory could be gentrified if negotiations come through for the site.
3. Brad Raffensperger helps with Jan. 6 investigation.
- GPB's Stephen Fowler reports the secretary of state is one of several Georgia officials who have spoken to a U.S. House committee investigating the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6.
- Former President Donald Trump attempted to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election. The vote was counted three times in Georgia, where Trump lost.
4. A follow-up: Smyrna decides to sell the building that housed the controversial restaurant Aunt Fanny's cabin.
- The restaurant featured several racial tropes, including employees dressed up as slaves.
- The city's task force on the matter voted to put the building up for sale and remove it from the city-owned property on Atlanta Road.
5. Will Gov. Brian Kemp greenlight Sonny Perdue's bid for chancellor?
- The former U.S. Secretary of Agriculture wants the top position in Georgia’s higher education system.
- Sonny Perdue is also the cousin of David Perdue, who is running against the incumbent governor.
- Dr. Greer spoke on conflicts within the GOP.
Tomorrow on Political Rewind: We speak to The Atlantic Journal-Constitution's Patricia Murphy.
*This article was published before the negotiations were officially announced by Gov. Kemp and Rivian. The original estimation in this story read around 8,000 jobs.