Handel Wins GA 6th.

Despite the best efforts by the State of California to interfere in Georgia's election that would have made even Vladimir Putin proud, Jon Ossoff failed to defeat Karen Handel. I suspect with all the extra campaign money and the new name recognition, Jon Ossoff will be a future Democrat candidate for governor. This is not good news for Stacey Abrams or Kasim Reed.

Those of us living in the district can now get a little rest from the endless onslaught of political commercials. Now on to next year's gubernatorial and mid-term elections :)

Georgia 6th Congressional District Holds Convention / Rally for Handel and Kirkpatrick

23 April 2017 - A lot to talk about, so let's get started!

1. - The 6th Congressional District GOP Convention.  The convention was held at the Le Meridian Hotel in Dunwoody Georgia on Saturday, 22 April 2017. Convention started at 10:00 and lasted until about 1 PM.  The convention was small, only about 180 total voting delegates after all the alternates were seated. Michael Fitzgerald, outgoing 6th District chairman welcomed everyone to the meeting before turning the convention over to Ann Lewis.

   The runoff for the 32nd District State Senate race between Democrat Christine Triebsch and Republican Kay Kirkpatrick will be held May 16th, with early voting allowed on May 8th - 12th. Only those registered for the April 18th special election will be allowed to vote in the runoff.
Kay Kirkpatrick attended the convention and spoke briefly from the podium.

Kay Kirkpatrick addresses the 6th District GOP Convention on 22 April 2017

  Lt. Governor Casey Cagle addressed the delegates and mentioned an April 30th rally in Gwinnett where he will most likely announce his candidacy for Governor.

  Karen Handle addressed the delegates and was joined on stage by several of the other Republican candidates for the 6th Congressional District seat as a show of unity and support. Among the candidates endorsing Handel were Mohammad Ali Bhuiyan, Bob Gray,  and several others. The runoff for the 6th Congressional District between Karen Handel and Democrat Jon Ossoff (AKA "Pajama Boy") will be held June 20th. State Senator Hunter Hill also addressed the audience.

National GOP coordinator Elliot Echols, from Rome, GA addressed the delegates about coordination efforts between the RNC and the GA GOP for the GOTV effort for the 6th Congressional race.

RNC Coordinator Elliot Echols addresses the 6th District GOP Convention on 22 April 2017

   Ann Lewis received the Sue Everhart award.

   Secretary of State Brian Kemp (also a candidate for Governor) addressed the delegates and discussed his upcoming campaign and the current suite by the ACLU over the Ga. voter registration laws.

   All of the 20 alternate delegates for Cobb county were seated with the exception of 2 who apparently got bored and left prior to the start of business.

   In the 6th district chairman's race Daryl Wilson of Marietta defeated Bob Dallas of Dunwoody.

   One resolution was adopted by the convention opposing the National Popular Vote Compact, an effort seeking to bypass the Electoral College.

During the Election of the District and State Committees mass confusion reigned, as the nominating committee proposed and the convention elected a slate of 12 candidates for the 6th District Committee and 10 candidates for the State Committee. The only problem was the according to section 2.2 (B) (6) of the 6th Congressional District Republican Party rules, the District can only have 10 at-large members on the committee, and the State Committee requires 12 members. After much discussion an additional 2 members were nominated and elected to the State committee and 2 individuals voluntarily stepped down from the District Committee. At the conclusion of the elections a motion was made to adjourn, which the convention chair accepted around 1PM.

Carson Hosts Raucous Town Hall Meeting in Cobb.

State District 46 Representative John Carson hosted a town hall meeting on Monday, February 20^th at the Mountain View Public Library in a standing room only situation with over 100 people present. Tension was high throughout the meeting due to the presence of #Resist: Marietta at the meeting.

The meeting was opened with the Pledge of Allegiance and a prayer. The meeting started with a request for respect and civility, which, with the exception of a couple of loud outbursts, held for most of the meeting.

Topics covered included the 2018 Budget being voted out of the House. There was a $514 million funding increase for k-12teachers.

There was a $160 million for a 2% pay increase for teachers.

Quality Based Education (QBE) was discussed.

HB 65 medical cannabis was discussed. This is specific to cannabis oil products and is favored by Carson.

2^nd Amendment issues were discussed and included Constitutional Carry, Campus Carry, and Reciprocity.

Mary Margret Oliver’s ban on assault weapons was also discussed.

Discussions continued over the repeated interruptions of a protester named “Trevor”, who grew impatient with Carson’s summary.

Mercy billing was discussed, it is currently being reviewed by the Insurance Committee.

The summary continued with the controversial topic of Casino Resort Senate Bill 79/ HB 158 for “Destination Resorts”. If these bills are voted out of committee and passed, it will require a Constitutional Amendment.

Finally, School Choice, and the Auto Policy Insurance Bill were discussed.

After the summary, Carson entertained questions. The first came from Tanya Peterson, who expressed her concern over guns.

Other questions involved School Choice, the proposal for a State appointed “turn-around” consultant for failing schools, and transportation for the Public-School System.

I found the meeting very informative in spite of the occasional shouting and interruption and have a feeling we may see more of the same at Carson’s next town hall on Monday, March 20^th.

Additional Information:

Town Hall Meetings

Monday, January 30th, 7-8pm

Monday, February 20th, 7-8pm

Monday, March 20th, 7-8pm

Mountain View Regional Library 

(not the community center!)

3320 Sandy Plains Road

Marietta, GA 30066 

Contact Information:

Capitol Office
607-A Coverdell Legislative Office Bldg.                                                        
Atlanta, GA 30334                                                                                                          
Capitol Office Phone: (404) 656-0287                                                                  
john.carson@house.ga.gov
Legislative Assistant: Vanessa Turner                                                       
vanessa.turner@house.ga.gov                                                                  

District Office
3605 Sandy Plains Rd., Suite 240-123
Marietta, GA  30066
Office Phone (404) 520-8826
john@votejohncarson.com