Political Rewind: The Legislature picks up steam; Judge rules on mass voter challenges; Trump's base

Caption

Gov. Brian Kemp signs the state's restrictive abortion ban in 2019. New Medicaid expansion for pregnant women may be Republicans' attempt to aid women who would have otherwise sought an abortion.

Credit: File Photo

The panel

Adrienne Jones, @adriennemjns, professor of political science and director of pre-law, Morehouse College

Emma Hurt, @Emma_Hurt, reporter, Axios Atlanta

Jim Galloway, @JimJournalist, former political columnist, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Meg Kinnard, @MegKinnardAP, national politics reporter, The Associated Press

The breakdown

1. The state legislature is picking up steam with a flurry of new bills filed.

• Legislators hope to block the federal ACA website in favor of a state-run site.
• Medicaid expansion for pregnant women comes after Georgia's strict abortion law was left in effect.
• Sports gambling could be added as a part of the state lottery.

2. With the 2024 presidential election around the corner, Donald Trump is back on the campaign trail.

• Meg Kinnard detailed a campaign stop Trump made at the South Carolina state House.
• In Georgia, evangelicals say Trump may have to earn back their support. They also signaled favor for a strong primary.

3. A federal judge will determine if the challenge against over 300,000 Georgians' registration was voter intimidation.

• True the Vote, a Texas-based conservative organization that espouses election fraud, challenged 364,000 Georgians' voter registrations ahead of 2021's Senate runoff.
• U.S. District Judge Steve Jones is expected to weigh in shortly.
• The challenge was allowed under Senate Bill 202, which grants unlimited challenges to voter registrations.

4. Atlanta continues its bid for the Democratic National Convention over Chicago.

• The party reports Houston is out of contention, leaving Chicago and Atlanta as frontrunners for the 2024 convention.
• While Georgia's Democratic primary may not move earlier, hosting a national convention in Atlanta signals renewed Democratic interest in the state.

Monday on Political Rewind: The AJC's Patricia Murphy joins the panel.