Former Georgia Democratic leader Bob Trammell considers attorney general run
Bob Trammell of Luthersville said he's exploring whether he should run in 2026 to be Georgia's chief lawyer.
'Like many Georgians, I'm deeply concerned about protecting our future — for our families, our livelihoods and our rights,' Trammell said in a statement. 'Establishing an exploratory committee for attorney general is an essential step in considering the right path forward to protect all Georgians.'
The seat will be open with incumbent Republican Chris Carr running for governor. Two Republican state senators — Bill Cowsert of Athens and Brian Strickland of McDonough — are already running for the post. No other Democrat has publicly announced plans to make the race.
The GOP poured a giant sum into Republican challenger David Jenkins' successful 2020 effort to unseat Trammell, the House minority leader. They targeted Trammell in part because his district southwest of Atlanta had voted for President Donald Trump in 2016 and GOP Gov. Brian Kemp in 2018.
His defeat left only one rural white Democrat, Rep. Debbie Buckner of Junction City, in the House, where Republicans now outnumber Democrats 100-89.
Trammell has worked as a lobbyist for the last two years in addition to practicing business and general law. Only in recent weeks has he acknowledged an interest in running for attorney general.
Democrats have thus far been slow to filter into Georgia's down-ballot statewide races for 2026. Although voters are not yet paying attention, the next six months are crucial for raising money and standing up a campaign.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Politico
8 minutes ago
- Politico
Final megabill votes are secured, GOP leaders say
Mike Johnson is staring down the legislative challenge of his career. As soon as this morning, the speaker will attempt to ram the Senate-passed megabill through the House as dozens of Republicans threaten to vote it down. The detractors come from across the Republican conference after the Senate sent over a bill with deeper Medicaid cuts, steeper deficit hikes and less onerous clean-energy provisions than expected. And he's gunning to deliver by President Donald Trump's self-imposed July 4 deadline, as severe thunderstorms in Washington threaten full attendance. 'We'll see. I've got to play the cards that are dealt to me,' Johnson said Tuesday, after admitting he was 'not happy' with the Senate's changes to the bill. 'And we're working through that. … But we remain optimistic we're going to land it at this point.' Johnson has 24 to 48 hours to persuade reluctant fiscal hawks and Medicaid moderates to swallow the Senate's bill. He spent Monday on calls with concerned lawmakers and caucuses, scrambling to figure out how to pass it this week without making changes to the bill. (John Thune and Johnson have been in contact through much of the process but did not speak in the hours leading up to the Senate vote, the majority leader told POLITICO.) But the Senate bill will be tough to sell. House Freedom Caucus members like Reps. Chip Roy (R-Texas) and Ralph Norman (R-S.C.) blasted the Senate's bill Tuesday for adding to the deficit and softening clean energy tax credits. Roy and Norman both voted against the bill in the Rules Committee overnight. House moderates are worried about the steep cuts to Medicaid, which Johnson has privately said could cost Republicans the House in 2026. Sen. Thom Tillis' (R-N.C.) speech torching the Senate's Medicaid provisions for similar reasons shook many vulnerable Republicans. And a substantial cross section of the two groups of holdouts would rather take time to rework the package and send it back to the Senate, instead of jamming the Senate version through the House under a self-imposed deadline. Norman said the House should go back to the original bill, leave town and come back when Senate Republicans are 'serious.' Some signs of progress for Johnson: Rep. Nick LaLota (R-N.Y.) appeared more likely to support the bill Tuesday night after previously refusing a deal on a state and local tax deduction. Rep. Jeff Van Drew (R-N.J.), previously a strong no on the bill over the Medicaid provider tax, told POLITICO a local provider tax tweak in the wraparound amendment for New Jersey and other states has him feeling better about the bill. But it would still be a gamble for Johnson to put it on the House floor: Many Republicans think the bill would fail without additional changes. However, the speaker has previously succeeded in putting bills on the floor without the votes — and relying on Trump to pressure holdouts to fold. What else we're watching: — Weather problems could delay House vote: Over 200 flights into Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport were either canceled or delayed Tuesday amid thunderstorms in Washington, according to the flight-tracking service FlightAware. Johnson said Tuesday night that the travel issues could push back the House vote on the GOP megabill, which is expected as early as Wednesday. — More reconciliation packages: As the House looks to pass the current reconciliation package without further tweaks, Johnson is suggesting there could be future opportunities for lawmakers to get their priorities into party-line packages. In an interview on Fox News on Tuesday night, Johnson said the House will plan to do two more reconciliation bills during this session of Congress, which ends in 2026. Jordain Carney, Meredith Lee Hill and Benjamin Guggenheim contributed to this report.
Wall Street Journal
8 minutes ago
- Wall Street Journal
Trump Pushes Republicans to Pass Stalled Megabill
WASHINGTON—President Trump exhorted holdout House Republicans to get behind his sprawling tax-and-spending bill early Thursday, after the party's effort to pass it ran into stubborn resistance from a handful of rank-and-file members. On Wednesday evening, five GOP lawmakers—Thomas Massie of Kentucky, Keith Self of Texas, Victoria Spartz of Indiana, Andrew Clyde of Georgia and Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania—voted with Democrats against a procedural 'rule' vote, blocking the party, at least for the moment, from proceeding to final passage. A handful of other Republicans held back from voting.
Bloomberg
8 minutes ago
- Bloomberg
Senior Chinese Diplomat Upbeat on US Ties, Says War Unimaginable
A senior Chinese official said he was 'optimistic' about the future of his nation's ties with the US, among the most upbeat comments given by Beijing in recent weeks about a relationship upended by Donald Trump's trade war. Both the Chinese and the Americans are hoping for a 'friendly, good' relationship between their countries, and politicians are expected to heed the will of the people Liu Jianchao, head of the Communist Party's International Department, said at the government-backed World Peace Forum on Thursday.
