Columbia County Chamber members heard a little about the laws passed by the Georgia Legislature this last session.
But they heard a lot about what’s to come in state and national elections.
The prognosticating was presented Friday, May 6 during a chamber breakfast by Brian Robinson, former Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal’s “chief attack dog,” as the Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s chief political reporter, Greg Bluestein, once described Robinson.
Robinson is now a Republican political consultant and works mainly with state-level Republican candidates.
Here are a few of Robinson’s predictions:
Democrats will generate millions of dollars, but perhaps not as many votes over the abortion issue. The leak of the draft U.S. Supreme Court opinion that indicates at least five justices are ready to overturn Roe v Wade, the landmark 1973 decision that made abortion a constitutional right, has given Democrats something to talk about besides runaway inflation.
“I don’t know that it will make a difference in voting, but it will make a huge difference in fundraising,” Robinson said of the leaked draft opinion.
Being strongly against abortion will help Republicans in the May 24 primary, but hurt them in the November general election.
“That’s not where the voters are at in Georgia,” Robinson said.
Despite former President Donald Trump attacking Gov. Brian Kemp, Kemp will beat David Perdue.
Kemp “has kept his head down and never punched back” Robinson said.
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He predicted Perdue may gain some right before the primary, but it won’t be enough to overcome the years of conservative work Kemp has done throughout the state. Even a majority of Republicans believe they can trust Kemp to oversee fair and honest elections, despite what Trump says, Robinson said.
Secretary of State Brad Raffsenperger, who nearly everyone predicted had no chance, has shown a strong comeback.
“Brad Raffsenperger has risen from the dead,” Robinson said.
He predicted a runoff between Raffsenperger and Jody Hice, the Republican challenger who got Trump’s endorsement.
Trump targeted Raffensperger because the Georgia Republican certified the Georgia vote, which gave the state electoral votes to Joe Biden despite Trump’s unfounded claims of widespread election fraud in Georgia. Many Republicans predicted Raffensperger had no chance of winning and in Columbia County Raffensperger fled an April 23 breakfast put on by the county Republicans of after a small number of members heckled and jeered Raffensperger. One accused him of being in bed with Stacy Abrams, who will likely be the Democratic candidate for Georgia governor.
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Robinson’s most important point was that because Georgia was such a close race in the Trump/Biden presidential election, Georgia “will remain the center of the universe for some time to come.”
“You have never been so powerful as a voter,” Robinson said.
The even split of Republicans and Democrats in the state means Democrats across the nation will continue to pour money into Georgia. Robinson pointed to Sen. Raphael Warnock’s war chest of $65 million as an example. He said Abrams has become so confident in her funding, she is asking donors to instead fund abortion rights groups.
Robinson’s take was warmly received, even when people didn’t completely agree.
“I’m very optimistic that the conservatives are going to show up because they are motivated,” said Connie Melear, a Republican and Columbia County commissioner representing Evans and Martinez.
But she was skeptical the pending death of Roe v Wade would motivate voters or liberal donors a few weeks from now.
“It’s very early in the process,” Melear said. “So will people who get very excited about it this week be excited in November?”
Alison Couch, who is challenging Dewey Galeas in the District 4 race for Columbia County Commission, said, “Mr. Robinson is very well attuned with the political landscape and is very spot-on in his political comments.”
State Sen. Max Burns spoke a few minutes about the conservative wins in the last legislative session. He touted the law that allows Georgians to carry a concealed firearm without a permit, the so-called “Parents Bill of Rights,” tax breaks, expansion of mental health care, suspension through May of the state gasoline sales tax and the budget surplus.
But like Robinson, he appealed to the largely conservative audience to vote in the primary and the general election.
“There’s a lot of folks who don’t think like you. And if you don’t vote, they win,” Burns said.
Joshua B. Good is a staff reporter covering Columbia County and military/veterans’ issues for The Augusta Press. Reach him at joshua@theaugustapress.com
