Review of Georgia politics in 2017

Answers provided to major questions about key issues that were asked as this year kicked off.

Before the start of 2017, your AJC Political Insiders laid out major questions in Georgia politics that we’d be watching this year.

Here’s a recap of the biggest questions, now with answers, too. Take a trip down memory lane with us:

Q: So, what exactly will President Donald Trump do? Yes, it’s the obvious question. And it’s also the one that will dominate the year. There’s much uncertainty about what a Trump White House will actually set out to accomplish, and how quickly he will do so. He’s promised to renegotiate free trade deals, scrap the Affordable Care Act, toughen immigration laws, dramatically lower taxes, push a sweeping new infrastructure spending plan and, more generally, “drain the swamp” in Washington. His decisions over the next year could bring sweeping change to Georgia, starting with a new debate over rising health care costs.

A: Within hours of Trump’s inauguration in January, he and his staff began moving at breakneck pace to implement his agenda. With the help of congressional Republicans, he was able to accomplish several key campaign promises: He overhauled the tax code, installed conservative Justice Neil Gorsuch on the Supreme Court, pulled the U.S. out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership and froze or reversed scores of Obama-era regulations. There are other key aspects of his agenda, however, that appear indefinitely blocked. With Democrats growing increasingly confident about next year’s midterm elections and the Russia probe heating up, it could be much harder for Trump to operate politically in 2018.

Q: Will Gov. Nathan Deal get his education overhaul? The Republican governor made overhauling the school funding formula the centerpiece of his 2014 re-election campaign before pivoting to a divisive plan to allow the state to take control of failing schools. With that education initiative in tatters — it was soundly defeated at the polls in November — he is preparing a “Plan B” and could also revisit his plans to remake how k-12 schools are funded. But he could face an even tougher road than before.

A: Yes, and it was adopted by big margins. But it took an understated approach from the governor, who let House lawmakers take the lead. While not as far-reaching as Deal’s failed constitutional amendment, the First Priority Act creates a chief turnaround officer with authority to appoint “coaches” to help schools improve. Those that don’t after three years could be turned over to private managers.

Q: Is the “religious liberty” debate going to make a comeback? Deal’s veto of religious liberty legislation last year was one of the defining moments in the Governor’s Mansion, and it seems destined to shape his remaining years in office. This year, though, there are signs that the contentious legislation won’t hog the spotlight. House Speaker David Ralston said it should be left up to federal lawmakers, while Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle — who last year was one of the fiercest supporters of the initiative — has said little about the plan.

A: Yes, and it remains a boomerang issue that continues to return every legislative session. This year, there was no concerted effort to adopt legislation modeled after the federal Religious Freedom and Restoration Act. But a late push to inject a religious liberty element into an adoption bill that would allow some private agencies to refuse to place children with same-sex couples led to a legislative standstill and infuriated Deal and Ralston. Meanwhile, four of the five top Republican candidates for governor signed a pledge to ink a religious liberty bill if elected. The lone GOP holdout, businessman Clay Tippins, aims to appeal to corporate powers and moderates with his stance.

Q: Can Georgia Democrats regroup after an electoral disaster? Georgia Democrats spent the month after Hillary Clinton’s defeat licking their wounds. Sidelined for more than a decade, they were no closer to regaining control of the Georgia Legislature than they were two years ago. There’s no clear leader or unified direction. And warring factions in the fractious party are competing against each other for limited resources. Partisans note several silver linings — notably, Clinton’s flip of Cobb and Gwinnett counties — as they try to carve a path forward in the era of Trump.

A: Yes and no. Town halls and rallies throughout the year were packed with energized voters, and Democrats had little problem recruiting candidates to run for offices across the state. Translating that into electoral victories proved more of a challenge. Jon Ossoff became a bona fide Democratic star in his 6th Congressional District race — and then lost the most expensive U.S. House election ever to Republican Karen Handel. But Democrats picked up a sweep of victories in November’s and December’s races, flipping three legislative seats — two considered so conservative that Republican incumbents had never faced a challenger. And they ended the year by holding Atlanta City Hall. Which brings us to our next question ...

Q: Who will be Atlanta’s next mayor? The race to replace Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed was one of the mostwatched political contests in the nation in 2017. About a dozen contenders were in the race, ranging from state Sen. Vincent Fort running as a Bernie Sanders liberal to Councilwoman Mary Norwood positioning herself as a business-minded conservative.

A: Councilwoman Keisha Lance Bottoms emerged victorious after a tumultuous and divisive election. Bottoms and Norwood, the runner-up in the 2009 contest, emerged from a crowded field of about a dozen candidates in a race clouded by a federal probe into corruption at City Hall. Norwood cobbled together a diverse coalition that included many of her former rivals and ex-Mayor Shirley Franklin. Bottoms countered with Reed’s full-throated support — and a deluge of Democratic help from high-profile figures painting Norwood as a closet Republican.

Q: How will the governor’s race shake out? It’s so far been a quiet start to the race to replace Deal, thanks to Trump’s surprise victory. That shook up the race, with potential contenders such as U.S. Rep. Tom Price and U.S. Sen. David Perdue (likely) opting to stay in Washington. Cagle is all but assured to jump in, but less certain are the other GOP contenders. On the Democratic side, House Minority Leader Stacey Abrams is gearing up for a run — and she’ll soon find out whether fellow Democrats clear the way for her.

A: It’s still shaking. Cagle is the presumed Republican front-runner — and leading fundraiser — but there’s no telling how the GOP electorate will decide next year in a race that includes Secretary of State Brian Kemp, former state Sen. Hunter Hill, state Sen. Michael Williams and Tippins. Some Republicans expect another candidate to jump in. The Democratic side of the ticket is equally fascinating: Abrams and Stacey Evans, another former legislator, have sharply divergent strategies and electoral approaches that have already caught national attention.