Georgia GOP Power Plays and Tort Reform Tangles

Georgia’s Republican Party dynamics and legislative battles. Josh McKoon, current GA GOP chair, faces a challenge from 2nd Vice Chair David Cross, who’s campaigning openly for the top spot. Meanwhile, State Senator Steve Gooch’s “America First” license plate bill, which failed last year, is back on the table. Speculation swirls around Governor Brian Kemp’s potential Senate run against Ossoff, though he’s delaying any announcement until after the legislative session, seen as the linchpin holding Georgia’s GOP together. Agriculture Commissioner Tyler Harper emerges as a Senate contender, bolstered by his Trump loyalty and a strategic NRSC visit in D.C., unlike another unnamed Georgian whose recent NRSC trip flopped.
The spotlight then shifts to Kemp’s tort reform bill, a career-defining push mired in controversy. Described as corrupt and lobbyist-drafted, the vague, 60+ page legislation has sparked resistance from trial attorneys and judges. A dramatic Senate moment—where Bo Hatchett’s amendment passed—may have been orchestrated by Kemp’s office to save face, though the bill now faces the House. Speaker Jon Burns rerouted it from Judiciary Chair Stan Gunter, a judge, to subcommittee chair Rob Leverett, a real estate attorney, signaling Kemp’s intent to silence North Georgia dissent amid threats of primary challenges from powerful litigators.
Elsewhere, AG Chris Carr backs Trump’s transgender surgery executive order, while tensions flare between BKP and John Fredericks over GA GOP interviews, with Fredericks accused of meddling due to his McKoon ties. Finally, Kandiss Taylor’s flip-flop from Kemp critic to supporter risks making her a media-anointed GOP figurehead, potentially fracturing party majorities. The episode paints a picture of ambition, infighting, and legislative subterfuge in Georgia’s political arena.
Josh McKoon is the chair of the GA GOP. David Cross is the current 2nd Vice chair and is running against Josh McKoon for the chair position. David Cross is open for questions on why he should be chair.
Last year state senator Steve Gooch attempted to pass an America First license plate. It did not pass. This year he has resubmitted the bill this year.
People are saying that Kemp will not run for senate against Ossoff and there are people that Kemp is ready to announce. So why so much emphasis on the question will he run for senate and the delay. Whether you like Kemp or not he is the glue that is holding the legislative session. And if he would announce there would be announcements and bills get tanked. You will not hear from Kemp until after the session is over.
What is Tyler Harper, our AG commissioner doing? He has a lot of positives if he wants to run for senate. He made sure that he stood close to Trump when he was in Georgia. He has never waivered on his support for Trump. It is unsure how he would vote when push came to shove. He goes to DC, he is a farmer and has been a state senator. If you want to run for senator you have to go to DC and stop by the NRSC and meet up with Tim Scott and a few other senators. Is Tyler Harper interested in being the next senator? You do not stop by the NRSC just to say hello.
Another person in GA stopped by the NRSC about three weeks ago. It didn't go so well. It was so lukewarm that they did not post about president Trump's agenda.
Tort reform – some of the reporting on this touches on accuracy but is not accurate. Governor Brian Kemp is staking his whole career on his tort reform bill. It has caused a lot of problems in certain sectors in the state especially with trial attorneys and judges. The other night in the senate there was a frenzy, the media knows how it works but they reported it a certain way. And it was directed to watch for certain senators and it was reported a certain way. Remember the article a couple of days ago that Brian Kemp said that he would put money behind a primary challenger if support was not put behind the tort reform bill. Even if amendments were put on the bill, Kemp would call a special session. Even Cody Hall went on the AJC podcast to reiterate the points.
The tort reform bill is a very corrupt bill. There are legalese in the bill and changes things and makes things very vague. Lobbyists write the bills. Do you think these lawmakers are that bright? And have amazing assistants that can write the bills. A lawmaker might write those 3 page bills to create a stunt and wave a flag… but not these 60+ page bills. The lobbyists submit to a legislative team. So you have to create pushback, and they do. So it goes to the Senate floor and Bo Hatchett gives a passionate speech about protecting the constitutional rights of his constituents and then submits an amendment to be voted on and attached to the bill and it passes the senate. Odds are that it was all set up and the amendment was written by the governor's office and they knew they would need an attorney to push back with an amendment and if Bo Hatchett supported it with an amendment so could you. Now the bill has gone to the house.
House speaker Jon Burns is taking more control to send the bill through the subcommittee and took it away from the Judicial committee and it will be chaired by Rob Leverrett who is a real estate attorney. It was moved away from Stan Gunter, the chair of Judiciary. Stan is a judge. The governor's office does not want Stan Gunter chairing it. Kemp doesn’t want North Georgia to have a say in the bill. Burns has been told to get this away from Stan Gunter and through Judiciary. We don’t want any more noise on this bill. In some very red districts in Georgia there are some litigators with a lot of power that are telling these lawmakers that if you push this bill money will be spent on primary challengers. Stan Gunter has been primary before but never with the person with the money behind him.
It is not unheard of for a politician to change spots. AG Chris Carr has filed a legal briefing backing President Trump's executive order on transgender surgery.
History between BKP and John Fredericks. BKP reached out to Fredericks to arrange interviews for David Cross and another candidate for first vice chair. Fredericks is a friend of McKoon. This is a problem. He needs to stay out of GA politics.
Kandiss Taylor is going to be a problem for republicans. She has gone from against Kemp to hugging Kemp and saying she supports him. All the media is going to pull her to put her as center of the republican party in GA.