Georgia Politics, Campaigns, and Elections for February 9, 2023

On February 9, 1825, the United States House of Representatives elected John Quincy Adams as President of the United States, despite his having received fewer popular votes than Andrew Jackson. Congress voted for the President after no candidate received a majority of electoral votes in the 1824 election.

The 12th Amendment states that if no electoral majority is won, only the three candidates who receive the most popular votes will be considered in the House.

Representative Henry Clay, who was disqualified from the House vote as a fourth-place candidate, agreed to use his influence to have John Quincy Adams elected. Clay and Adams were both members of a loose coalition in Congress that by 1828 became known as the National Republicans, while Jackson’s supporters were later organized into the Democratic Party.

Alexander Stephens was elected Vice President of the Confederate States of America on February 9, 1861.

On February 9, 1926, the Atlanta Board of Education voted to prohibit teaching evolution in the Atlanta Public Schools.

On February 9, 1964, the Beatles debuted in America on The Ed Sullivan Show.

Georgia Politics, Campaigns, and Elections

Under the Gold Dome Today

TBD Senate Rules: Upon Adjournment – 450 CAP
8:00 AM HOUSE NATL RESOURCES & ENVT – 606 CLOB
8:00 AM HOUSE Appropriations Gen Govt Sub – 515 CLOB
8:00 AM HOUSE INSURANCE – 406 CLOB
8:00 AM HOUSE JUDICIARY – 132 CAP
8:00 AM Cancelled – Senate Ethics – 307 CLOB
8:00 AM Cancelled- Senate Economic Dev & Tourism – 450
9:00 AM HOUSE RULES – 341 CAP
9:00 AM HOUSE SPECIAL RULES – 406 CLOB
9:00 AM Motor Vehicles Driver Safety & Svcs Sub – 606
10:00 AM HOUSE FLOOR SESSION (LD 16) – House Chamber
10:00 AM Senate Floor Session (LD 16) – Senate Chamber
1:00 PM EDUCATION COMMITTEE – 506 CLOB
1:00 PM HOUSE TRANSPORTATION – 606 CLOB
1:00 PM HOUSE INFORMATION & AUDITS – 406 CLOB
1:00 PM Senate Children & Families – 307 CLOB
1:00 PM Senate Approp: Agriculture & Natl Res Sub – Mezz 1 CAP
2:00 PM Senate Regulated Industries & Utilities – 450 CAP
3:00 PM Senate Public Safety – 450 CAP
3:00 PM Senate Ins. & Labor: Life, Health, & Specialty Sub – 310 CLOB
4:00 PM Senate Judiciary – 307 CLOB

Two-time Democratic nominee for Governor Stacey Abrams appeared at the speech by Vice President Kamala Harris in Atlanta yesterday, according to the AJC.

[T]he packed crowd of students and party leaders was giving Stacey Abrams a standing ovation as she took her front-and-center seat in the theater.

The event was a reminder that Abrams had not long ago pitched herself as President Joe Biden’s running mate before he eventually picked Harris for the job instead.

It was also one of the Democrat’s first public appearances since losing her rematch to Gov. Brian Kemp in November. She hasn’t said what she’ll do next, though she recently told talk show host Drew Barrymore she will “likely run again.”

“I’m excited to be a part of this clean energy movement that will help create thousands of families that can take care of themselves and take care of the environment,” she told reporters at the event highlighting the Biden administration’s renewable energy agenda.

Even after losing in November by nearly eight points, Abrams indicated she will seek to remain a force in Georgia politics.

“We know that Georgia is a battleground state, and that means we’re always fighting to move forward, and we’re excited about the work,” she said. “And we’re so delighted to have Vice President Harris here helping anchor for Georgia what we know we are, and what we are capable of.”

Former Senate Rules Committee Chair Jeff Mullis (R-Extreme Northwest Georgia) was appointed to the Stone Mountain Memorial Association Board, according to the Rome News Tribune.

Mullis is the author of the 2019 Monument Protection Bill, which bans the removal of publicly displayed historic memorials and added stricter penalties for vandalism.

“It protects our monuments, from the cemeteries to the monuments surrounding our courthouses to our battlefields to Stone Mountain,” Mullis said while campaigning in 2020.

Mullis is president and CEO of the Northwest Georgia Joint Development Authority, a partnership of Catoosa, Chattooga, Dade and Walker counties.

He has been recognized by Georgia Trend Magazine as one of the “100 Most Influential People in Georgia” for 10 consecutive years for his work on several issues, including transportation and economic development.

From the AJC:

This week, [Governor Brian Kemp] tapped Erica Rocker as the first Black woman on the [Stone Mountain] board.

She was one of two appointments the governor made to the influential authority, which oversees the sprawling DeKalb County park.

The other is former state Sen. Jeff Mullis, the Chickamauga Republican who was one of the most powerful members of the state House before he decided against standing for another term.