Top Georgia journalist warns about Herschel Walker’s political assets

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Award-winning journalist and author Greg Bluestein of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution joined our show to talk about what lessons can be learned from the 2020 special elections in Georgia and shared wisdom about Herschel Walker’s campaign.

We discussed his excellent book, Flipped: How Georgia Turned Purple and Broke the Monopoly on Republican Power (affiliate link) . Greg takes readers through the run-up to the Special Election and gives a detailed look at how both parties successfully worked to play to their bases. He said the elections which flipped control of Congress to Democrats and how that can be used as a roadmap for another Warnock victory in the midterms.

We also talked about the circumstances and political environment that shaped those special elections, and Bluestein provided us with valuable insight into new voting laws that make it harder to vote in Georgia and what all of this may mean for the upcoming election.

Greg also warned our audience not to take Herschel Walker for granted.

“He makes a lot of blunders, a lot of gaffes, a lot of strange and bizarre compounding statements. And so in a head-to-head match-up with Walker, Democrats are pretty optimistic. Then again, you can’t underestimate Herschel Walker’s name recognition or the fact that Georgians like me grew up hearing stories of his legendary athletic feats. His name recognition is almost universally known in Georgia, and that counts for a lot.”

In this interview, we discussed Greg’s path to journalism, his love for Atlanta baseball, and how he thinks the 2022 midterms will play out in Georgia. 

Greg Bluestein is an American journalist, author, and TV analyst who covers Georgia politics for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He has also written about former President Jimmy Carter and covered regional and national news as an Atlanta-based journalist for The Associated Press. He contributes to the Political Insider blog, is an MSNBC and NBC News contributor, and is a host of the Politically Georgia podcast. You can follow him on Twitter @bluestein.