Politically Georgia

Greg Bluestein is joined by Tim Miller, host of The Bulwark podcast, to unpack why Jon Ossoff is polling so far ahead of Republican Mike Collins while Georgia’s governor’s race remains competitive. Miller weighs the contrasting strategies of Rick Jackson and Keisha Lance Bottoms, the role of Donald Trump and whether Ossoff could emerge as a presidential contender. They also dig into the possibilit...

Georgia's U.S. Senate race takes a sharply personal turn as Jon Ossoff and Mike Collins face off in a heated second debate. Greg Bluestein and Patricia Murphy break down the attacks, Collins' answers on abortion and an ethics investigation, and Ossoff's pledge to serve a full six-year term if reelected. Plus, President Donald Trump's upcoming rally in Dalton puts Republican gubernatorial nominee R...

What can Georgia's next governor actually do about traffic, transit and the billions being spent on highway projects? Greg Bluestein and Patricia Murphy dig into the competing transportation priorities of Keisha Lance Bottoms and Rick Jackson with AJC transportation reporter Sara Gregory. Tia Mitchell also shares highlights from her earlier interview with MARTA CEO Jonathan Hunt, who is making a r...

Georgia’s next attorney general will decide which legal fights to pursue and how to keep politics from shaping those decisions. Greg Bluestein, with Patricia Murphy, interviews Democratic Rep. Tanya Miller and Republican state Sen. Brian Strickland about their experience and priorities. Tanya emphasizes her prosecution record and consumer protection, while Brian points to his legal practice and le...

Greg Bluestein and Tia Mitchell break down the first Senate debate between Democrat Jon Ossoff and Republican Mike Collins, including the personal attacks, disputes over immigration and Collins’ close alignment with Donald Trump. They size up Ossoff’s aggressive strategy, Collins’ defense of his record and what the debate could mean for the race. They also answer listener questions about a possibl...

Greg Bluestein sits down with MS NOW’s Chris Hayes to examine what Georgia’s closely watched midterm races could reveal about the country’s changing political landscape. Hayes makes the case that Jon Ossoff could emerge as a 2028 presidential contender and discusses how Ossoff has navigated one of the Democratic Party’s most difficult divides over Israel. They also explore Mike Collins’ strategy o...

Greg Bluestein and Patricia Murphy break down the first and likely only gubernatorial debate between Republican Rick Jackson and Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms, including Jackson’s shift away from Donald Trump and repeated embrace of Gov. Brian Kemp. They examine the candidates’ clashes over data centers, election security and their records, along with Bottoms’ effort to make trust a central issue...

Greg Bluestein and Patricia Murphy break down the first and likely only gubernatorial debate between Republican Rick Jackson and Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms, including Jackson’s shift away from Donald Trump and repeated embrace of Gov. Brian Kemp. They examine the candidates’ clashes over data centers, election security and their records, along with Bottoms’ effort to make trust a central issue...

Greg Bluestein and Patricia Murphy sit down with Eric Tanenblatt, former chief of staff to Gov. Sonny Perdue, for Georgia’s Choice, the AJC’s weekly election series. Tanenblatt explains how a governor’s power depends on relationships with lawmakers, control over appointments and the state budget, and the limits of executive orders. He also weighs the governing challenges facing Keisha Lance Bottom...

Greg Bluestein and Patricia Murphy are joined by Gov. Brian Kemp senior political adviser Cody Hall to assess the final stretch of Georgia’s midterm campaigns. Cody explains why he believes the governor’s debate could matter, what Rick Jackson needs to accomplish against Keisha Lance Bottoms and the challenge Mike Collins faces against Sen. Jon Ossoff. He also says Georgia Republicans are facing t...

Greg Bluestein and Tia Mitchell examine Rick Jackson’s limited interviews and debate participation, along with Mike Collins’ ads targeting Jon Ossoff and questions about his Social Security remarks. They discuss the dismissal of a federal lawsuit seeking Georgia’s sensitive voter data and a Senate hearing’s mix-up over the Atlanta Hawks and Iowa Hawkeyes. Greg and Tia also clarify Keisha Lance Bot...

Greg Bluestein and Patricia Murphy examine the political fallout over a Texas data center project linked to Georgia Republican gubernatorial nominee Rick Jackson, as residents raise concerns about transparency, environmental impacts and local control. They weigh the promised economic benefits against questions about community input and how the dispute is shaping Georgia’s governor’s race. Then, Ti...

Greg Bluestein and Patricia Murphy examine how Georgia’s next governor could shape immigration enforcement and public education with AJC reporters Lautaro Grinspan and Martha Dalton. Grinspan explains how state and local cooperation with ICE affects enforcement in Georgia, where Rick Jackson and Keisha Lance Bottoms differ on immigration, and how detention policies could affect immigrant workers a...

Greg Bluestein and Patricia Murphy examine the growing influence of metro Atlanta on Georgia politics and what that could mean for rural communities and policy priorities. They also sit down with Atlanta News First political reporter Doug Reardon to preview the upcoming debates between Keisha Lance Bottoms and Rick Jackson and between Jon Ossoff and Mike Collins. Reardon explains how the gubernato...

Greg Bluestein and Patricia Murphy tackle listener questions about the closely watched governor’s race, including the stark spending gap between Rick Jackson and Keisha Lance Bottoms and the possibility of split-ticket voting. They also dig into the Republican debate over whether to keep investing in Mike Collins’ Senate campaign as national groups shift resources elsewhere. Plus, they answer ques...

Greg Bluestein and Patricia Murphy sit down with Democratic strategist Tharon Johnson to discuss Keisha Lance Bottoms’ campaign for governor, including the debate over her record as Atlanta mayor and the Republican effort to draw split-ticket voters. Johnson also weighs the candidates’ competing approaches to data centers, Medicaid expansion and the governor’s relationship with a Republican-contro...

Georgia’s Choice examines the competing affordability plans in the governor’s race, from Rick Jackson’s push to cut state income and local property taxes to Keisha Lance Bottoms’ targeted tax breaks for teachers, groceries and other essentials. AJC budget reporter David Wickert breaks down how the proposals would affect state and local revenues and what trade-offs could be required to pay for them...

Greg Bluestein and Tia Mitchell dig into Tia’s interview with former gubernatorial candidate Jason Carter, who weighs Donald Trump’s role in Georgia’s midterm races and the challenges facing Keisha Lance Bottoms. They also examine Carter’s defense of Jon Ossoff and why he thinks that Ossoff is focused on the Senate race, not a presidential bid. Carter also discusses his wife Kate’s recovery and hi...

Greg Bluestein and Tia Mitchell answer listener questions about Georgia’s November ballot measures, the huge fundraising gap in the governor’s race and what the latest mail-in ballot rules mean for voters. With Producer ShaneyB, they dig into the candidates’ records on data centers, the ongoing fight over Brad Raffensperger’s place in the Georgia GOP and which congressional races are drawing atten...

Greg Bluestein and Patricia Murphy sit down with Attorney General Chris Carr to assess Georgia’s 2026 political landscape, including the Republican Party’s approach to independent voters and the governor’s and Senate races. Carr also weighs in on license plate readers, criminal justice reform and his work on a $17 billion settlement with Meta over social media and children. He discusses the need f...

Greg Bluestein and Patricia Murphy dig into the competing health care plans from Georgia’s two gubernatorial nominees with veteran health care reporter Ariel Hart. They examine Keisha Lance Bottoms’ push for full Medicaid expansion, Rick Jackson’s proposed “intelligent Medicaid expansion,” and the questions surrounding how either plan could work. Hart also weighs the strain on rural hospitals, the...

Greg Bluestein and Patricia Murphy dig into the contrasting strategies shaping Georgia’s Senate and governor’s races. Ossoff is stepping up attacks on Mike Collins while courting Republicans, as Collins continues to lean into his ties to Donald Trump. Greg and Patricia also dive into the intensifying fight between Keisha Lance Bottoms and Rick Jackson over healthcare, state contracts and the rapid...

Greg Bluestein and Washington Bureau Chief Tia Mitchell answer listener questions about the Republican midterm convention in Dallas and what Mike Collins’ attacks on Jon Ossoff reveal about his campaign. They also dig into the level of national Republican investment in Georgia, the continued deployment of Georgia National Guard troops to Washington, uncertainty over mail-in voting rules, and the p...

Greg Bluestein and Patricia Murphy dig into the competing strategies shaping Georgia’s Republican ticket, with Mike Collins leaning into Donald Trump and Rick Jackson targeting voters who backed Brian Kemp and other Republicans in recent elections. They weigh what a strong Jon Ossoff showing could mean for Keisha Lance Bottoms and the rest of the Democratic ticket as Bottoms works to overcome Jack...

Greg Bluestein talks with Democratic state congressional nominee Tony Kozycki about immigration, including his call for secure borders alongside due process and changes to the legal immigration system. Kozycki explains how the Laken Riley act has impacted immigration enforcement, and how his experience as an immigration attorney shaped his campaign in a deeply Republican district. Then, Tia Mitche...