Newspaper Page Text
The ADVANCE, June 16, 2021/Page 12A illie Afruance
New ‘leadership committees’ promise to change political landscape in Georgia
By Dave Williams
Bureau Chief
Capitol Beat News Service
Candidates for state
offices next year will have a
lot more cash at their dis
posal thanks to a law that
promises to fundamentally
alter the nature of cam
paigning in Georgia.
The new law, which
takes effect July 1, au
thorizes the creation of
“leadership committees”
that can raise and spend
unlimited contributions
By Dave Williams
Bureau Chief
Capitol Beat News Service
The state Board of
Education voted Thursday
to essentially endorse Gov.
Brian Kemp’s opposition
to teaching “critical race
theory” in Georgia schools,
despite criticism it would
muzzle open discussion of
America’s history of racism.
A resolution board
members passed 11-2 de
clares the board’s belief that
the United States “is not a
racist country, and that the
state of Georgia is not a rac
ist state.”
The five-page resolu
tion goes on to oppose any
use of public education re
sources to “indoctrinate”
students in any political
ideology or theory or ac
cepting either federal or
private funding that re
quires teaching that anyone
is inherently racist or inher
ently a victim of racism.
Kemp urged the board
in a letter two weeks ago
to oppose the teaching of
“critical race theory” in
Georgia schools. The let
ter followed a proposal by
the Biden administration
to prioritize critical race
on behalf of top statewide
and legislative candidates.
Recipients also will be
able to accept committee
donations at any time of
the year, including while
the General Assembly is in
session.
The Republican-con-
trolled legislature passed
the measure this year virtu
ally along party lines, with
Democrats warning that
allowing unlimited cam
paign contributions will
theory - which emphasizes
the existence of systemic
racism in the United States
- in the awarding of federal
grants.
Critical race theory
is a divisive ideology that
should not become a stan
dard taught in Georgia
classrooms, board Chair
man Scott Sweeney said
before Thursday’s vote.
“Is there racism within
this country? Absolutely,”
Sweeney said. “Is the en
tire country racist? I don’t
agree with that.”
Board member Mike
Royal said the resolution
is intended to ensure the
teaching of American his
tory in Georgia isn’t one
sided.
“History needs to be
taught not from one par
ticular viewpoint but from
both sides,” Royal said.
But board member
Kenneth Mason, who is
Black, said the resolution
sends the wrong message
by stifling discussion of rac
ism in Georgia classrooms.
“It says, ‘If you have
experienced racism in your
life, you should be silent,’
said Mason, who voted
increase the influence of
special interests in Geor
gia politics at a time when
public trust in government
already is low.
“These leadership
committees take away all
the restrictions that have
been put in place over the
years to control big mon
ey,” said state Sen. Jen Jor
dan, D-Atlanta.
Senate Bill 221 will
create eight leadership
committees to be chaired
against the resolution.
“That’s extremely disap
pointing to me.”
Tracey Nance Pend-
ley, Georgia’s Teacher of
the Year, who serves on the
board in an ex-officio ca
pacity, said the wording of
the resolution appears to
censor teachers.
“We can’t ignore the
extensive research into the
systemic [racial] barriers
that exist in our country,”
she said. “I worry not being
allowed to discuss current
events could be damaging.”
But Sweeney said
there’s nothing in the reso
lution limiting what teach
ers can teach.
“This resolution
doesn’t put the brakes on
anything that is already oc
curring in the classroom,”
he said. “This is a belief
statement more than any
thing else.”
Georgia Attorney Gen
eral Chris Carr recently
joined Kemp in his opposi
tion to the teaching of criti
cal race theory. Carr joined
19 other Republican attor
neys general last month in
opposing the U.S. Depart
ment of Education plan.
by Georgia’s governor,
lieutenant governor, the
general-election nominees
opposing those two state
wide incumbents and the
heads of the majority and
minority caucuses of the
state House of Representa
tives and Senate.
There will be no cap
on contributions to the
committees, which for in
dividual candidates range
from $14,000 to $22,200
for statewide posts and
$5,600 to $8,600 for leg
islative seats, depending
on whether a candidate is
forced into primary and/
or general-election run
offs.
However, donations to
the new committees will
be subject to the same dis
closure requirements that
apply to statewide and leg
islative campaigns under
current law, said Edward
Lindsey, a partner in the
Atlanta office of interna
tional law firm Dentons
LLP and a former House
majority whip.
“There’s not any dark
money here,” he said.
The leadership com
mittees also will not be
subject to the law prohibit
ing statewide officeholders
and legislators from solicit
ing or accepting campaign
contributions during Gen
eral Assembly sessions.
Lindsey said that
change will help office
holders better compete
against primary challeng
ers under the accelerated
schedule adopted in recent
years, which shifted party
primaries from July to
May. Legislative sessions
typically don’t end until
late March or early April.
“Officeholders were at
a distinct disadvantage ...
when they were in a posi
tion of having to run in pri
maries,” Lindsey said.
But Jordan said it’s
primary challengers - not
incumbent officeholders -
who will be put at a disad
vantage by the new law.
While Senate Bill
221 lets Georgia’s two top
statewide incumbents and
their general-election op
ponents form leadership
committees, anyone who
wants to mount a primary
challenge against one of
those incumbents remains
subject to the current law’s
cap on donations and the
time limit on contribu
tions.
“If you’re a Republican
challenging [Gov. Brian]
Kemp in a primary, he can
raise money during the
[legislative] session,” Jor
dan said.
Going further, Jor
dan suggested incumbent
protection may have been
what Republican leaders
had in mind in crafting the
bill.
“Since the GOP is very
fractured, there’s more
likelihood of a primary
challenge,” she said. “That’s
a real problem for them.
This is how they think they
can solve it.”
Lindsey dismissed
that line of argument. He
said leadership commit
tees are not obligated to
support incumbents in a
primary.
“There’s nothing to
keep leadership commit
tees from backing any can
didate,” he said.
Beyond how the new
law will affect primary
campaigns, opponents are
raising the broader issue of
what unlimited contribu
tions will mean to the role
of money in politics.
“It would allow big
corporations and out-of-
state big money donors to
buy our elections,” Aunna
Dennis, executive direc
tor of Common Cause
Georgia, testified before a
House Judiciary Commit
tee hearing on the bill back
in March.
“In last year’s elections,
private donors spent $24
million on Georgia House
races and $12.5 million
on Georgia Senate races
- and that was with exist
ing donation limits. This
bill would allow unlimited
donations, so who knows
how much money special
interests will be willing to
‘invest’ in our elections.”
Jordan said unlim
ited contributions will
put pressure on lobbyists
under the Gold Dome to
pony up larger donations.
“This is the worst thing
ever for them because it
increases how much they
have to pay up to get in the
game,” she said.
Lindsey said the
leadership-committee ap
proach to political giving
reflects the way the process
actually works.
“Politics is a team
sport,” he said. “In order
to get things done, it takes
a team effort. This legisla
tion promotes that philos
ophy.”
conserve • reduce • recycle
Georgia Board of Education targets
teaching of ‘critical race theory’
7334 HWY. 280, CLAXTON, GA • 912-739-1744
VENGAvY'REGISTRARTEl
iRAEL»S0RTEJ0]DEUMES!
MiUN j!ORTACESP,EDji
|UNAJSOPL'ADORAs
EiHOJASDEiMOCHllJAWi
TRIMIADOR DEUCESF ED
[ELEGIREMOS1UN1GANADOR
'—ItEL^aDEFjUMldm^r
|a_LAS GiDE TARDEjpl J
TRACY@KYLEDURRENCE.COM
TRACY TAYLOR WAS A SPANISH
TEACHER FOR 18 YEARS IN THE EVANS
COUNTY SCHOOL SYSTEM. SHE IS VERY
EXCITED TO BE A NEW SALESPERSON
AT KYLE DURRENCE CHEVEROLET. SHE
HAS LIVED IN CLAXTON FOR 20 YEARS
AND SHE IS MARRIED WITH THREE
CHILDREN.
TRACY TAYLOR ERA UNA MAESTRA DE
ESPANOL POR 18 ANOS EN EL SISTEMA
DE EVANS. ESTA MUY EMOCIONADA DE
SER UNA VENDEDORA DE CARROS EN
KYLE DURRENCE CHEVEROLET. HA
VIVIDO EN CLAXTON POR 20 ANOS Y
ESTA CASADA CON TRESHIJOS.
iBIENVENIDOSA'NUESTRAVriENDA'PARA'LAl
MEJOR'OFERTA^DEUNCARRO/OjTROCA^USADO
2014 TOYOTA CAMRY 2019 CHEVROLET SPARK 1LT 2015 JEEP PATRIOT HIGH ALT.
S 11,9G4 s 15,488 s 14,888
ESPECIALES DEL SERVICID DURANTE JUNIO
SE HABLE ESPANOL!
CAMBIO DE ACEITE TODO DEL SERVICIO A/C DIAGNOSTICOS
PARA MILITAR Y
PERSONAS MAYORES