Democrats look to defy political headwinds in Georgia
by Max Greenwood - 05/22/22 5:52 PM ET
Democrats are bracing for an uphill battle in Georgia where crucial top-of-the-ticket races are slated to test the resiliency of the coalition and organizing efforts that powered Democratic victories in the state less than two years ago.
With Stacey Abrams running unchallenged for the Democratic nomination for governor and Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.) facing only nominal opposition in Tuesday’s primary, the party is already turning its focus to the November general elections.
But unlike in recent years, when Democrats made steep gains powered by aggressive voter mobilization efforts and opposition to former President Donald Trump, they’re facing a much bleaker political environment in 2022, one that threatens to undercut the party’s hopes of strengthening its foothold in Georgia.
“I think the thing that’s really unfortunate, but that we’re still going to have to live with, is that everything is nationalized right now,” one Democratic strategist said. “Democrats have done a really good job putting in the work in Georgia and it’s paid off and it can pay off again. But I think we also need to be realistic about what we’re up against.”
Abrams, a former state Senate minority leader who was once considered a possible running mate for President Biden, came within 55,000 votes of defeating Gov. Brian Kemp in 2018, while Warnock successfully ousted former Sen. Kelly Loeffler (R-Ga.) in one of two runoff elections in Georgia last year that helped Democrats recapture the Senate majority.
Warnock’s win, as well as that of Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.), who defeated former Sen. David Perdue (R-Ga.) in a simultaneous runoff election, came on the heels of Biden’s win in the 2020 presidential election in Georgia.
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https://thehill.com/news/campaign/3496102-democrats-look-to-defy-political-headwinds-in-georgia/
