Bryan Long
| Bryan Long | |
 | |
| Basic facts | |
| Organization: | Better Georgia |
| Role: | Founder and executive director |
| Location: | Athens, Ga. |
| Affiliation: | Democratic |
| Education: | University of Alabama |
| Website: | Official website |
Bryan Long is the founder and executive director of Better Georgia, a 501(c)(4) nonprofit organization that aims to be "the voice for those who’ve been left out, overlooked and pushed to the side by the politicians in Atlanta."[1]
Career
Bryan Long began his career as a journalist with CNN and the Atlanta Journal Constitution. He then went into the communications sector with the PR firm Jackson Spalding.[2] Long started Better Georgia in 2011 as a way to change the direction of Georgia politics and change the perception that "the state belongs to lobbyists, big pocket corporations and partisan extremists."[3] In a 2013 interview, Long explained the approach that Better Georgia takes to influencing policy in the state:[4]
| “ | Georgia has many successful non-profits that serve as watchdogs for a variety of issues. But these groups also lobby the General Assembly. When you’re asking the Republican-controlled legislature to make changes within bills, you must shake their hands, smile and ask for favors. We’re the only group that doesn’t politely ask lawmakers to make any of their bills better. We’re simply asking voters to pay more attention. Because of this, we’re able to show the flaws of elected officials in a way no other group can.[5] | ” |
As the executive director of Better Georgia, Long has been a public critic of many pieces of proposed conservative legislation in the state. In 2015, he was an outspoken critic of the "religious freedom" bill proposed by two state lawmakers. Long appeared in a high profile debate on the issue with Mike Griffin of the Georgia Baptist Convention.[6] Long is also an outspoken critic of Gov. Nathan Deal (R), including a 2014 piece in Salon that looked into the financial history of Deal and his daughter's company.[7]
Top influencers by state
- See also: Top influencers by state
Influencers in American politics are power players who help get candidates elected, put through policy proposals, cause ideological changes, and affect popular perceptions. They can take on many forms: politicians, lobbyists, advisors, donors, corporations, industry groups, labor unions, single-issue organizations, nonprofits, to name a few.
In 2015, Ballotpedia identified Bryan Long as a top influencer by state. We identified top influencers across the country through several means, including the following:
- Local knowledge of our professional staff
- Surveys of activists, thought leaders and journalists from across the country and political spectrum
- Outreach to political journalists in each state who helped refine our lists
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms 'Bryan Long' Georgia. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Better Georgia, "Home," accessed November 18, 2015
- ↑ Better Georgia, "Our staff," accessed November 18, 2015
- ↑ Bryan Long, "Home," accessed November 18, 2015
- ↑ Project Q Atlanta, "Meet gay Atlanta man conservatives love to hate," March 1, 2013
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ The Georgia Voice, "Gay Atlanta progressive leader debates Baptist leader on ‘religious freedom’ bill," January 30, 2015
- ↑ Salon, "Georgia governor’s corruption shocker: Right-winger’s shady get-rich scheme could be wildest GOP scandal," October 29, 2014
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