Political Breakfast from WABE

On this week's edition of Political Breakfast, Georgia's Republican Lt. Gov. Burt Jones wants in on the 2026 gubernatorial race.  Jones kicked-off his campaign for Georgia Governor in grand style and to the tune of 10 million dollars. Jones loaned himself the money and made a pretty bold statement in doing so. Republican strategist Brian Robinson and Democratic strategist Tharon Johnson discuss this strategic move along with host Lisa Rayam. The team also discusses how money is paramount overall. See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

Congress has narrowly approved President Donald Trump’s sweeping tax and spending bill, with most Republicans voting in favor and every Democrat opposed. Under the law, which includes $4.5 trillion in tax cuts, about 300,000 Georgians could lose health coverage, tax incentives for clean energy will be cut and states like Georgia may end up having to shoulder more of the costs associated with food stamps. On this week’s episode of “Plugged In,” hosts Sam Gringlas and Rahul Bali speak with WABE Health Reporter Jess Mador and WABE Digital Editor MeiMei Xu about how Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill” will affect Georgia now that it’s law. See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

On this week's Political Breakfast: Campaign fundraising is ramping-up.  Strategists Tharon Johnson and Brian Robinson and host Lisa Rayam tackle the latest numbers in the 2026 Georgia Governor's race.  On the Democratic side,  Former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, and state Senator Jason Esteves have surpassed the 1 million mark over roughly 2 months since both entered the race.  For the GOP: Lieutenant Governor Burt Jones has loaned himself 10 million dollars while Republican Attorney General Chris Carr has raised more than 3-point-5 million since annoucing his bid in November.  Do these numbers translate into the most competitive candidates?  Plus, low voter turnout in the Democratic runoff for the Georgia Public Service Commission race. Brian and Tharon share why YOU should care. See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

President Donald Trump just signed his so-called 'big, beautiful' massive tax and spending bill over the July 4th holiday weekend.  Democratic strategist Tharon Johnson and Republican strategist Brian Robinson and host Lisa Rayam react to the latest.  Plus, Georgia Republican U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter wrote on X on Sunday that his granddaughters are safe after attending a summer camp in Central Texas that flooded over the weekend -- but one of their cousins has died. See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

On this week’s special Independence Day encore episode of “Plugged In: A WABE Politics Podcast,” politics reporter Sam Gringlas takes listeners on a summer road trip to a pair of towns that helped shape former presidents Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Georgia’s own Jimmy Carter. See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.