This episode is brought to you by the Savannah Economic Development Authority

From the farm and baseball field in Twin City to the medical field in Savannah, Sen. Ben Watson has done a lot prior to jumping into the political field. As he settles into the 2020 Georgia General Assembly session, Sen. Watson is now leading the charge on a number of legislative committees and becoming a head voice among the Senate. On this episode of Difference Makers, he talks about his upbringing in Twin City, his move to Savannah to pursue his medical practice, what he expects for this year's legislative session and some larger political thoughts on the upcoming election cycle.

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(10:49): Future of Georgia medicine

• Commute: Dr. Brooks Keel discusses how the Medical College of Georgia plans to help rural towns (SMN, Sept. 11, 2019)

(14:14): Moving into a career in politics

(17:58): Challenges with the first campaign and acclimating to political life

(21:12): Life working in the Georgia Capitol

(26:48): Look ahead to 2020 session

• Teacher raises
• 2020 state budget
• Medicaid waivers

(40:03): Voting machine change in Georgia

• Here's how Georgia's new voting machines work (SMN, Dec. 11, 2019)
• Editorial: Voting system demo buoys confidence (SMN, Jan. 9, 2020)

(42:47): Thoughts on partisan riff in US politics and whether that could affect state elections in 2020

(52:06): Gambling

• Legalized gambling still work in progress for General Assembly (SMN, Dec. 21, 2019)

Make sure to follow The Commute podcast for daily news briefs from Adam.