Georgia is in the news these days, as hundreds of millions of dollars pour into the state for two runoff elections on January 5th that will determine control of the U.S. Senate. The fast-growing, friendly Peach State will get even more attention in the weeks and months ahead.

Gov. Brian Kemp (R-Ga.) has come under intense criticism for taking steps to re-open Georgia. The criticism is peculiar. Reading the reactions on Facebook, Twitter, Reddit, and elsewhere, one would think that Kemp is forcing businesses to re-open and making consumers begin visiting stores and restaurants. The reality is that it’s up to business owners whether they re-open, and it’s up to consumers whether they leave their homes. It’s a choice, which is the very basis of liberty.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation recently released its annual crime statistics report. There hasn’t been much media coverage of the report, but it does show the violent crime rate in 2018 was at its second-lowest point since this particular crime metric peaked in 1991. Generally, crime rates fell across the board compared to 2017.

FreedomWorks sent a coalition letter to Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp urging him to support the reauthorization of the Georgia Council on Criminal Justice Reform. The text of the letter and signers are below and a PDF of the letter can be found here.

FreedomWorks is proud to honor Rep. Jody Hice (R-Ga.) as our member of the month for March of 2019. Rep. Hice serves the people of Georgia’s Tenth Congressional District, which encompasses most of the territory between Atlanta and Augusta. Rep. Hice was first elected in the 2014 midterm elections.

As the 2018 midterm elections approach, voters in all 50 states will cast their ballots for members of Congress and many will cast their ballots for senators. Some ballots will also include measures independent of the national elections. These are, for example, gubernatorial races, as well as ballot initiatives to amend state constitutions.

The 2018 midterm cycle is already shaping up to be a tough year for Republicans in the House, with many predicting a “blue wave” this fall and speculating that the GOP will lose its majority because of it. However, there is a simple fix for this: a change of party leadership. A choice is looming large in front of the GOP: Who will succeed Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) as the top House Republican?

In his State of the Union address one week ago today, President Donald Trump touted the widespread successes of tax reform legislation as well as his impressive rollback of regulatory burdens. FreedomWorks applauds those successes, and encourages Congress to advance further successes of the president’s agenda, as presented in his speech.