{"669680":{"#nid":"669680","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Lecture Series Highlights Georgia\u2019s Role as 2024 Battleground State ","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia and its 16 electoral votes will be highly sought-after in the 2024 presidential election. This will put Georgia at the forefront of the national conversation as the campaign cycle ramps up, cementing its status as a battleground state.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EHelping to examine the state\u2019s place in the national landscape, the Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts hosted the \u003Cem\u003EAtlanta Journal-Constitution\u003C\/em\u003E\u0027s Greg Bluestein at the Bill Moore Student Success Center on Sept. 14 as part of the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/spp.gatech.edu\/lecture-series#:~:text=The%20Meg%20%26%20Sam%20Flax%20Lecture,urgent%20importance%20in%20public%20policy.\u0022\u003EMeg and Sam Flax Lecture Series on Public Policy\u003C\/a\u003E. Bluestein has covered Georgia politics for more than 20 years and has documented the state\u0027s shift from Republican stronghold to its current battleground status. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EHe believes Georgia could be the center of attention for years to come. Starting with the 2024 election cycle, he urged everyone, especially students, to take advantage of this unique learning opportunity.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0022Georgia is going to remain the center of the white-hot national spotlight for the next decade,\u201d he said. \u201cStudents here at Georgia Tech who are studying public policy or whatever it may be can see how what they\u0027re doing is implemented on a national scale.\u0022\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Ch3\u003EWhy Georgia?\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/h3\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EBluestein explained how independent voters and those continuing a \u0022split-ticket\u0022 trend across the state have decided recent elections, primarily the 2020 presidential election, a race that helped decide control of the U.S. Senate, and the most recent gubernatorial race. With this trend likely to continue, Bluestein, who wrote a book chronicling the events surrounding the 2020 election in Georgia, told the audience how that has affected candidates\u0027 view of the state heading into the future.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0022Every Republican and most Democrats say there is really no path to victory for any Republican candidate without winning Georgia. So, whether you like it or not, we\u0027re about to be the center of national attention, even more than we already are, which is hard to believe.\u0022\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAddressing the students in the audience, he went on, \u0022That\u0027s the beauty of where you are. You\u0027ll have a chance in the coming months and years to work for candidates, campaigns, and causes. Be directly involved if you want. Cover them for the media. But also go to their rallies and events \u2013\u2013 candidates you like and candidates you don\u0027t like. You\u0027ll be on the ground level to be able to see these candidates up close and personal.\u0022\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Ch3\u003EPolitics on Campus\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/h3\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ELike any campus around the country, Georgia Tech\u0027s student body is made up of Republicans, Democrats, independent voters, and those who stay out of the political fray. While politics can involve disagreement, the Institute has received recent praise for its efforts to \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/news.gatech.edu\/news\/2023\/09\/14\/georgia-tech-moves-free-speech-ranking\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003Eprotect freedom of expression for all on campus\u003C\/a\u003E.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAssociate Professor \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/iac.gatech.edu\/people\/person\/richard-barke\u0022\u003ERichard Barke\u003C\/a\u003E believes the Institute\u2019s policies and efforts in this regard empower students to seek out differing viewpoints and to learn from one another.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u201cAny institution of higher learning has an obligation, both legal and intellectual, to encourage diverse political views to be held, discussed, and respected. It also must do something that no other institution can do: challenge students to test ideas, whether their own or those of others. At Georgia Tech we take these duties seriously,\u201d he said. \u201cOur students learn how political processes work, not which political values are superior or which outcomes should be dictated by individual preferences. They can, and do, use this knowledge to analyze and promote policies across the political spectrum.\u201d \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ESecond-year public policy student Luis Salazar attended Thursday\u0027s seminar and sees events such as this as a way to engage with his fellow Yellow Jackets about real-world issues.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0022This is a place to come together, and the Institute\u0027s reputation makes it the perfect place for professionals and experts to interact with students who want to be involved in the political process. I appreciate how Tech facilitates these debates and conversations,\u0022 he said.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ECountless questions remain unanswered for both parties ahead of 2024, but Bluestein emphasized that, as candidates vie for the approval of young voters, students will have the power to make their voices heard.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0022You\u0027ll be in the middle of it here at Georgia Tech. Smart candidates will come to college campuses to try to attract young voters, not just to vote but to work on their campaigns. Students and faculty here will have a chance to ask questions that other folks might not be asking about, whether it be about higher education funding, student policies, student debt relief, or any other issues that are top of mind,\u201d he said.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe first true litmus test for the state in the upcoming election will take place on March 12 during Georgia\u0027s primary elections.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"The Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts recently hosted a discussion examining Georgia\u2019s rise to becoming one of the most intriguing political battlegrounds for 2024 and beyond.  "}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThe Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts recently hosted a discussion examining Georgia\u2019s rise to becoming one of the most intriguing political battlegrounds for 2024 and beyond. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"The Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts recently hosted a discussion examining Georgia\u2019s rise to becoming one of the most intriguing political battlegrounds for 2024 and beyond.  "}],"uid":"36418","created_gmt":"2023-09-15 01:14:11","changed_gmt":"2023-09-18 12:07:43","author":"sgagliano3","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2023-09-18T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2023-09-18T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"671711":{"id":"671711","type":"image","title":"The Atlanta Journal-Constitution\u0027s Greg Bluestein speaks at the Bill Moore Student Success Center. ","body":"\u003Cp\u003EThe Atlanta Journal-Constitution\u0027s Greg Bluestein speaks during Thursday\u0027s seminar at the Bill Moore Student Success Center.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","created":"1694742400","gmt_created":"2023-09-15 01:46:40","changed":"1694742400","gmt_changed":"2023-09-15 01:46:40","alt":"The Atlanta Journal-Constitution\u0027s Greg Bluestein speaks at the Bill Moore Student Success Center. ","file":{"fid":"254817","name":"IMG_7115.JPG","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2023\/09\/14\/IMG_7115.JPG","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2023\/09\/14\/IMG_7115.JPG","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":9709599,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2023\/09\/14\/IMG_7115.JPG?itok=xGQl9FkW"}}},"media_ids":["671711"],"related_links":[{"url":"https:\/\/www.usg.edu\/policymanual\/assets\/policymanual\/documents\/BOR_Policy_Letter_-_Oct_2022.pdf","title":"USG Political Activity Policy"}],"groups":[{"id":"1214","name":"News Room"}],"categories":[{"id":"129","name":"Institute and Campus"},{"id":"132","name":"Institute Leadership"},{"id":"151","name":"Policy, Social Sciences, and Liberal Arts"}],"keywords":[{"id":"6927","name":"presidential election"},{"id":"6298","name":"free speech"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[{"id":"71871","name":"Campus and Community"}],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:steven.gagliano@gatech.edu\u0022\u003ESteven Gagliano\u003C\/a\u003E - Communications Officer\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EInstitute Communications\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["steven.gagliano@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}