Georgia Republican Candidate Qualifying and July 2012 Primary Voting Schedule

Georgia Candidate Republican Qualifying:
As many of you know,  last week was candidate qualifying for the the Georgia July 31st primary.  If you would like to see who qualified click here and you will be directed to the Georgia Secretary of State Web page.  305 Republicans were qualified by the Georgia Republican Party and 100's more were qualified by each Republican County Party.  It looks like it will be a great year for Republicans in Georgia.

State and Superior Court Judge Elections
Many of you may not know that we will also be electing State and Superior Judges on July 31st.  This is NOT a primary.  In Georgia  these judges do not run as Republican or Democrat.   Please make sure you attend as many Judge forums as possible; so, you can cast an informed vote. 

There will be a judges forum hosted by the Gwinnett GOP on June 25th at 7:00 PM  at the Gwinnett Justice and Administration Building. For more info click here.

If you want to vote in the Primary or possible Primary Runoff, you must register to vote by July 2nd. Download the Voter Registration Application Form, and mail the fully completed form to:
Gwinnett County Board of Registrations and Elections
75 Langley Drive
Lawrenceville, Ga 30046


Primary Election – Absentee Voting begins June 15th through July 31st, 2012
Absentee ballots will be mailed starting on June 15th, and will continue until election day on July 311st. Absentee ballots must be returned to the Gwinnett Elections Office by 7 PM on July 31st. Request an absentee ballot here. Learn more about absentee voting in this FAQ provided by the Gwinnett Elections Office.

Primary Election – Early Voting

July 19th through July 27th, 2012
You can vote early in person at the Gwinnett Elections Office, 455 Grayson Highway in Lawrenceville. Early voting is available Monday through Friday from 8 AM through 5 PM.

Primary Election – Saturday Early Voting

July 21st, 2012
If you would like to vote early, but cannot visit the elections office Monday through Friday, you can vote on Saturday, July 21st at the Gwinnett Elections Office, 455 Grayson Highway in Lawrenceville from 8 AM through 5 PM.

Primary Election – Satellite Early Voting

July 23rd through July 27th, 2012
On the Monday through Friday immediately prior to the Primary election, you can vote at one of Gwinnett’s Satellite voting offices between 9 AM and 7 PM. Satellite voting locations are at:

Centerville Community Center
3025 Bethany Church Road
Snellville, GA 30039

Dacula Activity Building
2735 Old Auburn Road
Dacula, GA 30019

George Pierce Community Center
55 Buford Highway
Suwanee, GA 30024

Lucky Shoals Community Center
4651 Britt Road
Norcross, GA 30093

Primary Election Day

July 31st, 2012
Polls are open on Election Day from 7 AM until 7 PM. You can find your poll location here.

Primary Election Runoff Early Voting

TBA – August 17, 2012
If a runoff election is needed to settle a primary election contest, early voting will be available at the Gwinnett Elections Office. Satellite voting will not be available for a primary runoff.

Primary Election Runoff Election Day

August 21st, 2012
Polls are open on Election Day from 7 AM until 7 PM. You can vote in the runoff election even if you didn’t vote in the original Primary Election. If you did vote in the primary, you must vote in the same political party you did in the primary. You can find your poll location here.

Mitt Romney Clinches Republican Presidential Nomination

By STEPHEN OHLEMACHER

The Associated Press

WASHINGTON — Mitt Romney clinched the Republican presidential nomination Tuesday with a win in the Texas primary, a triumph of endurance for a candidate who came up short four years ago and had to fight hard this year as voters flirted with a carousel of GOP rivals.

According to The Associated Press count, Romney surpassed the 1,144 delegates needed to win the nomination by winning at least 97 delegates in the Texas primary.

The former Massachusetts governor has reached the nomination milestone with a steady message of concern about the U.S. economy, a campaign organization that dwarfed those of his GOP foes and a fundraising operation second only to that of his Democratic opponent in the general election, President Barack Obama.
Romney would be the first Mormon nominated by a major party. His religion has been less of an issue than it was during his failed bid four years ago.
"We did it!" Romney proclaimed in a message to supporters, noting that "it's only the beginning."
"An honor and a privilege and a great responsibility," Romney told supporters at a fundraiser in Las Vegas. "And I know the road to 1,144 was long and hard, but I also know that the road to 11-06 — Nov. 6th — is also going to be long and it's going to be hard and it's going to be worth it because we're going to take back the White House and get America right again."
Romney must now fire up conservatives who still doubt him while persuading swing voters that he can do a better job fixing the nation's struggling economy than Obama. In Obama, he faces a well-funded candidate with a proven campaign team in an election that will be heavily influenced by the economy.
Romney's campaign went on the attack Tuesday, releasing a Web video citing the Obama administration's loan-guarantee investments in four renewable-energy firms that lost money and laid off workers.
The message — "President Obama is fundamentally hostile to job creators" — has been a theme of the Romney campaign since he launched his presidential bid. But sensing an opportunity to reach a new audience, the campaign planned to highlight Obama's support for the failed renewable energy company Solyndra, among other private ventures the Obama administration helped support.
"We need to have presidents who understand how this economy works," Romney told reporters Tuesday. "Sometimes I just don't think he understands what it takes to help people. I know he wants to help, but he doesn't know what he's got to do."
Romney's message and his big day, however, were somewhat overshadowed by real estate mogul Donald Trump and his discredited suggestions that Obama wasn't born in the United States.
Romney spent Tuesday evening at a Las Vegas fundraiser with Trump, who had toyed with the idea of running for president. Romney says he believes Obama was born in America but has yet to condemn Trump's repeated insinuations to the contrary.
"If Mitt Romney lacks the backbone to stand up to a charlatan like Donald Trump because he's so concerned about lining his campaign's pockets, what does that say about the kind of president he would be?" Obama's deputy campaign manager, Stephanie Cutter, said in a statement.
Both Trump and Romney steered clear of the issue at Tuesday's fundraiser. Asked Monday about Trump's contentions, Romney said: "I don't agree with all the people who support me. And my guess is they don't all agree with everything I believe in." He added: "But I need to get 50.1 percent or more. And I'm appreciative to have the help of a lot of good people."
Republicans won't officially nominate Romney until late August at the GOP national convention in Tampa, Fla. Romney has 1,183 convention delegates.
He won at least 97 delegates in Texas with 33 left to be decided. The 152 delegates in Texas are awarded in proportion to the statewide vote. The other delegates were sprinkled among several candidates.
Texas Republicans also voted in a Senate primary to choose a candidate to run for the seat being vacated by Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison. Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst and state Solicitor General Ted Cruz were headed to a runoff in July.
With about three-fourths of precincts reporting, Dewhurst led with 45 percent of the vote compared to 33 percent for Cruz. Dewhurst, however, fell short of the majority he needed to avoid a runoff. The nominee will be strongly favored to win in November in heavily Republican Texas.
Romney, 65, is clinching the presidential nomination later in the calendar than any recent Republican candidate — but not quite as late as Obama in 2008. Obama clinched the Democratic nomination on June 3, 2008, at the end of an epic primary battle with Hillary Rodham Clinton. Four years ago, John McCain reached the threshold on March 4, after Romney had dropped out of the race about a month earlier.
This year's primary fight was extended by a back-loaded primary calendar, new GOP rules that generally awarded fewer delegates for winning a state and a Republican electorate that built up several other candidates before settling on Romney.
Rick Perry, Herman Cain, Newt Gingrich, Rick Santorum and Trump — all of them sat atop the Republican field at some point. Minnesota Rep. Michelle Bachmann peaked for a short time, too. But Romney outlasted them all, even as some GOP voters and tea party backers questioned his conservative credentials.
The primary race started in January with Santorum, the former Pennsylvania senator, narrowly edging Romney in the Iowa caucuses. Romney rebounded with a big win in New Hampshire before Gingrich, the former House speaker, won South Carolina.
Romney responded with a barrage of negative ads against Gingrich in Florida and got a much-needed 14-point win. Romney's opponents fought back: Gingrich called him a liar, and Santorum said Romney was "the worst Republican in the country" to run against Obama.
Gingrich and Santorum assailed Romney's work at Bain Capital, the private equity firm he co-founded, saying the firm sometimes made millions at the expense of workers and jobs. It is a line of attack that Obama has promised to carry all the way to November.
On Feb. 7 Santorum swept all three contests in Missouri, Colorado and Minnesota, raising questions about Romney's status as the front-runner. After a 17-day break in the voting, Romney responded with wins in Arizona, Michigan and Washington state before essentially locking up the nomination on March 6, this year's version of Super Tuesday.
Romney has been in general-election mode for weeks, raising money and focusing on Obama, largely ignoring the primaries since his competitors dropped out or stopped campaigning. Santorum suspended his campaign April 10, and Gingrich left the race a few weeks later.
Both initially offered tepid endorsements of Romney but Gingrich is now actively promoting Romney's campaign.
Texas Rep. Ron Paul said on May 14 he would no longer compete in primaries, though his supporters are still working to gain national delegates at state conventions.
Rich Galen, a Republican strategist who has been unaligned in the 2012 race, said the long, sometimes nasty primary fight should help Romney fine-tune his campaign organization so it can operate effectively in the general election. Galen doesn't, however, think it was relevant in toughening up Romney for the battle against Obama.
"Romney's been running for president for six years. He is as good a candidate as he's ever going to be," Galen said. "Whatever you say about him, he was better than everybody else in the race."
___
Associated Press writer Steve Peoples contributed to this report from Las Vegas

CRW May Meeting Details

Conservative Republican Women

of North Atlanta

invite you to attend our May meeting

Monday, May 21st,  Magnolia Café

5175 South Old Peachtree Road, Norcross, GA

Doors open at 7:00.  Meeting begins promptly at 7:30

Featured speakers are:

Candidates for Superior Court Judge

and

Candidates for Probate Court Judge

Everyone is welcome.

Keep up to date by with the latest news and events by subscribing to our blog.  Look in the

right hand column, add your email address and push the subscribe button then confirm via your email.

Look for updates from the State Convention this weekend on the Blog.

2012 Convention Schedule

2012 Convention Schedule

GAGOP State Convention 2012 Columbus, Georgia ● May 18-19

Convention-Columbus Civic Center ● 400 Fourth Street, Columbus, GA 31901 Dinner & Breakfast-Columbus Iron Works ● 801 Front Avenue, Columbus, GA 31901

Friday, May 18^th

10:00 AM		Registration Opens (Columbus Civic Center)
2:00 PM		Convention Convenes
5:00 PM		Recess of the Convention until 10:00 AM Saturday Morning
		Over & Under 80,000 Chairmen’s Meeting
5:30 PM		Registration Closes (Columbus Civic Center)
5:45 PM		Reception (Iron Works)
7:00 PM		Victory Dinner (Iron Works)
9:00 PM		Praise Meeting (Iron Works – Foundry Room)

Saturday, May 19^th

7:00 AM		Registration Opens(Columbus Civic Center)
7:30 AM		Victory Breakfast honoring Governor and First Lady Deal (Iron Works)
10:00 AM		Registration Closes(Columbus Civic Center)
10:00 AM		Convention Reconvenes (Columbus Civic Center)

Immediately following adjournment:
Mandatory meeting of ALL Delegates and Alternates to National Convention in Oglethorpe Room.

Inmate Gets 41% of Vote Against President Obama in West Virginia Democrat Primary

Posted from Georgia GOP Playbook

Yesterday, May 8th, Barack Obama had a very bad showing against Federal Inmate No. 11593-051. Inexplicably, Keith Judd – a current federal prison inmate in Texas – faced off against Barack Obama in the West Virginia Democratic Presidential Primary. When the votes were tallied, Judd received over 40% of the total vote against Barack Obama. Thus, in accordance with Democratic Party rules, Federal Inmate No. 11593-051 may be entitled to at least one delegate from West Virginia for the 2012 Democratic National Convention.

From Republican National Committee Research: The Big Fail: Obama Loses Large Share Of Vote In West Virginia To A Felon Doing Time In Texas.

Federal Inmate No. 11593-051

The bad news continued for Barack Obama in North Carolina’s Democratic Primary last night, where more than 1 in 5 Democratic voters voted “No Preference” instead of casting a vote for their sitting president.

Hot Air continues the analysis of Barack Obama’s very day bad, writing: Bad day for Obama, unions in NC, WV, and especially WI…

“Looks like Tuesday was a bad day for Barack Obama, Democrats in general, and particularly the unions.  Three states held primaries, and in each, voters rejected positions and/or candidates associated with all three, in embarrassing vote totals.”  

Newsletter from Senator Johnny Isakson

Dear Friends,

This week, the Senate spent time debating various measures, including an overhaul of the United States Postal Service as well as the Violence Against Women Act reauthorization. On Monday, I joined the majority of my fellow senators in voting against proceeding to debate on S.2230, the so-called "Buffett Tax," which was a tax hike on high-income taxpayers. The Senate also voted to confirm Stephanie Dawn Thacker to the Fourth Circuit federal appeals court.

Tax Reform
On Tuesday, tax returns were due to the government, and I participated in a rally on Capitol Hill where I called on Congress to enact a fairer, simpler tax system. I have co-sponsored legislation to repeal the tax code and to establish a national sales tax during every session of Congress since being elected to the U.S. Senate.

The Fair Tax Act, S. 13, would shift the federal government's method of revenue collection from income to personal consumption. The legislation would repeal all federal personal income taxes, corporate income taxes, payroll taxes, self-employment taxes, capital gains taxes and gift and estate taxes, and replace those with a revenue-neutral, personal consumption tax on all retail sales of new goods and services.

Last month, I signed on as an original co-sponsor of the Repeal Permanency Act, S. 2242, which was introduced by Sen. John Thune, R-S.D. The bill would permanently repeal the federal estate tax and the "generation skipping transfer" tax, make permanent the maximum 35 percent gift tax rate and a $5 million lifetime gift tax exemption, and maintain the stepped-up basis provisions important to family farms.

Additionally, I have introduced legislation to repeal the U.S. tax code and to force Congress to vote to reauthorize it or replace it with a new system.

Every American who filed their tax return this year was likely reminded that tax simplification is long overdue. Not only is our current tax code burdensome to families, it is a large drain on America's small businesses. According to the National Federation of Independent Business, small businesses spend between 1.7 billion and 1.8 billion hours a year on tax compliance with a total estimated cost of between $15 billion and $16 billion annually. At the same time, our current tax code punishes productivity instead of taxing discretionary spending—that's why we need the Fair Tax. It's time that we simplify our tax code, clean it up, and create a more simple way to pay your fair share, and the solution is the Fair Tax.

Obama Comments on Missile Defense
Three weeks ago, I spoke on the Senate floor to demand an explanation from President Obama over his comments to Russian President Dmitry Medvedev that were picked up on camera and on a microphone in which Obama said he would have "more flexibility" on issues such as missile defense after the 2012 presidential election.

As a member of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, I also joined more than 40 of my colleagues in sending a letter to President Obama on March 27, 2012, demanding that the president explain what he meant by his comment to President Medvedev. Click here to view the letter.

This week, I joined one of my fellow Foreign Relations Committee members, Senator Bob Corker, R-Tenn., in sending a letter to Committee Chairman John Kerry, D-Mass., calling for an oversight hearing "to determine whether the administration has fully lived up to the expectations raised and commitments made in order to garner support" for the New START (Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty) treaty with Russia.

We wrote, "On December 20, 2010, the United States Senate provided its advice and consent on the New START Treaty. Sixteen months later, we are concerned that the conditions outlined by the Senate in the accompanying Resolution of Ratification have not been met by the administration. To that end, we write to you today asking that the Senate Foreign Relations Committee conduct an oversight hearing, with the appropriate administration witnesses, to determine whether the administration has fully lived up to the expectations raised and commitments made in order to garner support for this important treaty." The full text of the letter to Chairman Kerry is included below and is available online here.

Africa and the Kony 2012 Day of Action
During the Easter recess, as the ranking Republican of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations Subcommittee on African Affairs, I traveled to the continent. I met with our special forces and U.S. advisers who have been deployed in those countries to help assist in the search for Joseph Kony.

On Wednesday, I spoke on the floor of the Senate about my trip in order to share the information about what America is doing, what Joseph Kony has done, and how important our commitment is to Central Africa and to see to it that this evil man is brought to justice.

Joseph Kony is under indictment by the International Criminal Court today. For 26 years, he has roamed Central Africa with his Lord's Resistance Army, killing, raping, and maiming the African people. By some estimates, Joseph Kony has abducted 66,000 children into his army and forced young women into sex slavery. He has displaced over 2 million Africans because their villages were destroyed and their families disrupted by his efforts. He has killed untold tens of thousands of people and is by any stretch of the imagination an evil person. Invisible Children's video posting, which went viral on the Internet, has caught the attention of America's youth, because they see the damage that has been done to the youth of Africa, and they want to know what America is doing about it.

My message to the American people and our youth is we are doing our job. Joseph Kony han't been caught, but we are in pursuit.

The Kony 2012 movement's "global day of action" is today, Friday, April 20, 2012. Yesterday, I joined U.S. Senators Chris Coons, D-Del., John Kerry, D-Mass., Jim Inhofe, R-Okla., Mary Landrieu, D-La., and Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., in a new video on the Senate's efforts to support the removal of Joseph Kony and his top lieutenants in the Lord's Resistance Army from the battlefield in central Africa. Former U.S. Senator Russ Feingold, D-Wis., is also featured in the video, which is aimed at the millions of young Americans who have become part of the Kony 2012 movement in the last month.

The seven-and-a-half-minute video, titled "Pursuing Joseph Kony: A Message from the United States Senate" went live on YouTube Thursday and can be found here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=amckcO7kUjU.

It is time for Joseph Kony to be brought to justice, and the United States is making every effort to assist in that process, which I witnessed firsthand when I traveled to Uganda two weeks ago. Our message today to the American people and our youth is that the Senate takes this issue very seriously, and we are committed to see to it that this evil man, who has killed, raped and maimed innocent people, is stopped for good.

In Other News
Also during the recess, I traveled to Africa on behalf of CARE, a tremendous nongovernmental organization based in Atlanta, Ga., that delivers humanitarian aid, assistance, education, knowledge, and technical assistance to countries around the world and, in particular, to the nation of Africa. It was the second time I traveled with CARE; the first time was 10 years ago to Ethiopia, where I saw CARE's outreach in terms of basic education improvement, particularly with young Muslim women.

On this trip, I was able see, firsthand, what they are doing in the city of Gulu, which borders the Congo and Northern Uganda--an area that 5 or 6 years ago, because of Joseph Kony, had been destroyed, people were displaced, and it was laden with hunger and violence. It is now a beautiful, peaceful village.

Because of what CARE is doing with their village savings and loan project, they are bringing microeconomics to Africa, and they are empowering women. I also visited with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention staff, who are delivering the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, known as PEPFAR, which seeks to improve health care by expanding awareness and testing to identify those with AIDS. They are also distributing anti-retrovirals to mothers who are pregnant, so their babies can be born without HIV. It was great to go with CARE and to see how the U.S. is helping uplift the nation, uplift the people and help solve the greatest scourge on the continent, which is HIV/AIDS.

I also had the opportunity to visit Armstrong Atlantic University in Savannah, Ga., where I spoke to an economics class, and I visited JCB, which is a heavy equipment manufacturer. This week, I also was interviewed on WDDQ in Valdosta by host Scott James, spoke to a government class at Heritage High School in Catoosa County, Ga., via Skype and met with the Camden County Chamber of Commerce's delegation in Washington, D.C.
What's on Tap?        

Next week, the Senate will continue work on U.S. Postal Service reform legislation and the Violence Against Women Act.

Sincerely,
Johnny Isakson
 

Delegates to the National Convention

Three members from our small club were elected as delegates and alternates to the Republican National Convention during the District Conventions held on April 14th.   Congratulations to Gloria DiMaggio-Tow, Rachael Little and Judy Bailey.  The convention will be held August 27th -August 30 in the Tampa Area. Click here to veiw the convention web page.


During the convention, there will be a daily recap posted to this blog.  Please sign up in the "follow us by email" box in the right hand column to receive automatic updates.