Longtime political columnist Jim Galloway, who founded the enormously successful Political Insider blog and column, announced Tuesday that he will retire Jan. 15, after 41 years at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Galloway made his announcement at the end of a virtual “Community Conversation" event featuring members of the AJC’s political team discussing the results of the November election, the impact of changes in the state’s suburban areas, and the outlook for Georgia’s two nationally watched U.S. Senate races. Galloway delayed his retirement in order to stay through the Jan. 5 runoffs.
“I’ve lived in metro Atlanta pretty much all my life. I’ve never wanted to work anywhere else but on my hometown newspaper, and I grabbed the first opportunity I could on May 21, 1979. It’s been an honor to have had such an important front-row seat, to bear witness to all the change that has come to Georgia, the rest of the South, and the farthest corners of the world over the last five decades,” he said.
Galloway thanked his wife, Judy, and longtime readers “who have been so essential to me. I’ve had email and telephone relationships with many of you that stretch back decades, and that has been incredibly rewarding.”
And he expressed confidence in his AJC colleagues. “Politics isn’t going to get easier in this country. It’s going to get harder, and louder, yet the people I’m leaving behind have already proven they can handle what lies ahead.”
AJC Editor Kevin Riley said Galloway has been an asset to the paper and the state. “Jim’s contributions to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, metro Atlanta and Georgia are too large to even measure. We’re all well-informed voters because of him. We will miss him.”
Galloway emphasized that he will continue to write about politics in the coming weeks. “I’ll be back writing the Jolt tomorrow morning, and hope you’ll be reading it.”
Watch the entire event, including Galloway’s announcement, on the AJC’s YouTube channel or the AJC’s Facebook page.
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