JD Vance couldn’t draw a big crowd in Athens

The rows of empty seats inside Akins Ford Arena offered a stark visual: even a visit from Vice President JD Vance wasn’t enough to pack the house for a rally aimed at firing up Georgia’s next generation of MAGA voters.

The sparse crowd quickly delighted President Donald Trump’s critics on social media, who seized on a dismal visual for Vance after a rough stretch abroad and expectations of a far more raucous turnout in Athens.

Instead, only a few thousand people turned out for the Turning Point USA event, leaving loads of empty seats in a venue a short walk from the University of Georgia’s sprawling campus. Our AJC colleague Fletcher Page noted that at times there appeared to be more volunteers helping run the event than people waiting in line.

Vance, whose appearance brought a heavy Secret Service and law enforcement presence around the venue, said he was just glad the event went as planned after Erika Kirk, the organization’s leader, said she scrapped her trip to Georgia because of unspecified threats.

But conservative student leaders urged against reading too much into the thin crowd.

Parker Ogle, chair of the UGA College Republicans, called it a “very odd time” to hold the event, with finals approaching and many students still in class.

Chaston Atkins, the state chair of the Georgia Association of College Republicans, also pointed to muddled early messaging about the event, inexperienced organizers and the squeeze of holding it in the middle of the academic day.

But, he said something deeper may also be at play.

“You also have a lot of closeted conservatives at the university, people who are Republican voters but might not show up for an event like this,” he said. “In this heightened polarized political environment, people are walking on eggshells a lot. There’s a fear of confrontation.”

Things to know

Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com

Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com

Good morning! Here are three things to know for today:

Paper ballot push

Credit: Abbey Cutrer/AJC

Credit: Abbey Cutrer/AJC

Facing a deadline that threatens to throw the midterms into disarray, several members of the State Election Board are urging counties to plan to use Georgia’s backup system: paper ballots filled out by hand.

As the state hurtles toward a deadline to eliminate using QR codes to tally votes, State Election Board Vice Chair Janice Johnston stressed that the board cannot create election rules that conflict with or go beyond laws passed by legislators. Her comments suggest a key member of the board may be hesitant about a petition that would require all 159 counties to temporarily switch to a backup voting system starting in July.

“That doesn’t mean we don’t have the authority to instruct and advise supervisors and election directors all over the state to plan and be prepared,” Johnston, who supports paper ballots, said at a board meeting Wednesday.

A shift to paper ballots in the span of months has raised concerns among many election officials who say such a timeline is unfeasible and fear unintended consequences of rushed implementation. Proponents of the idea, however, point out that poll workers are already trained to use the backup system and a majority of the country already uses paper ballots. They say some of those concerns are overblown.

Campaigning with Senate hopeful Derek Dooley in North Georgia on Wednesday, Gov. Brian Kemp stated his own concerns about the board’s authority.

“The State Election Board cannot make law, they set rules for elections, so we’ll see what they end up doing, if anything, and whether that holds legal muster,” Kemp said.

Rather than voting on the proposal calling for a switch to the state’s backup system, State Election Board Chair John Fervier said it’s likely the board will call a special meeting within a week to consider it. Barring a special session of the state Legislature or any potential legal challenges to the move, what the board decides to do could determine whether voters will bubble in candidates by hand in the crucial November midterms.

Headwinds

Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC

Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC

Georgia Senate Majority Leader Jason Anavitarte had some unvarnished advice for attendees at Wednesday’s Pauling County Republican Women’s lunch.

Polls show Republicans facing significant headwinds nationally heading toward the midterm elections. Fast-developing Paulding County has long been a GOP stronghold. But margins have narrowed recently, including in Georgia’s 14th Congressional District special election runoff earlier this month, when U.S. Rep. Clay Fuller squeaked past Democrat Shawn Harris by less than a percentage point.

“You’re sitting at ground zero,” Anavitarte told the group, warning that much of the $100 million raised for the U.S. Senate race and other elections will be spent to win the prized county.

The three-term state senator followed speeches from Dooley and Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, who are both locked in competitive primaries. But Anavitarte said it’s the elections in November that they all need to be worried about.

“When we get done with that primary, everybody better be on the same team,” he said. If they’re not on the same team, he said, Republicans’ jobs in the future are going to be “hell on wheels.”

He further warned the group, “You’re at risk of losing two House seats in this county if you don’t show up and do your job. I’m not making that up.”

Only by uniting behind their candidates can the GOP weather the headwinds they’re facing, he said. And pray.

“Save me, save my family, save my community,” he said. “We need to be doing that every single day together as one group, one family.”

TAD drama

Credit: Abbey Cutrer/AJC

Credit: Abbey Cutrer/AJC

Georgia lawmakers adjourned earlier this month. But that doesn’t mean Republican lawmakers are finished trying to derail some of Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens’ city financing plans.

State Rep. Chuck Martin, R-Alpharetta, procured a legal opinion from the Office of Legislative Counsel that says the city must create new tax districts when their current ones expire.

That would upend Dickens’ plan to extend the city’s tax allocation districts to generate $5 billion to pay for new infrastructure in some neglected neighborhoods. The Dickens administration was quick to hit back, calling the opinion inaccurate. City Attorney Marquetta J. Bryan said the city is open to working collaboratively with lawmakers to address the issue.

“However, we will not support interpretations that are inconsistent with statute, precedent, or the practical realities of delivering equitable redevelopment at scale,” Bryan wrote.

The legal opinion comes after Martin tried and failed to pass a bill that would have prohibited renewing TADs if they collectively reach 10% of the city’s total tax base — a threshold Atlanta’s districts far exceed.

Endorsement whiplash

Credit: Arvin Temkar, Miguel Martinez/AJC

Credit: Arvin Temkar, Miguel Martinez/AJC

Georgia’s Republican governor’s race triggered an awkward endorsement dispute for Jones and a high-profile show of support for rival Rick Jackson.

State Rep. Ginny Ehrhart, R-Powder Springs, said she did not endorse Jones, despite being listed by his campaign this week as a backer.

“This is news to me,” she said, noting that while she co-hosted an event for Jones last year and donated to his campaign, “at this time I have not endorsed anyone in the governor’s race.”

She added: “I’ll be the one to let everyone know if that changes.”

Meanwhile, in another sign of how the GOP field is scrambling alliances under the Gold Dome, one of the House’s top leaders is lining up behind Jones’ chief rival.

House Speaker Pro Tem Jan Jones announced her support for Jackson, praising his work on foster care issues at a time when few others paid attention.

“I know we can count on Rick to do the right thing to make our lives better and more affordable,” she said.

Duncan’s dash

Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC

Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC

Former Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan is beginning to line up more institutional Democratic support as he tries to solidify his standing in the governor’s race.

State Sens. Freddie Powell Sims and Donzella James backed his campaign this week. Now, Duncan is adding organized labor to the list.

The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 613 of metro Atlanta endorsed Duncan on Wednesday. The local union represents more than 6,000 electrical workers across 54 Georgia counties.

“The future of our state has to include Labor, there’s no other option,” Duncan said in a statement, tying the endorsement to his broader affordability message.

Listen up

Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC

Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC

Today on the “Politically Georgia” podcast, Gabriel Sterling joins the show to talk about his campaign for secretary of state.

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.

Fuller’s first bill

Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC

Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC

U.S. Rep. Clay Fuller has signed onto his first piece of legislation, becoming a co-sponsor of a bill backed by Trump that would overhaul federal elections.

The SAVE America Act would require proof of citizenship to register to vote and photo identification when casting a ballot. It also would require states to cooperate with the federal government on efforts to ensure noncitizens are removed from the rolls and creates new consequences for election officials found to have knowingly registered noncitizens to vote.

Democrats say the bill could make it more burdensome to register to vote and prevent eligible citizens from casting ballots.

“There is nothing more important than working with President Trump to safeguard our elections,” Fuller, R-Lookout Mountain, said in a statement. “I will continue to work with the president to advance his America First agenda.”

A similar bill, the SAVE Act, already passed in the House but has stalled in the Senate where Democrats have used the filibuster to block its progress.

Today in Washington

Shoutouts

Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC

Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC

Today’s birthday:

Belated birthday

Before you go

Credit: AP

Credit: AP

Quote of the day from Trump, who was asked by Fox Business’ Maria Bartiromo about the status of Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell. “I’ve held back firing him. I’ve wanted to fire him, but I hate to be controversial, you know?”

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.