Why Georgia matters
Days before the runoff, there’s still time to act.
The 2022 midterms gave us room to breathe. We held the Senate. The House fell to the GOP as predicted, but losses were less than feared. There were other bright spots, notably Michigan, where Democrats flipped both houses of the state legislature. (Shout-out to my activist friends in Ann Arbor and East Lansing – great work!)
One more piece needs to fall into place, and it’s a big one. On Tuesday, December 6, Georgians vote in a runoff to determine whether Sen. Raphael Warnock holds his seat or is replaced by Herschel Walker, latest in a long line of Trump buffoons.
The runoff won’t determine control of the Senate, as the midterms gave Democrats a bare-bones majority of 50 to 49 seats. If Warnock loses, we revert to the status quo ante of a 50–50 split, with the vice president able to break tie votes. But if Warnock wins, Dems gain a clear majority of 51–49. And that would be huge.
The Biden administration has enacted major legislation, but it’s been a struggle. In a 50–50 chamber, facing a wall of GOP opposition, they can’t afford to lose even one Democratic vote. That’s why Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia, with deep ties to the fossil fuel industry, and Sen. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, with deep ties to who knows what, have been able to wield veto power and demand damaging concessions in exchange for their votes. With a 51–49 majority, that changes. No more President Manchin. It would also break the deadlock in congressional committees, allowing bills and presidential nominations (such as for judges) to advance more easily to the Senate floor.
Walker is one of the midterm candidates that Trump handpicked and elevated based on his loyalty to Trump. A host of others, including Mastriano and Oz in Pennsylvania, Cox in Maryland, Bolduc in New Hampshire, and Masters in Arizona, went down to humiliating defeats, and many Republicans are steamed. A loss by Walker will further erode the influence of Trump and the MAGA movement.
That’s the national picture. The most immediate impact of the runoff will be in Georgia, where a racially diverse coalition is working to turn the state purple, if not blue. Warnock is a person of integrity who has provided intelligent representation for Georgians. Walker, let’s not even go there.
Grassroots groups in Georgia are going all-out for Warnock, knocking on millions of doors to turn out voters of color and young voters of all races and ethnicities. In this final stretch, they’re working around the clock. Can it succeed? It did in 2021, when a massive grassroots turnout effort sent Democrats Warnock and Jon Ossoff to the Senate. But we can’t take anything for granted.
There’s still time to help swing this election that will have such enormous consequences for Georgia and the country. I’m not suggesting you travel to Georgia, where having obvious out-of-staters ringing doorbells isn’t the best way to help. Instead, please consider two options:
If you have more money than time: Donate to Georgia Alliance for Progress using this ActBlue link. The Alliance directs funds to a broad network of grassroots organizing groups that are mobilizing voters for Warnock. These groups include Georgia Stand Up, Black Voters Matter, CASA in Action, New Georgia Project, Mi Familia Vota, Georgia Muslim Voter Project, and dozens more. They deploy local volunteers and staff (rather than outsiders) as trusted messengers who can speak to Georgia’s youth and voters of color. I sent them $100 yesterday. Please join me.
If you have more time than money: Join volunteers across the country in a virtual phone bank hosted by Georgia Votes. You can make get-out-the-vote calls for Warnock every day through December 6, with multiple shifts to choose from. Sign up here. Another option: help the Georgia Voter Protection Team contact voters who’ve encountered glitches with their mail-in ballots to explain their options for resolving them so their votes will count. Sign up here for shifts from now through Friday, December 9. For both phone banks, training is provided over Zoom at the beginning of your shift, and auto-dialer technology places the calls through your computer so your own name and number stay private.
Let’s help Georgians get this done.
Photo credits: CASA in Action Facebook page (top); Sen. Warnock’s Facebook page (bottom four).
Very well said, I have great hopes! Obama is there now . But some people just can´t look at the truth. So amazing to me that they can even think about that idiot. (HW) One would think he didn´t have a chance. And I do understand that Georgians are tired of runoffs, but the turnout is amazing.