Political Rewind

Tuesday on Political Rewind: Democrats are insisting that Georgia should have an even partisan split of congressional districts as redistricting is set to start next week at the state capitol. The GOP majority will likely reject the argument.

Our panel of experts broke down the different factors that go into redrawing Georgia's political maps.

Meanwhile, Texas GOP legislators have shown how redistricting can be used as a blunt instrument for partisan gain.

In other news, national NAACP leaders sharply criticize the organization’s Atlanta leader for his scathing attack on mayoral candidate Kasim Reed.

Panelists:

Tamar Hallerman — Senior reporter, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Dr. Amy Steigerwalt — Political science professor, Georgia State University

Dr. Andra Gillespie — Political science professor, Emory University

Dr. Charles Bullock — Political science professor, University of Georgia

Monday on Political Rewind: Georgia Democrats are looking support from the national party in 2022 and 2024. Politico reported that Democrats in the Peach State worry that the national party is not paying enough attention to the new voting laws in Georgia, and that they may lose key races as a result.

Plus, will Herschel Walker lay out clear policy positions soon? GPB News' Stephen Fowler discussed his reporting on the Walker campaign. Apart from a prominent speech at a Trump rally in Perry, the former University of Georgia football star has avoided typical campaign events, fundraisers and media interviews in favor of friendlier conversations on conservative media outlets.

A GPB News analysis finds Walker has done more than two dozen interviews in the eight weeks since launching his campaign, almost exclusively with Fox News personalities like Sean Hannity.

In other news, Gov. Brian Kemp launched a partisan volley to accompany the Braves' first World Series appearance in two decades.

Panelists:

Jim Galloway – Former political columnist, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Stephen Fowler – Political reporter, GPB News

Sen. Kim Jackson – State senator (D-Stone Mountain)

Rep. Chuck Efstration – State representative (R-Dacula)

Friday on Political Rewind: Guest host Tamar Hallerman led discussion on the trial of the three men charged with murder in the shooting of 25-year-old Ahmaud Arbery.

Nationwide attention has turned to Brunswick, Ga., this week as the trial began. Attorneys have spent the past couple days questioning a long list of potential jurors about their views on the case. With the first week of the trial almost done, there are still plenty of jurors to go through and major questions remain about the search for jurors who have not already made up their minds.

There are also questions about what the verdict will mean as the country continues to grapple with the United States’ torrid history with race and justice.

Panelists:

Asia Simone Burns — Crime reporter, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Fred Smith — Constitutional law professor, Emory University

The Rev. James “Major” Woodall — Public policy associate, Southern Center for Human Rights and former state president, Georgia NAACP

Thursday on Political Rewind: The gap between the rich and poorer Americans continues to grow. We asked our panel crucial questions about the future of urban life.

Will living in cities like Atlanta soon be out of reach for lower income families and individuals? As the Atlanta mayoral race unfolds, crime is by far the issue that voters said matters most to them. But assuring that Atlanta creates opportunities for affordable housing was second on the voters’ minds.

We spoke with a panel of experts who are attempting to balance development with affordability in the city.

Panelists:

Bill Bolling — Founder of The Atlanta Housing Forum and former executive director of Atlanta Community Food Bank

Sarah Kirsch — Executive director, Urban Land Institute (ULI) Atlanta

Ashani O’Mard — Executive director, Atlanta Affordable Housing Fund

Kevin Riley — Editor, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Wednesday on Political Rewind: Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer says he will bring the federal voting rights bill to the floor for a vote today.

In other news, the trial of Gregory McMichael, Travis McMichael, and William Bryant is undergoing jury selection. The men are charged with murder in the Ahmaud Arbery shooting, and the judge presiding over the trial is worried that jury selection is taking far too long.

Plus, Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan takes his book tour to New Hampshire, prompting some to wonder if there’s a presidential race in his future.

Also, Georgia legislators prepare for the upcoming session to draw new political maps. Do they have plans to knock off some incumbent Democrats by creating districts that force them to run against one another?

Panelists:

Greg Bluestein — Political reporter, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Dr. Adrienne Jones — Professor of political science, Morehouse College

Dr. Jennifer McCoy — Professor of political science, Georgia State University

Tuesday on Political Rewind: Opponents of the Buckhead City movement launched a counteroffensive yesterday. In a news conference at the state Capitol, Democratic legislators who represent the city cited economic and social hardships they say severing Buckhead from Atlanta would cause to both jurisdictions. Our panel looked at where the secession movement stands today.

Also, the first day of jury selection in the trial of the three men charged with murder in the shooting of 25-year-old Ahmaud Arbery began this week. GPB’s Riley Bunch gave us a firsthand look at how the process unfolded yesterday.

Panelists:

Riley Bunch — Policy reporter, GPB News

Tamar Hallerman — Senior reporter, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Eric Tanenblatt — Republican insider

Mayor Deana Holiday Ingraham — Mayor of East Point

Monday on Political Rewind: The trial for the three men charged with the murder of Ahmaud Arbery gets underway in Brunswick, Ga., this week.

Arbery’s killing led to changes in Georgia law, the indictment of a long-serving district attorney and an effort to clean up and diversify the Glynn County Police Department. We looked at what to expect as the trial gets underway and how the case reverberated across the legal and political landscape in Georgia.

Georgia Recorder writer Stanley Dunlap said the trial will have consequences for how members of Georgia's Black communities view their relationship with the criminal justice system.

"Things may continue to play out how many people feel, and particularly in the Black community, that justice isn't there for them and the police aren't there to protect them," Dunlap said. "That's one of particular concern, depending on the outcome of the trial."

Plus, while Stacey Abrams may be waiting to declare her intentions to run for governor of Georgia, she’s actively working to elect Democrat Terry McAuliffe governor of Virginia.

Panelists:

Margaret Coker — Editor-in-chief, The Current

Stanley Dunlap — Reporter, Georgia Recorder

Adam Van Brimmer — Editorial page editor, The Savannah Morning News

Jim Galloway — Former political columnist, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Friday on Political Rewind: Republican candidates on Georgia’s 2022 ballot are remaining silent about President Donald Trump’s prediction that GOP voters will not go to the polls next year if the party does not push harder to uncover his already-disproven claims of election fraud in 2020 election.

In other news, Georgia Board of Regents decided to make sweeping changes to the rules governing how tenured faculty at state universities are evaluated, drawing alarm from many members of faculty. Some believe the rules will have a chilling effect on what professors teach in their classrooms.

Plus, the trial for three men accused of murdering Ahmaud Arbery begins Monday. The country will watch as lawyers on both sides grapple with the role race played in the young man's killing.

Panelists:

Leroy Chapman — Managing editor, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Dr. Andra Gillespie — Professor of political science and director of the James Weldon Johnson Institute for the Study of Race and Difference at Emory University

Patricia Murphy — Columnist and lead political writer, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Dr. Karen Owen — Professor of political science, University of West Georgia

Thursday on Political Rewind, stories about climate change are rarely out of the headlines these days. This week, it’s news about wind farms. The Biden Administration has announced plans to develop seven major offshore wind farms on the east and west coasts and along the Gulf of Mexico. It’s part of a larger plan to generate enough alternative energy to power 10 million homes by 2030.

In just over two weeks, the U.N. will convene its global Climate Change Conference, where countries will be asked to sign off on a plan to reach zero carbon emissions within the next 30 years.

All this comes after the release of new studies showing that the planet is warming at a far more rapid pace than once thought, and that we are reaching a point of no return in keeping temperatures under control.

Panelists:

Dr. Kim Cobb — Georgia Power Chair and director, Global Change Program at Georgia Tech

Dr. Marshall Shepherd —Georgia Athletic Association distinguished professor, geography and atmospheric sciences, University of Georgia

Kevin Riley — Editor, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Wednesday on Political Rewind: A lawsuit accusing Georgia's presidential election of being rigged collapsed on Wednesday.

Earlier in the week, state election investigators have told a Superior Court judge they found no evidence to back up claims by plaintiffs, who allege counterfeit ballots were counted in Fulton County last year.

But on Wednesday, Henry County judge Judge Brian Amero dismissed the case. The judge wrote that the plaintiffs, including Garland Favorito of the group VoterGA, lacked standing and also failed to allege a particularized injury in their lawsuit that claimed fake ballots were counted in Fulton's totals.

In other news, a candidate for mayor of Sandy Springs says he is being threatened and targeted with racist campaign messages. Dontaye Carter is the first Black candidate to run for the city's mayoral office. Five Black candidates for Sandy Springs' City Council say they have also been subjected to similar abuse.

Plus, we celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month and the important contributions Hispanic communities make in Georgia. 

Panelists:

Rep. Teri Anulewicz — State representative (D-Smyrna)

Rene Alegria — CEO, Mundo Hispanico Digital

Leo Smith — GOP consultant and president, Engaged Futures Group

Greg Bluestein — Political reporter, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution