The New York Times could barely hide its excitement in the full-page lead slot of Tuesday’s National section: “Could This Be the Year Georgia Flips Blue?” (Don’t bother waiting for the Times headline, “Could This Be the Year Minnesota Flips Red?”) Plus, the long awaited return of Jon Ossoff!
Reporter Astead Herndon began with a quip about Atlanta’s luckless sports teams, then pivoted to another group of beloved underdogs from Georgia: The Democrats?
Georgia Democrats, long a source of hope for the national party, are seeking to avoid a similar reputation. In 2016, prominent supporters of Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign infamously crowed about a changing electoral map that made Georgia winnable for Democrats, only to lose the state and the election.
The following year, Democrats watched an expensive special congressional election slip through their fingers. And the year after that, Stacey Abrams, a former State House minority leader, captured national attention and drove record turnout but lost the race for governor to Brian Kemp, a Republican who has stuck close to President Trump since his election.
But now, with two Senate seats in play and Mr. Trump on the ballot in November, Georgia Democrats are telling anyone who will listen: This time, it’s real.
Commentator Erick Erickson thinks he’d heard this from the Times before. The paper certainly has a history of squinting to glimpse possible Democratic victories in this red state that never actually come to pass, losses which are subsequently blamed on vote fraud and-or racism.
The dream scenario, which would include presidential and Senate victories but also wins in the state Legislature, could upend the balance of power in Washington and provide a road map for other Southern Democrats, who are seeking to make gains after years of being shut out.
On Tuesday, Democrats will choose from seven candidates in the race against an incumbent Republican, Senator David Perdue....
The favorite Tuesday is Jon Ossoff, 33, who lost the closely watched special election in 2017 and has returned to seek higher office. He earned the endorsement of Representative John Lewis, the civil rights icon.
If you remember Ossoff's name, it’s because the paper tried and failed to push him over the finish line in a 2017 special congressional election.
Herndon had the Democratic spin down pat.
All told, Georgia Democrats see 2020 as a culmination of years of planning, arguing that their previous electoral shortcomings were not failures but building blocks....
Unfortunately, those pesky Republicans refuse to roll over and concede.
But as Georgia Democrats know better than most, the state’s Republicans will not go quietly. Both Senate races will be flush with money and have attracted the interest of Mr. Trump’s administration.
Republicans also oversee the state’s elections, and they have repeatedly been accused of voter suppression tactics; they have closed polling locations in Democratic areas and purged thousands from the voter rolls.
Wednesday’s follow-up election coverage focused on bitterness over voting problems in some Georgia counties.
