Interview with Greg Bluestein, December 10, 2018

Collection: Two-Party Georgia Oral History Project

Dublin Core

Description

Greg Bluestein is a political reporter at the Atlanta-Journal Constitution, covering local, state, and national politics. His work can be accessed in the print version of the AJC, the Political Insider blog, and the Politically Georgia subscription site, part of the AJC.

Bluestein discusses his family, upbringing, and time at the University of Georgia. He talks about working on the Red & Black student newspapers and his internships at the Savannah Morning News, Wall Street Journal, and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He recalls his time at the Associated Press before joining the AJC as a staff writer and political reporter. Bluestein reflects on some early campaigns and elections he covered before talking about the 2016 election cycle. He assesses the impact of Donald Trump’s presidential election and the 2017 special election between Democrat Jon Ossoff and Republican Karen Handel for Georgia’s 6th congressional district. The interview turns to the 2018 midterm elections in Georgia. Bluestein discusses the Democratic primary between state Rep. Stacey Evans and Georgia House Minority Leader Stacey Abrams and the Republican gubernatorial primary featuring Lieutenant Governor Casey Cagle and Secretary of State Brian Kemp. He also talks about the primary elections for down-ballot, statewide contests. Bluestein turns to the gubernatorial general election campaign between Abrams and Kemp. He explains current electoral trends, demographic change, and the role of voter suppression and turnout. He offers some thoughts on Governor Brian Kemp’s administration, the 2019 legislative session, and the 2020 presidential election. The interview closes with Bluestein reflecting redistricting, Nick Ayers resignation as Vice President Mike Pence’s chief of staff, and Georgia political history.

Date

2018-12-10

Identifier

RBRL425TPGA-067

Coverage

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Files

Citation

Greg Bluestein and Ashton Ellett, “Interview with Greg Bluestein, December 10, 2018,” UGA Special Collections Libraries Oral Histories, accessed April 25, 2024, https://georgiaoralhistory.libs.uga.edu/RBRL425TPGA/RBRL425TPGA-067.