James_Nov-Dec_2025_web - Flipbook - Page 7
Republican observers have been concerned that a packed
GOP Senate primary in May could help Democrat U.S.
Sen. Jon Ossoff when he faces his eventual GOP general
election opponent. After the first round of fundraising
reports, those concerns have heightened. U.S. Rep. Mike
Collins and Derek Dooley each raised about $2 million between July and September, and U.S. Rep. Buddy
Carter around $1 million. But as those GOP rivals gear
up to battle in the primary, Ossoff reported a whopping
$12 million raised during that same period. Republicans
will need to consolidate hard and fast around their 2026
primary winner since Ossoff’s war chest is RISING . . .
Roughly half of congressional Democrats joined Republicans in voting “yes” on a resolution honoring the life
of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, who was murdered in September. But only one Georgia Democrat is
on that list: U.S. Rep. David Scott. Will that vote hurt
or help the veteran lawmaker, who is facing several
challengers next year in his heavily Democrat Metro
Atlanta district? Already state Rep. Jasmine Clark,
one of those primary challengers, is taking aim at the
80-year-old Scott, tarring Kirk as “racist and sexist” and
that she’d “never” support such a resolution. The vote
could have Scott’s primary odds Drifting . . .
The U.S. Senate changed its rules to circumvent Democrats blocking executive branch nominees in order to
confirm some 100 presidential appointments, including
three Georgians, to key posts. UGA football legend and
2022 Senate candidate Herschel Walker is now ambassador to the Bahamas, while onetime Buckhead cityhood leader Bill White is our ambassador to Belgium.
Billy Kirkland, a longtime Peach State GOP operative,
was confirmed as assistant secretary of the Interior
Department. These Georgians see their boats RISING. . .
The Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation announced
a $50 million donation to Georgia’s historically black
colleges and universities to help students struggling
financially to finish their degrees. The money will go
towards scholarships for students who are approaching
graduation and are in good academic standing, but who
have exhausted all other sources of financial support.
The generous gift from one of Georgia’s all-time most
prolific philanthropists has HBCU students RISING . . .
Georgia’s Judicial Qualifications Commission is calling for the removal of Fulton County Superior Court
Judge Shermela Williams for multiple counts of
professional misconduct, including illegally jailing a
witness in her parents’ divorce case. The JQC found
Williams recklessly jailed the young woman despite
knowing of the investigation into her rulings. Describing it as a grave misuse of power, the panel wrote: “Given the level of untruthful testimony Judge Williams
offered throughout, we are left with little option but
to seek the ultimate sanction of removal. A judge that
cannot be trusted to tell the truth cannot be trusted to
remain in office.” Williams is Sinking . . .
Brian Snitker joined the Atlanta Braves’ organization
back in 1977 as a minor league catching prospect. He
has been with the club ever since, climbing the ranks
to become manager in 2016 and leading the franchise
to a World Series in 2021. But the ride has come to an
end for the 69-year-old, who leaves his managerial role
after a disappointing 2025 season— but a storied career.
He remains with the organization in an advisory role,
but it is his wildly successful stint as manager that will
keep his Braves legacy RISING . . .
State School Superintendent Richard Woods reports
that the Dublin City School District is on the verge of
a “financial crisis,” owing nearly $7 million in unpaid
state health benefits and on track to have a whopping
$13 million budget deficit by next June. Woods’ letter
calls for “substantial reductions in spending,” and
warns that if the district can’t straighten out its books
it is on a “direct path to insolvency.” The dire warning
for the inept superintendent and school board has the
district Sinking . . .
Former DeKalb County School Superintendent Devon Horton is under federal indictment for giving nobid contracts to friends, accepting kickbacks and abusing his purchasing card while leading a Chicago-area
school district. He resigned after the news broke,
but observers are wondering why he was ever hired
when some of the allegations were known BEFORE he
arrived in Georgia in 2023. The headache is just beginning for Horton, who is facing federal charges, but
it seems like a situation that could have been easily
avoided by DeKalb school officials just . . . NOT hiring
a candidate shrouded in controversy. Sinking . . .
N OV EM B E R /D EC E M BER 2025
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