Flowery Branch, GA—Saturday at the 9th Congressional District GA GOP Convention, hundreds of Republican delegates from northeast Georgia voted overwhelmingly to defeat a proposed resolution that would have celebrated the life and political legacy of the late Speaker David Ralston (R-Ellijay). The 9th Congressional District encompasses Ralston’s old State House District. Resolutions Committee Chairman Stephen Aaron from Gilmer County had drafted the resolution and reportedly told the other Resolutions Committee members that the Ralston resolution was “non-negotiable” even though he was warned against presenting it.
The newly elected slate of officers in the 9th Congressional District GA GOP
GA GOP National Committeeman Jason Thompson presided over the 9th District GA GOP Convention. A package of resolutions including the Ralston resolution were originally presented to be voted on at the District Convention altogether, but the body at the convention instead voted to address each resolution individually. When the Ralston resolution was presented, delegates reported that it was “decisively defeated” by a voice vote.
In previous years prior to his death, GA GOP conventions have passed resolutions publicly reprimanding Speaker David Ralston for his bad leadership in the Georgia State House, when he has often squelched conservative Republican policies and legislation ranging from gun rights to pro-life advancements to election integrity and more, while fast-tracking Coporate Cronyist legislation and big-government expansions. He had persecuted fellow Republican legislators more conservative than him. He has also been publicly reprimanded for abusing his political office in his attorney practice.
While it is one thing to express public condolences to Ralston’s family and friends for his passing late last year, it has been shameful how many Republican officials in Atlanta have made public statements praising the late Speaker’s political legacy and implying that he was a model politician that others should emulate. At the time many of these statements were posted, we shared on our Twitter feed a quote from Daily Wire’s Matt Walsh, which he providentially made on that same day: “Not every person who dies necessarily deserves to be mourned. You don’t become a good person just because you happen to die.”
We are pleased that this resolution was resoundingly defeated, and we hope that the politicians will take note that their behavior on this subject has been shown to be completely out of sync with the Republican grassroots in Georgia. The late Speaker David Ralston’s example as a politician was deplorable and Republicans in the state legislature should not follow in his example.
You can see the text of the defeated resolution in the image below here:
The Georgia State House Republican Caucus came back to Atlanta a little bit smaller Monday morning. Before last week’s election, the Republican Caucus had been 103 members. But at least two seats (maybe three) were projected to have been lost last week, bringing the size down to no more than 101. One of those lost was GRA-endorsed State Representative Philip Singleton (R-Coweta), whom Speaker David Ralston (R-Blue Ridge) had vengefully and deliberately thrown under the bus by arranging to redistrict him out of his district, apparently because Ralston would rather give more seats to the Democrats than allow a strong conservative to stay in office.
In fact, the House Republican Caucus has been slowly diminishing under Ralston’s leadership for the last six years. In 2020, Republicans lost five seats in the State House. In 2018, Republicans under David Ralston’s leadership lost nine seats. Not since the election of 2016, when President Donald Trump beat Democrat Hillary Clinton, have Republicans in the State House not lost seats in their caucus. That year they gained a modest two seats.
How the Republican control of the State House under Ralston has diminished over the last three elections.
During the wave of the T.E.A. Party movement in the first half of the 2010s, Republicans saw steady gains in Georgia and across the country. But as Republicans have failed to live up to the promises of reform made under that movement, Republican voters have become increasingly disillusioned.
Barry Fleming speaks to the caucus
97 of the House Republican Caucus members gathered in Atlanta to vote on who they would support to replace Ralston as Speaker of the Georgia State House. Both State Rep. Jon Burns (R-Newington) and Rep. Barry Fleming (R-Harlem) claimed they had been promised sufficient support by their fellow Republicans to win the election. But the vote was conducted by secret ballot without any way of knowing if someone would violate their pledge.
When the results were announced, members say it was reported that Jon Burns won the vote. However, both candidates agreed not to announce the final tally.
Jon Burns celebrates
Rep. Burns has served as the Majority Leader in the State House since 2015, and he was reported to be Ralston’s pick for his replacement. We hope that Rep. Burns will learn from the errors of his predecessor and allow legislation promoting Republican principles and possessing grassroots support to freely reach the House floor for a debate and vote. Continuing to go to war with conservatives in his own party will only lead to political suicide.
The errors of Mr. Ralston that we hope Mr. Burns learns to avoid are voluminous. Yet last week, the sycophants for Big Government Corporate Cronyism at Peach Pundit attacked us for celebrating Ralston stepping down as Speaker of the House, even accusing us of somehow being “jealous” of him for being so “successful.” That was funny.
Comic of Benedict Arnold, traitor of patriots in the War for Independence
To set the record straight: We’re as “jealous” of Ralston as George Washington was jealous of Benedict Arnold in the middle of the War for Independence. Ralston’s been the best player on the Democrat team. Think about it. No Democrat in the state legislature has blocked more Republican principle-led legislation over the last thirteen years than Ralston. No Democrat has passed more Big Government expansions than Ralston. No one in the GRA is jealous of Ralston’s success at promoting the Democrat agenda.
Time would fail us to recount all the things Ralston has done over the last decade to antagonize heroes within the Republican Party and block the advancement of Republican principles from our platform. Earlier this year he attacked our endorsed Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene publicly on the House floor, and Greene really has been a heroine for our principles.
For years Speaker Ralston prevented the Constitutional Carry bill from reaching the floor for a vote, and he attacked former Republican State House Rep. Charles Gregory (R-Cobb) and then later Rep. Matt Gurtler (R-Tiger) and Rep. Colton Moore (R-Dade)(now elected to State Senate) for trying to advance that bill. (He recruited Burt Reeves to run against Gregory, and now Reeves’ district has flipped Democrat.) Only this year when Governor Brian Kemp thew his weight behind Constitutional Carry did Ralston finally relent and allow the bill to come forward for a vote.
During the pandemic, Ralston harassed fellow Republicans such as Rep. David Clark (R-Suwanee) to get tested, be contact traced, and wear a mask just to be able to perform the role they were elected to do on the House floor, even when they had no symptoms of any illness—the folly of which measures are only now being fully realized.
Herschel Walker
Speaker Ralston shoved down our throats legislation that many Republicans and conservatives had great alarms over (e.g., the recent “Mental Health Parity” bill). Meanwhile, he blocked legislation to enact real election integrity reform to prevent cheating, making it hard for those of us who have been volunteering at the polls to be able to catch all the ways Democrats may attempt to cheat in these elections. As a result, it is possible that because of David Ralston’s actions Herschel Walker could have been cheated out of a win in the U.S. Senate race. How can we motivate activists to push for a runoff when so many have doubts about election integrity?
But perhaps the worst of all, although Speaker David Ralston had promised before he was elected Speaker that he would allow one pro-life bill per year, for most of the thirteen years he was Speaker he blocked legislation that would have saved the lives of tens of thousands of preborn babies!
Former State Senator Mike Crane
Beyond that, he also twice blocked legislation that would have simply said we don’t have to pay for abortion murder with our tax dollars. For these alone, Ralston has blood on his hands before God. He has made himself an enemy of God, an enemy of the helpless (and God has harsh words in the Bible for those who pervert justice for the helpless), and an obstacle of heroes such as former State Senator Mike Crane (R-Coweta) (now 3rd Congressional District GA GOP Chairman) who bravely brought forward the legislation in 2012 and 2013 that would have permanently ended that tax subsidizing of abortion. (Governor Nathan Deal provided only a temporary solution.)
As Proverbs 29:2 says, “When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice: but when the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn.” Ralston’s sickness ought to be a warning to others who act as he does that God is just, and just as the Scriptures tell us that God providentially brought sickness upon King Asa and King Herod of old, God sometimes even today brings sickness upon His enemies to stop them from furthering harm.
And we haven’t even brought up the criminal victims who never got their day in court because of the endless case postponements Ralston was able to get as an attorney for his clients while Speaker. As the AJC reported, “Ralston has tied up cases for clients charged with child molestation, child cruelty, assault, terroristic threats, drunk driving and other crimes.”
In short, David Ralston has been the worst thing in Georgia Republican politics over the last thirteen years. Let the newly elected Speaker Jon Burns take note and not repeat his evils.
Things move fast when it comes to finding a candidate to replace arguably the most powerful politician in Georgia politics. But he won’t be chosen by registered voters in the general public. The State House Republican Caucus plans to meet to conduct a secret ballot vote on who to elect as the new Speaker of the House in five days on Monday, November 14th. Over the last week, two State House candidates have emerged to promote their candidacy for Speaker of the House.
Rep. Jon Burns
Word has it Speaker Ralston is favoring State Rep. Jon Burns (District 159) from Newington, which is reason enough for grassroots Republicans to oppose his candidacy for Speaker. We do not want a new Speaker who will run things like Ralston or who will be his puppet and continue to attack and primary fellow conservative Republicans. Besides this, Jon Burns has a legislative vote scorecard of 43%, which is a D rating. Tell your State House Republican Representative: “We do not want to get Burned!”
Another candidate under consideration is State Rep. Barry Fleming (District 121) from Harlem. Fleming’s legislative vote scorecard, however, is only marginally better with a score of “48,” which is still a D.
Rep. Barry Fleming
Fleming’s previous voting record leans serious doubt as to whether or not he will be anywhere near conservative enough for the speakership.
Both of these candidates voted in favor of the terrible original version of Speaker David Ralston’s “Mental Health Parity” legislation last session. Surely the Republican Caucus in the State House can find someone better to succeed David Ralston as Speaker of the House! 🤷♂️
We urge you to call your Republican Representative in the Georgia State House and encourage them to vote for a Speaker who will allow legislation promoting issues that will advance the Republican Party platform, to make it to the House floor for a debate and vote. A Speaker who will not try to attack and shoot down his fellow Republicans when they work to advance the GOP principles.
We are not sad to receive the news about David Ralston (R-Blue Ridge) resigning from serving as the Speaker of the Georgia State House of Representatives. We are notgoing to miss him.
Yes, the current Speaker of the GA House David Ralston announced Friday that he would not be seeking re-election as Speaker when the Georgia General Assembly reconvenes in January for the next legislative session. Of course, the bulk of our endorsed State House candidates who won their Republican primaries had already pledged to not vote to re-elect him anyways. When you combine that fact with how much the Republican majority in the State House has shrunk — particularly given how Ralston redistricted some of the most conservative represenatives into Democrat districts — Ralston’s chances of getting re-elected have become tenuous.
But Speaker Ralston cited health concerns, about which rumors have been spreading for months. We take no pleasure in Ralston’s bad health, but we do rejoice in the Lord for providentially using such an illness to rescue us all from Ralston’s reign of tyranny over the last decade. We confess that we are unapologetic in making that statement.
We won’t delineate again right now the long list of grievances against Ralston that have accumulated over his tenure as Speaker. It would take too much time. But he will answer to God. Most of you probably haven’t forgotten at least the highlights. Suffice it to say, most of the Republican principles Ralston has obstructed advancing over the years have been conducted in the following ways:
Block good legislation with grassroots support from ever getting out of committee so as not to embarrass your fellow RINOs when they vote against it. Tell your committee chairmen to never let the bill see the light of day or else they will lose their chairmanships!
Lay it on heavy if any Republican does not support your pet legislation. Tell them you’ll take away all their preferred committee assignments, put them in the office overlooking the dumpster, and move their assigned parking space to the compact one in-between the two giant pillars at the farthest end of the parking deck, etc.
Raise up RINOs to primary any principled Republican who dares to cross you. Call upon your committee chairmen to each make a considerable campaign contribution to the troublemaker’s RINO primary opponent and hire consultants to assist in stomping the little twerp into the ground!
Now any professed Republican legislator who allows himself to be intimidated from serving the well-being of his constituents and doing what is morally right before God due to these tactics is also arguably at fault. Few have been willing to confront Ralston — but the few who have been were GRA-endorsed state legislators!
Speaker David Ralston
Nevertheless, when our representatives in the Republican Caucus of the Georgia State House of Representatives meet after the election to decide who they will elect to succeed Ralston, they should look for a candidate who will not follow in Ralston’s example in these key misbehaviors.
We urge you to contact your Republican State Representative and urge them to vote for a new Speaker who will not obstruct Republican principles as David Ralston has!
The next Republican Speaker of the House in Georgia should at least allow legislation with popular grassroot’s support to run through the legislative course and make it to the House floor for debate and a vote. Regardless of whether the legislation is over securing gun rights, saving preborn babies from abortion murder, enacting realelection integrity reform—or anything else!
With less than a week before the May 24th Republican Primary Election concludes after several days of early voting, the public campaign disclosures are out — and we now know who RINO Speaker David Ralston (Blue Ridge) is prioritizing for re-election and how much he gave! Of course, Ralston is backing his most loyal cronies in the State House, and if you wondered who they are, wonder no more!
Besides getting the maximum $3,000 contribution from Speaker Ralston, you can see above that Carpenter’s next big contribution came from lobbyists for Hollywood in Georgia.
