Bee Nguyen. Photo: John Ramspott/CC BY 2.0
Georgia is a big prize for either political party, both this year and in 2024. The state will be prime territory for accusations of voter fraud or election rigging, as well as policies to put up barriers for voters. Georgia could decide the 2024 presidential election — and who oversees that election will be determined by who wins key statewide offices this year. The high-profile Senate race between incumbent Democrat Raphael Warnock and Republican challenger Herschel Walker is equally important on the federal level, possibly deciding which party controls Congress’s upper chamber for the rest of President Joe Biden’s first term.
Unfortunately, despite hopes for a Democratic sea change in Georgia, progress has appeared to stall out a bit in this unfavorable midterm cycle. While Warnock has a good chance of prevailing, Stacey Abrams is struggling in her gubernatorial bid. Still, Georgia remains a critical swing state that deserves the attention of Democratic donors. We have two recommendations for where small donors should give going into the final weeks of the midterms:
- Movement Voter Project’s Georgia Fund
- Bee Nguyen, Secretary of State
You can give to the MVP’s Georgia Fund here and donate to Nguyen’s campaign here. Below, we run through the electoral landscape in Georgia and explain our recommendations, as well as why we are not recommending certain candidates. For a deeper analysis, see Blue Tent’s brief from earlier this year, “Building Progressive Power and Winning Elections in Georgia: Options for Donors.”
Organizing and GOTV
With the election less than a month away, donors should prioritize efforts to get Democratic voters to the polls, whether that be through traditional canvassing, phone banking or digital strategies.
We highly recommend the Movement Voter Project’s Georgia Fund. As an intermediary, MVP primarily focuses on getting money to effective grassroots organizations. Many of the groups that MVP supports in Georgia were crucial in flipping the state’s two Senate seats in 2020, both because of their electoral efforts and the longer-term organizing that helped make that opportunity for victory possible. MVP’s Georgia Fund is a great option for donors interested in helping Democrats win in Georgia this year and beyond. (Read Blue Tent’s recommendation of MVP).
Georgia isn’t about to see a blue wave in November, but strategic giving to groups engaged in effective GOTV and organizing efforts could head off potential disaster down the road, while laying a foundation for further progressive gains in the future. Beyond supporting MVP’s Georgia Fund, donors should also consider supporting Blue Tent’s slate of top national GOTV groups, all of which are working in Georgia.
Candidates in Key Races
The only candidate in Georgia we recommend supporting is Bee Nguyen, who is running for secretary of state against Brad Raffensperger. Nguyen reported $1.2 million in cash on hand earlier this month (mostly from small donors). We believe that additional last-minute support would be helpful, given what’s at stake in SOS races this year and the expense of campaigning in Georgia. (Read our recommendation of Nguyen.) Donors with spare resources might also consider supporting Jen Jordan, who is running for attorney general, another critical statewide office. (Read our recommendation of Jordan.)
As for other races, here's our take: Republican Gov. Brian Kemp is safely ahead of Stacey Abrams in the polls, while Republicans are poised to maintain their iron grip on both chambers of the state’s legislature. We don’t recommend donating to Abrams, whose chances of winning will not be affected by last-minute donations. Her campaign had raised more than $85 million as of early October, well outpacing Kemp.
We also don’t recommend giving to Warnock, who is in a tight race with Walker, who may be the GOP’s single weakest and most scandal-plagued candidate of the cycle. Warnock’s campaign is flush with cash and far out ahead of Walker in fundraising. Likewise, in the state’s only congressional race classified as “competitive” by Cook Political Report, 30-year Democratic incumbent Rep. Sanford Bishop holds a massive fundraising lead over his Republican opponent.
Again, though, keep in mind that Blue Tent recommends that donors prioritize giving for GOTV at this late stage of the race. Democrats looking for a silver lining in Georgia should focus on getting money to turn out voters and invest in organizing that will go beyond next month’s elections.