Georgia Democrats sweep state offices in massive midterm victory

Voters in Georgia elected 10 Democratic candidates to constitutional offices on Tuesday night, ending a long streak of regular-election victories by Republicans. The state, which had not elected a Democrat to a constitutional office in decades, saw major shifts in power at every level of government.

The margin of victory in the U.S. Senate race was 18 points. None of the 10 new Democratic officeholders won by less than seven points, with several races decided by double-digit margins. Eight of the incoming officials, including the new governor, are Black women.

Jay Bookman of the Georgia Recorder wrote that the Republican Party needed a wake-up call. He noted that the scale of the defeat was as deserved as it was awe-inspiring. Bookman argued that the GOP, which previously viewed itself as the more responsible party, was sent to its room without supper by the American voter.

The Georgia Democratic Party appears to have gained control of the state House of Representatives. If that chamber flips, Democrats will have the votes to elect Carolyn Hugley as House speaker. The party also came close to taking the heavily gerrymandered state Senate, though it fell just short of that goal.

Bookman warned that sudden success brings its own problems. He stated that Georgia Democrats now carry the full burden of governance and lack an experienced bench. Many of the new officials were elected because voters disliked their opponents, giving them a chance to prove their own merits. He advised them to hire smart, honest people and rely on career professionals in state government.

The Republican Party faces a different challenge. Bookman said the margins are too large to dismiss as a temporary setback. NBC exit polling showed that Republicans received 14 percent of the vote from Georgians aged 18 to 29. Among voters 44 and younger, Republicans received only 26 percent of the vote.

The party also struggled with voters of color, receiving just 13 percent of that group’s vote. In a state where white people are a minority, this presents a structural problem. Among the 71 percent of Georgia voters who were not white evangelicals, Republicans captured only 26 percent. Bookman argued that building a majority on racial, ideological, or religious purity is mathematically difficult.

Bookman pointed to the influence of Donald Trump in the party’s identity. He said voters across the country rejected that style of leadership. He noted that Georgia Republicans ran off many competent leaders who refused to kneel to the president, making it harder to rebuild the party as a conservative counterweight. He argued that gas prices were not the primary cause of the defeat.

Outgoing Gov. Brian Kemp announced immediately after the election that he would not call an emergency legislative session. He declined to use the Republican Party’s final days in power to undermine the incoming Democratic administration. Kemp stated, "The voters of our state have spoken." He added that as long as he is governor, he will respect the results of secure, accessible, and fair elections and abide by the laws and constitution of the state.