Political Breakfast from WABE

On this week's latest edition of Political Breakfast, Democratic strategist Tharon Johnson and Republican strategist Brian Robinson go live with host Lisa Rayam, to talk about some jarring election news. 

The FBI raided Fulton County’s election operations center Wednesday in Union City, in a search for voting records tied to the 2020 election. 

President Donald Trump has repeatedly insisted the election was stolen, with a particular focus on ballots in Fulton County. That's despite multiple recounts and audits confirming his loss to former President Joe Biden. 

Georgia Democrats and Fulton elections officials are blasting the raid, where 700 boxes of 2020 election records were taken. The Democratic Party of Georgia chair Charlie Bailey called Trump's governance "increasingly manic." Georgia Democratic U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff called the raid Trump's "sore loser's crusade."

Tharon and Brian respond to the question: Is this return to Trump's political grievances from more than 5 years ago, going to damage the Republican party?

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On today's Political Breakfast, Democratic strategist Tharon Johnson and Republican strategist Brian Robinson go live with host Lisa Rayam, to talk about a looming partial government shutdown. 

Congress has until this Friday to pass a series of appropriation bills, and U.S. Senate Democrats are rallying to reject a bill to fund the Department of Homeland Security. That's in response to the latest shooting of the 37-year-old ICU nurse, Alex Pretti, in Minneapolis, that involved federal immigration agents.

Now Georgia Democrats, and even some Republicans, are criticizing how the Trump Administration has handled the fallout. Stephen Miller, Trump's homeland security adviser, called Pretti a “domestic terrorist.”

Videos from bystanders do not show Pretti brandishing a weapon -- but do show a group of agents tackling Pretti and shooting him several times. Officials say he was legally armed. 

Georgia U.S. Senators Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock have both announced they will oppose the government funding package.

Former Georgia U.S. Rep. Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene also defended Pretti, and said there was nothing wrong with him legally peacefully protesting.

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On this week's live version of Political Breakfast, Democratic strategist Tharon Johnson, Republican strategist Brian Robinson and host Lisa Rayam examine Georgia Governor Brian Kemp's last budget.

Kemp laid it all out in his final 'State of the State' address last week, where he also set his priorities at the start of the legislative session.

His budget includes a billion in tax rebates for Georgians, a 20-point reduction of the state income tax, a two thousand dollar check for teachers and other state employees and a new need-based scholarship for those attending Georgia colleges and universities.

It also includes nearly 2 billion for new toll lanes on I-75 south of Atlanta, to unclog the interstate, and more money for money for new interchanges on Georgia 316 and local road projects.

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On this edition of Political Breakfast, we're going into the first week of Georgia's legislative session -- which means strategists Brian Robinson, Tharon Johnson and host Lisa Rayam are keeping busy and keeping up with lawmakers' top priorities.

In this economy, everyone wants to focus on "affordability." 

The Senate wants to start eliminating the state income tax by 2032. A proposal by Republican Lt. Gov. Burt Jones would get rid of income taxes for two-thirds of Georgians, and phase out the rest over six years. 

On the House side, GOP lawmakers want to slow the growth of Georgians' property taxes. 

Democrats ask: How are we going to pay for essential services? And who will ultimately benefit?

Plus, Georgia Governor Brian Kemp prepares to deliver his last 'State of the State.'

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On this live edition of Political Breakfast, we cover how two-time Democratic nominee for governor Stacey Abrams announced that she is not running for office in 2026.

Abrams said in a statement that instead she'll continue her work fighting against what's happening in Washington, as "since January 2025, we have watched our nation descend into authoritarianism.”

There's already a crowded field on the Democratic side, including familiar names like former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms and former DeKalb County CEO Michael Thurmond.

Democratic strategist Tharon Johnson, Republican strategist Brian Robinson and host Lisa Rayam react. 

Plus, a quick look ahead at some priorities for Georgia's 2026 legislative session, which starts on Monday.

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On this week's Political Breakfast, Democratic strategist Tharon Johnson, Republican strategist Brian Robinson and host Lisa Rayam return LIVE and wish our listeners a happy new year!

Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens was sworn into his second term on Monday, along with all members of the Atlanta City Council. 

The crowd also heard from newly sworn-in Atlanta City Council President Marci Collier Overstreet.

Plus, we cover what's potentially next for Georgia's former Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene. The Republican resigned from her conservative northwest Georgia district. Her last day was Monday.

This past weekend, Greene continued to speak out against President Donald Trump -- criticizing the U.S. capturing of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

Greene was once one of Trump's most loyal supporters, but split with him on issues including his initial stance on the release of the Epstein files and on foreign affairs. 

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On today's Political Breakfast, someone paid millions for a new attack ad against Republican Lieutenant Governor Burt Jones, to wound him in the 2026 primary race for Georgia governor. 

Jones is the frontrunner in the race, and has President Trump's endorsement.

There's speculation that whoever DID pay, has to be someone on the inside of Georgia's GOP -- masquerading under the name, 'Georgians for Integrity.'

Now, Democratic strategist Tharon Johnson and Republican strategist Brian Robinson speculate who's behind it, with host Lisa Rayam.

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On this week's Political Breakfast, we head northeast, where Georgia Democrats gained a House seat recently during a special election.

Democrat Eric Gisler's victory for a Athens-area State House seat came after Republicans won that seat last year -- by more than 20 percent. Gisler will replace Republican Rep. Marcus Wiedower, who resigned to focus on his job.

National and Georgia Democratic leaders are now all talking about how this shows blue momentum going into the 2026 midterms. 

The win has huge implications and has Georgia's GOP, as well as strategists Tharon Johnson and Brian Robinson, talking about this blue momentum with host Lisa Rayam.

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On this week's Political Breakfast, we're doing a recap of some local runoff election results. The cities of East Point, Roswell, Sandy Springs and South Fulton were all electing mayors last Tuesday. Voters chose new ones in all except Sandy Springs. 

The City of Roswell surprised many as a completely blue flip, as former Democratic State Representative Mary Robichaux nabbed 53 percent of the vote, and defeated incumbent Republican Mayor Kurt Wilson.

But it was a different story in nearby Sandy Springs, as Mayor Rusty Paul cruised to a fourth term, getting 69 percent of the vote and a nearly 7-thousand margin victory, over Democratic challenger Dontaye Carter. 

Democratic strategist Tharon Johnson and Republican strategist Brian Robinson focus on those races in north Atlanta with host Lisa Rayam.

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 On today's Political Breakfast, it's runoff election day, when many key races should be decided.

Strategists Brian Robinson and Tharon Johnson join host Lisa Rayam to give insight on a few of them -- including runoff races that involve incumbent mayors in Sandy Springs and Roswell. 

Voters in South Fulton and East Point are also selecting new mayors. 

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