Political Rewind

Friday on Political Rewind: There is a frightening uptick in COVID-19 numbers across the country. Though the worst numbers are currently seen in the Great Plains and Rocky Mountains, cases in Georgia of the virus continue an upward path. Public health experts warn that without proper mitigation efforts, an explosive increase in case numbers, hospitalizations and deaths is possible.

Our panel is joined by one of the country’s foremost public health leaders, Dr. Carlos del Rio.

Meanwhile, Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger hopes an audit over the next week of nearly 5 million ballots will vindicate his performance running the state's elections.

Panelists:

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

Dr. Carlos del Rio — Associate Dean, Emory School of Medicine and Professor of Medicine, Infectious Disease Division, at Emory University

Thursday on Political Rewind: County election workers across Georgia soon begin a hand recount of nearly 5 million ballots cast in the presidential election. Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger said the extraordinary measure will clarify the outcome of the presidential race in Georgia. Raffensperger has faced criticism from state Republicans who continue to make unfounded allegations of election fraud and accuse him of lacking transparency.

Our panelists included: Melita Easters, founder and director of the Georgia WIN List; Todd Rehm, a GOP Consultant and editor of GeorgiaPundit.com; Dr. Audrey Haynes, political science professor at the University of Georgia; and Kevin Riley, editor of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Wednesday on Political Rewind: The spotlight remains focused on Georgia following the general election as two crucial Senate races head to a January runoff. Vice President Mike Pence announced he plans to visit the state to campaign for Republican Senate candidates David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler. President-elect Joe Biden signaled he is open to stumping for Democratic challengers Jon Ossoff and Rev. Raphael Warnock. More influential figures are expected to make appearances here in the next nine weeks in the lead up to the Jan. 5 runoff elections.

Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger is responding to criticism from Georgia Republicans over his handling of the November election in the state. He received calls for his resignation from Loeffler and Perdue. The pair accuse him of a lack of transparency and mismanaging the state elections. Raffensperger responded by saying it’s his job to follow Georgia law and count all votes, while investigating any potential violations to voting law or procedures.

Our panel included: Dr. Andra Gillespie, professor of political science and director in the James Weldon Johnson Institute on Race at Emory University; Greg Bluestein, politics reporter for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution; Rep. Sam Park, State Representative (D-Lawrenceville); and Leo Smith, GOP political consultant and CEO of Engaged Futures Group.

Tuesday on Political Rewind: Today, the U.S. Supreme Court hears arguments in a case that challenges if the Affordable Care Act is constitutional. Georgia, among several other states, joined the federal government in challenging the legality of Obamacare as health care for hundreds of thousands of Georgians — and millions of Americans — could be at stake today.

Meanwhile, the Trump campaign is gearing up its recount campaign in Georgia with Rep. Doug Collins and U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue helping to organize efforts. Sen. David Perdue and Sen. Kelly Loeffler issued a joint statement that blasted Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger for allowing the management of Georgia elections to "become an embarrassment for our state."

Our panelists included: Prof. Eric Segall, Ashe Family Chair Professor of Law at Georgia State University College of Law; Prof. Fred Smith, Associate Professor of Law at Emory University School of Law; Rep. Mary Margaret Oliver, Georgia State Representative (D-Decatur); and Tamar Hallerman, Senior Reporter at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Monday on Political Rewind: With Georgia still counting votes, Joe Biden seems to have won the state, and its 16 electoral votes weren't needed for him to be declared the president-elect.

However, Biden's apparent victory signals a new day of competitive politics in a state that's been a Republican stronghold for nearly three decades.

What factors are changing the political landscape here? Our panelists break down the state's latest in politics.

Our panelists included: The Atlanta Journal-Constitution's lead political writer Jim Galloway; veteran Channel 2 Action News anchor John Pruitt; DeKalb County CEO Michael Thurmond; and Former Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin.

Friday afternoon on Political Rewind: The margins remain close in Georgia’s ballot count. Overnight, Democratic challenger Joe Biden surpassed President Donald Trump as absentee ballots continue to be counted.

Votes from Clayton County helped push Biden into the lead. The county south of Atlanta traditionally supports Democratic candidates and lies in the center of the late U.S. Rep. John Lewis' former congressional district.

Three days after Election Day, more than 1,500 ballots separate the presidential candidates in Georgia.

In another important Georgia election, The New York Times has called the race for the 7th Congressional District in Atlanta's northwest suburbs. Democrat Carolyn Bourdeaux flipped the U.S. House seat there in an important pickup for her party this election. 

Panelists:

Dr. Alan Abramowitz – Professor of political science, Emory University

Stephen Fowler – Politics reporter, Georgia Public Broadcasting

Robin Kemp – Founder and writer, The Clayton Crescent

Tia Mitchell – Washington correspondent, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Friday on Political Rewind: Biden pulls ahead with a narrow lead as ballot counting continues. The race is still too close to call, and thousands of ballots have yet to been processed. The nation continues to watch Georgia’s returns as the state takes on new significance in the race for the White House this year.

Our panel breaks down the latest. And, the latest updates show both of Georgia’s pair of Senate races are likely to head to January run-offs.

Our panelists included: Adam Van Brimmer. editor of Savannah Morning News; Mariela Romero, regional community empowerment director for Univision; Jim Galloway, lead political writer for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution; and Karen Owen, political science professor at the University of West Georgia.

Thursday afternoon on Political Rewind, eyes watch Georgia from around the country as the counting of ballots continues.

Less than 5% of the state's record 1.3 million absentee-by-mail votes cast in the election need to be processed and tabulated. All absentee ballots left were received before the deadline of 7 p.m. Tuesday, but different counties with different staffing levels took different amounts of time to handle the processing and counting.

In the race for Senate, the possibility of both Georgia's seats heading to runoff also increases as counting continues.

Our panel of insiders and experts will break down the latest from the races and results.

Panelists:

Stephen Fowler — Politics reporter, GPB News

Patricia Murphy — Politics reporter, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Amy Steigerwalt — Professor of political science, Georgia State University

Thursday on Political Rewind: Georgia is poised to play a decisive role in the outcome of the race between President Donald Trump and Democratic challenger Joe Biden.

Results are expected to come later today and could reveal whether a Democratic presidential candidate is the winner in the state for the first time in almost three decades. Republicans are hoping they have held onto their majority status by a thread.

Meanwhile, Georgia is now one of the states targeted by the Donald Trump campaign with lawsuits challenging vote counting. The Georgia Republican Party and Trump's presidential campaign committee filed a lawsuit Wednesday against Chatham County, alleging that the county improperly counted absentee ballots received after the state's Election Day deadline.

Our panelists included: State Rep. Chuck Efstration (R-Dacula); State Sen. Jen Jordan (D-Atlanta); The Atlanta Journal-Constitution's Editor Kevin Riley; and PeachPod: A Georgia Politics Podcast co-founder and host Kyle Hayes.

Wednesday afternoon on Political Rewind: The counting continues as the presidential race remain too close to call a day after the election.

Our panel of experts and political insiders will break down what we know so far. How have the results we do now matched to expectation and polling? And what shifts can be revealed in Georgia's political landscape?

Some results are clear, however. Substantial Democratic leads in metro Atlanta suburbs show those districts are now firmly in Democratic hands. Representative Lucy McBath won re-election, and Carolyn Bordeaux beat McCormick.

Panelists:

Heath Garrett – Republican strategist

Lori Geary – Georgia Gang host

Raisa Habersham – Reporter, Savannah Morning News

Dr. Kurt Young – Political science professor, Clark Atlanta University