Politically Georgia

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 others. Porter was deeply involved in drawing the maps that came in the aftermath of the 2020 census, and which federal judge Steve Jones ordered be redrawn to give Black voters fairer representation.You'll also hear are wrap up of the emotional three-day celebration of the life of Rosalynn Carter, who was laid to rest in the family burial ground in Plains yesterday. Plus, we'll give you a look at the state senate’s passage of a resolution offering unqualified support for Israel in the war against Hamas and a preview of tonight’s unusual debate between GOP presidential candidate Ron DeSantis and California Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom.  Links to today's topics:Lawmakers begin fight over redrawing Georgia legislative mapsState senate map rewards Republicans but creates 2 majority Black districtsA look at new state house mapsRosalynn Carter's journey comes to and end in her beloved Plains‘Red vs. Blue’: Why DeSantis and Newsom are facing off in Alpharetta 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 your question and answer it during the Listener Mailbag segment on next Friday’s episode.    Subscribe to the AJC: If you aren’t a subscriber to TheAtlanta Journal-Constitution, click here to get unlimited digital access to the AJC.  Listen and subscribe to our podcast for free at Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts. You can also tell your smart speaker to “play Politically Georgia podcast.”  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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: Republican insider Brian Robinson and Georgia State University professor of law Anthony Michael Kreis talk about the new political maps being drawn by the state legislature as lawmakers work to comply with a federal order to give Black voters fairer representation in state elections.  Plus: A look at the strategy Donald Trump defense attorney Steve Sadow plans to use when the Fulton County election conspiracy case begins: it’s all about free speech, Sadow says.  Links to today's topics:  Glenn Memorial service: Jimmy Carter's 75-year-old love letter to Rosalynn Redrawn GOP house maps target rising Democrats Senate map creates 2 Black districts but targets Democrats Trump attorney plans First Amendment defense 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 your question and answer it during the Listener Mailbag segment on next Friday’s episode.    Subscribe to the AJC: If you aren’t a subscriber to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, click here to get unlimited digital access to the AJC.   Listen and subscribe to our podcast for free at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. You can also tell your smart speaker to “play  Politically Georgia podcast.”   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 Carter will attend his wife’s Rosalynn Carter’s memorial service at Emory University in Atlanta this afternoon. This marks his first trip out of Plains since going into home hospice earlier this year. The AJC's Martha Dalton also updates us from Sumter County as tributes pour in for the former first lady. Dalton tells us how Gen Z is remembering Carter at her alma mater Georgia Southwestern State University.      Plus, host Tia Mitchell explains why U.S. Rep Buddy Carter is the latest member of Georgia’s congressional delegation to endorse Donald Trump.    Links to today's topics: New Georgia Senate map targets Democrats and protects Republicans Rosalynn Carter’s influence is deeply felt at her college alma mater Georgia U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter endorses Donald Trump for president  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 your question and answer it during the Listener Mailbag segment on next Friday’s episode.  Subscribe to the AJC: If you aren’t a subscriber to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, click here to get unlimited digital access to the AJC.   Listen and subscribe to our podcast for free at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. You can also tell your smart speaker to “play  Politically Georgia podcast.”  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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. John Pruitt, former WSB-TV reporter and anchor, and Charlie Hayslett, former Atlanta Journal Washington correspondent, join the podcast.   Then Eric Tanenblatt, national fundraising chair for GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley talks to the hosts about her rise in the polls in Iowa and New Hampshire and describes how he believes she can wrestle the nomination away from Donald Trump or other Republican candidates.  Plus, Murphy and Nigut look at the recent Georgia Supreme Court ruling which blocks the new GOP-backed state law that created a commission to punish so-called rogue district attorneys. Links to today's topics: Live updates of Rosalynn Carter tributes Is Nikki Haley's momentum sustainable?  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 your question and answer it during the Listener Mailbag segment on next Friday’s episode.  Subscribe to the AJC: If you aren’t a subscriber to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, click here to get unlimited digital access to the AJC.   Listen and subscribe to our podcast for free at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. You can also tell your smart speaker to “play Politically Georgia podcast.”  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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-hour Politically Georgia Podcast Hotline at 404-526-AJCP. That's 404-526-2527. We’ll play back your question and answer it during the Listener Mailbag segment on next Friday’s episode.    Subscribe to the AJC: If you aren’t a subscriber to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, click here to get unlimited digital access to the AJC.  Listen and subscribe to our podcast for free at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. You can also tell your smart speaker to “play Politically Georgia podcast.”  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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-hourPolitically Georgia Podcast Hotline at 404-526-AJCP. That's404-526-2527. We’ll play back your question and answer it during theListener Mailbag segment on next Friday’s episode. Subscribe to the AJC: If you aren’t a subscriber to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, click here to get unlimited digital access to the AJC at a special price. Listen and subscribe to our podcast for free at Apple Podcasts, Spotify,or Google Podcasts. You can also tell your smart speakerto “play Politically Georgia podcast.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 disease that has thanks to the work of the Carter Global Health Initiative is close to being eradicated. Then: The hosts look at the various fronts on which Georgia Trump allies are working to subvert Fani Willis’ election conspiracy case.  Plus: Harrison Floyd, one of the Georgia election conspiracy defendants, could be headed back to jail after a hearing in Fulton County court today. He has continued to defy court-ordered conditions for his bond by attacking potential witnesses in the upcoming trial and other. Finally, the hosts look at what motivated U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson to release to the public thousands of hours of Jan. 6 surveillance video showing the insurrection as it unfolded. Trump Georgia allies fighting Fani Willis Harrison Floyd faces more jail time Links to today's topics: 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 your question and answer it during the Listener Mailbag segment on next Friday’s episode.  Subscribe to the AJC: If you aren’t a subscriber to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, click here to get unlimited digital access to the AJC.   Listen and subscribe to our podcast for free at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. You can also tell your smart speaker to “play Politically Georgia podcast.”  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 also discusses strides the Georgia legislature has made in expanding mental health services as well as the need to continue making improvements. WABE’s Rahul Bali discusses the possibility that the GOP led Georgia House may work on a full expansion of Medicaid in the 2024 session. Ernie Suggs: Rosalynn Carter has died Rosalynn Carter helped change mental health care  schedule of ceremonies for Mrs. Carter    Links to today's topics:   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 your question and answer it during the Listener Mailbag segment on next Friday’s episode.  Subscribe to the AJC: If you aren’t a subscriber to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, click here to get unlimited digital access to the AJC.   Listen and subscribe to our podcast for free at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. You can also tell your smart speaker to “play Politically Georgia podcast.”  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 Congress and what it took to get the funding to keep the country open on President Biden’s desk.And we discuss why one defendant in Fulton County’s election interference case could be thrown into jail. Plus, it’s Friday, which means we answer your questions from the listener mailbag and go through ‘who’s up and who’s down’. Links to today's topics:All-Star gameCongress avoids shutdownTrump Defendant could have bond revoked 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 your question and answer it during the Listener Mailbag segment on next Friday’s episode.  Subscribe to the AJC: If you aren’t a subscriber to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, click here to get unlimited digital access to the AJC. Listen and subscribe to our podcast for free at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. You can also tell your smart speaker to “play Politically Georgia podcast.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 Andy Beshear to a successful bid for re-election. Floyd describes how Beshear, a Democrat in a deep red state was able to win his race. And he talks about lessons the race might hold for Democrats who run statewide in Georgia in upcoming elections. Plus, at the annual meeting of the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce, Governor Kemp gives his full-throated endorsement of the construction of the controversial Atlanta police and fire training center. He calls it crucial to the economic vitality of the region. 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 your question and answer it during the Listener Mailbag segment on next Friday’s episode.  Links to today's topics:GOP infighting for 2026 already heating upDemocrat Beshear wins re-election in deep red KentuckyKemp urges Georgia leaders: support police training center Subscribe to the AJC: If you aren’t a subscriber to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, click here to get unlimited digital access to the AJC. Listen and subscribe to our podcast for free at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. You can also tell your smart speaker to “play Politically Georgia podcast.”    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices