Politically Georgia

Greg Bluestein and Tia Mitchell break down the online firestorm over California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s comments in Atlanta and explain how his remarks about dyslexia were reframed on social media. They also dig into billionaire candidate Rick Jackson’s healthcare empire and the questions surrounding his state contracts as he runs for governor. They explore long-shot challenges to sitting Georgia Supr...

Greg Bluestein breaks down President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address with Tia Mitchell, focusing on the political implications for Georgia as midterms approach. They examine Trump’s attacks on mail-in voting, his clashes with the Supreme Court over tariffs and how Democrats responded, including walkouts and counterprogramming. Later, Greg is joined by Patricia Murphy and Savannah Bureau...

Greg Bluestein and Patricia Murphy break down why the State Election Board stopped short of moving to take over Fulton County’s elections after the FBI raid of the county’s election offices. Greg talks with AJC politics reporter Caleb Groves about what happened during the board’s two-day meeting and how Georgia law could allow a state intervention before 2026. Then Greg and Patricia sit down with...

President Donald Trump returned to Georgia and largely left the 2026 landscape unchanged. Greg Bluestein and Patricia Murphy break down his renewed endorsement of Lt. Gov. Burt Jones in the governor’s race, his decision to stay neutral in the GOP Senate primary, and what that means for Mike Collins, Buddy Carter and Derek Dooley. They also unpack a federal judge’s ruling that blocks Jones from spe...

Patricia Murphy and Tia Mitchell break down the crowded Democratic primary in Georgia’s 13th District, where longtime Congressman David Scott faces multiple challengers, including reality TV star and dentist Dr. Heavenly Kimes. Tia presses Kimes on her leap from a planned state House run to Congress and on whether her Married to Medicine persona helps or hurts her candidacy. Patricia and Tia also...

Greg Bluestein and Patricia Murphy break down the competing tax plans reshaping the debate under the Gold Dome. Lt. Gov. Burt Jones is pushing to phase out the state income tax, House Speaker Jon Burns wants to eliminate property taxes on homesteads, and Gov. Brian Kemp is urging a more incremental approach. AJC reporter David Wickert joins to walk through the math behind the proposals, including...

Greg Bluestein and Patricia Murphy dig into the federal government’s push to turn warehouses in Social Circle and Oakwood into large-scale ICE detention facilities. They’re joined by AJC immigration reporter Lautaro Grinspan to break down what we know about the 183-acre purchase in Social Circle, the second site in Hall County, and the infrastructure and tax questions local officials are raising....

Greg Bluestein sits down with former U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss and former Gov. Roy Barnes for a bipartisan conversation about the fallout from the FBI raid on Fulton County’s election office. Both warn against continued efforts to relitigate the 2020 election and argue that repeated investigations risk eroding public confidence in Georgia’s voting system. They also weigh in on calls for a potentia...

Greg Bluestein and Tia Mitchell tackle a packed Monday mailbag dominated by questions about the FBI raid on the Fulton County Elections office and what it could mean for trust in Georgia’s voting system. They break down the unsealed affidavit, revisit the long-debunked allegations at the heart of the probe, and examine the political response from state leaders, including Brad Raffensperger. The ep...

Greg Bluestein hosts this episode with AJC Washington bureau chief Tia Mitchell to break down two open congressional seats and the Republican power struggles they have triggered. They examine Rep. Barry Loudermilk’s decision not to seek reelection and the behind-the-scenes maneuvering in a safely Republican district. They also look at northwest Georgia’s 14th District, where President Donald Trump...

Greg Bluestein and Patricia Murphy break down the shock entry of billionaire Rick Jackson into Georgia’s race for governor and what it means for an already crowded Republican field. GOP strategist Stephen Lawson weighs in on how Jackson’s money, outsider message, and alignment with President Donald Trump could scramble the fight for the MAGA base and alter the strategies of rivals like Burt Jones,...

Greg Bluestein talks with AJC investigative reporter Dylan Jackson about the AJC’s sweeping investigation into PFAS contamination tied to northwest Georgia’s carpet industry. Dylan walks through how decades of chemical use moved through Dalton Utilities and into waterways, soil and residents’ blood, often with little public disclosure. They size up the political response at the Gold Dome, includin...

Greg Bluestein hosts alongside Patricia Murphy for a look at the growing backlash against data centers under the Gold Dome. State Sen. Greg Dolezal makes the case for repealing tax incentives, arguing the projects drive up power and water costs while delivering limited public benefit. Public Service Commissioner Peter Hubbard weighs how data center growth affects electricity rates and what leverag...

Greg Bluestein is joined by Tia Mitchell for a look at how faith continues to shape politics in Georgia, from the U.S. Senate to a crowded congressional race in northwest Georgia. They begin with Sen. Raphael Warnock’s reflections on how his pastoral role informs his views on policy, power, and political responsibility, then turn to an interview with Pastor Tom Gray, a Republican candidate in the...

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution's senior political reporter Greg Bluestein is joined by columnist Patricia Murphy, as the pair discuss what’s next in last week's FBI raid on a Fulton County election warehouse. Murphy and Bluestein discuss the possibility of criminal charges and whether President Donald Trump's allies will try to take over Fulton’s elections. Then, the duo talks about Secretary of...

Atlanta Journal-Constitution senior political reporter Greg Bluestein and podcast executive producer Shane Backler drive to Georgia's 14th Congressional District in northwest Georgia to hear how voters are feeling about former U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s sudden resignation. AJC senior columnist Patricia Murphy and Greg Bluestein discuss the wide range of candidates looking to fill the seat...

Greg Bluestein is joined by Tia Mitchell and Patricia Murphy to break down questions from across Georgia, starting with a bill that would shift securities regulation away from the Secretary of State’s office as the state investigates the collapse of First Liberty Banking and Loan. They also take up concerns over kindergarten enrollment rules in Gwinnett County, weigh how much stock to put in elect...

In this special edition of Politically Georgia, host Greg Bluestein is joined by Patricia Murphy to break down the FBI’s raid on Fulton County’s election warehouse, where federal agents seized hundreds of boxes of 2020 election materials. The move marks a dramatic escalation tied to former President Donald Trump’s renewed claims about the election. Greg and Patricia unpack what the raid could mean...

AJC Washington bureau chief Tia Mitchell examines how a deadly federal immigration enforcement shooting in Minneapolis is reverberating through Georgia politics, as Democratic senators Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock threaten to block a government funding bill unless new limits on ICE are included. She explains why a partial government shutdown appears increasingly likely and how Republican challen...

Host Greg Bluestein sits down with state Rep. Akbar Ali, the 21-year-old freshman lawmaker who just became the youngest member of the Georgia General Assembly. Ali talks about his rapid rise from community organizing to the Gold Dome, his first bill aimed at protecting planning time for public school teachers, and why affordability, health care, and economic opportunity are driving his agenda. Lat...

Greg Bluestein and Patricia Murphy break down the political fallout from a fatal federal immigration enforcement shooting in Minneapolis and why it’s sending ripples through Georgia politics. They explain how the incident has prompted rare pushback from some Republicans, unsettled longtime GOP allies like gun rights groups, and raised new concerns about civil liberties as immigration enforcement e...

Hosts Greg Bluestein and Tia Mitchell answer listener questions in this Monday mailbag episode of Politically Georgia. They start with whether Senate Republicans made a strategic mistake by voting against Affordable Care Act health care subsidies as costs rise for Georgians. They explain why Democrats forced those votes, how GOP candidates are defending them, and why the issue is likely to loom la...

Host Greg Bluestein is joined by Patricia Murphy for an in-depth conversation with Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr. Carr lays out an anti-corruption proposal that he says would be the toughest in the nation, and explains why cleaning up state and local government is a central plank of his campaign for governor. Greg and Patricia discuss how Carr’s pitch fits into a crowded GOP primary, the gro...

Host Patricia Murphy devotes the episode to education policy as Georgia’s legislative session gets underway. She speaks with Rep. Scott Hilton about expanding Georgia’s cellphone ban from middle schools to high schools, the early results from existing restrictions, and why lawmakers say limiting screen time is improving student engagement and mental health. In the second segment, Patricia is joine...

Greg Bluestein and Patricia Murphy break down Governor Brian Kemp’s State of the State address, where he dipped deeper into Georgia’s surplus while warning future leaders against draining the rainy day fund. They analyze the political message behind Kemp’s final budget, including tax rebates, a surprise push for need-based scholarships, and why he pushed back on sweeping income tax elimination pla...