Early vote surge, down-ballot races & Tom Houck

Good morning and welcome to the Georgia Gang on this Sunday, November 1st. We're almost here, folks. Georgia shatters its midterm early voting record. Also, nine down-ballot statewide races could reshape state government. And Audi picks Georgia for its first U.S. plant. Melita, Phil, Theron, and Brian are all here with Election Day just two days away. The debate and discussion begins right now. From the Fox 5 studios, the Georgia gang starts now. Georgia voters have shattered the state's record for midterm early voting. About one in five of those early voters sat out the last midterm. Democrats are bragging about double-digit jumps across much of metro Atlanta, while Republicans are sounding alarms about rural Georgia. And Governor Kemp told a rally this week Republicans... are behind right now. So, Melita, to you first this week, about one in five early voters, as I mentioned, did not vote in 2022. So, what does that tell us about who was actually showing up? Well, younger people are showing up in higher numbers. Women are outperforming 55 to 45 to men. And suburban and metro voters are showing up in higher percentages. than rural voters so it will be some very interesting statistics and of course that one in five voters who didn't vote before we have no way of predicting what they are doing but perhaps they are among those that I call the fed up and ready to vote crowd. So I think it's an optimistic kind of early voting scenario for Democrats, and it's very interesting for Republicans. We may find out that the old Beatles song is true, money can't buy you love. Well, Brian, we need to disclose that you work for the Jackson campaign. Jackson brought Ted Cruz to boost turnout. We saw President Trump here twice. Can Republicans make up the gap on Election Day? At this juncture, we're going to have to have a really big election day turnout. And of course, we do know the Republicans will win on Tuesday, on that particular day of voting. But at this juncture, it does need to be a big number, and the Republicans need to take a big percentage of it. As we take, we don't know what happened on Friday. Certainly, the Republicans have made up some ground this week. We actually had some of the best days that we have had during this cycle this week. There is some positive momentum going into the weekend. The Jackson campaign has been all over the state this week. We'll end it in Cobb County on Friday night, Forsyth County Sunday night, and then all around the state on a fly around on Monday. So they're pulling out all the stops. There is no stone unturned when it comes to making sure that every voter they know would vote Republican gets to the polls. They are going through that data, knocking on doors, calling on the phone. There is nothing that's not going to be done. At this juncture, it's just up to the voters to do their duty and show up and vote. Well, Democrats also ruled out their biggest names. Former President Barack Obama drew more than 10,000 people to a rally in Morrow with Keisha Lance Bottoms and Senator John Ossoff. Also, Vice President Kamala Harris was also in Georgia to campaign for Democrats. So, Theron, full disclosure as you work for the Keisha Lance Bottoms campaign. How do you feel heading into Tuesday? Lori, I feel good, but I also want to say what Brian Kemp said, is that I'm sounding the alarm for Democrats. What we cannot do at this juncture is get complacent. While the early vote numbers are looking good, I'm going to say that again. I am sounding the alarm. Democrats, independents, disaffected Republicans, moderates, please go out and vote. If you haven't voted already, an early vote and go out on Tuesday because you just heard Brian told you that Republicans historically show up big on Election Day. But we've also seen, and Melita and I were talking about this earlier in the week, we've seen a lot of Democrats show up as well. So do not get comfortable, do not get complacent. Now let's get to the rally. Melita and I were there. Laurie, I have been able to go to probably, you know, 50 rallies in my lifetime and definitely toured the South with President Obama in 2012 when I was the Southern Regional Director. So I've seen the Obama effect, the closure come in. You know, we have a nickname for him. We call him Game Six because when he comes in in the series, there's no need for Game Seven. And what we saw was an electrifying crowd of diverse people in Clayton County and Morrow. And so it was a great lineup. All the speakers were amazing. People on the ballot, whole ballot energy got a chance to speak. Tonya Miller, Penny Brown Reynolds and also Josh McLaurin. And the last thing, Laura, what I really liked about what was said is that it was a very positive message to Democrats. There was outreach to disaffected Republicans. We need your votes as well. And more importantly, it was the momentum that we needed and the optics. But ultimately, We're in a good position, but do not get complacent. Well, Phil, Republicans have had their lock on state government for two decades. Is this a year we see change? Well, I'm going to echo... There on the other side of the coin, it's an alarm for the Republicans, too. And I always look at the GeorgiaVotes.com website, and it's in real time. It's broken down by race, gender, congressional districts, counties, et cetera. And I would urge listeners to watch that on Monday because as we tape, yes, we don't know what the Friday early vote is. Yes, and the Democrats do have the edge. So to answer your question, as Brian said, we will know more on Tuesday because that's traditionally when a lot of Republicans. And some of my Republican friends, they're waiting until Tuesday, and so I don't know why they did that, but anyhow, I think that'll tell the tale. I would say this, too. I didn't like... Kamala Harris's southern accent, can you be genuine? Come on, don't try to fake that you're a southerner. I don't know how my Democrat colleagues, surely you wouldn't have advised her to do that. But anyhow, I think one last point, and that is I think you're going to see some split voting that's going to be critical. It's hard to kind of quantify right now. I know in the city of Atlanta, there's a lot of Democrats that. are voting Democrat, but they're not voting for Keisha Lance Bottoms. Phil, just to follow up on what you were saying, I did talk to Matt Towery this week, and he said that Republicans are going to need 2 million voters to turn out on Tuesday in order to catch up to Democrats. Is that even a possibility? He said that a couple days ago. I think he might be modifying that a little bit based on what Thursday was and what Friday may be. But it's got to be a massive turnout for Republicans, at least a million maybe. Uh, and I, that could be doable real quick on the split voting thing. Um, I don't think that is a thing anymore. The media has reported about it. I, the voters I talked to across the state, what I'm hearing is that there's a lack of enthusiasm amongst Republicans. They're not turning out and they not, they're not impressed with Mike Collins and they're, they don't know Rick Jackson. And so the split voting thing that I think that what you see is that if you look at their Their voting history. I think that is not going to be as big of an issue on Election Day. But again, it's all about turnout and making sure that people... And that's why I think what Phil and Laurie are both saying there is that you're wrong and Democrats should be complacent. They got it in the bag. This is a great time to crack open some cold ones, maybe have some pizza. I know y'all strategy. Have the neighbors over. Just for the record, I did not say that you were wrong. I know. He's a spit artist. He threw me in there. No, whole ballot energy. Democrats, disaffected Republicans, independents, go vote for Keisha Lance Bottoms, John Ossoff, and the entire team. For the record, don't say he's wrong. Yes, Democrats, they should cruise control, baby. You don't need to do anything. I mean, Tuesday, you got better things to do than go vote. Meanwhile, the money gap is enormous. The AJC reports Rick Jackson has put He put more than $200 million of his own fortune into the race, a state record, and had about $22 million in cash on hand. Meanwhile, Bottoms raised $23.2 million since August and has about $2 million in the bank. But, as we've said all along, according to the polls, it is still a toss-up. So, Brian, $200 million and the race is still tied. So what does that tell you about where voters are here in Georgia? Look, I think if you look at the atmosphere, Rick Jackson and the Republican ticket are running into the headwinds of a bad national climate, really the worst national climate the Republicans have faced since 2006, the second Bush term. So the fact that it's tied is a good sign for the Jackson campaign. I do think that the split ticket voting phenomenon is very real and you do see it you hear it anecdotally as far as the energy With South Georgia voters, Theron is right. There has been a lack of energy there, and that's got to get picked up. But what we've seen in the polling is that Rick Jackson has far exceeded what the national environment would suggest. And that's why that money being spent has been so important. And that money being spent will do a lot with the turnout operation. This turnout operation is the best funded in the history of Georgia and is being run by one of the best in the entire country. So, if there's a way to get to there, the Jackson campaign is doing it. Melita. But the Jackson campaign embraced the national political climate by saying he wanted to be Trump's favorite governor, by saying he was Trump with a southern tone. And so he has only himself to blame if he is tied to the national ticket. And it was interesting to me that at the most recent Trump rally, The other candidates, such as Rick Jackson, got only about a minute to two minutes to speak, and Trump just droned on and on and on, whereas Obama shared the podium with all of the Democratic candidates, and you got to see a flavor of what all of them would bring to the offices they seek. And I think the other thing that's energizing women and young people is the fact that there is a historic... I think it was smart to have the Macon rally by Trump and the Republicans. And after all, this is a base election for both parties. It makes sense for Rick Jackson. It makes sense for Keisha Lance Bottoms to bring in Obama. It makes sense for Trump to come in. That's not unusual. And you had the CEO of Audi. That was the big takeaway from that rally. I mean, a $4 billion plant, that is incredible. 200,000 vehicles a year. And Macon Mayor Lester Miller is basking in that. Governor. Kemp, Trump, and the CEO of the company was there. That was big. And I saw on the website, GeorgiaVotes.com, Houston County, which is a Republican county, boy, that vote went way up. Well, we were going to talk about that later in the program. Yeah, we will talk about that later. But that shows what the vote did in Houston County. Very quickly. Real quick, I wanted to just say something about Keisha. Yeah. Keisha has had more money. thrown at her and negative ads about her and her family than anybody in the history of Georgia. Rick Jackson is spending the second most money at any candidate running for office for any level in the country. So for this race to be tied and for us to have some good numbers that we posted, that is extremely concerning to Rick personally, I know, but also to his team. The second thing is that Keisha says something on the campaign every single day. He may have the money, but the people have the power, and she's taking it, and it's gut punch after gut punch, and so she's still standing, and I agree with everything that Melita said. There's a historical nature to this, but voters right now, they want affordability. They're tired of the high gas prices, cost of living, everything that you can name. People are coming out to vote against that. All right. In this atmosphere, Rick Jackson is the only one who could have won. Republican voters did the right thing by nominating him. He's the only one who would have a chance in this atmosphere. All right. We'll leave it there, folks. Coming up, voters aren't just choosing a governor and a senator. Nine other statewide offices are on the ballot, and they affect everything from your power bill to who runs... Question or comment for the Georgia Gang? Email them at georgiagang at foxtv.com. Beyond the governor and the U.S. Senate, nine other statewide offices are on the ballot. In the lieutenant governor's race, Republican Greg Dolezal faces Democrat Josh McLaurin. Phil, will we see Republicans try to lessen the power of the lieutenant governor if Republicans hang on to the Senate and McLaurin wins? I think that would be a tricky proposition if Greg Dolezal, the Republican candidate, wins, and I hope he does. Because, um... After all, we don't know what's going to happen on November 3rd, but if Republicans do have a bad day, there'll be a quick... We're going to have a redistricting session, number one. And number two, they're going to have to decide, does the caucus want to appear divided or give Dolezal a chance? But I think, just when you're talking real about both parties on the down-ballot races, I think it's depending on the bottoms and the Jackson momentum and what they have. I'm particularly looking at the Secretary of State's race because that's obviously a very important position. And I think the Republicans better hold that so there's no Democrat shenanigans down the road. All right, well, let's talk about that since you bring it up. Republican Tim Fleming and Democrat Penny Brown Reynolds are running for Secretary of State to replace Brad Raffensperger. Brian Strickland and Democrat Tonya Miller are running for Attorney General. So Melita, the Secretary of State certifies results in all 159 counties. Just your thoughts on this race. Well, it's an important race, and she has a long history of public service, beginning with her time as a judge. Her service to Governor Roy Barnes on his legal team and then her service in the Biden administration with an undersecretary cabinet type post in the Department of Agriculture. She certainly knows her way around the block on public service, and she is a lawyer, and she is an enthusiastic speaker. I think she would do a great job as Secretary of State, and she's certainly been riling crowds up all over the state. Brian, this is a crucial, high-profile race that has not really gotten a lot of attention. No, the Senate and Governor's races have really crowded out almost everything else on the ballot. If you can go on down to the Agriculture Commissioner race, Tyler Harper is... Clearly the choice that Georgians should pick. His opponent is not a serious opponent, but you hear nothing about it. And in the Secretary of State's race, this next Secretary of State will play a major role in implementing the new voter system. And that is critical. And we've got to have confidence. The advantage that Tim Fleming here has is he was Kemp's chief of staff in the secretary of state's office. So he knows the mechanisms. He understands the voting systems. He's chaired the committee in the state house looking at the new voting systems. He's clearly the most experienced and knowledgeable about these issues. Farron, Strickland and Miller have clashed over flock cameras, data centers, and Trump. Which attack do you think is landing here? Tanya Miller on Wednesday night with the Obama speech was electrifying as well. She went and she spoke, and she spoke directly to the people of Georgia. And there has been some conversations in her campaign accusing Brian Strickland of having dealings and having financial interests in a data center construction. Brian is going to push back on that. Because it's not true. Because it's not true. But the campaign, her campaign has done that. But also when you talk about flock cameras, Lori, that has come up all across the state. But I think her procedural experience Being a prosecutor on a federal level, also in county, also being a person who served in the legislature, someone who really cares about kids. Tonya Miller was talking about things about not reducing SNAP benefits, making sure that we protect victims. All these things she's been talking about why she's been a state representative. So I think she is very appealing to the base, but also there are a lot of Republicans who are very attracted to this candidate because of her ability to have a concise message and she has a good record to run on. This is an all-star line on the ballot. I think we all, on a bipartisan basis, can agree. These two, Tanya Miller and Brian Strickland, are amongst the most talented, up-and-coming young stars in Georgia politics. Whoever wins this race will be on a rocket ride, I think, a future U.S. senator or a future governor. I think... Brian Strickland and Tonya Miller have run strong campaigns. I think what Tonya Miller has said about Brian Strickland owning interest in a data center, which he does not, and to run ads on that is so monumentally untrue. It is such a terrible lie that it's almost disqualifying. And in this case, Brian Strickland is the person who we should trust to protect our families because law enforcement is a big part of this, and she voted against allowing the state to crack down on gangs. A lot of sheriffs come up. I'm not going to endorse her this week to push back on that law enforcement narrative. All right, let me move on because we've got another race. The Public Service Commission could be the sleeper. Republicans will hold a 3-2 majority, and two seats are in play. Republican Joshua Tolbert against Democrat Sheila Edwards, and Republican Fitz Johnson against incumbent Democrat Peter Hubbard. Farron, Georgia power bills are already a pocketbook issue. Can Democrats take control of this PSC? So again, being on the trail... These two races are starting to actually bubble up because you have the Democratic opponents and the Republican opponents basically being totally opposite of what they believe is the best solution for the future in dealing with our electricity and our energy costs. Peter Hubbard is a person who actually has shown us that he's actually won statewide. Fitz Johnson is someone who's been in that position before, who was defeated. Sheila Edwards is crisscrossing the state, seeing her everywhere. This, to me, has got to be very concerning that anybody who's in the energy business, particularly you've got to also remind voters that, yes, Georgia Power did freeze their rates, and so I think we are direct recipients of that freeze, and they should be commended on that. However, Lori, I would be disingenuous if I didn't tell you that it's still a big issue on the campaign trail. Phil, this is a lightning round. It is a big issue. And just very briefly, the Democrat candidates are for this green energy agenda that doesn't work there. They don't like the fossil fuel industry. Yes, we do have Georgia power that has freezed the rates. So I hope the Republicans prevail. All right. Coming up, a German automaker picks Georgia for its first U.S. factory, and the founder of a Noonan lending company gets years in federal... Join the discussion on the Georgia Gang Facebook page and watch past episodes on the Georgia Gang YouTube channel. We'll be right back. Audi is bringing its first U.S. factory to Georgia. The roughly $4.2 billion plant near Macon is expected to employ 4,500 workers with jobs averaging more than $63,000 a year. President Trump and Audi's CEO announced it at a campaign rally in Perry. Brian Kemp has now landed Hyundai, Rivian, and Audi. Is that the big legacy that he leaves? It is certainly one of the big ones. To sidebar on that, I think the standing up to Trump after the 2020 election, opening the economy during COVID, and then his economic development wins in the auto industry, those three things, that will be the three-legged stool of his legacy. And this is revolutionary for middle Georgia. And we saw what Kia has done for West Georgia, you know, where the mills had closed down and where there had been some decline. Now it is vibrant and thriving. You go there and the downtown is beautiful there in LaGrange. And that is what that investment did. The same thing is happening in southeast Georgia with Hyundai. And in middle Georgia, they're going to get their taste of it as well. This is a massive victory for Georgia. And to repeat a theme that I have sounded here many times, this is the product of a good business climate, and those don't happen by accident. They happen by policy, and we've had conservative leadership who have made this possible, and we have a chance to keep it. I'll be real quick. I think many people were interested in the timing and the location of the Trump rally, but clearly there was some coordination behind the scenes to give Trump the opportunity to make this announcement. But what I want to do is I want to compliment the job growth, economic development. I'm a pro-business Democrat. I want those jobs coming to Georgia, but I want to shout out the folks. In Middle Georgia particularly, Mayor Miller, as you mentioned, the local workforce development agencies there. What I'm hearing is that it was the local people, Lori, who actually worked very hard to recruit Audi. Also, Governor Kemp deserves his credit because without him in an office, you can do that. But I think this was definitely more of a local area that has been working diligently. Working with the state, working with the federal departments to bring this plant to middle Georgia. And I've got to mention Pat Wilson with the Georgia Department of Economic Development. Absolutely, Pat. He's been amazing in his job. And my buddy, Houston County Commission Chairman Dan Perdue, who is... Son of Sonny. Son of Sonny, but a leader in his own right. All right, let's move on. So today we are remembering Tom Houck, who passed away last week at the age of 79. Now, for you long-term fans of the Georgia Gang, you know he was a longtime panelist here at this table. At 19, Tom became a driver and personal aide to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his family. He went on to work for the SCLC. Then he turned to journalism, and for about 20 years, Tom was a sharp, funny voice on the Georgia Gang. In recent years, he took Atlanta's civil rights story to the streets, leading bus tours for visitors from all over the world. Melita, you knew Tom very well. I did. He was a fixture at Benil's Tavern, and it's interesting that his memorial service will be at Ebenezer Church. In honor of his relationship with the King family, he had a booming gravelly voice and he quickly gathered people around him to hear him spin yarns and tell stories anytime he walked into a room and he will be missed by many and I expect there will be a reception at Manuel's after his memorial service at the church. Phil, Rodney Ho texted me and said his funeral is set for 1 p.m. on Saturday, November 21st as Melina mentioned at the historic Ebenezer Baptist Church. Well, I have to echo a lot of what you say. I knew him. I came on the gang right after he left, and every time I'd see him, I'd go to manuals sometimes. You know, the Bible says, know your enemy, so I'd go to manuals. And so he always said, we're going to debate here. And every time you saw me, you wanted to get into an argument. But he was great, and he also can be very gracious. And yes, he had quite a history as a civil rights activist and just as a great Georgia gang panelist. Darren, he's such a character. The first call I got when Dick Williams notified me that I was coming on Georgia Gang was from Tom Houck. And I knew him at that time very closely because him and the late Congressman John Lewis were best friends. And that's why I'm so glad you showed that photo, Lori. And Tom sat at this table and debated Phil and others. And what I loved about him is that his passion for people and community and many of us up into his. Final days, would always call Tom Howe and get his feedback. But he's going to be missed. Condolences to his family. And what he did for the civil rights tours on Auburn Avenue, and when you were going on tour with Tom Howe, I mean, his just breadth of knowledge about what happened during that time was unparalleled. So he's going to be missed. And I just remember when he called me that day and what he said, Phil, he said, don't take it easy on Phil and Dick. And just hear him. And every single day I haven't taken it easy. Stay tuned. Time now for the week's winners and losers. All right, Melita, we'll start with you. Well, I want to pay tribute to Angelo Fuster, who was the press secretary for former Mayor Maynard Jackson. He was a regular also at Manuel's Tavern. In fact, he's credited for the GoFundMe that helped save Manuel's during COVID. And he was an excellent communicator for political campaigns, and he will also be missed. He died on Monday. All right, Phil. Well, it was 35 years ago last week when U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas from Pinpoint, Georgia, was confirmed by the U.S. Senate. A great African-American role model, beloved by conservatives, Theron and Melita. I know you would join me in praising Clarence Thomas. I wouldn't go that far. I'm not going to take the bait, Lori. But I do want to, you're done, I want to make sure you're done. Yeah, you don't want to praise him? You don't want to praise him? I'm going to echo what my good friend Melita said about Angelo. The last time I saw him was at the bar at Manuel's Tavern. He's a winner. Also, I want to make the winner all the people who helped us pull off a successful rally in Morrow. And so the law enforcement, the women and men there, I can't name you all, but you guys know who you are. They all watch the show. Thank you all so much for getting us in and out of that venue safely. And then, of course, Lori, you know, as we go into Election Day, all the Democrats running are my winners. The poll workers who have made sure that we got through early voting without any major mess-up, you guys are my winners as well. And then, of course, selfishly, I've got to make Senator Ossoff and Keisha Lance Bottoms winners, and particularly Keisha, because what she's been able to endure, this campaign that she's run, the money that she's raised, how she's basically reached across the aisle, got the base fired up, she's definitely going to be my winner. Are you making Rick Jackson your winner? Oh, yeah, that's right. This is very surprising. I'm starting to speak. Go out and vote. Angelo Fuster was kind to a very young Brian Robinson in the 1990s when I was in my 20s. I wanted to be a political communicator. Obviously, that did work out. And he was just somebody who gave me some guidance, took time with me, and I will always appreciate that. May he rest in peace. And speaking of losses, Mary Kirshner, who was the owner of Now and Again in Sandy Springs, and the mother of Joan Carr, the former chief of staff for Senator Isakson, and the wife of Chris Carr. And Chris Carr also lost his father in the last week, so major losses for them. But Mary was a staple of the Sandy Springs business community in that store. Go to that store and buy some stuff. Absolutely.