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Democrats face an uncertain future after losing Georgia governor’s race again : NPR


Georgia Democratic gubernatorial candidate Stacy Abrams lost this year’s election by a larger margin than four years ago, leading to questions about the future of the party in the state.

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Georgia Democratic gubernatorial candidate Stacy Abrams lost this year’s election by a larger margin than four years ago, leading to questions about the future of the party in the state.

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ATlanTA – For many Democrats, Georgia has become a symbol of the future of the party. But after one of its brightest stars, Stacey Abrams, lost his second run for governor last week by about seven points, Democrats are starting to dissect what. happened in the election.

The question is not only pressing for future Democratic campaigns in one of the country’s latest wavering states, but important right now. Senator Raphael Warnock, the only Democrat in the state to still stand on Election Night, still has to win the December 6 race against Herschel Walker of the Republican Party.

“Could it be [Abrams’ campaign] Tammy Greer, professor of political science at Clark Atlanta University, asks: “Is it too short-sighted to say let’s run the same book from four years ago and that will work?”.

Unlike in 2018, the White House is now occupied by a Democrat, President Joe Biden, whose approval ratings have fallen in Georgia, in part due to inflation. During the campaign, Governor Brian Kemp repeatedly emphasized how to handle the state’s economy, from reopening businesses and schools early during the pandemic to halting the state gas tax during the pandemic. price increases.

Democratic strategist Tharon Johnson said: “Governor Kemp is an incumbent that will be hard to beat. “He ran a very disciplined campaign. His message was really short. I can repeat because he kept saying it.”

That economic-focused message may have helped Kemp win some Republican and independent voters, who also voted Democratic for the Senate. Warnock has been making specific appeals to voters who split their votes in the ballot, spurred on by some voters. uncomfortable with Walker.

But Democratic demographer and strategist Fred Hicks says Georgia’s overall turnout is also down from 2018.

“It’s not like you’ve seen a ton of Democrats in [Atlanta] the metro area went out and voted for Brian Kemp, but they didn’t go out and vote,” he said.

Specifically, Georgia’s percentage of Black and Hispanic voters reduce from the last midterm elections, while white and Asian American voter turnout improved. That’s according to an analysis of state voter history by Bernard Fraga, a political science professor at Emory University. Historically, Black voters in particular have formed a core part of the Democratic coalition in Georgia.

It’s too early to know exactly why turnout is lagging.

Some Democratic activists complain that Abrams’ message has been mixed up, that voters have been rejected by her national record, or that ticket heads have not deployed sources. their power effectively. Abrams campaign and her leadership committee raised better funds 100 million USD for her bid.

But Greer believes Democrats did not reach voters directly enough in this election, such as calling and knocking. That could affect the second round of the Senate election, when candidates have to get voters back to the polls in a very short time.

Warnock’s campaign is hiring 300 more salaried employees and says it will knock on more homes in the final four weeks than during the entire general election campaign. Meanwhile, the Republican-aligned Senate Leadership Foundation signed an agreement to deploy Kemp’s turnout to vote for Walker.

Greer said Democrats, who in recent cycles have won significant status in Georgia by attracting new and infrequent voters, argue that the population is growing and diverse. of Georgia will help give them more than they already do.

“There is utter arrogance towards demographic change,” she said. “Great arrogance.”

In 2018, Abrams scored 1.4 margin became the country’s first black female governor. Last cycle, Georgia elected a Democrat president for the first time since 1992 and sent two Democratic senators to Washington, handing control of the House of Representatives to the party. But when Abrams ran for re-election four years later, she lost by an even greater margin. margin – about 7.5%.

Abrams told her supporters on Election Night: “We may not have finished, but we ran that race.

Jen Jordan’s unsuccessful attorney general campaign has the narrowest margin of any Democrat besides Warnock. Her team shut down campaign headquarters, packed up signs and packed supplies into neatly labeled boxes.

Like Abrams, Jordan spoke about abortion rights during the campaign. But Jordan made it the focus of his campaign. Kemp signed legislation restricting abortion in 2019 banning most abortions after about six weeks. Jordan’s Republican opponent, incumbent Attorney General Chris Carr, has struggled to uphold the law in court.

Jordan says that focused message moved the needle — just not enough to counter the other dynamics at play.

“I don’t think the really negative impact of this legislation has surfaced,” she said. “I think there’s some kind of disconnection, right?”

Nationwide, voters rejected GOP candidates endorsed by former President Donald Trump and accepted his false claims about election fraud. In Georgia, Democrats have difficulty viewing their opponents as democratic extremists. Kemp and Georgia Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger are known for turning down Trump’s request to help overturn the 2020 election results in Georgia.

“While in other states Republicans are very involved in all that is going on and are loud and proud of their relationship with Trump, it’s actually the opposite,” Jordan said. is happening here.

As Democrats rallied, some also wondered what the losses meant for the party’s bench. Abrams was once considered a top talent, but now she’s gone missing twice statewide. Operation Abrams did not respond to a request for comment.

Lis Smith, a Democratic agent and top staffer on Pete Buttigieg’s unsuccessful presidential campaign, says Democratic power-building can take many forms, like Abrams’ decades-long project to make Georgia competitive.

“There are many different ways that these talented people, like Stacey Abrams, Tim Ryan of Ohio, Beto O’Rourke of Texas, can channel their energies and we need to stop acting like holding positions of office. Elected people are the only thing that matters in politics,” Smith said.

But before looking too far ahead, Democrats and Republicans alike say they are focused on the task at hand – next month’s second round of Senate elections.

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