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Chase Oliver of Atlanta wins Libertarian nomination for president

Oliver’s free-market, youth-focused rhetoric won the party a victory, however, and as a Libertarian candidate he will be on at least 37 state ballots in November.

“Your life is your life, your body is your body, your business is your business, and your property is your property.” It’s not mine and it’s certainly not the federal government’s,” he told the group.

U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock, Democrat of Georgia, was challenged by Libertarian candidate Chase Oliver in the 2022 Senate race.

Credit: photos from the AJC file

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Credit: photos from the AJC file

Oliver, a 37-year-old openly gay former Democrat, is a familiar face to anyone who follows Georgia politics.

He ran in the 5th District special election to fill the unexpired term of the late U.S. Rep. John Lewis, a Democrat who died of cancer in 2020. And he ran for U.S. Senate in 2022 against Democratic U.S. Sen. . Raphael Warnock and Republican Herschel Walker, winning 2.1% of the vote and forcing a runoff between Warnock and Walker. Oliver’s platform in this race included an end to conditional immunity for federal law enforcement officers and a commitment to limiting U.S. involvement in foreign conflicts.

As the Georgia’s first openly gay Senate candidate, he also wanted to enact new federal civil rights protections for the LGBTQ community.

He now follows a line of other Georgians who have run for president as third-party candidates in recent decades. Former U.S. Rep. Bob Barr won the Libertarian nomination in 2008, the same year former U.S. Rep. Cynthia McKinney ran as a Green Party candidate.

Tune in to Politically Georgia on WABE at 10 a.m. this morning, when Oliver joins the program to talk about his victory this weekend.

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Amy Kremer recently won a seat on the Republican National Committee.

Credit: Jacquelyn Martin/AP

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Credit: Jacquelyn Martin/AP

GOP QUARREL. The newest member of Georgia’s GOP elite is already ruffling feathers within the party.

We told you last month that Amy Kremer was brandishing her role as organizer of a pro-Donald Trump rally that preceded the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol in her quest for a Georgia seat on the National Committee republican.

And we told you days after she won the job that Republican operatives expressed serious concerns about the 10 fines levied against Kremer by the Federal Election Commission, totaling more than $120,000.

Now, Kremer is using his new platform to target his fellow Republicans. In an appearance with former Trump adviser Steve Bannon, she said: “Georgia is corrupt and most of the problem is the Republicans. »

His comments drew swift criticism from Republican leaders. Cody Hall, one of the governor’s top strategists. Brian Kemp highlighted Kremer’s 13th-place finish in the 2017 special election to the U.S. House of Representatives.

“Maybe Kremer should win more than 0.2% of the vote in a real election before attacking his fellow Republicans who won their primaries overwhelmingly and kept Georgia out of the hands of Stacey Abrams and the Democrats” , he wrote on social media.

Jay Morgan, former executive director of the Republican Party of Georgia, called on “future-minded” Republican Party leaders to refuse to ratify his election.

Kremer did not respond to requests for comment. But her daughter, Kylie Jane Kremer, took to social media with a different target: Georgia Republican Party Chairman Josh McKoon, whom she accused of cozying up to mainstream Republicans like Kemp and the Secretary of State. State Brad Raffensperger by refusing to trumpet his mother’s victory.

“It’s been a week since the election and it’s embarrassing to see the lack of leadership within GAGOP,” she wrote.

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Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger was the guest of "Meet the press" on Sunday.

Credit: Jason Allen/AJC

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Credit: Jason Allen/AJC

RAFFENSPERGER ON MTP. Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger appeared on a special edition of NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday, focusing on threats to democracy. A recent Georgetown University poll found that 81% of American voters believe that “democracy is currently under threat.”

Raffensperger spoke on a panel of two Democrats and two Republicans, and was asked whether Georgia election officials were prepared for whatever the 2024 election might bring.

“We are obviously ready and we are tested,” he said. “We demonstrated this based on the 2020 results.”

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LIST OF APPROVALS. As several local primaries head to runoffs on June 18, incumbent lawmakers or unsuccessful candidates are beginning to choose sides.

After announcing her retirement earlier this year, Georgia State Senate Minority Leader Gloria Butler has endorsed Iris Hamilton as her successor, the AJC’s Michelle Baruchman and Maya T. Prabhu tell us. Hamilton, who works in health insurance, will face former Democratic state Rep. Randal Mangham for the District 55 seat, which includes parts of DeKalb and Gwinnett counties.

Retiring Sen. Gloria Butler, D-Stone Mountain, has endorsed Iris Hamilton as her successor.

Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC

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Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC

In a tweet, Butler said Hamilton “will bring a lifetime of health care expertise and knowledge to the Georgia State Senate” and “will play a vital role in helping to solve the many health care problems health problems facing Georgia.

Meanwhile, DeKalb County Commissioner and CEO candidate Larry Johnson was endorsed by his colleague who placed third in the Democratic primary for this race: Commissioner Steve Bradshaw. Bradshaw supports Johnson over first place fellow commissioner Lorraine Cochran-Johnson.

“Larry is a statesman well prepared to represent DeKalb County at the local, state, national and international levels,” Bradshaw said in a statement. “In this race, there is no need to choose between innovation and experience; Larry Johnson offers both, plus a track record of results we can see for DeKalb County.

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LISTEN. Today on “Politically Georgia,” Chase Oliver talks about his nomination for president by the Libertarian Party, the divisions his election exposed, and whether he might be a third-party spoiler.

The AJC’s Shannon McCaffrey also joins the show to talk about the latest updates in the Fulton County election interference case.

Listen live at 10 a.m. on WABE 90.1 or follow “Politically Georgia” on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.

If you missed Monday’s special episode, Bill Nigut interviewed longtime AJC columnist Mike Luckovich.

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MTG WITHOUT DEGREE. The viral clapback targeting U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene – “bleached blonde with a poorly built butch body” – has now become a meme with parody songs and even a brand in waiting. On her way home from last week’s votes, a Washington airport passenger even filmed herself confronting Greene with the phrase, known as “B6” for short.

“You didn’t like that, did you?” THE the woman asks because Greene’s attitude remains stoic.

Greene first responded on social media with a video of herself working out and talking about how she stays active with a “built and strong” body. And then on Monday, her 50th birthday, she posted a photo of herself in an exotic location posing in a bikini.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Rome, recently celebrated her 50th birthday.

Credit: Nathan Posner for the AJC

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Credit: Nathan Posner for the AJC

“A lot of people approach their 50th birthday thinking it’s a bad thing, but I really think it’s wonderful and I’m so excited and grateful that God has allowed me to live 50 years and do so many things “, says the legend.

We met Greene before this trip to the airport. She insisted she wasn’t bothered by the fact that so many people seem to like the phrase coined by Texas Democratic U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett during their feud at a House committee hearing. House oversight last week.

“My feelings are not hurt,” she said. “I am in no way offended by what Jasmine Crockett or anyone else said. The good thing about being 50 is that you get to a point in your life where you don’t worry about that stuff anymore.

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TODAY IN WASHINGTON:

  • President Joe Biden has no public events on his schedule.
  • The House and Senate are in recess until June 3.

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Visitors participated in the Memorial Day ceremony at the Marietta National Cemetery on Monday.

Credit: Ben Gray

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Credit: Ben Gray

IMAGE OF THE DAY. Monday was Memorial Day and photographer Ben Gray spent part of our most solemn holiday at the Memorial Day ceremony at the Marietta National Cemetery. He captured the spirit of the commemoration with his moving photo gallery posted on AJC.com.

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