Georgia mourns influential conservative host
Influential Georgia Conservative Radio Host Martha Zoller Dies at 67 After Illness
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Key Points
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She had planned to step away from her daily WDUN radio program on June 26 due to ongoing health complications.
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TALKERS publisher Michael Harrison said she had recently suffered a cardiac episode and withdrew from speaking at the TALKERS conference.
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In 2021, she earned a master's degree in political science from the University of Georgia, with a thesis on women's electoral success within the Republican Party.
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Her GOP roles included serving as a senior staffer for U.S. Senator David Perdue and chairing the Georgia United Victory political action committee.
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She hosted WDUN's midday show The Martha Zoller Show since 2019.
Martha Zoller, a longtime conservative radio host and political force in Georgia, died on June 22, 2026, at Northeast Georgia Medical Center in Gainesville. She was 67 — and just five days away from retirement. AJC reported she had planned to step away from her daily show on June 26 after a stress-related heart attack earlier in the year.
Georgia House Speaker Jon Burns announced her death on the House floor during a special legislative session, calling her "a friend to all Georgians." Tributes came from across party lines, with both Republican Governor Brian Kemp and Democratic U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff honoring her legacy in the media and in public life. Capitol Beat covered the outpouring of reaction from state officials.
A Career Built from a Single Phone Call in 1994
Zoller's path to radio was unconventional. She had been a corporate buyer at Rich's department store and then a stay-at-home mother when, in 1994, she called WDUN-AM 550 in Gainesville to react to Hillary Clinton's "baking cookies" remark. The station invited her to co-host. She never left. Rough Draft Atlanta reported she spent more than three decades as one of North Georgia's most recognizable voices.
She hosted The Martha Zoller Show on 102.9/550 WDUN since 2019. Her show became a required stop for Georgia GOP candidates. Appearing on her program was widely seen as a prerequisite for any Republican running for office in the state. In March 2023, TALKERS magazine named her its Woman of the Year. TALKERS publisher Michael Harrison called her an "impeccably reliable observer" of Georgia politics.
A Stress-Induced Heart Attack Ended a 32-Year Run
In March 2026, Zoller suffered what she later described on her blog as "Takotsubo Syndrome" — also called "Broken Heart Syndrome." It is a stress-induced form of heart failure. She wrote openly about it to warn other women. By June 15, she announced she would retire from her daily show, with June 26 set as her final broadcast. AJC reported the decision was driven by ongoing heart-related health complications.
TALKERS publisher Michael Harrison said she had recently suffered a new cardiac episode and pulled out of a planned speaking appearance at the TALKERS conference. He said the industry believed she was "on the mend." Her death on the morning of June 22 came as a shock. Former State Senator Butch Miller is set to take over her time slot starting June 29, AJC reported.
From Senate Staffer to State Board Member to Academic
Zoller's influence stretched well beyond the radio booth. She served as a senior staffer for U.S. Senator David Perdue from 2014 to 2018. She then worked as Governor Kemp's state director of field offices in 2019 before returning to WDUN. In 2020, Kemp appointed her to the Georgia State Board of Education. She also chaired the Georgia United Victory political action committee, a key GOP fundraising tool.
In 2021, at age 61, she earned a master's degree in political science from the University of Georgia. Her thesis examined why Republican women struggled to win elections at the same rate as their male counterparts — a barrier she herself hit in 2012, when she lost the GOP runoff for Georgia's 9th Congressional District to Doug Collins by roughly 55% to 45%, Rough Draft Atlanta reported.
Bipartisan Tributes Reflect a Legacy Beyond Partisan Lines
Governor Kemp said Zoller "dedicated years of service to the people of our state" and praised her for "providing insight into the conservative political landscape." Senator Jon Ossoff, a Democrat, called her "a respected stalwart of Georgia's civic community, an accomplished broadcaster, and a formidable activist." The cross-party praise was notable for someone closely tied to GOP strategy for more than two decades.
AJC columnist Patricia Murphy, who called Zoller her friend and mentor, said: "I have no words for how shocking and terrible it is." Zoller appeared nationally on CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, NBC's Today, and ABC's World News Tonight. She is survived by four children and six grandchildren. Now Georgia reported that funeral arrangements are being handled by Memorial Park Funeral Home Riverside Chapel in Gainesville.
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