Focus group: We support tort reform, whatever that means

Driving the news: Axios sat in on two Engagious/Sago online focus groups Tuesday night with 12 Georgians who voted for Biden in 2020 and Trump in 2024.

• Seven are independents, four are Republicans, and one is a Democrat.

Zoom in: When asked whether anyone knew what "tort reform" meant, none of the participants raised their hands.

• After watching a video of Kemp discussing the priority in his recent State of the State address, all but three participants said they agreed with the governor.

What they're saying: We're too [lawsuit] happy and wanting to make money off insurance companies for nothing," said Chris F., a 40-year-old Acworth resident. "And if we don't fix that, we're going to continue to pay premiums out the wazoo and it's never going to change."

The other side: Jimmy P., a 47-year-old Marietta resident, said the changes would make it more difficult to sue businesses. "It seems like corporations will be above the law," he said.

Why it matters: Reining in large payouts is Kemp's top priority this legislative session.

• He'll need to convince the General Assembly and the public why it's important.

Reality check: Legal advocates argue that decades of research show no link between litigation and insurance rates.

Caveat: While a focus group is not a statistically significant sample like a poll, the responses show how some voters are thinking and talking about current events.

The bottom line: "Governor Kemp's emphasis on 'tort reform' reflects swing voter sentiment on insurance affordability and protecting small business, but these voters never personally talk about 'torts,'" said Rich Thau, president of Engagious, who moderated the focus groups.

• "Most have no clue what a 'tort' is."