Flipped: How Georgia Turned Purple and Broke the Monopoly on Republican Power

The untold story of the unlikely heroes, the cutthroat politics, and the cultural forces that turned a Deep South state purple--by a top reporter at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Flipped is the definitive account of how the election of Reverend Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff transformed Georgia from one of the staunchest Republican strongholds to the nation's most watched battleground state--and ground zero for the disinformation wars certain to plague statewide and national elections in the future. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reporter Greg Bluestein charts how progressive activists and organizers worked to mobilize hundreds of thousands of new voters and how Joe Biden's victory in Georgia may shape Democratic strategy for years to come. He also chronicles how Georgia's Republicans countered with a move to the far right that culminated in state leaders defying Donald Trump's demands to overturn his defeat.

Bluestein tells the story of all the key figures in this election, including Stacey Abrams, Brian Kemp, David Perdue, Jon Ossoff, Raphael Warnock, and Kelly Loeffler, through hundreds of interviews with the people closest to the election. Flipped also features such fascinating characters as political activist turned U.S. congresswoman Nikema Williams; perma-tanned baseball star turned lieutenant governor Geoff Duncan; and the volunteers and voters who laid the groundwork for Biden's triumphant Georgia campaign.

Flipped tells a story that will resonate through the rest of the decade and beyond, as most political experts see Georgia headed toward years of close elections, and Democrats have developed a deep bench of strong candidates to challenge a still deeply entrenched GOP. Interest in the state only figures to increase if and when Stacey Abrams mounts a rematch against Governor Brian Kemp in the fall of 2022 and Trump promotes his own slate of candidates against Republicans who stood against his efforts to overturn Georgia's election.

Author: Greg Bluestein
Publisher: Viking
Published: 03/22/2022
Pages: 352
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.20lbs
Size: 9.10h x 6.40w x 1.30d
ISBN: 9780593489154


Review Citation(s):
Library Journal Prepub Alert 09/01/2021 pg. 15
Publishers Weekly 01/17/2022
Kirkus Reviews 02/01/2022

About the Author
Greg Bluestein is a political reporter who covers the governor's office and state politics for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He joined the newspaper in June 2012 after spending seven years with the Atlanta bureau of the Associated Press, where he covered a range of beats that included politics and legal affairs. He also contributes to the AJC's Political Insider blog. He's a graduate of the University of Georgia with degrees in journalism and political science, and lives with his wife and two daughters in Atlanta.