Craig Nelson

Journalist at The Current GA

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Articles

Empty-chair town hall turns into political Rorschach test

3 days ago | thecurrentga.org | Craig Nelson

Buddy Carter’s refusal to hold an open, in-person town hall in Coastal Georgia’s largest city and county has fueled frustration and anger among their residents, Democrats and some Republicans alike. Now, even a stage prop intended to illustrate Carter’s absence at a public forum in Savannah last week, has sparked controversy, showing that even so-called empty-chair town halls can be become perilous in today’s politically toxic environment.
With Kemp hovering, Georgia lawmakers wrap up business

2 weeks ago | thecurrentga.org | Craig Nelson

Now it’s Brian Kemp’s turn. Mounds of legislation approved by the Georgia General Assembly during its 40-day session, which adjourned Friday, now rest on the desk of the state’s governor and top Republican. Kemp already has signed into law some of the measures, notably the “religious freedom” bill. He has 40 days to consider the rest. Besides signing a bill into law, he can either veto it or do nothing, in which case it automatically becomes law.
Demonstrators crowd Savannah streets Saturday protest federal program cuts

2 weeks ago | thecurrentga.org | Craig Nelson

At least a thousand anti-Trump demonstrators thronged downtown Savannah on Saturday to demand that the Trump administration cease cutbacks in federal programs and stop what they say are assaults on their rights under the U.S. Constitution. Chanting “Hey, Hey, Ho, Ho, Trump and Musk got to go,” the gathering of protesters, which was made up of at least as many people over the age of 40 as under it, snaked from the bandshell at Forsyth Park up Bull Street to City Hall.
Buddy Carter scores campaign donation from Elon Musk

3 weeks ago | thecurrentga.org | Craig Nelson

Tech mogul and White House adviser Elon Musk has donated $6,600 to Buddy Carter’s campaign committee, boosting the Coastal Georgia’s congressman’s political profile ahead of a possible run for the U.S. Senate seat held by Democrat Jon Ossoff. “Thank you, Elon Musk! Together, we will #MakeAmericaGreatAgain!” gushed Carter in announcing the donation Wednesday on his Facebook page and the social media site X, which Musk owns.
Amid growing unease in his backyard, U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter holds telephone town hall

1 month ago | thecurrentga.org | Craig Nelson |Jabari GIbbs |Jabari Gibbs

Amid outcry about the Trump administration’s cutbacks to federal programs and agencies, Republican leaders last month urged members of the House of Representatives not to hold town halls in their home districts. On Monday, Coastal Georgia’s congressman, Buddy Carter, spurned that advice. Kind of. The five-term lawmaker from St. Simons held a telephone town hall from Washington instead, fielding 11 questions in about 50 minutes.
Shrimp bill hits rough waves in Georgia Senate

1 month ago | thecurrentga.org | Craig Nelson |Margaret Coker

With little more than a week remaining in this year’s meeting of the Georgia General Assembly, a bill to help protect the livelihoods of Coastal Georgia shrimpers from the deluge of foreign shrimp into the U.S. market is running into uncertain waters. The culprit, says Coastal Georgia shrimp advocate John Wallace, is the restaurant industry. The measure, introduced in January by Rep.
Tybee Island mayor pushes for change in election system, sparking controversy

1 month ago | thecurrentga.org | Craig Nelson

Without informing Tybee Island’s city council, Mayor Brian West has taken steps to change the island’s election system, claiming the current scheme is antiquated and out of step with the rest of the state.
Chatham GOP rallies 'no' votes in Tuesday’s ESPLOST referendum

1 month ago | thecurrentga.org | Craig Nelson

Energized by Donald Trump’s reelection in November and his administration’s current efforts to slash the size of the federal government, Republican groups in Chatham County have taken aim at what they say is another source of waste, fraud and abuse: the county’s one-cent tax on retail sales to fund public-school infrastructure. The tax, known as the Educational Special Local Option Sales Tax, or ESPLOST, is the subject of a special election on Tuesday.
Crossover Day’s winners and losers

1 month ago | thecurrentga.org | Craig Nelson

Coastal Georgia lawmakers marked a crucial deadline on the state legislature’s calendar last week, helping push through measures for further action while watching others fall along the wayside, as the current legislative session heads into its final, frenetic days. For the region, the outcome of so-called Crossover Day — the deadline for bills to be voted out of the House or Senate and remain eligible to become law — was mixed, the findings of an informal survey of Current readers suggest.
Baxley Republican to run against Carter for Congress

1 month ago | thecurrentga.org | Craig Nelson

Coastal Georgia’s congressman, Earl L. “Buddy” Carter, has made no secret of his ambition to run next year for the U.S. Senate seat held by Democrat Jon Ossoff. And until last week, Carter, the five-term GOP congressman from St. Simons, had the luxury of waiting for political dominoes to start falling before deciding whether to run — the main domino being whether the state’s top Republican, the term-limited Gov. Brian Kemp, is going to seek Ossoff’s seat himself.