Voters casting their ballot.

Credit: By Grant Blankenship, GPB News

The panelists:

Margaret Coker — Editor in chief, The Current

Tamar Hallerman — Senior reporter, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Tia Mitchell — Washington reporter, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

 

The breakdown:

1. Early voting is underway in Georgia, and the primary election is just a week away. 

  • The state overall has seen record voting turnout, but Coastal Georgia's numbers lag. 
  • National Republican leaders are traveling to the state to campaign for Gov. Brian Kemp and former U.S. Sen. David Perdue. 

 

2. Tensions continue to rise around the right to abortion. 

  • The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reporter Tia Mitchell said access to abortion is an economic issue for many women.
  • Both Democrats and Republicans have used the leaked Supreme Court Roe v. Wade majority opinion as a rallying cry to voters. 

 

3. The nation and Georgia react to the deadly mass shooting in Buffalo, N.Y.

  • A white supremacist killed eight Black people in a Buffalo supermarket. Officials have said that the act of violence was racially motivated. 
  • The shooter was motivated by far-right online conspiracy theories, including the "replacement theory."
  • The "replacement theory," a right-wing conspiracy theory that says white people in the United States will be replaced by people of color, has gained traction in Republican media. 
  • A domestic terrorism bill is making its way through the U.S. House of Representatives, according to Mitchell. 
  • Kemp offered condolences to victims and their families.

 

4. A Liberty County sheriff opened a probe into a drug search of a bus carrying HBCU athletes. 

  • The bus of women's lacrosse players from Delaware State University was stopped in Liberty County, Ga., for allegedly illegally using the left lane. Officers searched the bus and the players' bags for drugs. They found none. 
  • Now, the players are accusing the officers of racial profiling.

  • Tia Mitchell shared her experiences with racial profiling as a Black woman.

Tomorrow on Political Rewind: 

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution's Greg Bluestein is set to join the panel.

Tags: Georgia Politics  Georgia  Politics  Political Rewind  Atlanta  Savannah  Macon  Lawmakers  Brian Kemp  David Perdue