The next year and a half may be a boon to those planning political events – no candidates for dogcatcher on the agenda. There will likely be candidates for major offices coming out of the woodwork to put their faces in front of as many people as possible. The Atlanta Young Republicans are usually able to lure good speakers and good crowds but Wednesday’s meeting featured a packed house to see a surrogate on behalf of a congressional candidate, a secretary of state candidate and an attorney general (who is also a candidate). With the Georgia Republican Convention a little over a month away, more candidates may start announcing in the next few weeks to try and ensure a speaking slot in Augusta.
First up was, David Belle Isle, the mayor of Alpharetta, who has thrown his hat into the ring for the secretary of state race. Belle Isle noted how it would be beneficial for the state to have a secretary of state “with a mayor’s heart.” He spoke of the growth he has successfully managed and been a part of in Alpharetta. “Mayors focus on making irresistible places,” said Belle Isle. And by the looks of things in Alpharetta, it’s been plenty irresistible. It’s now home to more than 640 tech companies and one of the metro area’s glimmering new developments, Avalon. So far, Belle Isle is the only mayor to declare his candidacy, if he remains as the only one, it will be interesting to watch this dynamic.
Steve Handel was on hand to speak on behalf of his wife, Karen, who you may have heard is in a runoff special election facing a Democrat, Jon Ossoff. Handel noted that the Democrats spent somewhere around $10 million on the special election. Handel also said that after Karen advanced to the runoff, they set something of a record raising $1 million in one week. Between Ossoff and Handel, and the money spent so far, it will definitely have a chance to end up being the most expensive congressional election ever – for a special election. There’s now a little less than two months to go. Plenty of time to raise another $10 million.
The main event speaker for the evening was that attorney general candidate though. Chris Carr is now in his sixth month on the job after his appointment following Sam Olens’ resignation. Carr discussed his priorities and the workings of his office. The attorney general’s office of the state of Georgia currently has something like 21,000 open cases. The number of lawyers working all those cases? 150. That works out to about 140 per lawyer. A rather large caseload.
Carr’s priorities for the office will work off of what Carr called the “amazing job” done by Sam Olens. Olens office had placed a priority on targeting human trafficking and opioid abuse. Carr will continue that work but is also going to tackle elder abuse. Most Georgians know about the extent of the first two but may not be aware of how sadly common elder abuse is. According to Carr, 90% of the time the abuse is perpetrated by family members. One of the biggest things the attorney general’s office can help these issues is by increasing awareness. Carr seems committed to that. He’ll have at least a year and a half to do so before voters decide if whether to give him another four.
