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March 23rd , 2024 Len’s Political Note #630 John Barrow Georgia Supreme Court Justice
2024 General Election
Georgia has a nine member Supreme Court. Justices are elected for six year terms. The elections are non-partisan, the primaries are not. Each party selects its candidate, but candidates are not listed by party in the general election. When a vacancy occurs between elections, the Governor appoints a Justice. The new Justice runs for election at the next opportunity.
Of the nine justices on the Georgia Supreme Court, eight were appointed by Republican governors. The sole justice who was appointed by a Democrat was appointed to a lower court and then ran for election and won.
John Barrow has the distinction of being Georgia’s last White Democratic Congressman. He intends to run for election to the Supreme Court and win. Born in Athens, Georgia, his dad was a judge. Before his dad became a judge, both of John Barrow’s parents served as officers in World War II. The Barrow roots go far enough back in Georgia history so that Barrow County was named for an ancestor.
John Barrow graduated from the University of Georgia and got his JD from Harvard. He practiced law and, when two counties were consolidated into one, he was elected a commissioner to the newly created entity and kept getting reelected. In 2004, he was elected to Congress – defeating a freshman incumbent Republican in a district that was 40% Black.
The Georgia legislature redrew the districts in the middle of the decade. One redistricting goal was to oust John Barrow. They almost succeeded. John Barrow defeated the former incumbent by 864 votes. As the legislature moved the district around centering it on Augusta or centering it on Savannah, John Barrow kept winning. In 2010, he defeated an African-American State Senator winning the nomination with just 60% of the vote. He was criticized by progressive Democrats, maybe most Democrats, for his vote against the Affordable Care Act. He had hopes that his record of defeating a challenge from a progressive Black candidate would help him keep White independents. It may have worked in 2012.
Not in 2014. The district changes caught up with John Barrow. He was defeated by a 55-45 margin and became the last White Democrat in Congress from Georgia.
John Barrow was not going to quit. He lost a race for Secretary of State in 2018 to Brad Raffensperger by 49.1 to 48.7. He had plans to run for the State Supreme Court in 2020, but retirements occurred late enough in the year, that the Secretary of State could not be compelled to hold an election. The governor made his appointments to the Court.
John Barrow has geared up again; this time, in 2024, for the Supreme Court again. Georgia has changed. In 2020, Georgia elected two Democrats state-wide. Georgia now has two Democratic US Senators – Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff. Neither comes from John Barrow’s defunct wing of the Democratic Party. And still, all of Georgia’s State level constitutional offices are filled by Republicans and 9 of the 14 Members of Congress are Republicans.
Is this too different a world for John Barrow? Of the four Supreme Court seats that are up for election in Georgia, only John Barrow’s is a contest. He is running against the sitting justice Andrew Pinson – a smart guy with good degrees from the University of Georgia and clerkships that include one with Clarence Thomas.
John Barrow is making his argument. He would bring diversity to the Court. He does not mean he would be the second Democrat on a nine person court. By bringing diversity, he means he would be the only Jurist from the southern part of Georgia – Savannah, Augusta and environs.
That is not the only argument for diversity that John Barrow makes. He adds a bit about diversity of opinion. He says: “We need Justices on the Georgia Supreme Court who will protect the right of women and their families to make the most personal family and health care decisions they’ll ever make. Including some of the toughest medical decisions. Despite many fine qualities, it’s obvious from his record that Justice Pinson cannot be counted to do that.”
John Barrow connects his experience in Congress with his prospective service. “If you want to know how someone will approach the role of deciding what the law is, you can’t get a better insight than in how they approach the broader questions of what the law ought to be. If they’re careful and thoughtful in that much more expansive role, you can be sure they’ll be careful and thoughtful in the much more limited role of judge. ……[In Congress] I earned a reputation as a thoughtful and careful lawyer, and as the most bi-partisan member of the most partisan legislature around… . “
He makes his case. He distinguishes himself, not only from the incumbent he opposes, but also the entire rash Republican right wing. DONATE TO JOHN BARROW
Competitive Races in the Southeast
Alabama
While Greg Griffin Sr. (seated above) runs for Chief Justice of the State Supreme Court, his son, Greg Griffin Jr. (standing above) appears to have lost his primary race for an open seat on the Circuit Court. Gregory Griffin Sr. has been on the circuit court for nine years. Before that, he was the Chief Legal Counsel for the Alabama Board of Pardons and Paroles. Although he was appointed to the Circuit Court by a Republican Governor and had even been a Republican official, he is running for the Chief Justice position as a Democrat. Greg Griffin Sr’s campaign is generally seen as a very long shot for success.
US Congress
AL 02 Justice Department Deputy Chief of Staff Shomari Figures will probably be the Democratic nominee in this district that was created by court order and reaches from north of Montgomery to the southern border of the state. He grew up in Mobile, but most of his career has been in Washington as a staffer in Congress. His probable Republican opponent is former state Senator Dick Brewbaker. Former US Senator Doug Jones has warned against Democratic complacency in this district, noting that nearly a quarter of those who might be eligible to vote have never voted. DONATE TO SHOMARI FIGURES.
Florida
US Senate Debbie Mucarsel-Powell is a former Congresswoman and a professional fund raiser. She could defeat the unpopular billionaire incumbent Senator Rick Scott who enhanced his unpopularity by proposing that Congress vote every five years on whether to keep programs such as social security and Medicare. A Democratic funded March 1 poll found her trailing Scott 44-41. On December 31, she had $1.5 million available to Scott’s $3.2 million. If she is to have a chance to win, she will need a lot more money. DONATE TO DEBBIE MUCARSEL-POWELL. See Len’s Political Note #598
US House of Representatives
FL 09 Congressman Darren Soto represents a district south of Orlando, inland from Melbourne. He is an attorney and a singer/song writer radio host. Like a substantial portion of his constituency, his origins are Puerto Rican. Hurricane disaster funds for Florida and Puerto Rico are both important. The district is designed to make him vulnerable and he will probably face a county commissioner John Quinones who, as of the December 31 reporting period, had barely begun raising money. Darren Soto reported $550,000. To be reelected to a swing House seat, he will need a lot more. DONATE TO DARREN SOTO. See Len’s Political Note #585
FL 13. Whitney Fox has been a transit authority marketing director and brings a real commitment to public transportation to her campaign against right wing fringe incumbent Anna Paulina Luna. The district includes a portion of St. Petersburg and continues north west of Tampa along the coast. Whitney Fox is a local who can run as the voice of reason. Luna did not have a lot of money, at $550,000 at the end of 2023. Whitney Fox had less — $150,000. DONATE TO WHITNEY FOX. This would be a big win. See Len’s Political Note #625
FL 23 Jared Moscowitz represents a district along the East coast from Boca Raton to Fort Lauderdale. It juts inland to Coral Springs. He did emergency management in a non-partisan role for Governor DiSantis, served in the state legislature where he got a gun safety bill passed, and is completing his freshman year in Congress. He ended 2023 with a modest $300,000 available. No Republican appears to be raising enough to challenge him. Keep it that way by supporting him. DONATE TO JARED MOSCOWITZ.
Georgia
State Supreme Court is the closest we get to a competitive race in Georgia in 2024. Former Congressman John Barrow is challenging a sitting Associate Justice Andrew Pinson in an attempt to make an 8-1 Republican Supreme Court 7-2. DONATE TO JOHN BARROW
Mississippi
US Senate Ty Pinkins is unlikely to be able to make a race of this. Almost any Black candidate in Mississippi can assume almost 40% of the vote, but little ability to get beyond that. Ty Pinkins is not “almost any.” He is committed to addressing the poverty in the Delta. He is the founder and CEO of the Pyramid Project Youth Organization and previously worked for the Mississippi Center for Justice. He earned his BA in the military; his JD after serving as an aide in Obama’s White House. The incumbent Republican Roger Wicker, faced with two primary opponents more extremely right wing than he is, despite Donald Trump’s endorsement, took only 61% of the vote. DONATE TO TY PINKINS. Put a little pressure on and help out a truly distinguished man.
North Carolina
The Republican Party in North Carolina has created a truly horrible slate of candidates for state-wide office. The Democrats are a distinguished lot. See below and take a look at Len’s Political Notes for each of them.
Governor: Two term Attorney General Josh Stein v. Trump acolyte and holocaust denier Mark Robinson. See Len’s Political Note #574 DONATE TO JOSH STEIN
Lt. Governor: Former state rep and state Senator, daughter of Jim Hunt, Rachel Hunt v. Right wing activist Hal Weatherman. See Len’s Political Note #627 DONATE TO RACHEL HUNT
Attorney General: Congressman Jeff Jackson whose goal is to eliminate poverty v. Congressman and former state legislator Dan Bishop, the author of the famous NC bathroom bill. See Len’s Political Note #597 DONATE TO JEFF JACKSON
Secretary of State: Long time incumbent Elaine Marshall who did the job without fanfare v former minor league ball player Chad Brown who may not know what the job is. See Len’s Political Note #626 DONATE TO ELAINE MARSHALL
Supreme Court Justice: Incumbent Justice and former civil rights attorney Allison Riggs v Conservative Appeals Court Judge Jefferson Griffin. See Len’s Political Note #594. DONATE TO ALLISON RIGGS
Superintendent of Public Instruction: Attorney, former school superintendent, foundation executive director Maurice Green v activist home schooler Michelle Morrow who would abolish public schools if she could. See Len’s Political Note #628 DONATE TO MO GREEN
South Carolina
SC 01 Michael B. Moore is a Black, successful businessman running in a Congressional district that Nikki Haley carried against Donald Trump v. Nancy Mace, the first female Corps of Cadets graduate from The Citadel who has flip flopped her views on Donald Trump, on abortion, and on just about everything else to make it through the June 11 primary. DONATE TO MICHAEL B MOORE
Tennessee
US Senate: Gloria Johnson is a former teacher and a member of the State House of Representatives from which she was nearly expelled after joining a protest against the House refusing to take up a gun safety bill v Marsha Blackburn, one identified as the most conservative member of the US Senate. Gloria Johnson’s election is not as implausible at Ty Pinkins’, but she is still a very long shot in this race. DONATE TO GLORIA JOHNSON See Len’s Political Note #622
We have a presidential race to win
Support Joe Biden and Kamala Harris
As we look toward November, 2024, Help sustain the Joe Biden and Kamala Harris campaign. National polls since March 12 include two with Biden and Trump each having a lead of one or two points. Every donation, large or small, makes a difference. Larger donations mean more money for the campaign. But large numbers of small donations are a measure of enthusiasm for the candidate. Make a small donation if you cannot afford a large one. DONATE TO JOE BIDEN AND KAMALA HARRIS. See Len’s Political Note #605
#12 in the Stephenson County, IL list of Biden accomplishments: Recommitted America to the global fight against climate change by rejoining the Paris Agreement.
