Leroy Johnson served in the Georgia State Senate from 1963 to 1975. He was 91.

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Leroy Johnson served in the Georgia State Senate from 1963 to 1975. He was 91. / The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

On this edition of Political Rewind, a giant of Georgia politics passed away yesterday. Leroy Johnson was Georgia’s first black state senator since Reconstruction and in 1963 he took the lead in desegregating facilities at the state Capitol. Our panel looks at his legacy.

The Democratic presidential debate in Georgia is coming into sharper focus after a panel of moderators was chosen. And now a ninth candidate, Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar, has qualified for a spot on the stage. Will her presence expand the moderate message some Democrats see as crucial to winning the White House?

Plus, a new applicant for Johnny Isakson’s senate seat says he would run on a platform of radically transforming student loan debt.

 

Panelist: 

Sam Olens — Former Georgia Attorney General

Mary Margaret Oliver — Democratic State Rep. (D-Decatur)

Amy Steigerwalt — Political Science Professor, Georgia State University

Jim Galloway — Lead Political Writer, Atlanta Journal-Constitution