James_Jan-Feb_2026_web - Flipbook - Page 68
Newt Gingrich, the two set the
stage for a stunning shift in Georgia’s political landscape
Rogers, though, was known for
his loyalty, and he stuck with Talmadge until the end. But over ensuing years Mattingly sought Rogers’
counsel and advice. Soon he would
be advising Republican Mattingly
while also providing counsel to
great Democratic leaders like Govs.
Joe Frank Harris and Zell Miller.
Furthermore, and most ironically, Mattingly and Talmadge became
good friends through Rogers’ magic
before Talmadge’s death.
But Rogers realized that the
Georgia Democratic Party of the
past was becoming a far more
liberal party in state where centrist
conservatism had been the Democrats’ secret sauce.
That secret sauce finally ended
in 2002 when Sonny Perdue was
elected Georgia’s first Republican
governor. That was the moment
68
JAMES JANUA RY /F E B RUA RY 2 02 6
that triggered a rapid move towards GOP dominance, one which
may be in decline these days.
No one embodied Rogers’
view of where Georgia politics
and policy should be in the 1990s
and early 2000s more than the late
Johnny Isakson. Rogers was an
Isakson intimate and they shared
a sense of gentle conservatism
delivered with dignity. Like Mattingly, Isakson was the real deal.
Nothing phony or contrived. Like
the late Sen. Paul Coverdell, who
passed away far too young and
was just reaching a position of
great national importance among
conservatives, Isakson became the
voice of reasonable Republicans in
Georgia and the U.S. Senate.
Whether advising the brilliant
Gov. Zell Miller (later a U.S. senator
as well) or the judicious and gifted
Gov. Nathan Deal, Rogers was
always a trusted source of advice
and leadership. From the University
System Board of Regents to his
service as a trustee to the Richard
Russell Foundation— which
preserves Georgia political history
at the University of Georgia-Rogers held more positions of
power and influence than most
could imagine.
But he will best be known as
someone who took young upstarts
like me seriously enough to give
us a voice, a chance and his gentle
advice. I used to talk to Isakson
frequently. Years after I had moved
to Florida and after Parkinsons
had cruelly forced him to leave the
Senate and confined him to his
new home at the start of a pandemic, we still talked. I keep his
last voicemail on my phone to this
very day.
I regret that I don’t have one
saved from Rogers. But I will never
forget the sound of his calm and
steady voice. It will be missed.
And . . . Go Dawgs!
