Political Rewind: Commemorating Juneteenth; Runoff elections loom, Walker's campaign scandals

The panel: 

Andra Gillespie, Associate Professor of Political Science & Director of the James Weldon Johnson Institute for the Study of Race and Difference at Emory University

Patricia Murphy, political reporter and columnist, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Rick Dent, Vice President Matrix Communications

The breakdown:

1. The nation commemorates Juneteeth for the first time. 

• President Biden signed into law the "Juneteenth National Independence Day" in 2021. 
  • The move came after the summer of protest following the death of George Floyd. 
• The Georgia legislature also made Juneteenth a state holiday. 
• Last Friday, the Political Rewind team highlighted the promises of Juneteenth in a special episode. 

2. Stacey Abrams throws her weight behind down-ballot races.

• Abrams has endorsed three candidates. 
  • The high-profile Democrat is supporting attorney Charlie Bailey for lieutenant governor, state Rep. William Boddie for labor commissioner, and state Rep. Bee Nguyen for secretary of state.

3. The test of Trump's endorsements in the U.S. House Republican runoffs.

• In the 10th District, Trump-backed Vernon Jones faces off against Mike Collins.
  • Mailers in that district have implied Jones has an "alternative lifestyle" as he was never married. They have also called him an anti-white racist.
• In the 6th District, physician Rich McCormick faces Trump-backed Jake Evans.
• And in the 2nd District primary, Jeremy Hunt and Chris West vie to unseat incumbent Sanford Bishop. 
  • West and Wayne Johnson, a candidate who lost in May, allege that Fox favored Hunt to win him the nomination.

4. Walker campaign stays above water despite scandals. 

• Herschel Walker's campaign has survived several scandals including paternity suits and allegations of domestic violence.
  • Walker has also lied about working in law enforcement. 

5. A special congratulations to GPB's Emmy winners.

• Over the weekend GPB staff won several Emmy awards from the Southeast chapter.
• You can catch Donna Lowry the host of Lawmakers on Thursday's show. 

Tuesday on Political Rewind: The AJC's Tamar Hallerman joins us to talk about the runoff elections. Find your polling place here.