Politically Georgia

Veteran political consultant Rick Dent weighs in on President Joe Biden’s upcoming graduation speech at Morehouse College. Biden’s visit is aimed at bolstering Black voters, but could it be overshadowed by protesters opposed to his support for Israel? The hosts look at potential disruptions that could cause trouble on campus.     But first, AJC columnist Maureen Downey joins us after Gov. Brian Ke...

Democratic state Rep. Scott Holcomb joins the podcast first to offer an emotional perspective on the Legislature’s failure to pass his Wrongful Conviction Compensation Act, which would provide those whose convictions are overturned with state financial aid to build a new life.  And Holcomb responds to Gov. Brian Kemp’s declaration on our show that he will never support a full expansion of Medicaid...

It will be a big week for news about former President Donald Trump. As his hush money trial begins in earnest today in a Manhattan courtroom, the podcast welcomes Anthony Michael Kreis to discuss what to expect from both prosecutors and defense attorneys. Who will be the first witnesses for the prosecution? How will Trump's lawyers counter testimony from his former lawyer Michael Cohen. Kreis also...

On today’s edition of “Politically Georgia,” the hosts travel to Athens, where they tape a live show on the University of Georgia’s campus.   First, the crew sits down with Gov. Brian Kemp for a wide-ranging interview about what bills he’ll sign following the legislative session that ended last month, the Okefenokee Swamp and who he’ll vote for come November.    Then, the hosts answer questions fr...

The podcast welcomes state Rep. Michelle Au, a physician and advocate for women’s health issues. Au is in the forefront of advocating for reproductive freedom for women and access to IVF in the aftermath of the Alabama Supreme Court decision declaring that in vitro frozen embryos are living beings.  Then, Cole Muzio, president of the conservative Frontline Policy Alliance , discusses the issues hi...

The hosts discuss growing anger among Georgia members of Congress over the U.S. Postal Service’s inability to solve serious delays in mail delivery in metro Atlanta. It’s part of a larger national problem.     But first, the podcast welcomes former Georgia Republican Congressman Tom Graves, who served in the U.S. House for a decade before retiring in 2020. The hosts ask him for his observations ab...

The podcast welcomes Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr. The hosts ask Carr why he joined other Republican attorneys general in signing on to a multistate lawsuit challenging President Joe Biden’s new student loan forgiveness plan. He said the matter should be up to Congress to decide.     Carr also told the hosts that the state has looked into whether charges should be brought against any indivi...

The podcast welcomes Michael Thurmond, Eric Tanenblatt and Kerwin Swint to discuss the first-ever criminal trial of a former U.S. president as Donald Trump's New York City hush money trial gets underway with jury selection today. They look at whether that trial could have an impact on the Georgia election conspiracy case, in which Trump and 14 other defendants are charged with illegal efforts to o...

There’s been a new development in Georgia's election conspiracy case against former President Donald Trump. Lt. Gov. Burt Jones will now be investigated in connection with his role as one of 16 GOP electors who cast Electoral College votes for Trump even though Joe Biden had won the state in the 2020 presidential election.     But first, a preview of what to expect when the first of four criminal...

The podcast welcomes the senior adviser to the Georgia Biden campaign, Jonae Wartel. She talks about the new $30 million Biden ad campaign that features stories of women who have experienced health crises with pregnancies in states that have enacted significant restrictions on abortion.     But first, Greg Bluestein and Patricia Murphy both covered Donald Trump’s visit to Atlanta on Wednesday. The...

Greg Bluestein reports from the scene of Donald Trump's fundraising luncheon, which is expected to bring in several million dollars. But the event reveals once again the split among GOP leaders over support for Trump.     The panel shifts to look at Trump’s declaration Monday that he doesn’t support a federal abortion law but believes each state should make individual decisions on how to handle ab...

Georgia Republican Party Chair Josh McKoon joins the podcast on the eve of a fundraising trip that brings Donald Trump to Atlanta. McKoon tells the hosts he’s confident that the Georgia GOP will have the financial resources and organizational infrastructure needed to deliver the state to Trump in November.      McKoon goes on to defend Trump’s decision to call for individual states to pass their o...

Veteran Republican political consultant Heath Garrett joins the podcast to discuss strategies GOP candidates are likely to use to try to blunt the impact the overturning of Roe v. Wade is having in energizing Democratic voters to turn out in key races. How will it affect Georgia races?     Then, Athens-Clarke County Mayor Kelly Girtz discusses how he is trying to navigate the political tumult that...

Former Georgia Lt. Governor Geoff Duncan joins the podcast after the No Labels organization announced it won’t field an independent candidate for president. Duncan speaks from the perspective of one of the possible candidates interviewed for the position.    Then, a powerful gas lobbying group is running ads in Georgia and a handful of other states attacking the Biden administration’s new rule whi...

The First Lady of Georgia, Marty Kemp, says she hasn’t decided whether to vote for Donald Trump despite her husband's statement that the former president would be “better than Joe Biden.”    But first, Melita Easters, founder and executive director of the Georgia WIN List, joins the podcast to discuss how her organization goes about identifying and supporting pro-choice Democratic women for seats...

Even as Governor Kemp has invested heavily in making Georgia a center for electric vehicle production, a powerful gas lobbying group is running ads here and in other states criticizing new Biden administration regulations that will push automakers to ramp up building electric vehicles.   But first, Columbus Mayor Skip Henderson and Sandy Springs Mayor Rusty Paul join the podcast to discuss the sta...

Brad Raffensperger isn’t taking any guff from Hollywood star Larry David. The podcast hosts discuss the playful letter Georgia’s secretary of state sent to David after David’s show, “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” poked fun at a state law that prevents the distribution of water and food to people waiting in line to vote within 150 feet of a polling place.     But first, Georgia House Speaker Jon Burns dis...

Former President Donald Trump is headed back to Georgia as the race to the White House heats up. Trump will be here next week for a major fundraiser.     Meanwhile, Democrats fear President Joe Biden's campaign may not invest heavily in winning here. And are Black voters beginning to like Trump’s message?        But first, a look at how the emotionally fraught immigration bill won passage in the f...

The hosts talk to WABE’s Sam Gringlas about the issues that won final approval, and those that went down in flames as the 2024 session came to an end in the early hours of Friday morning.    Then, Andrew Morse, president and publisher of the AJC joins the podcast to discuss why he’d led the charge to save Georgia’s Okefenokee Swamp from mining companies setting up operations nearby. And the panel...

On today's episode of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution's Politically Georgia podcast, Senate Majority Leader Steve Gooch joins the podcast to describe the measures still on the table on the final day of the session.     He indicated the state Senate would likely not take up a measure the House passed overwhelmingly to protect the Okefenokee Swamp. He also said he prefers Governor Kemp’s limited ex...

Atlanta Journal-Constitution reporter Tamar Hallerman joins the podcast to discuss the in-depth interview she and colleague Bill Rankin conducted with attorney Ashleigh Merchant. Merchant explained the process she went through before deciding to file a motion seeking the dismissal of Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis from the election interference case against former President Donald Tru...

The hosts talk to lawmakers from both sides of the aisle about the bills they’re watching most closely as the session comes down to the final two days. Republican state Rep. Marcus Wiedower of Watkinsville starts the conversation by discussing the sports betting bill that he’s working to pass before the session ends.     Wiedower also comments on immigration legislation introduced following the ki...

U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene filed a motion to remove Mike Johnson as speaker of the U.S. House. But she says it’s a warning that he needs to embrace issues of importance to her far-right colleagues.     But first, Andy Miller of Georgia Health News joins the podcast to discuss what’s behind the GOP-controlled Legislature’s ongoing rejection of a full Medicaid expansion.     Then, in the state...

Former Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan is not launching a bid for the White House. Duncan discusses why he won’t be the candidate for president on the No Labels ticket. He also describes his vision for a future for the Republican Party without Donald Trump.     Judith Delus Montgomery, an Atlanta-based lawyer, discusses what’s behind the outbreak of violence in her native Haiti, where gangs have killed at l...

Fani Willis faces more challenges in her hope to begin the trial of former President Donald Trump. AJC reporter Dave Wickert joins to discuss the latest in the election interference case.  But first up, Kendra Cotton, CEO of the New Georgia Project, joins the podcast to discuss the organization’s effort to energize a liberal coalition of voters for the 2024 election.   She also answers questions a...