Archive for the ‘Sue Everhart’ Category

The race to replace Sue Everhart as chairman of the state GOP may be over before it really got started.

On Sunday afternoon, former state senator Chip Pearson of Dawsonville – the first announced candidate in the contest – has pulled out of the contest. That leaves B.J. VanGundy, now second vice-president in the GOP hierarchy, as the only active candidate.

VanGundy was a top Newt Gingrich operative in Georgia during the presidential primary, and was recently nominated by Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle to the state’s newly re-authorized charter school commission.

In withdrawing from the race, Pearson cited the press of other interests. A few paragraphs from a note he sent to supporters on Sunday afternoon:

It has been my hope to lead that charge here in Georgia and help take the Georgia GOP to the next level in the process. In fact, many of you had helped us start the preliminary framework for a new party model this last fall. I believe the plan we sketched out is sound, prudent, and …

Continue reading Chip Pearson withdraws from state GOP chairmanship race »

State Rep. Dusty Hightower, R-Carrollton, this morning dropped legislation on behalf of Secretary of State Brian Kemp to unclog the processing of half-million professional licenses – unintended victims of Georgia’s illegal immigration statute.

HB 87, passed in 2011, currently requires all license applicants – from nurses to barbers to plumbers – to submit proof of citizenship before new or renewed licenses are granted.

Wait times for licenses have increased five-fold as a result, Kemp says.

HB 32 will only require applicants to submit proof of citizenship only once. A similar measure was attempted last year, but failed when it became wrapped into legislation that would have barred all undocumented students from public universities.

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Meanwhile, the state Senate’s newly configured Committee on Assignments today gets down to the business of doling out chairmanships and committee memberships. The biggest prize: Chairmanship of the Senate Rules Committee, through which all bills …

Continue reading Your daily jolt: A fix for unintended victims of Ga.’s illegal immigration law »

Georgia GOP chairman Sue Everhart this afternoon joined other Republicans to demand my outrage – and yours — over this bit of art called “Our Stripes” that Barack Obama’s re-election campaign is selling for $35 a print:

“I’m speechless. Utterly disrespectful and outrageous,” Everhart says.

Now, I’m entirely willing to be outraged. I find it exciting, and it burns calories. But I require more information.

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It is entirely common for political organizations to take flag motifs and alter them for their own purposes. Bunting, for example.

In the above case, the Obama campaign has adopted the form of the U.S. flag (note that there are five stripes, not seven), but has stayed away from the colors. Other groups prefer to use the colors of the U.S. flag – but feel free to play with the form.

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Some people might declare that putting a personal stamp on a U.S. flag is somehow disrespectful. But Mitt Romney surely isn’t among them, because his campaign is selling this poster on …

Continue reading Of American flags, American colors and the art of outrage »

Tampa — The final meeting of the Georgia delegation to the Republican National Convention will feature an early morning address from U.S. House Speaker John Boehner, courtesy of House Speaker David Ralston.

What Boehner says will be a mystery to the rest of us. State GOP Chairman Sue Everhart has ruled that the Thursday meeting – like all other meetings of the Georgia delegation this week – will remain closed to journalists.

GOP spokesman Chris Kelleher said press was being excluded “at the request of one of the guest speakers” – but he could not say which one. But don’t assume that either Boehner or Ralston is the cause of the exclusion.

Previous closures have been intended to shield from reporters the lack of unanimity for Mitt Romney within the delegation – with little success.

By the way, the Insider is entirely willing to accept audio clips that might be sent via smart phone from tomorrow’s breakfast.

- By Jim Galloway, Political Insider

For instant updates, follow me on …

Continue reading John Boehner to address Georgia delegates in closed session »

Ladies and gentlemen: With this post, I’m taking a few days off. Have a safe Memorial Day weekend.

The mark of a successful political convention is an absence of surprises.

By the time thousands of Republicans fled Columbus last weekend, the forces of Ron Paul had been routed with a heavy hand. Not a surprise.

Delegates to the annual state convention had rebuked the GOP-controlled Legislature for refusing to get serious about ethics reform. Important but predictable, given the anger of tea partyists.

And the Republican party’s executive committee, just before delegates jumped into their cars, had announced the five non-binding questions that will be placed before GOP voters on the July 31 primary ballot.

Topping the list: ‘Should Georgia have casino gambling with funds going to education?”

Boom.

The very topic stunned the highest-perched Republicans in the land. “The casino question was a shock coming out of the convention — given the prominence of social conservatives in the …

Continue reading The mystery of the Republican casino question »

The Republican world – at least the Georgia part of it – is headed down to Columbus today for its two-day state convention.

Former state senator Chip Pearson of Dawsonville

Delegates will be pointed to November and, in at least one case, beyond. Among the many fliers on their seats will be one from former state Sen. Chip Pearson of Dawsonville, announcing his candidacy for state party chairman in 2013.

He’s already got a website that includes this shout-out to the current term-limited chairman, Sue Everhart:

With your help, we will continue Sue Everhart’s proud tradition of grassroots leadership and build on her great successes. I want to hear your ideas on how we can build on the successes of the Georgia GOP and make our Party even stronger…

Pearson, who has spent the last year raising money for the party, will be emphasizing his loyalty to the grassroots rather than officialdom. “People don’t know that there’s a whole lot more of me in the party than there is in the …

Continue reading Your morning jolt: The 2013 campaign season begins — for GOP chairmanship »

The Georgia Republican party is reporting $1,073,053 in cash on hand as of June 30, according to a financial disclosure filed with the state ethics commission.

The party has raised $854,063 in the last six months, but spent $980,529. Kevin Harris, the party’s executive director, said the fund-raising lull was the result of the economy, and a slack period in the presidential political cycle.

(By comparison, the state Democratic party reports $178,705 in cash on hand.)

That said, given this year’s GOP chairmanship fight, between incumbent Sue Everhart and the governor-backed Tricia Pridemore, fund-raising figures remain something to keep watch on.

Here’s why:

On May 18, four days after Pridemore lost, two major supporters of Gov. Nathan Deal formed something called Real PAC, a political action committee based in Roswell. The chairman is Jim Walters, a major contributor to the Deal campaign and a Deal appointee to the North Georgia Mountains Authority.

The Real PAC treasurer is …

Continue reading Of the state GOP’s $1 million in cash, and something called Real PAC »

Someone may have a campaign camera or two at the state GOP convention that starts this afternoon in Macon. And no there will no doubt be a presidential straw poll at the end.

Republican presidential contender Herman Cain. Jay Reiter/MCT

Which is probably why we received this from DraftCain.org:

Herman Cain, a favorite son of Georgia, will be making a speech in the Macon Centerplex at 11 AM. [Saturday]. Audiences have braved floods, snow and bitter cold to hear him speak across the country. He talks about his own American Dream, his belief in conservative values, and the need for a Fair Tax to get this country turned around.

The Admission is normally $30 for the convention; however, we have arranged for free admission for you and a friend…

Maurice Atkinson of Macon, the fellow behind the effort, called to say that he was acting independently of the Cain campaign.

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Fellow Republican presidential contender Newt Gingrich will address Georgia Republicans this evening. He’s let …

Continue reading Your morning jolt: A Herman Cain move to pack the GOP convention hall »

On Friday night in Macon, Newt Gingrich will give his first dinner speech as a Republican presidential candidate.

C-SPAN has already reserved a spot for its camera. But his YouTube announcement should give you a taste:

The Macon event will no doubt take on the trappings of a homecoming. The former Georgia congressman, who played a large role in the creation of the Republican party in this state, is sure to get an enthusiastic reception. Maybe even a rowdy one.

Many remember the heady days of ’94, when he became only the third Georgian to be elected speaker of the U.S. House.

But Gingrich is now a resident of Virginia, has been for some time, and plans to remain so. And if he wants to be the undisputed favorite son of Georgia Republicans in the coming campaign, he has more work to do.

One word of advice: Keep an eye on Herman Cain, the former radio talk show host and business executive.

Now, listen. To be honest, the title of “favorite son” may not matter. Gingrich will be …

Continue reading The ‘favorite son’ campaign of Newt Gingrich »

In the race for state GOP chairman, former 9/12 leader Tricia Pridemore just showed us something new: An endorsement from Sharron Angle, the Nevada Republican who last year ran an unsuccessful campaign against Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid – and is now a candidate for the U.S. House.

Angle takes a slap at Pridemore’s chief rival, incumbent GOP chairman Sue Everhart, who is seeking a third term:

“I am one who believes in limited power and respect for term limits as a means to ensure that those elected to represent us do not rest on their laurels and point to past accomplishments.

“These attitudes can surface at all levels of leadership within our party, and now is not the time to pat ourselves on the back for the big wins in 2010. We must leverage that momentum and use it to defeat Barack Obama in 2012.”

Angle was among a number of endorsements for Pridemore from tea partyists and 9/12 leaders.

- By Jim Galloway, Political Insider

For instant updates, follow me on Twitter, …

Continue reading Sharron Angle’s slap at Sue Everhart in state GOP race »