Greg Bluestein
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Greg Bluestein
@bluestein.bsky.social
Husband, father, aspiring mensch. AJC politics reporter 🗞 NBC News contributor 📺 Politically Georgia podcast host 🎧 Sirius Radio 📻 Author of FLIPPED📕 Jolt Newsletter 💻
The announcement was stunning even in an era of near-daily global flashpoints, and it instantly reverberated in Georgia, where politicians are preparing for midterm elections that many view as a referendum on Trump’s administration. #gapol
www.ajc.com/politics/202...
Georgia politicians react to Trump’s strike on Venezuela
Georgia politicians reacted swiftly after President Donald Trump said Saturday that U.S. forces had captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
www.ajc.com
January 3, 2026 at 3:43 PM
Trump’s norm-shattering second term leaves Republicans with a choice: Embrace the president even more tightly or try to create a more independent brand like Gov. Brian Kemp. #gapol
www.ajc.com/politics/202...
These are the 10 questions that will shape Georgia politics in 2026
What will be the big questions in Georgia politics for 2026?
www.ajc.com
January 2, 2026 at 5:37 PM
The shadowy group battering Lt. Gov. Burt Jones on Georgia’s airwaves has now spent about $8M targeting the Republican. And he’s taking drastic steps to stop it, escalating his legal battle today with an appeal to federal regulators. #gapol

www.ajc.com/politics/202...
An $8M mystery triggers growing fight over dark money in Georgia politics
Welcome to the new political economy of Georgia elections, where an organization called Georgians for Integrity is at the center of a ballooning legal and political fight.
www.ajc.com
January 2, 2026 at 12:01 PM
After a year of political shocks, fractured alliances and unexpected upsets, Georgia heads into 2026 with more uncertainty than clarity. Here are the 10 questions that will shape the year ahead. #gapol

www.ajc.com/politics/202...
These are the 10 questions that will shape Georgia politics in 2026
What will be the big questions in Georgia politics for 2026?
www.ajc.com
December 30, 2025 at 12:58 PM
“Georgia is sort of like the NFL, when any given Sunday the other team can win. There’s so much parity, we have to go into next year as scrappy underdogs ready to fight.” #gapol www.ajc.com/politics/202...
Georgia hurtles toward 2026 as Trump’s return reshapes the political map
President Donald Trump’s return to office reset the national landscape almost overnight, forcing Republicans and Democrats alike to grapple with his norm-shattering approach.
www.ajc.com
December 29, 2025 at 3:16 PM
It was supposed to be a quieter year in Georgia politics — a pause between election cycles, a chance for both parties to regroup before the 2026 onslaught.

Instead, 2025 became a prelude to what is sure to be a political tempest.
www.ajc.com/politics/202...
Georgia hurtles toward 2026 as Trump’s return reshapes the political map
President Donald Trump’s return to office reset the national landscape almost overnight, forcing Republicans and Democrats alike to grapple with his norm-shattering approach.
www.ajc.com
December 29, 2025 at 12:21 PM
“Three hundred thousand Alabamians will be voting under some new districting lines that I redrew in my college dorm room at 3 in the morning,” he said in an interview. “It’s surreal.”

www.nytimes.com/2025/12/26/u...
A College Freshman Is the Unlikely Source of Alabama’s New Political Maps
www.nytimes.com
December 26, 2025 at 3:27 PM
A closer look at the flurry of all-caps X posts peppered with screaming red siren emojis shows the conclusions from multiple investigations and at least three recounts have not changed: Donald Trump lost the 2020 presidential election.

www.ajc.com/politics/202...
Raffensperger says Fulton County’s ‘clerical error’ does not nullify votes
A story making the rounds online claims that more than 300,000 votes were "illegally certified" in 2020. Georgia's secretary of state says the votes were legal.
www.ajc.com
December 24, 2025 at 7:21 PM
Close enough …

Quiz: Do You Speak 2025? www.nytimes.com/2025/12/23/s...
December 24, 2025 at 7:20 PM
Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger’s run for gov was always going to be tricky given his conflict with Trump over Georgia’s 2020 election. Now, he’ll have to navigate the GOP primary while simultaneously fighting the administration in court. #gapol
www.ajc.com/politics/202...
Trump administration sues Georgia over redacted voter information
Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger says Georgia law requires protecting voters' sensitive information. The Trump administration disagrees.
www.ajc.com
December 19, 2025 at 1:20 PM
This time last year, Sen. Jon Ossoff was considered to be the Democratic Party’s likeliest casualty on the 2026 Senate map. Now, Georgia Democrats increasingly are confident of his midterm chances, and Republicans are the ones sounding pessimistic.
www.ajc.com/politics/202...
Ossoff finds firmer footing as 2026 race takes shape
Georgia Democrats increasingly are confident of the first-term lawmaker’s midterm chances, and Republicans are sounding pessimistic.
www.ajc.com
December 19, 2025 at 11:11 AM
“I was as nervous as a cat in a room full of rocking chairs wondering what would happen." Trump’s other Georgia call: Inside his 2020 plea to House Speaker David Ralston. #gapol www.ajc.com/politics/202...
Phone call reveals Trump pressuring Georgia speaker to overturn 2020 election
www.ajc.com
December 18, 2025 at 7:59 PM
Geoff Duncan’s biggest challenge might not be money or organization. It’s trust. Can a former Republican who once backed abortion limits, voted to loosen gun restrictions and opposed Medicaid expansion convince Democrats he’s truly one of them? #gapol www.ajc.com/politics/202...
Geoff Duncan’s Democratic gamble in Georgia tests party loyalty
Former Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan’s biggest challenge might not be money or organization, but trust. Once a Republican, he's now running as a Democrat.
www.ajc.com
December 17, 2025 at 6:42 PM
Lt. Gov. Burt Jones and his Republican allies are hitting back against the secretive group airing millions of dollars of ads attacking him. #gapol

www.ajc.com/politics/202...
Burt Jones pushes back as shadowy group pours millions into attack ads
The state Republicans have filed an ethics complaint against the group running the ads. So far, no one has been able to determine who's really behind the ads.
www.ajc.com
December 17, 2025 at 2:41 PM
Of the seven state senators that will question Willis today, four of them are Republicans running for statewide office. Three of them are running for lieutenant governor.
www.ajc.com/politics/202...
Fani Willis’ testimony gives Republican candidates time in the spotlight
Four of the seven lawmakers who will question the Fulton County district attorney today are running for statewide office.
www.ajc.com
December 17, 2025 at 11:57 AM
Brian Kemp’s lame-duck dilemma: Swing big or play it safe? #gapol www.ajc.com/politics/202...
Brian Kemp’s lame-duck dilemma: Swing big or play it safe?
The two-term Georgia governor enters his last legislative session next month.
www.ajc.com
December 15, 2025 at 12:16 PM
The Justice Department lawsuit marks a dramatic escalation of the Trump administration’s investigation into allegations of voting fraud in Fulton County. #gapol
www.ajc.com/politics/202...
Trump Justice Department sues Fulton County to obtain 2020 ballots
The U.S. Justice Department filed a lawsuit Friday seeking copies of Fulton County’s ballots from the 2020 election.
www.ajc.com
December 12, 2025 at 5:31 PM
The president has pressured GOP-led states like Indiana to redraw maps to expand Republican control of Congress. Georgia isn’t one of them. At least for now. #gapol www.ajc.com/politics/202...
Georgia isn’t redrawing districts despite Trump’s push. At least for now.
Georgia's Republican leaders say they will wait until the U.S. Supreme Court's Voting Rights Act ruling before deciding whether to redraw congressional maps.
www.ajc.com
December 12, 2025 at 3:17 PM
Libertarians are not guaranteed a spot on next year's ballot, reducing the chances for runoffs in Georgia. Think about how much that could change next year’s midterm, when U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff is on the ballot and other statewide offices are up for grabs. www.ajc.com/politics/202...
Could Georgia’s 2026 statewide races be runoff free?
The Libertarian Party of Georgia is having trouble qualifying for the ballot. Without their candidates, statewide races would likely be settled on Election Day.
www.ajc.com
December 11, 2025 at 3:34 PM
For years, nail-biting runoffs have been the norm in Georgia statewide elections. But that may change in 2026.
www.ajc.com/politics/202...
Could Georgia’s 2026 statewide races be runoff free?
The Libertarian Party of Georgia is having trouble qualifying for the ballot. Without their candidates, statewide races would likely be settled on Election Day.
www.ajc.com
December 11, 2025 at 11:40 AM
“In this building, maybe it’s about the politics. But in the real world, and in Georgia, this is life or death,” Ossoff said in Washington this week. “My constituents cannot afford this. Some of my constituents cannot survive this.”
#gapol
www.ajc.com/politics/202...
The Senate vote on health subsidies sets up Georgia’s 2026 race
U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff is pushing to extend the insurance subsidies, while his Republican rivals oppose it.
www.ajc.com
December 11, 2025 at 11:05 AM
“There are 17 Georgia House districts that were more Democratic than this one last year,” Democratic chair Charlie Bailey said in an interview. “Republicans should be very worried.”

www.ajc.com/politics/202...
How Georgia Democrats pulled off a special election stunner
Democrat Eric Gisler won in a district designed to favor Republicans. Now, GOP leaders are sounding the alarm ahead of the 2026 midterms.
www.ajc.com
December 10, 2025 at 2:28 PM
In a stealth upset, Democrat Eric Gisler flips a GOP-held Georgia House seat spanning parts of Athens and Oconee County. Gisler won 39% of vote last November. He captured 51% tonight to defeat a Republican backed by Gov. Brian Kemp and other GOP leaders.
December 10, 2025 at 2:30 AM
Brad Raffensperger is challenging a Georgia law that give his GOP rival an edge in the race for governor. But rather than overturn a 2021 law that allows some to raise unlimited cash, he wants to "level up" and extend the privilege to everyone. #gapol

www.ajc.com/politics/202...
Raffensperger lawsuit seeks end to campaign contribution limits
Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger is challenging Georgia election laws he says give his Republican rival an advantage as they campaign for governor.
www.ajc.com
December 8, 2025 at 7:10 PM
The battle over whether to extend subsidies that make health insurance affordable for millions of Americans will come to a head in the U.S. Senate this week — and Sen. Jon @Ossoff is working to make it a defining issue of his reelection campaign. #gapol
www.ajc.com/politics/202...
Jon Ossoff pushes for health care subsidies as US Senate vote looms
The Atlanta Democrat is making health care a focus of his reelection campaign by pushing for an extension of insurance subsidies.
www.ajc.com
December 8, 2025 at 11:36 AM