Interview with Max Blau, January 10, 2019

Collection: Two-Party Georgia Oral History Project

Dublin Core

Description

Max Blau was born in Evanston, Illinois, and grew up on Chicago’s North Side. He is a graduate of Loyola Academy (Wilmette, Illinois), Emory University, and the University of Georgia’s Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication. Blau began his journalism career as a staff writer for STAT, CNN, Atlanta Magazine, and Creative Loafing Atlanta. As a freelance journalist, Blau’s work has appeared in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Atlanta, the Bitter Southerner, the Atavist, the Atlantic, New York Times, Washington Post, the Guardian, and others. An investigative reporter with Georgia Health News, Blau is part of ProPublica’s local reporting network. He resides in Atlanta.

Blau talks about his family and growing up in Illinois before turning to his education at Emory University in Atlanta. He explains his growing interest in journalism and his early work at CNN and other outlets as well as his foray into freelance journalism. Blau reflects on his experiences covering politics in Georgia, including the 2016 election. Blau recalls covering the high-profile 2017 special election between Democrat Jon Ossoff and Republican Karen Handel for Georgia’s 6th congressional district. He reviews the 2018 midterm elections in Georgia, especially the Democratic and Republican gubernatorial primaries as well as the general election between Democrat Stacey Abrams and Republican Brian Kemp. Blau gives his thoughts on how demographic change, especially in Metro Atlanta suburbs, may impact Georgia politics in the years ahead. The interview closes with Blau’s predictions regarding Governor Brian Kemp’s policy priorities, the 2019 legislative session, and the 2020 presidential election.

Date

2019-01-10

Identifier

RBRL425TPGA-074

Coverage

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Files

Citation

Max Blau and Ashton Ellett, “Interview with Max Blau, January 10, 2019,” UGA Special Collections Libraries Oral Histories, accessed March 29, 2024, https://russelllibraryoralhistory.org/RBRL425TPGA/RBRL425TPGA-074.