On this week's live edition of Political Breakfast just after the Memorial Day holiday, strategists Brian Robinson, Tharon Johnson and host Lisa Rayam discuss the 2026 U.S. Senate race against incumbent Democrat Jon Ossoff. 

Governor Brian Kemp decided not to run. He and President Donald Trump met recently in Washington earlier this month to mull-over who will face Ossoff. 

In the race so far: U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter, from Georgia's coast, who was the first major Republican candidate to declare. Then came state Insurance Commissioner John King. 

Marjorie Taylor Greene also declined to challenge Ossoff.

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Adriana Smith, a 30-year-old nurse and mother, was about nine weeks pregnant in February when doctors declared her brain dead after she suffered a medical emergency.

Smith’s family says doctors at Emory University Hospital have been keeping her on life support because she is pregnant, citing Georgia’s restrictive abortion law.

In this week’s episode of “Plugged In,” hosts Sam Gringlas and Rahul Bali take a closer look at the case and its possible implications.

Plus, a former Atlanta mayor says she’s running for governor and some Republicans say they want to eliminate the state income tax.

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Historic Medicaid cuts are advancing in Washington under President Donald Trump, as nearly 2 million low-income Georgians depend on the program for health insurance.

That includes Georgians with disabilities and seniors, as Medicaid pays for their daily help with basic needs.

The proposed federal cuts are all part of Trump's attempts to slash government spending. But Republican strategist Brian Robinson says on this week's Political Breakfast, GOP lawmakers know that would hurt some of our most vulnerable, including the base of their own party. 

Robinson, host Lisa Rayam, and the Atlanta Civic Circle's Saba Long to discuss the impact in Georgia, and tough decisions that come with historic pullbacks of federal support. 

Long is filling-in this week for Democratic strategist Tharon Johnson.

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On this edition of Political Breakfast, the team talks about the life of Adriana Smith, her unborn child and a Georgia law that appears to be holding her grieving family hostage.

Adriana is brain dead, but has been kept on life support since February because she's pregnant.

Her family says it's time for Adriana to rest in peace -- peace that's entangled in a restrictive law that bans most abortions after six weeks.

It's an issue people are talking about, including host, Lisa Rayam, Republican strategist Brian Robinson and the Atlanta Civic Circle's Saba Long, who is sitting-in for Tharon Johnson.

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This week, judges heard appeals in two major Georgia voting cases.

One panel is considering whether conservative group True the Vote illegally intimidated voters when they helped file tens of thousands of voter challenges while another is reviewing Georgia’s political maps in the ongoing fight over redistricting.

In this week’s episode of “Plugged In,” hosts Sam Gringlas and Rahul Bali discuss what’s at stake for Georgia elections in these long-running federal court cases, which could have national implications.

Plus, a messy Republican primary in Georgia for the U.S. Senate is now underway and Governor Brian Kemp has finished vetoing and signing bills from this year’s legislative session into law, including one that could allow President Donald Trump to recover millions of dollars in legal costs from taxpayers in the Georgia election interference case.

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Chair of the Georgia Republican Party Josh McKoon joins this week's Political Breakfast. 

Democratic strategist Tharon Johnson, Republican strategist Brian Robinson and host Lisa Rayam have some questions about McKoon managing party unity.

They ask McKoon if he agrees with everything that President Donald Trump has been ordering in Washington, and what he thinks about Republicans who refuse to come together under Trump, and support more MAGA-aligned candidates: AKA, former Lieutenant Governor Geoff Duncan.

Earlier this week, the PB team spoke with the new Georgia Democratic Chair, Charlie Bailey.

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On this edition of Political Breakfast, the team talks to the newly-elected Georgia Chair of the Democratic Party Charlie Bailey.

Bailey talks about the bread and butter issues that are key to his party winning in 2026.

In addition, he rebuffs the notion that there are major fractures within the Democratic Party, and Bailey addresses how his main mission is to rebuild trust.

Join strategists Brian Robinson, Tharon Johnson and host Lisa Rayam for this special edition of Political Breakfast.
 
Tune back in on Thursday to hear Josh McKoon, Georgia's GOP Chair.

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Georgia Governor Brian Kemp has announced that he will not run for Senate.

Of all the states President Donald Trump won in the 2024 election, only Georgia has a Democratic senator defending their seat. Republicans had seen Kemp as the strongest candidate to challenge incumbent Jon Ossoff.

On this week's episode, hosts Sam Gringlas and Rahul Bali discuss what the two-term governor's decision to opt out of the race signals about Kemp's political future, the fight for control of the Senate and the status of the body itself.

Plus, we take you inside the Georgia Democrats' election for new leadership ahead of the midterms.

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On this week's second edition of Political Breakfast, the gang talks about the plight of federal student loan borrowers who are now expected to start paying them back. That's after being given a reprieve during the Biden Administration. 

Plus, Georgia Democrats picked former two-time statewide candidate and Atlanta attorney Charlie Bailey to head the party. He replaces Georgia Congresswoman Nikema Williams. 

Democratic strategist Tharon Johnson, Republican strategist Brian Robinson and host Lisa Rayam discuss what this means for 2026 races. 

And a new poll shows Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens with high approval ratings going into his reelection.

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On this edition of Political Breakfast, Republican strategist Brian Robinson and Democratic strategist Tharon Johnson join Morning Edition, live, to talk about Governor Brian Kemp's decision not to run for U.S. Senate.

The speculation suddenly ended Monday, when the second-term Georgia Governor took to social media, writing: "Being on the ballot next year is not the right decision for me and my family."

So then, who is the right person to take on incumbent Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff, who IS running for re-election?

Both Brian and Tharon share their theories with host Lisa Rayam. 

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