This week on State of Independence, Joe Watkins interviews Don Balfour. From 1992 to 2014, he was the longest-serving Republican member of the Georgia State Senate—and one of the state’s leading insiders. Many expected him to go to Congress. But in a split second, this husband, father, and respected Christian businessman found himself in a freefall with accusations that he’d misused his position by improperly using and reporting tax dollars. The state’s Republican governor suspended him from his leadership roles, and his life became front-page news in Atlanta until his eventual acquittal of all charges. How did he survive the pressure and how did it change him? (original airdate 10-14-22)