Political Rewind: A discussion of the growing gap between 'Two Georgias' — one urban, one rural

Credit: Sam Bermas-Dawes, GPB News

The Panelists:

Rep. Debbie Buckner — State representative, District 137

Ricky Dollison — Fourth generation farmer, owner and operator of Warrior Creek Premium Meats

Charlie Hayslett —Hayslett Group CEO and journalist, Trouble in God’s Country

Kevin Riley — Editor, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

The Breakdown:

1. Statistics from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis highlight economic troubles for rural Georgia.

• Journalist Charlie Hayslett broke down the data in a recent article for his website, Trouble in God's Country.
• Compared to most states, Georgia has a higher percentage of residents living in counties with low per capita income.
• Among all U.S. counties, Georgia has 10 counties in the lowest 30 of average income per person. That's more than any other state.

2. Where does the gap in educational attainment fit into this?

• Rep. Debbie Buckner, a state lawmaker representing Georgia's House District 137, said a college degree no longer paves the way to a good job in rural counties.

3. Efforts to expand broadband access could have far-reaching benefits.

• Expanding broadband access in rural communities has bipartisan support among lawmakers.

Tomorrow on Political Rewind: Former Sen. David Perdue is giving interviews following his announcement he is running for governor in 2022.