Gov. Brian Kemp

Georgia Governor Brian Kemp hopes to avoid a runoff against former U.S. Senator David Perdue.

Credit: Riley Bunch / GPB

The Panel:

Sen. Kim Jackson – State Senator, (D) Stone Mountain 

Edward Lindsay – Republican strategist 

Claire Sanders – Senior Lecturer of Political Science and Public Administration at Georgia College & State University 

Greg Bluestein – Politics reporter, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution 

 

The Breakdown: 

1. Kemp distributes federal COVID-19 relief money.

  • Federal assistance is distributed to constituents in Georgia 
  • Kemp's timing may help him in the primary elections. He is expected to win, but trying to avoid a runoff against former U.S. Sen. David Perdue. 
  • The money Kemp is distributing comes from federal funding all Republican congressional delegates voted against. 
  • The state still has not expanded Medicaid using federal money.

2. Trump-endorsed candidates see primary results around U.S. 

  • Dr. Mehmet Oz was in a tight race for the Republican U.S. Senate Primary race. He is endorsed by former President Donald Trump. 
  • Republican candidates in Georgia are seeing how far a Trump endorsement may go.
  • Trump-endorsed candidates in races did not always fare better than their rivals

3. Officials continue to react to deadly Buffalo mass shooting that killed 10. 

  • President Joe Biden addressed the shooting, but acknowledged that he did not have the votes in Congress for widespread gun law reform. 
  • Echoes of "replacement theory," which allegedly motivated the shooter, continue in conservative media. 
  • Tucker Carlson, a popular Fox News personality, has mentioned "replacement theory" on his show hundreds of times

4. Candidate near the finish line in Georgia primary elections

  • The Republican primary for Secretary of State could show the implications of Trump's 2020 election wrath. 
  • Stacey Abrams' running mate will be decided in a crowded primary for Democratic Lieutenant Governor. 

 

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