Georgia is one state that underscores that Democrats can mobilize and win in the South and that an unchecked Republican Party is doing real damage to our democracy.
In the January 2021 special elections, for example, Georgia voters defied expectations and secured Democratic control of the U.S. Senate by electing two Democratic Senators, Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock. At the same time, Georgia’s 14th District is represented by Republican House Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a conspiracy theorist and dangerous fabulist. Georgia’s current governor, Brian Kemp — who defeated former state legislator Stacey Abrams by only 1.4 percent of the vote in 2018 during an election in which civil rights groups alleged widespread voter suppression — signed a bill dramatically restricting voting rights. Republicans have held a trifecta — governorship, Georgia House and Senate—since 2005, and are using it not to govern, but to pass extreme, undemocratic legislation with little fear of reprisal. In 2021, for example, Georgia Republicans passed Senate Bill 202, which dramatically restricted access to the ballot, and gave partisan officials increased control over election administration — an immediate risk to free and fair elections, given local and national Republican candidates’ rhetoric about the Big Lie, false claims about voter fraud, and ominous plans to refuse to certify any election won by a Democrat.
Still, Georgia also represents immense opportunities and reasons for hope. A new guard of progressive and Democratic leadership is organizing citizens throughout the state. Demographic changes are also on Democrats’ side if they can effectively reach potential voters. This brief offers recommendations on where donors must invest now to help elect Democratic candidates in Georgia this year and propel longer-term changes in the state. It is based on interviews with numerous progressive organizers, voting rights advocates, progressive donor advisors, and Democratic Party staff and volunteers.
What's at Stake
Georgia is a proving ground for the possibility of expanding Democratic power in key states and pushing back against an increasingly radical Republican Party. If Democrats lose critical statewide races in Georgia this year, Republican leadership there will almost certainly further curtail voting rights and spread misinformation and outright lies about our elections, with local and national consequences in 2024 and beyond. What is now a clearly radical majority on the Supreme Court has proven its willingness to overturn established precedent regarding fundamental rights; it’s even more vital to elect Democratic governors in states where Republican legislatures are criminalizing abortion, allowing unfettered access to guns, stripping vulnerable communities of basic human rights, and more. If elected, for example, Stacey Abrams could be the firewall against these radical agendas by vetoing many of the anti-democratic laws being passed.
Recent polling suggests that Democratic candidates on the top of the 2022 ticket — Abrams and Warnock — are in competitive races, and with demographic changes, unprecedented campaign donations, and sustained organizing, victory for both of them is within reach. To keep control of Congress, Democrats need to protect the Georgia Senators elected in 2021 and hang on to the six Congressional seats they currently hold. Winning those races will require mobilizing key groups across Georgia, including growing Asian and Latino communities, especially in Atlanta and its suburbs, as well as rural voters in the Black Belt who have been crucial to Democratic success in the state.
The number of registered voters in Georgia is growing rapidly, and the composition of those voters is changing. According to the Atlanta-Journal Constitution, the number of registered voters in Georgia has increased by 11% since 2018, and most of the new registrants are young people and people who live in metro areas. Over half of Georgians who’ve been registered to vote since 2018 are under 35. New registrations in Atlanta’s suburban counties, which Democrats have won in recent elections, favor Democrats. If those newly registered Georgians are mobilized to vote this fall, Democrats should be able to close the margins and win statewide. There are 11% more registered voters than in 2018, which is significant because Abrams lost her 2018 race by 1.6 percent of the vote. The changing racial composition of registered voters in Georgia provides major opportunities for Democrats. Across the state, 52% of registered voters are white and roughly 30% are Black. The share of Black registered voters has remained stable since 2018, but the share of white registered voters has decreased slightly, while Asian American and Latino registrations have increased dramatically. Latinos and Asian Americans now make up 8% of Georgia’s registered voters, almost double their share in 2018. But to win, Democrats must mobilize these voters. If Democrats tailor their messages to motivate new and longtime voters, they should be able to close the margins and elect their statewide candidates.
Recent Georgia elections have garnered serious national attention — and money. The 2021 Georgia Senate races were the most expensive congressional races ever, and 2022 may well beat that record. Sen. Warnock is a prolific fundraiser, bringing in $70 million so far this cycle and far outpacing his Republican opponent. As of the end of June, the second quarter of fundraising in 2022, Abrams had substantially outraised Kemp, raising $22 million in that period alone.
Electoral Goals in 2022 and Beyond
The most urgent goals in 2022 are to elect Abrams governor and elect a secretary of state and attorney general committed to free and fair elections and upholding the results of the 2024 elections, which many Republicans have promised in advance not to do. Democrats must also protect incumbent Sen. Raphael Warnock and their House members. And Democrats must contest Republicans in state legislative races so that they work toward flipping those chambers and can one day fulfill proactive goals.
Organizers in Georgia told Blue Tent that to counteract the constant flood of misinformation and the sense of apathy and fatalism about the state of the country, Democrats and progressives must communicate directly — and preferably in person — with voters ahead of the election to restore their faith in democracy, the power of their vote, and Democrats’ willingness to fight and advocate for them.
Recommendations for Donors
When and where is money most needed? Many of the donations flowing into Georgia races are going to the high-profile Warnock and Abrams campaigns. Likewise, Abrams’ success at building a national profile means that the organization she founded in 2018, Fair Fight, has garnered strong support from institutional as well as individual donors. Blue Tent does not discourage interested donors from giving to those campaigns or to Fair Fight, which is deeply committed to voting rights and is considered an anchor organization in Georgia. However, because those campaigns and Fair Fight are already well-supported, Blue Tent recommends that donors give to races and organizations that are filling other gaps and whose size and scale mean new donations will make meaningful differences in their work to organize voters.
Of critical importance are investments in progressive nonprofits organizing in rural areas and in growing Asian and Latino communities, all of which will make or break Democrats’ chances this year and in future elections. It’s critical that these organizations have the funds needed to support leadership, staff and volunteers who represent the communities they are trying to reach and understand how best to communicate with them. Otherwise, their attempts will miss the mark.
We also recommend giving to the Democratic candidates for key offices. The most crucial campaigns to support are Bee Nguyen’s for secretary of state and Jen Jordan’s for attorney general—both are offices currently held by Republicans. The secretary of state will have wide discretion over election administration, including certifying future elections, and the attorney general will be an important check on the Republican legislature.
For donors looking to invest in the progressive movement beyond this election cycle, we recommend supporting leadership training and development programs for local elected officials. Many people on the ground in Georgia described a need to build a bench across the state. Training programs can help local officials develop their skills and strategies, run for higher office, and more effectively push for their preferred policies. More specifically, we recommend the following:
1. Invest in Mobilizing Voters
Georgia Democrats and progressives said the most effective investments are in voter mobilization. Georgia has automatic voter registration, so most eligible voters are registered, and the primary work of voting groups is communicating how and why to vote. As in many states, local organizers say that neither the Georgia Democratic Party nor national leadership are currently providing voters with compelling reasons to show up for them in November. Organizers on the ground say that if they’re going to flip the governor’s mansion, hold on to the Senate seats, and make a dent in the Republican-held legislature, they need to persuade Georgians in key regions and demographics to vote this year.
Voters in the Black Belt, which runs through Southern Georgia, were essential to Democrats’ recent Senate victories. Organizers based in rural counties say their communities respond to different messages and styles of communication than those in Atlanta and its suburbs. Blue Tent recommends supporting local groups that can communicate directly with their neighbors about the issues of concern to them — a much more effective strategy than relying on canvassers from Atlanta or other states who will inevitably parachute into town just ahead of the election and whose presence may sow distrust.
Blue Tent also recommends that donors support organizations that are specifically geared to reaching Asian and Latino voters in Georgia. Progressive organizers are focused on these two growing demographics. Given the recent slim margins of Georgia races, these new voters can swing statewide and local elections. Members of these communities, too, need targeted communication that is best crafted and shared by people from within the community.
Progressive donors who want to win in Georgia should support the following groups:
SOWEGA Rising is a 501(c)(3) community organization in Southwest Georgia that does consistent, year-long civic engagement, including voter education and get-out-the-vote campaigns. Blue Tent recommends that donors give to SOWEGA Rising to help turn out crucial rural Black Belt voters who may not be reached by Atlanta-based organizations.
Georgia Coalition for the People’s Agenda is an Atlanta-based civil rights group strongly recommended by Georgia progressives. The organization educates and mobilizes voters and challenges the state’s voter suppression laws in court. Blue Tent recommends that donors support the People’s Agenda, in part because it often regrants funds to smaller community efforts throughout the state with strong community ties and track records of getting out the vote, particularly among Black voters.
Asian American Advocacy Fund is a 501(c)(4) social welfare organization that works to build an engaged, progressive Asian American base in Georgia. Asian American Advocacy Fund also runs an independent expenditure that supports candidates for federal, state and local elections. Progressives on the ground in Georgia say that donors can support either the group’s c4 or PAC to help mobilize Asian American voters in the midterms and bolster their strength for the long term.
They See Blue Georgia is the state chapter of the national group They See Blue, which seeks to mobilize and engage Americans of South Asian origin in the democratic process and elect Democrats at the federal, state and local levels. Donating to the They See Blue Georgia chapter’s political arm, TSB 27, is a strategic investment this year because the growing share of Asian voters in the state, particularly in Atlanta, means mobilizing those voters could swing the election.
Poder Latinx Georgia is the state chapter of the civic and social justice organization with a footprint in multiple states. Their aim is to build power in Latinx communities. Because targeted messaging is often best when reaching Latinx voters, Blue Tent recommends that donors give to Poder Latinx Georgia’s c(4) fund.
2. Support Democratic Candidates in Key Races
While Blue Tent recommends that donors prioritize investments in progressive organizing capacity, it is also essential that key Democratic candidates have the resources to compete. Blue Tent recommends giving to candidates who meet three criteria: They are running in important races, have a strong chance to win, and need money.
Blue Tent recommends that donors support Bee Nguyen, the Democratic candidate for secretary of state. The future Georgia secretary of state will have the critical and urgent task of ensuring the 2024 election is run fairly and its results are upheld. Numerous sources on the ground praised Nguyen, currently a state House representative, as a committed voting rights champion and effective leader. Nguyen is challenging incumbent Brad Raffensperger, well known from the infamous call when President Donald Trump asked him to overturn the results of the 2020 election. Refusing to overturn an election cannot be the bar for election officials, especially when Georgia’s legislature is continually pushing voting restrictions and considering that Raffesnsperger has been sued by Fair Fight and other voting rights advocates over the state’s voter disenfranchisement. It’s critical that Georgia elect a secretary of state committed to proactively ensuring access to the ballot and free and fair elections. (Read Blue Tent’s recommendation for Bee Nguyen.)
Blue Tent also recommends supporting Jen Jordan, the Democratic candidate for attorney general. Jordan is running against Republican incumbent Chris Carr. As Blue Tent’s strategy brief on state attorney general races describes, these officials are increasingly critical. State attorneys general determine whether their state will challenge laws and file petitions to the Supreme Court, and they can act against the governor. State attorneys general are also responsible for upholding elections. While Carr, the incumbent, was chairman of the Republican Attorneys General Association, an arm of that organization sent robocalls encouraging supporters to march to the capitol “to stop the steal” the day before the January 6 riots. The Georgia attorney general will be extremely important to securing future elections and holding the line against increasingly radical elements in the statehouse. Donating to Jordan’s campaign to unseat Carr is a way to bolster our democracy.
3. Invest in Candidate Recruitment and Leadership Training
Many progressives urged donors to help build a Democratic bench in the state for the long term. Blue Tent recommends that donors help support the ongoing work of building a progressive majority in the state by giving to organizations that are training leaders who will head organizations, run for office, design strategy, and more. To foster local talent, donors can support these groups:
Rep Georgia Institute is a c3 nonprofit organization that conducts year-long training for first-time elected officials at the municipal and county level and provides them with information and toolkits on lobbying and legislative agendas. This professional development fills a vacuum as few new local officials have had organized training, and is the kind of support that conservative interest groups have been providing their elected officials for decades.
Women Engaged is a c3 nonprofit organization that aims to build power among Black women in Georgia and, among other work, trains organizers to effectively engage with voters. Their training programs cover how to discuss with voters the reproductive justice framework — a skill that is increasingly urgent as abortion rights are imperiled. Donors interested in both supporting future leadership and reproductive rights can give to Women Engaged.
Conclusion
Reelecting Georgia’s Democratic senators and House members is critical to Democrats’ ability to maintain control of federal power. At the same time, electing Democratic candidates for statewide offices — especially governor and secretary of state — is crucial because of the risk that Republican state officials will overturn future state and national elections. Democratic statewide leadership in Georgia would also be able to check the power of the Republican legislature, a power of last resort that has increasing urgency given that the Supreme Court has signaled that it will not provide that check on bills once deemed unconstitutional and elements once considered radical extremists.