In Georgia, Gavin Newsom urges Democrats to fight ‘fire with fire’

Fighting back

Credit: Riley Bunch/AJC

Credit: Riley Bunch/AJC

California Gov. Gavin Newsom didn’t come to Atlanta last night to play the “when they go low, we go high” greatest hits.

On a stop of his “Young Man in a Hurry” book tour alongside Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens, Newsom made clear he believes that Obama-era maxim doesn’t work in the Donald Trump era. Instead, he pitched something closer to political trench warfare.

He talked of drawing sharper lines, punching back against MAGA “paper tigers” and meeting Trump’s provocations head-on.

It’s a message he’s been road-testing well beyond California as he edges toward a likely 2028 presidential bid.

Newsom framed his approach around his redistricting push — the Proposition 50 effort meant as retaliation to the mid-decade overhaul in Texas.

“What Trump didn’t expect was what people did across this country. Instead of reacting with hand-wringing, instead of reacting by maybe writing an op-ed and getting into The New York Times, we fought fire with fire. And we punched back.”

He also urged Democrats to adjust their tone.

“We can learn to be just a little bit more humorous,” he said. “Sometimes less judgmental. Just let it flow a little bit.”

That same edge shows up on his social media feeds. Newsom has turned his online presence into a rolling rebuke of Trump and his loyalists — even selling knee pads in a merch shop to mock institutions he says are “selling out.”

At a fundraiser earlier Sunday for former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, the Democratic front-runner for governor, Newsom raised the stakes even higher.

“We’re writing op-eds. These guys are quite literally rewriting the Constitution. And so we need courageous leadership,” he said. “We need people who understand this moment and are going to meet this moment head-on. And that is you, Madame Mayor.”

Things to know

Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC

Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC

We’re 11 days away from the filing deadline for the November general election. The special election to replace Marjorie Taylor Greene in Congress is in 15 days. And the primary for U.S. Senate, governor and other races is 85 days away.

Here are three other things to know for today:

Shots fired

Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC

Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC

A Republican lawmaker aligned with Lt. Gov. Burt Jones is pushing legislation that aims to jolt the GOP governor’s race — and it’s hard to miss who the target might be.

House Bill 1362, sponsored by state Rep. Jason Ridley, R-Chatsworth, would bar anyone from holding public office if they “transact any business” with any state agency. It would also bar people from running who “have a financial interest, directly or indirectly” in a state contract or in matters where a state agency is an interested party.

The not-so-subtle focus of the measure appears to be billionaire Rick Jackson, who is one of Jones’ top rivals in the primary. Jackson’s health care companies have done extensive business with the state, including lucrative contracts during the coronavirus pandemic.

An aide to Jones didn’t immediately comment on the proposal. Ridley, the bill’s primary sponsor, endorsed Jones in September.

Pressed on how he would handle state contracts if elected, Jackson said he would follow whatever rules are on the books.

“Whatever the law says we’re going to do, we’re going to do. We do everything by the book,” he said.

Jackson’s campaign dismissed the proposal as political maneuvering.

“It’s a little surprising that a state representative who endorsed Burt is targeting his self-dealing,” spokesman Dave Abrams said. “Would Burt have to resign immediately?”

Governor 2026

Credit: Greg Bluestein/AJC

Credit: Greg Bluestein/AJC

Some of the biggest names in Georgia’s race for governor weren’t in the room on Saturday at a bipartisan cost-of-living forum organized by business executive Omar Ali.

No Keisha Lance Bottoms. No Rick Jackson. No Burt Jones. No Brad Raffensperger.

What voters got instead was something revealing: a lineup of candidates at two tables lined with candles in south Atlanta who outlined a surprisingly unified governing agenda.

The divide wasn’t over whether affordability is a crisis, but how to address it.

Attorney General Chris Carr, former Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan, ex-state Sen. Jason Esteves, state Rep. Ruwa Romman and former DeKalb County CEO Michael Thurmond were among attendees who clashed on whether the government should respond through direct relief programs, wage policy, tax credits, market incentives or Medicaid expansion.

There was no disagreement about helping small businesses. It was about whether the state’s economic model favors megadeals over Main Street. Romman was particularly critical of high-dollar tax breaks for big-time projects.

And nearly everyone acknowledged frustration with President Donald Trump’s tariff policy, on a day when he said he would replace many of the duties ruled illegal by the Supreme Court with a global 15% tariff.

Duncan was among the Democrats who said the duties are threatening to “destroy” the U.S. economy. And Carr said he’s never been a fan of tariffs.

“I understand the role of a tariff when it’s limited to a product or an industry or a country,” he said, adding: “I firmly believe that if you enforce trade agreements or if you have no tariffs whatsoever, Georgia manufacturers and Georgia farmers will not just succeed globally, but will excel.”

‘Sapelo justice’

Credit: Adam Van Brimmer/AJC

Credit: Adam Van Brimmer/AJC

The McIntosh County Commission extended a building permit moratorium for Sapelo Island first imposed last month after voters repealed a zoning ordinance via referendum.

The meeting was quick and void of the acrimony that’s marked most discussions involving the appropriate size and scope of houses on the barrier island, home to the last intact Gullah Geechee community along the American coastline.

In fact, only one Gullah Geechee member attended the meeting, which included a public comment period that didn’t require speakers to register in advance — a rarity for McIntosh meetings. But that’s not to say no one spoke on their behalf.

High school students from Atlanta’s Howard School attended and spoke during the public comment period. The private K-12 school located on city’s Westside serves students with language-based learning disabilities and differences. Howard eighth graders make an annual trip to Sapelo as part of the Georgia history curriculum.

With all the attention surrounding the recently held referendum, history teacher Carl Parke decided to offer a class this year for high schoolers focused on “Sapelo justice.”

The students spent Thursday on Sapelo Island and crafted short speeches based on what they’ve learned and experienced. Each of them delivered those remarks to the commission Friday and did so with clarity and composure that would make a debate team captain jealous.

Ceasefire

Georgia’s water wars with Alabama appear to be mostly over.

The U.S. Court of Appeals last week granted Alabama’s request to dismiss its lawsuit over water management within the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint river basin.

The order resolves most of the claims stemming from Alabama’s 2017 lawsuit. It also completes the 2023 settlement agreement reached by the Atlanta Regional Commission and the Georgia Water Supply Providers, a group that includes all of the major water providers in metro Atlanta and North Georgia within the river basin.

But beyond that, it means there is no pending water lawsuit between the states in this river basin for the first time since 1989.

“This agreement heralds a new era of cooperation that will benefit both states and all stakeholders,” Atlanta Regional Commission Executive Director and CEO Anna Roach said.

Under the Gold Dome

Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC

Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC

The state Legislature isn’t meeting today. But lawmakers will convene various legislative committees. Some happenings:

Campaign watch

Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC

Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC

Milton businessman Jack Miller has entered the race to succeed House Speaker Pro Tem Jan Jones, who is not seeking reelection.

Miller said he’ll focus on cost-of-living pressures facing families in the district, which spans parts of north Fulton and Cherokee counties. That includes pushing to eliminate the state’s income tax.

The open seat is expected to draw significant interest.

Listen up

Credit: Michelle Baruchman/AJC

Credit: Michelle Baruchman/AJC

Today on the “Politically Georgia” podcast Dr. Heavenly Kimes joins the show to talk about her campaign for Georgia’s 13th Congressional District.

You can listen and subscribe to Politically Georgia for free an 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.

‘Angel families’

Credit: C.J. Bartunek for the AJC

Credit: C.J. Bartunek for the AJC

President Donald Trump will host a ceremony today honoring the memory of Laken Riley and others who were victims of crimes where the assailant was a person in the country illegally.

A White House official told the New York Post that the families of people killed by people living in the country without legal permission will now be called “angel families.” The Post reports that Trump will sign a proclamation designating Feb. 22 as Angel Family Day, coinciding with the date Riley was killed while out for a jog on the University of Georgia campus in Athens.

Jose Ibarra, a Venezuelan when entered the U.S. illegally in 2022, was convicted and sentenced to life without parole for killing Riley.

Her death has often been cited as justification for Trump’s immigration crackdown. The Laken Riley Act signed into law last year allows federal officials to detain people living in the country illegally who are accused of various crimes.

Today in Washington

Credit: Allison Robbert/AP

Credit: Allison Robbert/AP

Highlights:

Shoutouts

Credit: Ben Gray for the AJC

Credit: Ben Gray for the AJC

Belated birthdays:

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Before you go

Credit: Natacha Pisarenko/AP

Credit: Natacha Pisarenko/AP

Small Business Administrator Kelly Loeffler, a former Georgia U.S. Senator, was in Italy on Sunday to lead the U.S. delegation to the closing ceremonies of the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics.

That’ll do it for us today. As always, you can send your best scoops, gossip and insider info to greg.bluestein@ajc.com, tia.mitchell@ajc.com, patricia.murphy@ajc.com and adam.beam@ajc.com.