Current:Home > MyGeorgia’s governor and others pile into state court race where challenger has focused on abortion -ValueCore
Georgia’s governor and others pile into state court race where challenger has focused on abortion
View
Date:2025-04-24 16:24:20
ATLANTA (AP) — Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp says he will spend more than $500,000 from his political committee to help a state Supreme Court justice he appointed win election.
The Republican Kemp isn’t the only conservative supporting Justice Andrew Pinson in his May 21 nonpartisan election against John Barrow, a former Democratic congressman who has built his campaign around abortion rights.
It’s a notable escalation as Barrow tries to knock off an incumbent justice, something almost unheard of in Georgia. While the contest hasn’t grown as intense as high court races in other states including Wisconsin, attention and spending are higher than in the state’s historically sleepy judicial campaigns. Three other justices are running unopposed for new six-year terms, despite Georgia’s battleground status in partisan elections.
At least two religiously conservative groups are also spending to support Pinson, while some backers of abortion rights are trying to mobilize votes for Barrow.
Kemp rolled out a television ad Tuesday endorsing Pinson that campaign strategist Cody Hall said is airing on Atlanta-area stations.
“We need judges who follow the law and uphold the Constitution, not more partisan politicians in the courtroom,” Kemp said in the ad, describing Pinson as “a conservative voice we can trust.”
What to know about the 2024 Election
- Democracy: American democracy has overcome big stress tests since 2020. More challenges lie ahead in 2024.
- AP’s Role: The Associated Press is the most trusted source of information on election night, with a history of accuracy dating to 1848. Learn more.
- Read the latest: Follow AP’s complete coverage of this year’s election.
Kemp’s Georgians First Leadership Committee is also advertising on digital media and radio and texting voters, Hall said. The Kemp campaign joined the fight with only a week before election day, and after more than 314,000 Georgians had already cast early ballots as of Monday.
Barrow said Kemp’s intervention proves Pinson can’t be trusted to protect abortion rights. Barrow argues that the state constitution protects abortion rights in the same way Roe v. Wade did before the U.S. Supreme Court overruled that decision. A case making that argument is pending before a lower court in Georgia and is likely to eventually reach the state Supreme Court.
“It confirms what I’ve been saying about his record,” Barrow said. “It shows that he cannot be counted on to rule that women have the rights under the Georgia Constitution that they used to under Roe. vs. Wade, or these folks wouldn’t be backing him.”
Kemp named Pinson, 37, to the high court in 2022. Many lawyers, including some Democrats, have endorsed him. Pinson has declined to interpret Georgia’s abortion law in interviews, saying it’s improper for a judge to discuss an issue he might later rule on. He warns against politicizing the courts.
Barrow argues that when Pinson was Georgia’s solicitor general, he was the lawyer most responsible for the state supporting the Mississippi case that led to the U.S. Supreme Court overturning Roe in 2022. That decision cleared the way for a 2019 Georgia law to take effect banning most abortions after fetal cardiac activity can be detected — usually around the sixth week, before many women know they are pregnant.
Cole Muzio, the president of Frontline Policy, a Christian conservative group aligned with Kemp, urged supporters to back Pinson in a Monday email.
“Your vote for Andrew Pinson in this race is a moral imperative,” Muzio wrote. “The winner of this race will have a vote on Georgia’s Heartbeat Law.”
Muzio said he didn’t know yet how much his group would spend.
Barrow, 69, served five terms in Congress and for a time was the only white Democratic representative from the Deep South. If he wins election, it wouldn’t change the conservative leaning of the court, where eight of the nine justices were appointed by Republican governors.
Endorsements for Barrow have come from Fair Fight Action, the political group founded by Democrat Stacey Abrams, which sent a joint fundraising email with Barrow; Planned Parenthood Southeast Advocates and Reproductive Freedom for All, formerly known as NARAL Pro-Choice America; and Reproductive Freedom for All, which is mobilizing members and volunteers to reach voters.
Pinson is outraising Barrow in campaign funds. Barrow gave nearly $175,000 from a previous state Supreme Court campaign to Georgians for Abortion Rights, a political committee created by state Senate Democrats, which he said is spending in the race.
Barrow is also fighting a state Judicial Qualifications Commission warning that his campaign speech may violate ethics rules barring judicial candidates from committing to how they will rule on issues. Barrow has sued the agency, saying it is trying to restrict his freedom of speech, and has asked a judge to block it from sanctioning him.
veryGood! (7)
Related
- Former Syrian official arrested in California who oversaw prison charged with torture
- Zendaya teases Met Gala 2024 look: How her past ensembles made her a fashion darling
- Former 'American Idol' contestants return for Mandisa tribute
- How Columbia University became the driving force behind protests over the war in Gaza
- Are Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp down? Meta says most issues resolved after outages
- Family appeals ruling that threw out lawsuit over 2017 BIA shooting death in North Dakota
- An Alabama Senate committee votes to reverse course, fund summer food program for low-income kids
- Iditarod says new burled arch will be in place for ’25 race after current finish line arch collapses
- Nevada attorney general revives 2020 fake electors case
- The Best White Dresses For Every Occasion
Ranking
- Mets have visions of grandeur, and a dynasty, with Juan Soto as major catalyst
- Select list of nominees for 2024 Tony Awards
- The Georgia Supreme Court has thrown out an indictment charging an ex-police chief with misconduct
- Bird flu risk prompts warnings against raw milk, unpasteurized dairy products
- How to watch the 'Blue Bloods' Season 14 finale: Final episode premiere date, cast
- Jury finds Wisconsin man sane in sexual assault, killing of toddler
- Untangling Kendrick Lamar’s Haley Joel Osment Mix-Up on His Drake Diss Track
- U.S. officials are bracing for another summer of dangerous heat. These maps show where it's most likely to happen.
Recommendation
What do we know about the mysterious drones reported flying over New Jersey?
Iditarod says new burled arch will be in place for ’25 race after current finish line arch collapses
Free Krispy Kreme: Get a free dozen doughnuts through chain's new rewards program
Powerball winning numbers for April 29 drawing: Jackpot rises to $178 million
Don't let hackers fool you with a 'scam
Alicia Keys, Brian d’Arcy James, Daniel Radcliffe and more react to earning Tony Award nominations
Trump held in contempt for violating gag order in hush money trial. Here's how much he owes.
Columbia says protesters occupied Hamilton Hall overnight. See the videos from campus.