Political Rewind

Tuesday on Political Rewind: On Monday, the Electoral College officially cast their votes for President-elect Joe Biden. It’s the first time in nearly three decades a Democratic candidate has won Georgia’s support in the presidential contest.

Monday also marked the first day of in-person early voting for the Jan. 5 runoffs. Now, in a year unlike any other, with the nation's eyes on Georgia, how do the state's broad and diverse coalitions factor into this election, which will determine control of the U.S. Senate? 

Atlanta Journal's Constitution's senior reporter Tamar Hallerman guest hosts Tuesday's conversation.

Our panelists included: Rene Alegria, President and CEO, Mundo Hispanico Digital Network; Dr. Karen Owen, Assistant professor of political science, University of West Georgia; Howard Franklin, Democratic political strategist with Ohio River South; and Heath Garrett, Republican political strategist.

Monday on Political Rewind: The first batch of COVID-19 vaccines is headed to hundreds of distribution centers in all 50 states. Gov. Brian Kemp last week said the first round in Georgia will go to long-term care facilities and front-line medical workers. He warned residents to stay vigilant and continue to practice safety precautions like wearing a mask.

Interim dean at Georgia State University's School of Public Health Dr. Rodney Lyn said the vaccine will roll out in increments.

"There is a greater need than vaccine available at the moment," Lyn said. "We expect most to be vaccinated by the summer, but it will be a phased approach with health care workers and the most vulnerable vaccinated first."

Reported cases of COVID-19 are surging in the state. Four of the five single-day records of newly reported coronavirus cases were reported since Dec. 4.

Our panel of experts discusses what to expect as the vaccine arrives in Georgia.

Our panelists included: Dr. Rodney Lyn, Interim Dean,Georgia State University's School of Public Health; Dr. Ben Lopman, Infectious Disease Epidemiologist and Professor of Epidemiology, Emory University; Dr. Keren Landman, Journalist, Physician and Epidemiologist; and Jim Galloway, Lead Political Writer, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Friday on Political Rewind: Georgia Republicans continue to give space for debunked election fraud conspiracies from President Donald Trump and his allies. Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr joined his counterparts in three other states in condemning Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s petition to have the U.S. Supreme Court throw out the votes in Georgia, Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania.

Carr defended the integrity of the election process, even after President Trump tried to persuade Carr to remain silent during a personal phone call.

Atlanta Journal-Constitution lead political writer Jim Galloway wrote an opinion piece Thursday about Trump's hold on GOP officials in the state.

"President Trump’s refusal to accept his electoral defeat has fractured the Georgia GOP along the line that separates the state Capitol and Washington," Galloway wrote.

Our panelists included: Edward Lindsey, former GOP state legislator and Partner at Dentons; Patricia Murphy, Political Writer at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution; Michael Thurmond , CEO of DeKalb County; Jim Galloway, Lead Political Writer at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Thursday on Political Rewind: Attempts to overturn November election results continue despite repeated setbacks and an absence of credible evidence.

Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr is the latest Republican state official to receive a personal warning from President Donald Trump not to interfere with efforts to overturn the results of the presidential election. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports Trump called Carr on Wednesday when he learned the attorney general criticized a petition to the U.S. Supreme Court essentially asking for the nullification of Biden’s victory in Georgia and three other battleground states.

Republican political strategist and community activist Leo Smith said he would like to see the party win on the merits of their platform, rather than trying to manufacture a win through the courts.

"I want to have a competition of ideas, not a competition of who can cheat the best," Smith said.

Our panelists included: Ryan Graha, Chairman of Georgia Libertarian Party; Leo Smith, Political Strategy Consultant and CEO of Engaged Futures Group; Dr. Kurt Young, Professor of Political Science at Clark Atlanta University; and Kevin Riley, Editor of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Wednesday on Political Rewind: The schism between Georgia Republicans intensifies.

State party chairman David Shafer is suing Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger in a last-ditch effort to overturn President-elect Joe Biden’s victory here. Meanwhile, Sen. David Perdue and Sen. Kelly Loeffler endorsed a lawsuit from the Texas Attorney General calling for a delay to the certification of Georgia's presidential electors. And on Twitter, President Donald Trump leveled insults at Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan after the Alpharetta native acknowledged Biden will be the next president.

As all this unfolded, South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham told Fox News that blame for the Georgia Republican infighting belongs to Gov. Brian Kemp, because, Sen. Graham said, the governor refuses to nullify the November vote.

Our panel included Greg Bluestein, politics reporter with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Dr. Audrey Haynes, professor of political science at University of Georgia.

Tuesday on Political Rewind: President Donald Trump and his allies continue to spin conspiracy theories aimed at overturning the outcome of the vote. Georgia continues to be a prime target, despite repeated failures to change the results here.

Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger announced that a third count of the ballots confirms Biden won the state by a margin of almost 12,000 votes.

Meanwhile, the Senate runoff election continues to be dominated by the president’s refusal to concede defeat.

Our panel included Tamar Hallerman, senior reporter at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Stephen Fowler, politics reporter with GPB News.

Today on Political Rewind: Sen. Kelly Loeffler and Democratic challenger the Rev. Raphael Warnock traded attacks in the runoff debates. Loeffler dodged questions about President Donald Trump’s false election claims while Warnock worked to fend off accusations that his liberal policies are out of step with Georgia values.

Also: Gov. Brian Kemp has rejected calls from Trump and several Republican state legislators to nullify Democrat President-elect Joe Biden’s Georgia victory by letting the General Assembly appoint an alternative slate of pro-Trump electors.

Plus: Rudolph Giuliani’s positive diagnosis for COVID-19 raises concerns that state legislators and others may have been exposed to the virus late last week at a crowded Georgia state senate committee. Giuliani is reportedly being treated in a Washington, D.C. hospital.

Panelists:

Jim Galloway — Lead Political Writer, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Nabilah Islam — Founder of The Progressive List

Eric Tanenblatt — Republican Strategist, Global Chair of Public Policy and Regulation of Dentons Law Firm

Amy Steigerwalt — Professor of Political Science, Georgia State University

Friday on Political Rewind: Georgians are being inundated wherever they turn with political ads in the leadup to the Jan. 5 runoff.

An unprecedented $300 million has been spent on ads on television, radio and online as Senate-appointee Kelly Loeffler faces Democrat challenger the Rev. Raphael Warnock while Republican Sen. David Perdue faces Jon Ossoff.

Also, President Donald Trump continues to make baseless attacks alleging voter fraud in Georgia, although federal and state investigators reported no evidence of widespread wrongdoing.

Gov. Brian Kemp, who defended the state’s handling of the November elections, is now facing the president’s wrath. Trump is scheduled to visit Valdosta on Saturday for a rally with Loeffler and Perdue.

Panelists:

Jen Jordan — State Senator (D-6)

Chuck Efstration — State Representative (R-Dacula)

Rick Dent — Georgia media consultant

Jim Galloway — Lead Political Writer, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Thursday on Political Rewind: A conversation with author Larry Tye about history, lies and the presidency.

As President Donald Trump continues to spin out conspiracy theories about a fraudulent election to inspire outrage among his supporters, Tye reminds us Americans have long had a love affair with bullies in his new book.

Tye writes about one of the most notorious bullies in 20th-century American politics: Wisconsin Senator Joseph McCarthy.

McCarthy’s career was built on breathtaking lies and destroyed the lives and careers of hundreds or more of those he accused of being communists.

Our panel was Larry Tye, author of "Demagogue: The Life and Long Shadow of Senator Joe McCarthy" and Kevin Riley, editor of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Wednesday on Political Rewind: Top elections officials charged with overseeing Georgia’s voting system are offering a staunch rebuttal to unfounded accusation of voter fraud from President Donald Trump and his allies.

In a news conference yesterday, voting system implementation manager Gabriel Sterling accused the President of fomenting violence against election workers. Will his emotional plea lead to a shift in attitude towards ongoing efforts to cast doubt on President-elect Joe Biden’s victory?

And with absentee balloting for the two U.S. Senate seats in the January 5 runoff election underway, our panel takes a look at how the candidates are framing their campaign messages.

Our panelists included: Greg Bluestein, Politics Reporter, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution; Julie Smith, Mayor of Tifton; Dr. Alan Abramowitz — Professor of Political Science, Emory University; and Rene Alegria — President and CEO of Mundo Hispanico