Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan yesterday announced the slate of 2021 state Senate committee chairs, and the biggest news were the names not included on the list. In fact, some GOP insiders InsiderAdvantage interviewed note that Duncan’s purge has now made him big political enemies within his own Republican Party.
Sen. Brandon Beach, R-Alpharetta, was stripped of his chairmanship of the influential Transportation Committee in favor of Sen. Frank Ginn, R-Danielsville. That shocked political insiders and the Georgia transportation industry. As chair Beach shepherded through many important infrastructure projects, served on the Georgia Board of Transportation and put in long hours during the past two years on the joint House-Senate Freight & Logistics Study Committee.
Sen. Burt Jones, R-Jackson, lost his Insurance and Labor Committee chairmanship to Sen. Dean Burke, R-Bainbridge— a medical doctor who ironically is sometimes at loggerheads with the insurance industry. He practiced obstetrics and gynecology for 27 years and is a rural hospital administrator.
Why this purge? Beach, Jones and several other senators butted heads with Duncan and Gov. Brian Kemp in the aftermath of the November presidential election when they called for a brief special legislative session to examine election fraud allegations and to initiate election reforms before the Jan. 5 runoff. That move, supported by President Donald Trump and Georgia’s two GOP U.S. senators (now defeated) was blocked by the governor who was backed by Duncan.
Meanwhile Sen. Matt Brass (R-Newnan) was transferred over from the Reapportionment Committee, possibly the most important chairmanship in a year that will actually see redistricting of legislative district lines take place. He is replaced by Kemp ally and Majority Caucus Chair John Kennedy, R-Macon. Brass was shuffled over to head up the Banking and Financial Institutions Committee, still an important role but a clear demotion in a redistricting year.
Several sources in Republican circles who supported Trump tell InsiderAdvantage that Duncan’s “vindictiveness” toward Beach, Jones and other senators because of the special session dispute will foster a primary challenge to the lieutenant governor in 2022.
Recent polling by InsiderAdvantage indicated more Republican voters disapprove of Duncan than support him, although a large number were not familiar with who the lieutenant governor is. But that’s not unusual for the role of a lieutenant governor.
The full list of 2021-22 Senate committee chairs is below:
Sen. Larry Walker (R – 20) will serve as chair of the Agriculture and Consumer Affairs Committee.
Sen. Blake Tillery (R – 19) will serve as chair of the Appropriations Committee.
Sen. Matt Brass (R – 28) will serve as chair of the Banking and Financial Institutions Committee.
Sen. Bruce Thompson (R – 14) will serve as chair of the Economic Development and Tourism Committee.
Sen. Chuck Payne (R – 54) will serve as chair of the Education and Youth Committee.
Sen. Max Burns (R – 23) will serve as chair of the Ethics Committee.
Sen. Chuck Hufstetler (R – 52) will serve as chair of the Finance Committee.
Sen. Marty Harbin (R – 16) will serve as chair of the Government Oversight Committee.
Sen. Ben Watson (R – 1) will serve as chair of the Health and Human Services Committee.
Sen. Lindsey Tippins (R – 37) will serve as chair of the Higher Education Committee.
Sen. Dean Burke (R – 11) will serve as chair of the Insurance and Labor Committee.
Sen. Donzella James (D – 35) will serve as chair of the Interstate Cooperation Committee.
Sen. Brian Strickland (R – 17) will serve as chair of the Judiciary Committee.
Sen. Tyler Harper (R – 7) will serve as chair of the Natural Resources and the Environment Committee.
Sen. John Albers (R – 56) will serve as chair of the Public Safety Committee.
Sen. John F. Kennedy (R – 18) will serve as chair of the Reapportionment and Redistricting Committee.
Sen. Bill Cowsert (R – 46) will serve as chair of the Regulated Industries and Utilities Committee.
Sen. Randy Robertson (R – 29) will serve as chair of the Retirement Committee.
Sen. Jeff Mullis (R – 53) will serve as chair of the Rules Committee.
Sen. Greg Dolezal (R – 27) will serve as chair of the Science and Technology Committee.
Sen. Jennifer Jordan (D – 6) will serve as chair of the Special Judiciary Committee.
Sen. Lee Anderson (R – 24) will serve as chair of the State and Local Governmental Operations Committee.
Sen. Ed Harbison (D – 15) will serve as chair of the State Institutions and Property Committee.
Sen. Frank Ginn (R – 47) will serve as chair of the Transportation Committee.
Sen. Lester Jackson (D – 2) will serve as chair of the Urban Affairs Committee.
Sen. Kay Kirkpatrick (R – 32) will serve as chair of the Veterans, Military, and Homeland Security Committee
