ATHENS (AP) -- Georgia's Republicans will be gathering in Athens for their state convention, with a packed agenda including electing a new state chair and hearing from top elected officials.
The convention begins Friday afternoon and will include remarks from Georgia's two U.S. Sens. Saxby Chambliss and Johnny Isakson. The convention continues Saturday, when delegates will elect a new chair and debate various resolutions.
Among the topics expected to spark debate is whether the state should halt implementation of the Common Core academic standards. The standards are opposed by various tea party and conservative groups who say they amount to federal intrusion and threaten student privacy.
Speakers on Saturday include Gov. Nathan Deal, Republican strategist Karl Rove and the three Georgia congressmen running to replace Sen. Chambliss, who is retiring next year.
Eric Gray, a spokesman for the state Democratic Party, says his group will not have a convention this year.
"The Democratic Party of Georgia does it a bit differently than the Georgia GOP," Gray said. "Our convention is held once every four years, in the Governor's election year. Our convention is used to nominate our candidate for Governor, not vote for a new Chairman (like the GOP). Our vote for a new chairman is held at a normal State Committee meeting, and is once every four years (since our Chair serves a four- year term, not two like the GOP)."
(AccessNorthGa.com's Ken Stanford contributed to this story.)
Wednesday
May 28th, 2025
3:40PM
