Dolezal escalates controversial ad strategy in lieutenant governor’s race
Today’s newsletter highlights:
- Test your knowledge with our news quiz.
- Trump nominates the next director of the CDC.
- On gambling, Georgia Republicans take sharply different positions.
Campaign ad controversy
Republican state Sen. Greg Dolezal is escalating a strategy that’s already drawn bipartisan backlash — and betting the outrage will help him break through a crowded GOP race for lieutenant governor.
Weeks ago, his AI-generated video portraying Muslims as “invaders” was condemned as racist and Islamophobic. Dolezal is out Friday morning with a new TV ad that goes further.
He stands near a hijab-wearing cutout strapped with explosives, warns they “steal our elections, hate our way of life and want Sharia law, not law and order.”
Then he asks, “You want jihad against America?” as he detonates the figure, before urging voters to “blow up the system because you save America by saving Georgia.”
The spot is all but certain to trigger another round of denunciations from Democrats and at least some Republicans who have already labeled his earlier ad as hateful and Islamophobic.
But in a bruising primary packed with high-profile rivals, Dolezal is clearly welcoming the controversy.
Friday news quiz
Good morning! How well did you follow the news this week? Find out by taking our quiz. You’ll find the answers at the end of the newsletter.
What Democratic candidate for governor was excluded from a televised debate this week on Nexstar media stations?
- A) Keisha Lance Bottoms
- B) Jason Esteves
- C) Geoff Duncan
- D) Michael Thurmond
House Speaker Jon Burns endorsed a statewide candidate for office this week. Who was it?
- A) Burt Jones for governor
- B) Derek Dooley for U.S. Senate
- C) Fred “Bubba” Longgrear for state schools superintendent
- D) Tim Fleming for secretary of state
A new poll in the Democratic race for lieutenant governor dropped this week. Who is leading the poll?
- A) Nabilah Parkes
- B) Josh McLaurin
- C) Richard Wright
- D) Undecided
U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff broke Georgia’s first-quarter fundraising record. Who held the record previously?
- A) Gov. Brian Kemp
- B) U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock
- C) Former U.S. Sen. Kelly Loeffler
- D) Former U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene
Contrasts
Primary elections often double as personality contests because it’s tough to find major policy differences among members of the same political party. But when it comes to gambling, Georgia Republicans have some clear differences.
Lt. Gov. Burt Jones has backed legalized sports betting. Attorney General Chris Carr has said he won’t advocate either for or against it. Now Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger is turning to the Bible, quoting a verse from 2 Thessalonians that says, “If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat.”
“Georgia’s future should be built on hard work, not false promises and government-sponsored gambling,” he said.
While Georgia has had a state-run lottery for decades, attempts to legalize casinos or sports betting have consistently fallen flat in the state Legislature.
Listen up
There is no “Politically Georgia” podcast today. We’ll be back on Monday.
You can listen and subscribe to “Politically Georgia” for free on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
Have a question or comment for the show? Email us at politicallygeorgia@ajc.com or give us a call at 770-810-5297 and you could be featured on a future episode.
New CDC director
President Donald Trump, via a Truth Social post on Thursday, announced that he had selected a former deputy surgeon general as the new director of the Atlanta-based U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Erica Schwartz holds multiple academic credentials, including both medical and law degrees, The Associated Press reported. She had a long career in the military, including in a leadership position at the U.S. Coast Guard where she oversaw the organization’s system of 41 clinics and 150 sick bays.
She later served as deputy surgeon general from January 2019 to April 2021, the final months of Trump’s first term and first few months of President Joe Biden’s.
Trump in his social media post said that Schwartz is “incredibly talented” and “She is a STAR!”
She is being appointed to the post after her predecessor, Susan Monarez, resigned under pressure after just one month under Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Trump’s initial appointee, former U.S. Rep. David Weldon of Florida, was never confirmed by the Senate because of opposition from a handful of GOP senators.
Today in Washington
- Trump will deliver remarks at a Turning Point USA event at a church in Phoenix.
- The House held a rare overnight voting session in hopes of advancing legislation extending foreign surveillance authorizations. No word if further votes are expected Friday.
- If the foreign surveillance legislation passes in the House, it could be fast-tracked for a Senate vote.
Strange bedfellows
Former Georgia Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, a conservative Republican, and U.S. Rep. Ro Khanna, a progressive Democrat, have floated starting a political coalition focused on populist policies.
Greene and Khanna, who represents California, had a joint appearance on CNN this week where they spoke about the areas where they could possibly advocate jointly for bipartisan solutions, such as access to affordable health care.
“Americans are really sick and tired of the divide, and they’re sick and tired of the political drama in their lives,” Greene said during the interview. “What they expect of their elected leaders is to make their lives easier, to make their lives more affordable.”
Greene said that even though she is no longer in office, she believes she still has a platform to contribute to political conversations and provide direction from outside the constraints of Congress.
She added, “Many Americans today are getting to the point where they think both parties have fully failed them, Republicans and Democrats, and they’re coming to a point where they’re saying, ‘Do we need an independent party, or is there even a candidate that can actually represent my interest?’”
Shoutouts
Today’s birthdays:
- Tania Duarte-Pena, Gwinnett Democratic Party vice chair.
- Atlanta City Council member Thomas Worthy.
- State Rep. Bruce Williamson.
Upcoming birthdays:
- State Rep. Gloria Frazier (Sunday).
- Agriculture Commissioner Tyler Harper (Sunday).
Before you go
Answers to today’s news quiz:
- B) Jason Esteves. The station said only candidates polling at 5% in the three months before the primary would be eligible. They said Esteves did not meet that threshold.
- C) Fred “Bubba” Longgrear, who is challenging Republican Schools Superintendent Richard Woods.
- D) Undecided. The poll found a whopping 80% of voters had not made up their mind in the race ahead of next month’s primary.
- B) U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock. The Atlanta Democrat set the previous record in 2022.
That’ll do it for us today. As always, you can send your best scoops, gossip and insider information to greg.bluestein@ajc.com, tia.mitchell@ajc.com, patricia.murphy@ajc.com and adam.beam@ajc.com.
About the Authors
Greg Bluestein is the Atlanta Journal Constitution's chief political reporter. He is also an author, TV analyst and co-host of the Politically Georgia podcast.
Tia Mitchell is the AJC’s Washington Bureau Chief and a co-host of the "Politically Georgia" podcast. She writes about Georgia’s congressional delegation, campaigns, elections and the impact that decisions made in D.C. have on residents of the Peach State.
Patricia Murphy is the AJC's senior political columnist. She was previously a nationally syndicated columnist for CQ Roll Call, national political reporter for the Daily Beast and Politics Daily, and wrote for The Washington Post and Garden & Gun. She graduated from Vanderbilt and holds a master’s degree in journalism from Columbia University.
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