2022 Elections - Page 2

Georgia’s Kemp leads Abrams in rematch of 2018 gubernatorial race

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(The Center Square) — Georgia’s gubernatorial race is in the home stretch, as Democrat Stacey Abrams and Gov. Brian Kemp, a Republican, face off in a rematch of the 2018 race.

Democrats have blamed Kemp for the closure of Atlanta Medical Center, accused the governor of trying to buy votes using federal COVID-19 relief money and criticized his stance on abortion and guns.

“From helping Georgians save on monthly expenses like education, health care, and housing, to expanding Medicaid for hundreds of thousands, to fighting to repeal Kemp’s extreme abortion ban and permitless carry law, Stacey has plans and priorities to make Georgia safer, freer, and more prosperous for all of us,” U.S. Rep. Nikema Williams, chair of the Democratic Party of Georgia, said in a statement after a Sunday debate.

Republicans have countered that Abrams is weak on crime, argued that her economic policies would hurt the state and say she is out of touch with Georgians.

“Brian Kemp not only shows up for Georgians but fights for them. He has kept our economy going in the face of the back-to-back catastrophes of the worldwide pandemic and Joe Biden,” Georgia Republican Party Chairman David Shafer said in a statement after a Sunday debate. “He has fought to keep us safe in the face of rapidly rising crime.”

An Emerson College poll released Thursday shows Kemp has a comfortable lead over Abrams in the gubernatorial race. It also revealed a statistical tie in Georgia’s U.S. Senate race between U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Georgia, and Republican challenger Herschel Walker.

Georgia continues to see record-breaking voter turnout during the early voting period, as nearly 1.9 million voters cast their ballots early, including 134,318 on Wednesday. As of the 17th day of early voting in 2018, nearly 1.5 million voters had cast a ballot, state officials said.

“By close of business [on Thursday], two million Georgians will have cast their ballot in person – a record for Early Voting in a midterm,” Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger said in a statement. “Georgia is the state where voters show up early, and our county election directors have created that infrastructure to make it a resounding success.”

By T.A. DeFeo | The Center Square contributor

Election season comes down to the wire

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(The Center Square) – Election day comes Tuesday, putting a range of major issues up for grabs as both parties battle for control of the House, Senate and gubernatorial races around the country.

The latest polling shows a tight but favorable electoral landscape for Republicans. FiveThirtyEight’s analysis and compilation of generic polls found voters overall prefer that Republicans control Congress by 1.2%.

Real Clear Politics’ polling projects Republicans will pick up four Senate seats, three governorships and roughly 31 House seats. RCP has Republicans up 2.8% on the generic ballot, while a Yahoo News-YouGov poll released Thursday has Democrats up by 2%.

This year’s midterm elections put several key issues up for grabs, including the future of many judicial nominees and the several-trillion dollars in congressional spending that kicked off during the pandemic and pushed the federal debt to more than $31 trillion this year.

On top of that, Republican lawmakers have laid out dozens of investigations since President Joe Biden took office on a range of topics, from federal funding of the controversial Wuhan lab some say was the origin of the COVID-19 virus, Dr. Anthony Fauci’s role in the pandemic, the Department of Homeland Security’s increasingly more aggressive censorship efforts with big tech, Hunter Biden’s affairs, and more. If Republicans win a majority, their investigations will have teeth.

“Everything is trending toward a Republican takeover of both chambers of Congress,” said Colin Reed, a Republican strategist, former campaign manager for Senator Scott Brown, R-Mass., and co-founder of South and Hill Strategies. “If the GOP does regain control, voters will expect them to deliver where the current leaders haven’t: tackling inflation, reducing the costs of energy and restoring a sense of confidence that is sorely missing right now.”

Close races are scattered in states around the country, taking the lion’s share of media attention and campaign dollars.

In Pennsylvania, Republican nominee Dr. Mehmet Oz has gained on John Fetterman in the Senate race there as Fetterman’s difficulty communicating after a stroke have come into the spotlight, in part because of a recent difficult debate. Polling has the two candidates tied just a few days out.

In Georgia, Republican nominee Herschel Walker has managed to stay competitive in his toss-up Senate race with Raphael Warnock despite accusations that Walker paid for two abortions years ago. Walker has denied those allegations. RCP has Walker up by 0.4%.

Senate races in New Hampshire, Nevada, and Arizona, among others, are close races as well.

Gubernatorial races have garnered national attention and may be creating rising stars within the respective parties. In Arizona, Republican nominee Kari Lake has drawn attention for her contentious interactions with the press, in particular over election integrity in a swing state that was at the center of the challenges to the 2020 presidential election results. RCP has Lake up by 1.8% against the Democratic nominee Katie Hobbs.

Wisconsin’s incumbent Democratic Governor Tony Evers is fending off Republican challenger Tim Michels in a nearly tied race, one of several tight gubernatorial contests.

Democrats saw a real chance of maintaining control of the House of Representatives after a surge in engagement following the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade earlier this year, but that support has dwindled since then.

A top issue in all these races is the economy. The U.S. Gross Domestic Product declined for two consecutive quarters earlier this year, the standard definition of a recession. The latest federal inflation data showed producer and consumer goods rose more than 8% in the last year, far outpacing wage gains. Gas prices hit a record higher over the summer, topping $5 per gallon. Despite a decline in gas prices since then, they remain higher than when President Joe Biden took office.

Reed said those economic issues would likely boost many Republicans to victory on election day.

“The 2022 midterm is shaping to end as it started: with a rout of the party in charge and a sizable GOP wave. With nearly every imaginable economic metric trending in the wrong direction, this election could not come at a worse time for the Democrats, who are out of time addressing the uncertainty hanging over everyone’s lives,” Reed said. “It’s hard to scare voters about what the out party might do when the current Congress has offered absolutely nothing in the way of an economic future.”

Polling data backs up that Americans are concerned about the economy. A Gallup survey from October showed 46% of Americans pointed to an economic issue as the “most important problem” facing the nation with 20% citing inflation and 18% picking the economy overall. For comparison, only 3% of Americans chose abortion and another 4% chose crime.

By Casey Harper | The Center Square

New poll shows likely runoff in Georgia Senate race, Kemp leading gubernatorial race

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(The Center Square) — A new Emerson College poll released Thursday shows a statistical tie in the Georgia U.S. Senate contest and Gov. Brian Kemp with a comfortable lead in the gubernatorial race.

According to the poll, U.S. Sen. Rafael Warnock leads Republican challenger Herschel Walker by a 49% to 47% margin with Election Day less than a week away. Warnock’s lead is within the 3% margin of error poll of 1,000 likely Georgia voters conducted on Oct. 28-31. 

The poll also showed the Senate race debates hurt Walker more than Warnock. Of the respondents, 42% said the opinion of Walker was worse, 35% said it was worse for Warnock.

The same poll also showed a comfortable 52% to 46% lead for Kemp over Democratic challenger Stacey Abrams. 

“Gender is a key factor in the Georgia races for governor and Senate,” said Spencer Kimball, executive director of Emerson College Polling. “In the Senate race, Warnock’s 15-point lead with women is directly challenged by Walker’s 14-point lead in men.

In a release, the Emerson poll said, “However, in the governor’s race, Stacey Abrams’ 7-point advantage with women is overshadowed by Brian Kemp’s 23-point lead with men – more than a three-to-one advantage.” 

As for issues, the poll found the economy was most important for 46% of those surveyed. Of those who said that the economy was their most important issue, 75% plan to vote for Walker. 

According to the poll, disapproval of President Joe Biden was 52% among the 1,000 Georgia likely voters surveyed.

By Steve Wilson | The Center Square

Congressional Republicans build lead over Democrats heading into midterm elections

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(The Center Square) – Republicans have extended their lead over Democrats in Congressional races just days away from the midterm elections, according to newly released polling data.

A new USA TODAY/Suffolk University poll found that those surveyed favor Republicans to Democrats, 49% to 45%. This poll is a major shift from July, when Democrats led Republicans 44% to 40% in the same poll.

The University of Virginia Center for Politics announced this week that Republicans officially had enough Congressional races in the “lean Republican” category to take the 218 seats needed for a majority, meaning they can win the majority even if they lose all of the “toss-up” races.

“A large number of races remain close and competitive,” said Kyle Kondik with the Center for Politics. “The danger for Democrats is that these races end up breaking disproportionately to the Republicans. After these changes, 218 seats at least Lean Republican, while 195 at least Lean Democratic, and there are 22 Toss-ups. Splitting the Toss-ups evenly, 11-11, would give Republicans 229 seats, or a net gain of 16.”

“We suspect the Republicans will do better than just a split in the Toss-ups, so our updated forecast is a GOP gain in the high teens or low 20s,” he added.

Economic issues have been a key driver for voters, and the USA Today/Suffolk University poll found that many Americans have felt the pain of inflation and are responding accordingly. According to the survey, 61% percent are eating out less often and 50% have postponed or canceled vacations.

These findings echo a recent Morning Consult poll which found that 82% of American shoppers say they have tried to save money at the grocery store, with many of them even buying less food.

Gas prices have also been a key issue after hitting record highs over the summer. Convention of States Action, along with Trafalgar Group, released a new poll that found “54.4 percent of voters say rising gas prices will make them more likely to vote for Republican candidates in the 2022 midterm elections.”

The economic concerns have been a major driver for Republicans, especially as the Democratic fervor from the reversal of Roe v. Wade earlier this year has failed to surpass other top issues, though it has moved up on the list.

Gallup’s “most important problems” list tracks the issues most concerning to Americans on a monthly basis. The latest data from September showed 38% of Americans chose an economic issue as their top concern with 17% citing inflation and 12% pointing to the economy in general. Only 4% of Americans chose abortion as the most important problem, behind 5% naming race relations and 6% choosing immigration. Crime matched abortion at 4%.

By Casey Harper | The Center Square

Poll: Walker has 5-point lead over Warnock in Georgia U.S. Senate race

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(The Center Square) — A new poll by Rasmussen Reports gives Republican challenger Herschel Walker a 5-point lead over Georgia Democratic U.S. Sen. Rafael Warnock in their race, one of several pivotal to control of the U.S. Senate.

The key demographic for Walker is independent voters, which he leads Warnock by a 14-point margin, 49% to 35%. And this despite Warnock’s three dollars to every dollar the former Heisman Trophy winner’s campaign has raised.

The same poll of 1,053 of likely Georgia voters offers more good news for Republican Gov. Brian Kemp. His lead is 51% to 41% over Democratic challenger Stacy Abrams. Like with Walker, unaffiliated voters are breaking in a big way, 49% to 32%, for the incumbent.

On a generic ballot question for Congress, 49% of respondents said they’d vote for Republicans while 39% said they’d vote for a Democrat. President Joe Biden, a Democrat, carried the state over Republican former President Donald Trump by the slimmest of margins, 49.5% to 49.3%, in 2020; in 2016, Trump rolled past Democrat Hillary Clinton 50.8% to 45.6%.

Rasmussen’s poll was conducted Sunday and Monday. The margin of error is 3 percentage points and level of confidence 95%.

The Rasmussen poll shows a race that is moving toward Walker after being considered a dead heat a week before.

According to an aggregation of polls on RealClearPolitics, Warnock leads the race by 2 percentage points in the Insider Advantage and East Carolina University polls, but Walker leads in the Rasmussen and DW/Trafalgar polls.

Walker is far behind in cash disparity. According to data from the Federal Election Commission from Sept. 30, Warnock has raised more than $111 million, while Walker has raised more than $37 million as of Oct. 19. For those keeping score at home, Walker has raised 33.3% as much as the first-term Democratic senator.

That mirrors Warnock’s $125 million haul in 2020, when he outpaced then-U.S. Sen. Kelly Loeffler, who raised more than $92 million.

Warnock then beat Loeffler by 93,000 votes in a Jan. 5, 2021 runoff.

By Steve Wilson | The Center Square

Georgia attorney general candidates differ widely on prosecutions under ‘fetal heartbeat’ law

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(The Center Square) — The candidates running for Georgia’s attorney general office weighed in on whether a woman could be prosecuted under Georgia’s fetal heartbeat law.

In 2019, Georgia lawmakers passed House Bill 481, the Living Infants Fairness Equality Act, which bans abortions once a fetal heartbeat is detected — usually after about six weeks.

During this week’s Atlanta Press Club debate, attorney general candidates weighed in on whether pregnant women can be prosecuted under the state’s fetal heartbeat.

“The role of the attorney general is not to interpret the law; the role of the attorney general is to uphold the laws of this state,” incumbent Republican Attorney General Chris Carr said. “…There is absolutely nothing in the statute that would say a pregnant woman … would be prosecuted. …There is no authorization to prosecute. If anyone, it’s the providers that are provided for in this law. It would be up to the district attorneys to make that determination.”

Libertarian Martin Cowan said he supported Roe v. Wade, a 1973 U.S. Supreme Court ruling establishing abortion as a constitutional right. In June, the Supreme Court overturned the law, a ruling that allowed Georgia’s law to take effect.

“I would strongly resist — strongly resist — any prosecution of women or doctors for violation of Roe v. Wade, as it stood,” Cowan said. “How that would be done … remains something for legal research but I can promise you this, I would resist all prosecutions that were of people who behaved in accordance with Roe v. Wade.”

Sen. Jen Jordan, D-Sandy Springs, disagreed with Carr, saying the law opens pregnant women to potential prosecution.

“The law absolutely allows for the prosecution of women, the prosecution of doctors and other healthcare providers, nurses, pharmacists and the like,” Jordan said. “Specifically, what we’re talking about is the personhood part of the bill, which now says that effectively an embryo is a person under Georgia law, meaning for all intents and purposes, including even the protections of the law.

“… It’s ridiculous to say that this law does not let a prosecutor go after a woman because it’s clear that it does, and I think that with respect to the governor and the attorney general, what they’ve been trying to do is not talk about that, not acknowledge it,” Jordan added.

Bur Carr insisted Jordan’s interpretation of the law was incorrect.

“Georgia law says a woman can’t be prosecuted for homicide if she obtains an abortion,” Carr added. “The senator is wrong; she also knows that there’s nothing in this bill that talks about what she just said. …She’s simply trying to scare them for crass politics.”

By T.A. DeFeo | The Center Square contributor

Midterm election in Georgia has record numbers as early voting commences

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(The Center Square) — Georgia saw a record number of voters turn out for a midterm election, state officials said.

As of Tuesday, 143,077 voters have cast ballots in Georgia — 131,318 voted early in person, while 11,759 voted via an absentee ballot. The number of in-person voters is an 85% increase from the 70,849 voters who cast ballots in person on the first day of early voting in the 2018 midterm election.

During the 2020 presidential election, 136,739 voters cast an in-person vote on the first day.

Voter access was a hot-button issue during Monday’s Atlanta Press Club debate.

“As governor, I intend to stand up for the right to vote,” Democrat Stacey Abrams said during the debate on Georgia Public Broadcasting. “I will always acknowledge the outcome of elections, but I will never deny access to every voter because that is the responsibility of every American to defend the right to vote.”

Gov. Brian Kemp, a Republican who defeated Abrams four years ago, took umbrage with Abrams’ assertion.

“In 2018, in the governor’s race, we had the largest African American turnout in the country,” Kemp said. Abrams “said that Senate Bill 202, our recent Elections Integrity Act, which we passed two years ago, would be suppressive and ‘Jim Crow 2.0.’ Just this past May, in our primaries, we again had record turnout in the Republican primary and the Democratic primary. In Georgia, it’s easy to vote and hard to cheat.”

However, Libertarian Shane Hazel derided both parties for limiting ballot access for third parties.

“Although you will push for people to have access to going to the polls and voting, you’re not pushing ballot access,” Hazel said. “This is a huge … oppression for people like the third parties, the people that want to get their people on the ballot. We have, I think, 20% Democrats, 20% Republicans in the state of Georgia. That leaves 60% of people in Georgia unrepresented by ballot access laws that both of them support.”

By T.A. DeFeo | The Center Square contributor

Walker absent from Georgia U.S. Senate debate

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(The Center Square) — Libertarian Chase Oliver pulled few punches during an Atlanta Press Club debate, bashing the two-party system and urging Georgians to consider a third option in November’s midterm election.

Oliver appeared alongside U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Georgia, during a Sunday evening debate of candidates running for U.S. Senate. Republican Herschel Walker did not participate in the debate.

Warnock, who spent much of his time referencing or referring to Walker as he answered questions, tried to paint himself as a Democrat willing to work across the aisle, while Oliver derided both parties for not leading, taking aim at Warnock’s support for the Inflation Reduction Act. Recent polling has shown the race to be a “dead heat” between Warnock and Walker though it could head to a runoff if neither candidate garners more than 50% of the vote.

“The truth is we can’t really trust the Democrats or the Republicans who are currently in leadership right now,” Oliver said during the debate aired on Georgia Public Broadcasting. “My entire adult life, they’ve been deficit spending like it’s going out of style. The last time we had a balanced budget was the 1990s. That was also the last time we had a real explosion of the middle class and broad prosperity growth in this country.

“Those two things are not unrelated,” Oliver said. “The fact is the only thing the Democrats and Republicans can agree on is how to spend your money out of thin air and devalue our dollar. [Warnock] has said several times that ‘I passed the Inflation Reduction Act.’ It doesn’t reduce inflation. That’s not what the bill does. …Every Georgia household has to balance their budget. Why can’t we insist upon a government that balances its budget? Why is that the radical idea and not the rational idea?”

In response, Warnock touted his efforts to hold “big pharmaceutical companies” and ocean carriers accountable.

“Half of being a … senator is showing up,” Warnock said early in the debate, which touched on topics ranging from voting rights to reforming the Department of Veterans Affairs to immigration reform but was light on solutions that might reduce the country’s $31 trillion debt.

“At the end of the day, this race is not about who’s been redeemed; this race is about who’s ready to represent the people of Georgia in the United States Senate,” Warnock said, offering a dig at Walker.

Warnock and Walker participated in a NewsNation debate in Savannah on Friday. Oliver was not invited to participate in the debate.

Still, Oliver seized the opportunity Sunday to lambast both parties for their approach to legislating.

“The bill itself doesn’t reduce inflation, so I wouldn’t run on ‘I voted for the Inflation Reduction Act’ if you’re talking about how you’ve reduced inflation in the United States,'” Oliver said. “…The fact is people aren’t reading the bills in Washington, D.C. They’re getting the bills handed to them by leadership; there’s not real debate, there’s not real amendments, it’s not real legislating.

“What we have is we have leadership handing the bills at the end of the day and you’re voting on the next day a 1,000-page bill,” Oliver said. “You’re not reading the bills, and if I’m elected to the United States Senate, we will have somebody who is reading the bills.”

By T.A. DeFeo | The Center Square contributor

2022 TGV Voting Guide: Georgia Ballot Questions

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Election Day is Tuesday, November 8. 

Early voting begins Monday, October 17 and ends November 4. Contact your local elections office for information on early voting locations and Saturday voting opportunities. In the event that one is necessary, the General Election runoff is slated for December 6, 2022.

To check your polling location and view a sample ballot specific to your municipality/county, visit the MyVoterPage on the Ga SOS website.

AMENDMENT 1: Constitutional Officers 

This question is a constitutional amendment.

How it will read on the ballot: “Shall the Constitution of Georgia be amended so as to suspend the compensation of the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Secretary of State, Attorney General, State School Superintendent, Commissioner of Insurance, Commissioner of Agriculture, Commissioner of Labor, or any member of the General Assembly while such individual is suspended from office following indictment for a felony?”

What the amendment seeks to do:

Halt the compensation of some elected officials if they have been indicted (formally charged)  on felony charges. 

Who proposed this measure?

Senator Larry Walker III and others via Senate Resolution 134. SR 134 passed in the Senate with one dissenting vote (Sen. Bill Cowsert) and 169-0 in the House.

Why was this measure proposed? 

5 months after being sworn into office in 2019, then-Georgia Insurance Commissioner Jim Beck was indicted on federal charges related to an ongoing investigation revealed while he was running for office. He refused to step down, but Governor Kemp suspended Beck, pending adjudication of his case. Nevertheless, the state constitutions provided that he continued to receive his salary and benefits anyway. State reports later revealed that Beck was paid $343,000 (excluding benefits) while he was suspended before a jury found him guilty on all charges. 

Who will be impacted? 

Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Secretary of State, Attorney General, State School Superintendent, Commissioner of Insurance, Commissioner of Agriculture, Commissioner of Labor and General Assembly members.

What voting YES means:

You support certain elected officials having their salaries suspended when they are suspended from office and also facing felony charges. This position sets aside the presumption of innocence. 

What voting NO means:

You do not support certain elected officials having their compensation suspended due to facing felony indictments while the case is pending and has not been adjudicated in a court of law.

AMENDMENT 2: Temporary Property Tax Changes for Disaster Areas 

This question is a constitutional amendment. 

How it will read on the ballot: “Shall the Constitution of Georgia be amended so as to provide that the governing authority of each county, municipality, and consolidated government and the board of education of each independent and county school system in this state shall be authorized to grant temporary tax relief to properties within its jurisdiction which are severely damaged or destroyed as a result of a disaster and located within a nationally declared disaster area?”

What the amendment seeks to do:

This measure would allow local governing authorities to provide temporary relief on property taxes in areas under a natural disaster declaration. This constitutional amendment is in response to the tornadoes that struck Coweta a county last year and, despite being under an emergency declaration and in a federal disaster area, federal aid was denied. While this does not provide “direct aid,”  presumption is that relief on property taxes would help property owners after a natural disaster. 

Who proposed this measure?

Rep. Lynn Smith and others via House Resolution 594. It passed the House & the Senate unanimously but a handful of House members did not vote: Reps. Carl Gilliard, David Wilkerson, and Marie Metze.

What voting YES means

You support local governments having the authority to grant temporary relief from property taxes if the impacted population is in a declared disaster area.

What voting NO means

You do not support local governments having the authority to grant temporary relief from property taxes if the impacted population is in a declared disaster area.

REFERENDUM A: Tax Exemptions for Certain Timber-related Equipment 

How it will read on the ballot: “Shall the Act be approved which grants a state-wide exemption from all ad valorem taxes for certain equipment used by timber producers in the production or harvest of timber?”

What the referendum seeks to do?

Creates a new exemption for some equipment used for timber production and harvest. Among the equipment listed in the enabling legislation: skidders, feller bunchers, debarkers, delimbers, chipharvesters, tub-grinders, woodscutters, chippers, loaders, dozers, mid-motor graders, and the related attachments. It would also apply to equipment that is under lease-purchase agreements. Actual timber would still be taxed. If approved by voters, it will take effect beginning in tax year 2023. 

Who proposed this measure?

State Representative Sam Watson and others via House Bill 997. It passed the House unanimously with one lawmaker opting not to cast a vote (Rep Todd Jones) and passed the Senate 50-1 (Sen. Lindsey Tippins) in 2022. Three senators did not vote: Sens. Gloria Butler, Harold Jones II, and David Lucas)

Why was this measure proposed?

Because this technically addresses property tax exemptions, it must be voted on by Georgians. 

Who will be impacted?

Individuals who own and utilize certain timber equipment will be positively impacted. Owners of other equipment that is not otherwise subject to exemption would be adversely impacted. 

What voting YES means:

You support adding timber equipment to the list of things not subject to property taxes under Georgia law. 

What voting NO means:

You oppose special carve outs in the state tax law and do not support adding timber equipment to the list of things exempt from property taxes in Georgia.

REFERENDUM B: Tax Exemptions for Agricultural Equipment & Farm Products

How it will read on the ballot: “Shall the Act be approved which expands a state-wide exemption from ad valorem taxes for agricultural equipment and certain farm products held by certain entities to include entities comprising two or more family owned farm entities, and which adds dairy products and unfertilized eggs of poultry as qualified farm products with respect to such exemption?”

What the referendum seeks to do?

Expand the current tax exemptions for agricultural and farm equipment to include: entities that are a merger of two or more family-owned farms and include dairy products and eggs. 

Who proposed this measure?

State Representative Sam Watson and others via House Bill 498. It passed the House in a vote of 169-1 (Rep. Meisha Mainor) and passed the Senate unanimously in 2021.

Why was the measure proposed?

Under Georgia law, tax exemptions for farm products apply to the livestock, crops, nut-bearing trees, fruit, plants, bushes, plants & trees that will be transplanted elsewhere, and Christmas trees. Because this technically addresses property tax exemptions, it must be voted on by Georgians. 

Who will be impacted?

Those eligible to claim the tax exempt status will be positively impacted. Anyone not eligible and those not already eligible under the current carve outs will be adversely impacted. 

What voting YES means:

You support a carve out in the state tax law for certain agricultural and farm equipment. Specifically, you want dairy products, eggs, and entities that are a merger of two or more family-owned farms to be eligible for tax exempt status. The Georgia Farm Bureau endorsed this legislation. 

What voting NO means:

You oppose special carve outs in the state tax law. You do not support dairy products, eggs, and entities that are a merger of two or more family-owned farms to be eligible for tax exempt status. 

Nonprofit cries foul over Warnock’s Georgia church’s eviction policies at apartments it owns

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(The Center Square) — A nonprofit has filed a complaint with the Internal Revenue Service over a report that Ebenezer Baptist Church tried evicting some residents from an apartment building it owns.

The National Legal and Policy Center alleged Ebenezer Baptist Church tried to hide its 99% ownership of Columbia Towers at MLK Village in Atlanta, an apartment building under scrutiny for its aggressive eviction tactics. The group filed the complaint in the wake of a Washington Free Beacon report, which revealed the church tried to evict tenants behind on their rent for as little as $28.55.

U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Georgia, is the senior pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church.

“It is abundantly clear that Ebenezer Building Foundation, Inc. has violated one or more IRS laws and regulations regarding the operation of a nonprofit charity,” the group said in its complaint. “The IRS must conduct a full investigation and audit of the Foundation’s finances and transactions and assess appropriate civil and criminal penalties, and revoking their tax-exempt status if warranted. The public interest demands it.”

This week, the Secretary of State Office’s Securities and Charities Division sent a letter to the Ebenezer Building Foundation, saying it does not appear the group is registered as a charity in the state. A spokesman for Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger declined to comment but confirmed the authenticity of the letter, which the Washington Free Beacon reported.

“Senator Warnock and his church need to explain why they are hiding their ownership in the apartment building and to account for the rents received,” NLPC attorney Paul Kamenar told the Washington Free Beacon. “It’s despicable that in the name of MLK, they are evicting tenants for past due rents of trifling amounts.”

Warnock, elected in 2020, faces off against Republican Herschel Walker in November’s election. The race could decide whether Democrats maintain the U.S. Senate or Republicans seize control.

A Georgia News Collaborative poll found the race is a “dead heat,” with Warnock holding a slight lead over Walker — 46.4% to 43.4%. Libertarian Chase Oliver picked up 4.1% of the vote, opening the possibility of a runoff between Warnock and Walker; another 6.1% were undecided.

“I have never known a preacher that likes abortion even after birth, won’t pay his child support and evicts poor people to the street,” Walker said on Twitter. “I will pay the $4500 in past due rents listed in this [Washington Free Beacon] news article to keep [Warnock] from evicting these people.”

Last month, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, a Republican, awarded the Ebenezer Building Foundation $5 million. The money was part of more than $30.8 million for eight homelessness and housing insecurity projects.

The National Legal and Policy Center filed its complaint with the Internal Revenue Service’s Exempt Organizations Division. Warnock’s campaign and the Democratic Party of Georgia did not respond to a request for comment.

By T.A. DeFeo | The Center Square contributor

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