Democratic Party of Georgia

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OPEN LETTER: More than 30 Georgia Women Leaders Urge Brian Kemp to Rescind Support for Judge Kavanaugh to the U.S. Supreme Court

ATLANTA — Today, more than 30 women leaders from across Georgia penned an open letter to Brian Kemp urging him to rescind his support for the nomination of Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the U.S. Supreme Court. Last month, Kemp wrote a letter to the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee expressing his support.

The letter to Kemp from the women leaders follows.

Mr. Kemp:

Last month, you submitted a letter to the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee in support of Judge Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court, and in that letter you said Kavanaugh had a “clear understanding of the proper role of a judge” and “all of the personal qualities that we must demand from our Supreme Court justices.”

Recent developments have shown that your praise of Judge Kavanaugh could not be further from the truth.

Not only would Judge Kavanaugh pose a direct threat to Georgia women’s ability to make their own health decisions, he would also follow your lead in allowing insurance companies to deny guaranteed coverage based on pre-existing conditions.

Most importantly, your unwavering support for Judge Kavanaugh’s character was misguided given the credible information brought forth by multiple women and the need for every woman to be heard.

Amid “what all is going on in Washington,” as you put it, your own failure to support Georgia women and your unwillingness to stop sexual assault in Georgia cannot be ignored.

Therefore, we, the undersigned, call on you to immediately retract your support of Judge Kavanaugh.

Kimberly Alexander, State Representative
Tonya Anderson, State Senator
Kenyette Tisha Barnes, Women’s Rights Activist
Debra Bazemore, State Representative
Sharon Beasley-Teague, State Representative
Simone Bell, Former State Representative
Gloria Butler, State Senator
Doreen Carter, State Representative
Perri Chandler, Community Organizer
Toney Chandler, Former Fulton County Public School Counselor
Anna Cherry, Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner & Certified Nurse Midwife
Edith Dee Cofrin, Board of Director, Human Rights Campaign Foundation
Gail Davenport, State Senator
Stephanie Davis, Former Executive Director, Georgia Women for a Change
Rebecca DeHart, Executive Director, Democratic Party of Georgia
Karla Drenner, State Representative
Gloria Frazier, State Representative
Shannon Gaggero, Community Organizer
Michele Henson, State Representative
Carolyn Hugley, House Minority Whip
Donzella James, State Senator
Bianca Keaton, Director of Women’s Outreach, Democratic Party of Georgia
Wanda Mosely, Member, Black Votes Matter
Bee Nguyen, State Representative
Mary Margaret Oliver, State Representative
Nan Orrock, State Senator
Sandra Scott, State Representative
Renitta Shannon, State Representative
Erica Thomas, State Representative
Nachelle Thomas, Gwinnett Democratic Women 1st Vice President
Cathy Willis Spraetz, Former President and Chief Executive Officer, Partnership Against Domestic Violence
Vanessa Toro, Women’s Rights Activist
Keisha Waites, State Representative
Adrienne White, Red Clay Democrats Chair
Nikema Williams, State Senator and 1st Vice Chair, Democratic Party of Georgia
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In Case You “Don’t Recall” — Brian Kemp Refused to Answer Questions 91 Times While Under Oath

After Personally Guaranteeing Loans Beyond His Net Worth, Kemp Refused to Answer Questions or Take Responsibility

ATLANTA — Yesterday, in a front-page, above-the-fold bombshell report, the Atlanta-Journal Constitution revealed that Brian Kemp personally guaranteed $10 million in loans despite having a net worth of roughly half that amount. Worse, he refused to answer questions about his potentially criminal financial behavior 91 times while under oath.

If Brian Kemp can’t be honest about his own finances, how can we trust him to govern Georgia?

Excerpts of the article follow:

At 9 a.m. on July 19, Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp sat in his lawyer’s office in Carrollton. In just five days, the state’s Republicans would choose either Kemp or Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle as their candidate for governor. The race was widely viewed as a toss-up. But Kemp would be stuck in Carrollton for the next two hours and 27 minutes, trying to explain, under oath, why he shouldn’t have to repay a $500,000 loan.

By the time his deposition concluded, Kemp had answered “I don’t recall,” “I don’t remember,” “I don’t know,” or some variation at least 91 times.

“To the best of my knowledge,” Kemp replied to one question, “I don’t recall that.”

The deposition, not previously reported, underscored the political and financial perils Kemp faces from a lawsuit over a loan he personally guaranteed for an agricultural business in which he invested.

…

The monetary consequences could be even more dire for Kemp, records obtained by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution show. Kemp has promised to cover about $10 million in other loans for the now-struggling agricultural business — meaning that if the company defaults, he could be forced to make good on debts that far exceed his net worth of $5.2 million.

Three of those loans, totaling almost $700,000, come due in December. None is backed by collateral…

Read the full article here: https://www.myajc.com/news/state–regional-govt–politics/for-brian-kemp-suit-over-bad-loan-reveals-political-financial-perils/FGeAr04V2A0tphsBVMSObI/

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Flashback: That Time Brian Kemp Voted to Take Inhalers Away from Kids and End Guaranteed Coverage for Other Pre-Existing Conditions

Kemp cannot hide his ugly track record of opposing vital health care for Georgians

ATLANTA – Brian Kemp has a long record of desperately trying to deny healthcare to the people of Georgia, but in 2005, he sank to an appalling low: voting to strip guaranteed coverage from people – especially women and children—with pre-existing conditions. As a state senator, Kemp voted for healthcare bill SB 174 that would have potentially left children suffering from asthma without access to inhalers, women without access to mastectomies and contraception, and Georgians of all stripes without access to certain anti-cancer drug therapy or substance abuse treatment. The bill even went so far as to remove guaranteed coverage for children with autism. Now, as he campaigns for governor, he consistently dodges questions about whether he will support healthcare coverage for Georgians with pre-existing conditions.

In a sign of just how radical Kemp is when it comes to healthcare, here is what other Republicans said about the bill that he voted for:

  • Republican State Senator Seth Harp, described it as “a stinking dead horse.” [AJC, 3/12/2005]
  • Former nurse and fellow Republican State Senator Renee Unterman said, “It’s a shame for Republican men to be in here doing this. [AJC, 3/12/2005]

“Brian Kemp has done everything he can to limit healthcare access to the people of Georgia,” said Democratic Party of Georgia spokesman Seth Bringman. “On the campaign trail, Kemp has refused to commit to protecting Georgians with pre-existing health conditions. This vote is proof that he never will.”

Kemp continues to oppose expanding Medicaid in the state, which would provide coverage to nearly 500,000 Georgians, and according to a new study by the Urban Institute could reduce the number of children who are uninsured. While thirty-two states across the U.S. have expanded Medicaid as part of the Affordable Care Act, Georgia is not one of them, and as a result, Georgia ranks near the bottom-tier of states by many healthcare measures.

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Brian Kemp Continues to Break with His Own Party, Throws Governor Nathan Deal Under the Bus

This past week, Brian Kemp slammed Governor Nathan Deal, a member of his own party, for his record on criminal justice reform. Deal signed Senate Bill 407 into law earlier this year, which included “cash bail” reform, allowing judges to avoid requiring poor nonviolent criminals to pay cash bail.

Deal said that the legislation would “make Georgia a safer place to call home for all of its citizens by recognizing that mercy and accountability are not mutually exclusive.”

Kemp, who remains at the far right of the Republican Party, disagreed with this common-sense legislation, saying in a press release that it would “flood the streets with criminals”.

This is not the first time that Brian Kemp and Nathan Deal have failed to see eye-to-eye, with Deal throwing his support behind Kemp’s opponent instead of Kemp during the Republican runoff. Deal worried about the direction Kemp would take Georgia, saying, “My concern is, let’s not undo, or transform in a negative fashion, the good reforms that we’ve put in place.”

When confronted with his long history of failing to do his job as Secretary of State, thereby putting women across the state of Georgia at risk, Kemp has repeatedly tried to blame none other than Governor Deal. As Secretary of State, Kemp was responsible for overseeing professional licenses, including those of massage therapists, but instead of regulating them, his office ignored 96% of sexual assault complaints over three years and allowed known abusers to keep their licenses.

“The contrast between Brian Kemp and Governor Nathan Deal could not be more stark,” said Democratic Party of Georgia spokesman Seth Bringman. “As Kemp pushes his fringe agenda and tacks to the far right, he gets further every day from representing the views of the people of Georgia, and further from the policies of mainstream republicans like Nathan Deal.”

Governor Nathan Deal and Brian Kemp may be from the same party, but they are worlds apart.

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After Putting Women At Risk, Brian Kemp Blames… Governor Nathan Deal?!?

ATLANTA — Throughout his deceptive and misleading campaign for Governor, Brian Kemp has continued to run away from his abysmal record of putting Georgians at risk, even throwing Governor Nathan Deal under the bus. As Secretary of State, Kemp’s job was to oversee professional licenses, including those of massage therapists. But instead of putting our safety first, his office ignored 96% of sexual assault complaints over three years and allowed known abusers to keep their licenses, putting women across Georgia in harm’s way.

But when called out for his failures, Kemp scrambled to pass the blame to a member of his own party, pointing the finger at Governor Nathan Deal instead.

“Brian Kemp is kidding himself if he thinks he can escape responsibility from putting women at risk when his office renewed the massage license of an abuser who pleaded guilty after assaulting a woman during a massage,” said Seth Bringman, spokesman for the Georgia Democratic Party.  

But while Kemp refuses to accept responsibility, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (AJC) makes clear that Kemp “holds sway” over dozens of licensing boards’ ability to conduct investigations, and notes that the massage board falls “under the umbrella” of the Secretary of State’s Office.

Brian Kemp has made it clear that he doesn’t take his responsibilities in office seriously.

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RELEASE: Not One, Not Two, But Three More Ways Brian Kemp is Not Doing His Job… And That’s Just the Last 72 Hours…

ATLANTA – In just the last few days, a trio of negative stories demonstrated yet again that Brian Kemp has failed to do his job as Secretary of State.

First, the AJC reported that Brian Kemp has failed to resolve a decade-long border dispute, angering many residents in Monroe County, where local taxpayers have had to foot the bill in an attempt to resolve the dispute amid Kemp’s inaction.

The AJC then reported that scores of polling locations across the state have closed under Kemp’s watch.

The number is 214, for anyone who is counting. (Brian Kemp isn’t. In fact, his office was unaware of the extent of the closures, according to the AJC.)

BuzzFeed reported yet another disturbing example of Brian Kemp not doing his job, adding to the AJC’s report last week. Shamefully, Kemp’s office has restricted access to critical voting information to Georgians living outside the United States, including members of the military. Georgians serving our country overseas, for instance, are currently unable to check the status of their voter registration.

Brian Kemp needs to resign.

In the meantime, voters across Georgia, Georgians serving in our military, Georgia’s military families and civilian Georgians living abroad can contact the Democratic Party of Georgia’s voter protection hotline at 1- 888-730-5816

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RELEASE: Georgia Business Leaders Call Out Brian Kemp for Supporting RFRA

Kemp Would Sign Discriminatory, Job-Killing Legislation if Elected Governor

ATLANTA – Today, Georgia business and political leaders convened a press conference call to condemn Brian Kemp’s support for RFRA. This legislation, which Kemp would sign into law if he were elected governor, would hurt Georgia’s economy and kill Georgia jobs.

Colton Griffin, CEO of Flourish Software, talked about the LGBTQ Georgians he has met as Democratic Party of Georgia LGBTQ Caucus Chair. These Georgians,” said Griffin “made a choice to stay in our great state because they feel welcomed and at home here. But if Brian Kemp were to become governor, he would sign RFRA into law, and lifelong LGBTQ Georgians would no longer feel welcome.” He also noted that many Georgians “grew up in another part of the county but decided to make Georgia their home. They came to Georgia because we are a welcoming state of opportunity, and because we have a lot of good places for LGBTQ people to work. But if Brian Kemp were to become governor, he would sign RFRA into law, and Georgia would no longer be a welcoming place to LGBTQ Americans – many of them the best and brightest in their respective fields – and who would want to live here.”

Other states like Indiana and North Carolina, which have enacted discriminatory legislation, have seen disastrous economic consequences. Georgia Representative Miriam Paris, a member of the Economic Development & Tourism Committee, spoke about her work with job creators across Georgia and the impact RFRA might have. “The fact of the matter is: RFRA could be dead in its tracks tomorrow if Brian Kemp would simply pledge to veto it in any form. Our job creators could breathe a sigh of relief. But this is not in Mr. Kemp’s lexicon. He will not do what’s right for Georgia.”

“Brian Kemp has decided to threaten Georgia’s economy and appeal to a very small group of people who oppose equality for LGBTQ Georgians,” added Paris. “Under Stacey Abrams’ administration, RFRA will never see the light of day, Georgia companies will attract the best and the brightest, and Georgia will thrive.”

“For my catering business to thrive, I need all of Georgia’s economy to thrive.” said Kushina Catering owner Yohana Solomon. “If the film industry takes its business elsewhere, my business suffers. If conventions and visitors go to other states instead of Georgia, my business suffers. If jobs and people leave our state, my business suffers. We are one Georgia family. If Brian Kemp becomes governor and signs RFRA into law, we all lose.”

According to the Atlanta Metro Chamber of Commerce, Georgia stands to lose more than $1 billion in revenue if RFRA is enacted.

Said Solomon, “I don’t want to lay off my employees. I want to create jobs and hire even more Georgians, and I want my current employees to know that they have a workplace and a state that supports them, even if Brian Kemp does not. As a business owner, the issue of RFRA is important to me and a big reason why I am supporting Stacey Abrams for Governor.”

Andrew Feiler, President of Metro Developers, spoke about his experience as an employer and a developper of office and living space for Georgians. “I can tell you first-hand that RFRA is terrible for business. You don’t have to take just my word for it; More than 400 major companies headquartered here in Georgia who have come out against this awful legislation.”

More than 400 companies headquartered in Georgia oppose RFRA because it would be bad for the state’s economy and send the wrong message about Georgia.

Feiler also took issue with Brian Kemp’s latest comments on RFRA. “Let’s be clear: Georgia’s business community opposes any kind of RFRA in Georgia, including the version that Kemp says he wants to sign. It doesn’t matter what Brian Kemp says. It matters what Georgia employers believe. It matters what the film industry believes. It matters that these 400+ Georgia businesses oppose RFRA in any form.”

“We cannot have Brian Kemp as our next governor. We need to elect Leader Abrams,” he said.

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Kemp’s Laughable Claim That He’s “Independent” From His Poll-Closing Henchman Mike Malone

Known Kemp Associate and Donor Mike Malone Said He Was Sent by Kemp and Said Kemp “Highly Recommended” Polling Closures

Randolph County Elections Director: “Mr. Malone came highly recommended from the Secretary of State’s office.”

ATLANTA – Today, the Democratic Party of Georgia called out Republican gubernatorial candidate Brian Kemp for his laughable claim that he is “independent” from his associate and donor, Mike Malone.

In a statement from his Secretary of State’s office, Kemp defensively referred to Malone as “an independent consultant” who is “not backed by the Secretary of State’s office.” This statement raises the following questions:

1. How does Kemp define “independent”?

2. Does Kemp really believe he is independent from his associate and donor? (AJC, 8.20.2018)

3. How does Kemp explain his associate and donor Mike Malone’s presentation in Randolph County, where Malone said polling consolidation came “highly recommended” by Kemp himself? (AJC, 8.20.2018)

4. How does Kemp explain his associate and donor Mike Malone’s contention that he was sent around the state by Kemp for the purpose of recommending polling location closures? (Slate, 8.17.2018)

5. How does Kemp explain these words from Randolph County’s elections director: “Mr. Malone came highly recommended from the Secretary of State’s office”? (AJC, 8.20.2018)

And, most importantly,

6. Given Kemp’s history of voter suppression and his connection to the polling closure proposal in Randolph County, will he resign as Secretary of State?

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ICYMI: CNN Report on Brian Kemp’s Voter Leak

ICYMI: CNN Report on Brian Kemp’s Voter Leak

Kemp’s Incompetence As Secretary of State Shown Once Again, Now He Wants a Promotion to be Governor

Atlanta –Last night, CNN’s Situation Room introduced more details about the infamous 2017 data breach that occurred under Secretary of State Brian Kemp’s watch. This breaking news report highlighted the full extent of vulnerabilities within Georgia’s voter system, deemed by experts as “unreliable” and “insecure,” and it shed light on the fact that Georgians still remain without an answer for how long the security breach actually lasted.

The report by independent cyber security expert Logan Lamb shared a number of disturbing facts:

·         A voter registration database of 6.3 million Georgia voters, including full names, dates of birth, driver’s licenses, and social security numbers, were exposed.

·         According to the Justice Department’s Special Counsel Investigation, this leak occurred around the same time that Russian hackers were “snooping” around websites of certain counties in Georgia to identify vulnerabilities.

·         Lamb called the Georgia Center for Elections Systems, housed at Kennesaw State University, to warn them of these vulnerabilities. Six months later, the vulnerabilities still remained.

·         Kennesaw State then fixed the leak and evidence of what took place simply “vanished”. The computer hard drives for the Center for Elections Systems was wiped completely clean.

With this massive data breach, the subsequent inability to figure out the root cause of this breach, and the decision to wipe the servers completely clean, Republicans and Democrats alike agree that Brian Kemp is simply too incompetent and untrustworthy to be the next Governor of the State of Georgia.

Republican Michael Williams has said that Kemp’s office has a “complete mismanagement of finances.” Republican Clay Tippins has claimed that if Kemp were in the private sector, he “would be fired,” and Democratic Congressman Hank Johnson demanded a federal investigation into the incompetence under Kemp’s watch.

“Electing Brian Kemp to Governor would be the worst case of failing up in Georgia politics. His record and job performance is abysmal,” said Democratic Party of Georgia Chair DuBose Porter. “Both Republicans and Democrats know that he’s an incompetent Secretary of State, but Kemp remains in deep denial about his own record. Voters simply can’t trust him.”

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RELEASE: Democratic Party of Georgia Chair DuBose Porter and Dara Lindenbaum, Senior Counsel Sandler, Reiff, Lamb, Rosenstein, and Birkenstock, Host Press Call to Detail Complaint Filed to the Georgia Government Transparency and Campaign Finance Commission Regarding Official Secretary of State App Linking to Brian Kemp’s Campaign Social Media Accounts

Part-time Secretary of State and Full-time Gubernatorial Candidate Brian Kemp Used Official Secretary of State App to Promote His Campaign’s Social Media Accounts

GEORGIA — Earlier today, DuBose Porter, Chair of the Democratic Party of Georgia and Dara Lindenbaum, Senior Counsel Sandler, Reiff, Lamb, Rosenstein, and Birkenstock, held a press call detailing the official ethics complaint regarding Brian Kemp’s misuse of state resources to promote his campaign for governor. They requested that the Georgia Government Transparency and Campaign Finance Commission launch an immediate investigation into Brian Kemp and the Secretary of State’s office.

Lindenbaum laid out how Brian Kemp violated Georgia law by accepting prohibited contributions from Mr. Kemp’s public office to his gubernatorial Campaign.  “By having these links to his social media pages, the Secretary of State office is using taxpayer funds to make an in-kind contribution to the campaign, which the campaign has accepted.”

The Secretary of State’s office is using a “very important app that is very useful to voters. They can look-up their polling location and find their sample ballots remotely.” More importantly, “If [Brian Kemp] were to say that he didn’t know about this, then he is not doing his job to oversee his department.”

Lindenbaum made it clear that the ethics commission must investigate this complaint:

“There is a strict timeline for the [ethics commission] to follow. After the complaint is filed, they will quickly review it and send it off to the Kemp campaign where they will have 30 days to respond. Then, the ethics commission will review that response and launch an investigation. I think there is plenty of time for them to research this. The office holds complaints that are filed within 30 days of an election, but we are outside of that 30-day window, and they have plenty of time to investigate this, and they should.”

Chair Porter decided to file the official complaint and request an investigation. He asserted “In all my years in politics, I have never seen anything this blatant or this corrupt. Brian Kemp is trying to use his current political position as Secretary of State to give himself an advantage in his current campaign because he knows he cannot run on his failed record as Secretary of State.”

Chair Porter also stressed, “the newest update of the app has the links taken down, but taxpayers are confused because old versions still have the links up… There needs to be a public message to update the app.” Chair Porter also pointed out that, “It has been five months since he was warned, and he has ignored [the fact] that his office is linking [these accounts] to his campaign.”

Furthermore, Chair Porter noted that it took Kemp’s office nearly 20 hours to take the links down after they had already told the press they had done so. “That is not the sign of a campaign that makes ethics and integrity a priority. We must protect the integrity of this election, and this is the top priority.”

Finally, Chair Porter wanted to make sure that taxpayers knew that their tax dollars aren’t being used as a slush fund to promote Kemp’s campaign. “Georgian’s deserve to know that Brian Kemp is abusing his current office and obviously doesn’t care.”

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RELEASE: Ethics Complaint Filed Against Secretary of State Brian Kemp

Part-time Secretary of State and Full-time Gubernatorial Candidate Brian Kemp Accused of Using Official Secretary of State App to Promote His Campaign’s Social Media Accounts

GEORGIA– Today, DuBose Porter, Chair of the Democratic Party of Georgia, filed an official ethics complaint accusing Brian Kemp of blatantly misusing state resources to promote his campaign for governor and requesting that the Georgia Government Transparency and Campaign Finance Commission conduct an immediate investigation into Brian Kemp and the Kemp Campaign for Governor.

This action comes following news reports that Brian Kemp used his official capacity as Secretary of State to promote his campaign website and social media through the official Secretary of State app, “GA SOS,” which is paid for using taxpayer funds. This represents a clear violation of state law, as it is illegal for a public agency such as a Secretary of State’s Office to make contributions to a political campaign or candidate.

Additionally around 6:10 PM on the night of July 31st, it was first reported that the Kemp campaign agreed to remove the link from the app. However as of 1:02 pm on August 1st, nearly 19 hours later, the links on the Secretary of State App were still present, as indicated by the screenshot below:

These ethical, legal, and moral issues raise critical questions that must be answered by the Secretary of State’s office and the Brian Kemp for Governor campaign:

  • If Brian Kemp is willing to ignore the law like this, in what other ways is he willing to abuse his authority as SoS?
  • In what other ways is he using the office to promote his own campaign and further his political ambitions?
  • This issue was raised in 2017. Why did Brian Kemp take no corrective action at that time?

“Brian Kemp’s willingness to use taxpayer dollars for his own political gain raises serious ethical questions and reveals his disregard for Georgia voters and Georgia law,” said Democratic Party of Georgia Chair DuBose Porter. “Georgia families can’t put their trust in a leader who won’t put their interests above his own. This is a flat-out abuse and careless use of his office.”
The complaint with appendices that was sent today can be downloaded here (12 page PDF).

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RELEASE: On the 53rd Anniversary of Medicaid, Brian Kemp Still Refuses to Support Medicaid Expansion

Under Republican Leadership, Georgia has Already Become an ‘At-Risk’ Patient

Under Kemp’s Plan, Georgia Would Continue to Lose $8 Million Per Day   

GEORGIA – “Brian Kemp and the GOP leadership’s refusal to expand Medicaid has resulted in a loss of more than $3 billion per year in federal funds, making Georgia an ‘at-risk’ patient,” said Democratic Party of Georgia’s Chair, DuBose Porter.

Porter’s statement follows confirmation from Brian Kemp that regardless of the benefits of expanding Medicaid, he would not pursue additional federal dollars for health care coverage through Medicaid. According to US Census data, Georgia currently has a 12.9% uninsured rate, making it the fifth worst in the country. Additionally, six rural hospitals have closed since 2013–costing Georgians thousands of jobs–and more than half of the remaining rural hospitals remain financially vulnerable to closure. This Medicaid expansion would provide payment to hospitals and healthcare providers for their services.

“Despite the irreversible harm that his stances are inflicting on all Georgians, Brian Kemp has made it clear that he does not plan on lifting a finger to improve healthcare measures here in Georgia, putting the lives of Georgians at further risk,” continued Porter. “It is time to elect leaders across the state who will commit to building a healthier, more prosperous Georgia.”

Expanding Medicaid would provide coverage to nearly 500,000 Georgians. Thirty-two other states across the U.S. have expanded Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act, – and Georgia is not one of them. Due to GOP leadership in Georgia and their inability to take advantage of the opportunity to expand Medicaid, Georgia ranks near the bottom-tier of statesby many healthcare measures.

By every moral, economic and health measurement available, one thing has become clear— Kemp’s reckless decision to not even consider expanding Medicaid continues to make Georgia an ‘at-risk’ patient.

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Video Release: Members of His Own Party Agree, Brian Kemp Can’t be Trusted

Brian Kemp: Too Incompetent to be Trusted with Georgia’s Future

GEORGIA – Today, the Democratic Party of Georgia released a new video exposing new GOP Gubernatorial nominee Brian Kemp for his professional, personal, and ethical failings. The video makes it clear that Kemp cannot be trusted to put the interests of Georgia families and business over those of his own.

Featuring the words of former GOP Gubernatorial candidates Michael Williams, Clay Tippins, and Casey Cagle, the videos highlights Brian Kemp’s blatant disregard for the interests of everyday Georgians in favor of those of his own and showcases several of the many instances where Kemp’s professional incompetencies served as a detriment to Georgia voters.

Even Nathan Deal didn’t trust Brian Kemp enough to endorse him, openly worrying whether Kemp’s policies would “undo” and “destroy” the progress made by Georgia over the past eight years.

Voters have a decision to make on which candidate they can trust this November. With Brian Kemp’s failed track record, self-serving ways, and consistent professional failures, under no circumstances is that candidate Brian Kemp.

“When it comes to the real Brian Kemp, Georgia voters have only scratched the surface of what they think they know. The reality is that Brian Kemp has always put his own personal politics over Georgia families and businesses and has a track record of consistently being promoted beyond his ability,” said Democratic Party of Georgia Chair DuBose Porter. “That ends now. Due to his failed track record, questionable judgement, and ethically reprehensible dealings as Secretary of State, Georgia voters simply can’t trust Brian Kemp to be the next Governor of our state.”

To view the new video, click here.

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DPG Statement on Brian Kemp

GEORGIA — In response to Brian Kemp winning the Republican Nomination for Governor, Democratic Party of Georgia Chair DuBose Porter issues the following statement:

“Despite noted resistance from the business community and his record as quite possibly the worst Secretary of State in Georgia history, Brian Kemp was chosen tonight by Georgia Republicans to be their nominee for Governor. Kemp’s refusal to support commonsense, Georgia-first solutions such as expanding Medicaid for our rural communities, investing in our public schools, and protecting women’s access to health care, proves to Georgians that Brian Kemp is more interested in putting his personal politics ahead of the well-being of Georgia families and businesses.

“Be it defaulting on farmers, which resulted in two separate lawsuits worth a total of over $700,000 combined, or recklessly allowing 6 million Georgians’ social security numbers to be publicly leaked on two separate occasions—not to mention then attempting to wipe the servers —Brian Kemp has proven time and time again that he can’t be trusted.

“In less than a year, Georgia fell from being the 2nd to being the 7th best state in America to do business. Georgia’s abysmal standing as 32nd in the country for K-12 public education rankings continues to drop. In Kemp’s Georgia, lucrative businesses such as Amazon and the film industry will take their money and jobs away from our state. Being “politically incorrect” should never take precedence over enacting real, meaningful public policy that serves everyday Georgians. 

“Brian Kemp’s litany of professional incompetencies already make him wholly incapable of serving as Governor, but they pale in comparison to his personal and ethical failures – including taking $300,000 in campaign donations from those he regulated and turning a blind eye to 25 sexual abuse complaints of massage therapists over the last three years.

“The question then becomes as Governor, who would Brian Kemp truly be serving? Does Brian Kemp support Washington tariffs on Georgia farmers? Will Brian Kemp’s personal agenda “destroy” and “undo” the progress made by Georgia over the past eight years, as prominent Republican leaders fear? And will Brian Kemp betray the nearly 4.5 million Georgians with preexisting conditions who rely on access to health care?”

“Regardless of the answers to these questions, Kemp’s failed track record and ethical breaches have made one thing abundantly clear: Georgia voters simply can’t trust Brian Kemp to be our next Governor.”

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ICYMI: Cagle’s use of state-funded flights exceeds quarter of million dollars

By Aaron Holmes – The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Tuesday, July 03, 2018

GEORGIA — In his bid for governor, Casey Cagle has run as a fiscal conservative — but he regularly bills the state for air travel between Atlanta and his hometown 55 miles away, an Atlanta Journal-Constitution investigation has found.

Records show that, when taking flights for state business, Cagle regularly had the state plane add extra legs to its trip in order to pick him up or drop him off in Gainesville, where he lives. Cagle had the plane fly from Atlanta to Gainesville to pick him up at least 59 times since 2010, and on at least 57 occasions, he had it drop him off in Gainesville before flying back to Atlanta, usually carrying other staffers from his office back to the capital.

Overall, Cagle and his staff took at least 413 state-funded flights between January 2010 and June 2018, according to a review of records kept by the Georgia Aviation Authority and the Georgia Department of Public Safety, racking up $264,999 in costs.

Nearly all those flights took off and landed within Georgia. The average length of flights taken by Cagle’s office is about 41 minutes, and at least 96 of the flights, including legs of larger trips, were shorter than 20 minutes.

In a statement to the AJC, Cagle’s campaign manager, Scott Binkley, said that Cagle’s air travel was necessary to meet with voters across the state. Cagle’s office has a policy of driving distances shorter than four hours, but Binkley said the office sometimes makes exceptions due to scheduling constraints.

Binkley also defended the fact that Cagle has added additional legs to pick him up or drop him off in Gainesville.

“The fact that the state’s air contractor flies out of Atlanta doesn’t mean state officials should only fly out of Atlanta,” Binkley said. “Usually when he flies out of Gainesville it’s because he’s leaving very early in the morning and returning home late at night.”

Cagle’s flying habits have drawn scrutiny in the past. In 2012, a Channel 2 Action News reporter confronted  Cagle about his tendency to fly between Gainesville and Atlanta.

At the time, Cagle said he had no idea his office was billed for adding the extra legs to flights, but his flying habits did not change: Since then, Cagle has taken dozens of flights with added legs to drop him off in Gainesville.

When reached for comment by Channel 2 for a report in March about elected officials taking flights, Cagle told the network he was not personally responsible for booking the flights.

Sara Henderson, the executive director of the nonpartisan watchdog group Common Cause Georgia, said she finds the lieutenant governor’s spending on air travel troubling.

“The optics to the voters are that you would rather spend our money to fly rather than do what normal people do, sit in traffic,” Henderson said. “Elected officials have to be as close to voters as possible, and it’s hard to do that from the sky. …

“The legality of this isn’t the point — he should be working as lieutenant governor to restore the faith of voters who already think that everyone in office is corrupt.”

While most of Georgia’s travel expenses come from car rentals and mileage reimbursements, the state’s constitutional officers and top lawmakers are allowed to use air travel for official business. Most state flights are chartered through private companies, but the state still owns and uses some helicopters.

In some cases, Cagle took taxpayer-funded flights to cities where he raised money for his gubernatorial campaign. On Nov. 10, 2016, for example, Cagle used a state plane to fly to Savannah and, the same day, the Cagle-aligned group Georgia Conservatives Fund raised $211,900 from donors in Savannah, eliciting a complaint from an ethics watchdog activist.

He also took a state flight to Thomasville on May 16, 2017, where he met with local business leaders, according to WCTV. Campaign finance records show that Cagle raised over $10,000 in donations from Thomasville residents that week. Binkley said that Cagle was in Thomasville primarily to discuss “rural broadband needs” in his capacity as lieutenant governor.

Secretary of State Brian Kemp, who is running against Cagle for the Republican nomination for governor, slammed him for his use of state flights. Kemp, who has been in office since 2010, has taken 11 taxpayer-funded flights in total. However, Kemp is one of two state officials granted a car allowance worth more than $7,000 per year.

“Career politician Casey Cagle flies around the state in private planes and helicopters, then sticks hardworking Georgians with the bill. Even worse, he’s used state aircraft multiple times to raise money for his gubernatorial campaign” Kemp spokesman Ryan Mahoney said. “Cagle needs to be held accountable for his extravagant living and shameful behavior.”

Cagle and Kemp will face off in the primary runoff election July 24, and early voting for the race opened Monday. The nominee will face Democratic nominee Stacey Abrams in November.

Cagle flights

413 — The number of flights Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle and his staff took between January 2010 and June 2018

59 — The number of times since 2010 that Cagle had a plane fly from Atlanta to Gainesville, where he lives, to pick him up

57 — The number of times since 2010 that he had a state plane drop him off in Gainesville before flying bck to Atlanta

$264,999 — The cost to Georgia taxpayers for those flights

Sources: Georgia Aviation Authority and Georgia Department of Public Safety records

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The Democratic Party of Georgia Unveils New Website Highlighting Cagle and Kemp’s Dangerous Track Records

GEORGIA — Today, the Democratic Party of Georgia released a new website highlighting statements made by state Republicans that Casey Cagle and Brian Kemp are wrong choices for everyday Georgians.

The new website, WrongForGeorgia.com, comes on the heels of the videos released yesterday on Kemp and Cagle, where state Republicans claim that both candidates are out-of-touch career politicians. Damning statements from former Republican candidates for Governor (Hunter Hill, Clay Tippins, and Michael Williams) detail the disastrous failures of both remaining GOP candidates for Georgia’s highest office.

Georgia Republicans have said that Kemp/Cagle are “bought and paid for,” guilty of “complete mismanagement of finances” and “bullying colleagues and citizens.”  Of Kemp, it’s been said “If you were in the private sector, you would be fired.”

One thing is for certain: Republicans agree that neither Kemp nor Cagle have what it takes to be the next Governor of the state of Georgia.

“Georgia Republicans are normally as useless as a steering wheel on a mule,” said DuBose Porter, Democratic Party of Georgia Chair. “Georgians deserve to know exactly what their Republican colleagues have said about them.”

“And in this case, we think they’re right: Casey Cagle and Brian Kemp are wrong for Georgia families and businesses.”

# # #

Meet the GOP Gubernatorial Candidates

GEORGIA — Today, the Democratic Party of Georgia released two separate videos- one on Brian Kemp, the other on Casey Cagle– highlighting attacks both candidates received during the Republican gubernatorial primary election. Fellow Republicans’ claims about Kemp and Cagle covered a broad range of topics including abuse of power, misuse of taxpayer dollars, favoritism of special interests over Georgia families, potential government cover-ups, and utter incompetence.

With the GOP runoff seven weeks away, Democratic Party of Georgia Chair DuBose Porter says leaders from both parties can agree on one thing- Brian Kemp and Casey Cagle have too much baggage and far too many weaknesses to be considered credible, trustworthy candidates for Governor.

“Casey Cagle has been caught chartering flights like his own personal taxi service,” said Porter. “He’s forced the government to pick him up at his home airport and then forced Georgia taxpayers to pick up the tab. After paying $250,000 dollars to fly Mr. Cagle around the state, Democratic and Republican taxpayers have had enough.

“And Brian Kemp is too incompetent to manage the Secretary of State’s office,” continued Porter. “In charge of protecting our state’s voting records, his office was responsible for two of the largest data breaches in state history. More than 6 million Georgians had their Social Security numbers released, leaving hard-working citizens and businesses vulnerable to attack. Kemp has done nothing but fail at his current job.

“It is clear Republicans are left with two bad options to carry them into November.”

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DPG Latino Caucus Chair Statement on GOP Candidate Michael Williams “Deportation Bus Tour”

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Tuesday, May 15 2018

CONTACT:

Antonio Molina

DPG Latino Caucus Chair

Democratic Party of Georgia

(678) 557-8292

ATLANTA – Antonio Molina, chair of the Democratic Party of Georgia’s Latino Caucus, issues the following statement:

“Michael Williams is not the only Republican dividing our state along hate-filled racial lines, he’s simply the latest. His ‘Deportation Bus Tour’ is a disgusting way to pander for votes in a Governor’s race.

“As a military veteran and a person of Latino descent, I find it disgraceful and in violation of our American values. Instead of creating hate and division, Williams’ could be sharing a positive view toward a more inclusive Georgia.

“Our state’s motto is ‘Wisdom, Justice, Moderation’. This bus tour has none of these traits.”

# # #

Background: Michael Williams’ Deportation Bus Tour, accessed on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oCvtj0DqY4Y