Politically Georgia

In a historic decision, the Colorado Supreme Court has ruled that former President Donald Trump cannot hold office again and issued a ruling that his name be removed from the state’s Republican primary ballot. On today’s episode of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Politically Georgia podcast, hosts Bill Nigut and Tia Mitchell examine whether the Colorado ruling disqualifying trump could have imp...

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas for state employees and educators here in Georgia. On today’s episode of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Politically Georgia podcast, hosts Greg Bluestein and Bill Nigut discuss the $1,000 bonus Governor Brian Kemp has approved for 308,000 state employees, teachers and school staff at the cost of about $330 million. AJC education reporter Martha Dalto...

Republican leadership in Georgia is looking at the possible expansion of Medicaid in Georgia. In this episode of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Politically Georgia podcast, hosts Bill Nigut and Tia Mitchell look at the idea floated by Georgia Republicans of expanding Medicaid in exchange for rolling back Certificate of Need regulations. Rep. Mary Margaret Oliver and political strategist Brian...

In this special edition of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Politically Georgia podcast, we share with you this week’s live Politically Georgia launch party event at Manuel’s Tavern in Atlanta. Hear AJC president and publisher Andrew Morse lay out plans to transform this storied newspaper into a major modern media company.  Morse introduces to the stage Politically Georgia hosts Greg Blustein, P...

The hosts start off with another exclusive from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. We found the apology letters written by two of the attorneys who struck plea agreements in the Fulton County election interference case are just one sentence long and handwritten on lined notebook paper.    Then, Georgia U.S. Rep. Drew Ferguson will retire at the end of his term. As his seat is drawn now, his 3rd Dis...

The hosts start with news that broke just before they began the podcast: Republican U.S. Rep. Drew Ferguson announced he won’t run for reelection after four terms in the U.S. House.  Then, Hallerman joins the podcast to discuss the revealing interview she and AJC reporter Bill Rankin conducted with Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis. Will she run for higher office? Will she be in the cour...

On today's episode of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution's Politcially Georgia podcast, hosts Bill Nigut, Greg Bluestein and Tia Mitchell discuss a wide-ranging interview Patricia Murphy and Greg Bluestein conducted with Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger.    Then, State Rep. Mesha Mainor talks about her support for another effort by GOP legislators to pass a school voucher bill during the 2024 s...

Today on The Atlanta Journal-Constitution's Politically Georgia podcast, The AJC Greg Bluestein, Patricia Murphy and Bill Nigut talk with former Governor Chris Christie as he continues his campaign for the GOP nomination for president. In comments related to Georgia, Christie says the road to the White House passes through our state.     Then, AJC health policy reporter Ariel Hart explains what ap...

On today’s episode of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Politically Georgia podcast, hosts Bill Nigut and Tia Mitchell dive into a new poll from CNN, published overnight, that gives Donald Trump a five-point lead over President Biden in Georgia. Meanwhile, a new Wall Street Journal poll shows Donald Trump ahead of President Biden for the first time in the national race. What do these snapshots te...

First up on "Politically Georgia": We’ll dive deeper into Nikki Haley’s presidential campaign with South Carolina-based Associated Press reporter Meg Kinnard.   Plus, Republican lawmakers made U.S. Rep. Lucy McBath’s reelection to the House more difficult. But what if they've actually made her a stronger candidate down the road?   Then, a federal jury will soon consider how much Rudy Giuliani shou...

First up: A look at an Atlanta Journal-Constitution exclusive: Tamar Hallerman joins the podcast to discuss the list of potential witnesses Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis may call in the election conspiracy case against Donald Trump. Former members of the Trump administration on the list obtained by the AJC include Vice President Mike Pence and Attorney General Bill Barr, plus state G...

First up: A brief look at a breaking story:  Dissension controls to roil GOP members of the U.S. House continues as Marjorie Taylor Greene accuses her Georgia colleague Rich McCormick of a “physically aggressive” confrontation with her. Greene has reported the incident to the Speaker of the House, who will investigate. McCormick says he touched Greene on the shoulders as a friendly gesture but apo...

First up: Jake Orvis, senior advisor to Congresswoman Lucy McBath talks about the complications that could emerge from the new congressional map drawn by GOP legislators under a federal court mandate to create a second Black majority congressional district. Orvis believes that since the new map doesn’t actually create a second majority-minority district, it may be rejected by the federal court. Bu...

On today's epsiode of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution's Politically Georgia podcast, AJC Washington reporter Tia Mitchell describes why Georgia Rep. Nikema Williams became one of only two Democrats in the U.S. House to vote against expelling Rep. George Santos. And discusses the reasons five members of the GOP Georgia delegation voted to keep Santos in office.    We'll also explain how the new Ge...

Republicans are moving at a rapid pace to finalize new legislative districts. Democrats say GOP lawmakers are using “smoke and mirrors” to create a false impression they are complying with a federal judge’s order.   Meanwhile, we’re waiting to see how Republicans have drawn a congressional map to meet the judge’s order to create one additional majority-minority U.S. House district.   Then, Govs. G...

With the redistricting session ordered by a federal judge now under way at the state capitol, Politically Georgia hosts Patricia Murphy, Greg Bluestein and Bill Nigut welcome John Porter, a top aide to former Lt. Governor Geoff Duncan to the podcast. Porter offers an inside look at the pressures that weigh on legislative leaders as they draw new maps, rewarding some incumbents, and punishing other...

In this episode of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Politically Georgia podcast, hosts Bill Nigut, and Tia Mitchell discuss the moving service for Rosalynn Carter at Glenn Memorial Church in Atlanta. Former state representative Calvin Smyre joins the podcast to reflect on his early memories of meeting Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter in the years leading up to the 1976 presidential campaign.  Then: Rep...

In this episode of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Politically Georgia podcast, hosts Greg Bluestein, Bill Nigut, and Tia Mitchell discuss the upcoming special redistricting session. Former Congressman John Barrow provides insights on the proposed maps. During his tenure, Barrow moved from Athens to Savannah, and then to Augusta as his districts were redrawn.      Then, former President Jimmy C...

In this episode of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Politically Georgia podcast, Bill Nigut and Patricia Murphy preview three days of services and memorial tributes to Rosalynn Carter. Two veteran Georgia Journalists talk about their memories of covering Rosalynn and Jimmy Carter, from their days in the governor’s mansion to the White House and to the post-presidency work at the Carter Center. J...

In this episode of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Politically Georgia podcast, hosts Greg Bluestein, Patricia Murphy and Tia Mitchell, answer your questions called into the Politically Georgia hotline. From questions about the 2024 and 2026 elections to the Fulton County election trial and its impact on the president race, no question is off the table. Have a question for the show? Call the 24...

In this encore episode of the Politically Georgia podcast, hosts Greg Bluestein, Patricia Murphy and Bill Nigut head to Athens and take questions from an audience of more than 100 political science students and faculty members from the heart of UGA's campus.   Have a question for the show? Call the 24-hour Politically Georgia Podcast Hotline at 404-526-AJCP. That's 404-526-2527. We’ll play back yo...

Jason Carter tells “Politically Georgia” his grandparents life was “The Great American Love Story”  First up: Jason Carter, grandson of Rosalynn and Jimmy Carter joins the podcast to reflect on the life and legacy of his grandmother: her dedication to improving resources for people with mental health issues, support for caregivers and commitment to working to fight guinea worm, a devastating disea...

AJC reporter Ernie Suggs shares stories about Rosalynn and Jimmy Carter based on his decade of covering them in Plains and beyond. Rep. Mary Margaret Oliver says that Mrs. Carter’s commitment to mental health reform was an inspiration for her, and talks about how Mrs. Carter was instrumental in advocating for programs that would remove the stigma surrounding people with mental illness. Rep. Oliver...

Today on Politically Georgia, two years after Major League Baseball pulled the All-Star game out of Atlanta, the game will return in 2025. If you remember, protests came back in 2021 over Georgia’s then-new voting law, which many saw as discriminating against minority Georgians.   Then, the deal to prevent a government shutdown is signed, sealed, and delivered. We recap a whirlwind week in Congres...

In this episode of Politically Georgia from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, hosts Greg Bluestein, Patricia Murphy and Bill Nigut look at some of the Georgia Republicans who are already positioning themselves for races in 2026.    We also hear from Democratic political consultant Alex Floyd, who two years ago was a top operative for Stacey Abrams but who more recently guided Kentucky governor And...