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Oct 19 2016

DPG Statement on Final Presidential Debate

Release:  Wednesday, October 19, 2016                          

Atlanta, GA – Democratic Party of Georgia Executive Director Rebecca DeHart issued the following statement on tonight’s third and final presidential debate.

“Tonight Hillary Clinton was stronger than ever. She showed us the qualities we should expect from a President— sound judgement, even temperament, thoughtful in response, caring for others and true leadership. The contrast between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump is staggering. But the choice presented to each of us is so much more than party affiliation. This election is about our values, and who we are as people.

“That’s a wrap, now we act. It’s time to vote and then help others vote. We need to prioritize the making of a plan to vote, and then stick to that plan. It has never been more critical for every single Georgian to make their voice heard and use their vote.

“I’m proud to stand with Hillary Clinton and Georgia Democrats are ready to make history in November.” – Rebecca DeHart, Executive Director

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Written by PNM Admin · Categorized: DPG in the News, Georgia Democrats, National Democrats, Party News, Press Releases · Tagged: Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton, presidential debates, Rebecca DeHart

Oct 14 2016

DPG & Hillary for Georgia to Hold Early Vote Kickoff Events

Rep. John Lewis and Rep. Hank Johnson to encourage supporters to vote early

Atlanta, GA – On Monday, October 17, on the first day Georgians can early vote, Congressman John Lewis and Congressman Hank Johnson will campaign for Hillary Clinton. Congressman Lewis will join Fulton County Chairman John Eaves and State Representative Park Cannon to host a Millennial March starting at Nelson Street Bridge and marching to the polls with college students. Earlier in the morning, Congressman Hank Johnson, Commissioner Mereda Johnson, and fellow democrats will head to the polls with supporters and cast their ballots.

“The vote is precious, almost sacred. It is the most powerful tool or instrument in a democratic society,”Congressman Lewis said. “For more than 50 years, I have marched so that every person can exercise their right to vote. I’ve been beaten, left bloody and unconscious, all so that each and every one of us can be full participants in our democracy.

“On Monday, I will join dozens of young people who are doing their part by marching to the ballot box and exercising their right to vote. In all my years, I’ve never seen an election like this one. It is more important now than ever before for Georgia’s young people to march to the polls so that generations yet unborn can continue to fulfill the promise of America.”

Millennial March with John Lewis
WHEN:  10:30 am – Monday, October 17
WHERE: Nelson Street Bridge – 309 Nelson St SW Atlanta, Georgia 30313
WHO: Congressman John Lewis, Fulton County Chairman John Eaves, and State Representative Park Cannon
PUBLIC RSVP HERE

Early Vote Event with Congressman Hank Johnson
WHEN:  9:00 am – Monday, October 17
WHERE: South DeKalb Mall, 2801 Candler Rd Decatur, Georgia 30034

WHO: Congressman Hank Johnson and Commissioner Mereda Johnson

PUBLIC RSVP HERE

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Written by PNM Admin · Categorized: DPG in the News, Georgia Democrats, Party News, Press Releases · Tagged: Early Voting, Georgia Democrats, Good Trouble, Hillary Clinton, Hillary for Georgia, John Lewis

Oct 12 2016

New York Times: “Republican polling has found that Mr. Trump is at dire risk of losing Georgia”

Release:  Wednesday, October 12, 2016                                                                 

“Mrs. Clinton’s campaign has concluded that at least two traditionally Republican states, Georgia and Arizona, are realistic targets for her campaign to win over. And Republican polling has found that Mr. Trump is at dire risk of losing Georgia, according to people briefed on the polls, who spoke on the condition of anonymity.”

Split Over Donald Trump Threatens to Tilt Republican States

NEW YORK TIMES // ALEXANDER BURNS and JONATHAN MARTIN

Donald J. Trump’s intensifying battle with his own party is tearing open the nation’s political map, pulling Republicans across the country into a self-destructive feud that could imperil dozens of lawmakers in Congress and potentially throw conservative-leaning states into Hillary Clinton’s column.

Democrats are moving swiftly to exploit Mr. Trump’s crumbling position in the presidential race, aiming to run up a big margin of victory for Mrs. Clinton and extend their political advantage into the congressional elections next month.

Mrs. Clinton’s campaign has concluded that at least two traditionally Republican states, Georgia and Arizona, are realistic targets for her campaign to win over. And Republican polling has found that Mr. Trump is at dire risk of losing Georgia, according to people briefed on the polls, who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

Mrs. Clinton now holds such a strong upper hand that Priorities USA, a “super PAC” backing her campaign, may direct some of its war chest into Senate races, two people said, and may begin broadcasting ads for those contests as soon as next week. Congressional Democrats also hope to persuade Mrs. Clinton to continue pouring money and campaign resources into states like Virginia and Colorado, where they believe her victory is assured, in order to lift other Democratic candidates.

In a signal of Democrats’ growing focus on the House and Senate, Mrs. Clinton used a visit on Tuesday to Miami to attack both Mr. Trump and Senator Marco Rubio, whom Mrs. Clinton blasted for what she described as his indifference to climate change.

“We need to elect people up and down the ballot, at every level of government, who take it seriously,” Mrs. Clinton said, adding, “It is an unacceptable response for Marco Rubio, when asked about climate change, to say, ‘I’m not a scientist.’”

Mrs. Clinton’s campaign chairman, John D. Podesta, told reporters that she would continue to call out down-ballot Republicans. Mr. Rubio is among the Republicans whom Priorities USA may seek to defeat, if the group decides to intervene in Senate races, one strategist said.

Increasingly anxious Republicans have not come up with a unified strategy for containing the damage from Mr. Trump’s embattled candidacy, and several strategists and party officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity said they were awaiting a new round of polling before settling on a course. But, in a sign that Republicans now view the presidential race as a lost cause, several Senate candidates are preparing ads asking voters to elect them as a check on Mrs. Clinton in the White House.

Yet Mr. Trump himself, having been rejected in recent days by dozens of Republican elected officials, has indicated that he will make any separation an exceptionally messy and painful ordeal for the party.

Mr. Trump lashed out publicly on Tuesday morning at two of his best-known critics: Senator John McCain of Arizona, who withdrew his endorsement of Mr. Trump over the weekend, and Paul D. Ryan, the speaker of the House, who informed congressional Republicans on Monday that he would no longer defend Mr. Trump.

Seething on Twitter, Mr. Trump attacked Mr. Ryan as “weak and ineffective” and described Mr. McCain as “very foul mouthed.” And in a Fox News interview, Mr. Trump mocked both men as disloyal, reserving special venom for Mr. Ryan.

“Paul Ryan opened borders and amnesty and bad budgets,” Mr. Trump said.

He declared himself a liberated man, writing on Twitter:. “It is so nice that the shackles have been taken off me and I can now fight for America the way I want to.”

Should Mr. Trump continue deriding the leaders of the institutional Republican Party, it could have profound consequences down the ballot, potentially depressing turnout by demoralizing the party or leading Mr. Trump’s ardent supporters to deny their votes to Republicans who abandoned him. But there is little Republicans can do to control Mr. Trump’s behavior: The party’s donors have no leverage over him, he is relying largely on small donors and, at 70, he is not mindful of any future campaign.

The emerging dynamic may be especially toxic for Republicans in swing states that are also home to competitive races for the House and Senate, where the party’s candidates must choose between two unpalatable options: alienating much of their party’s base, or standing behind a nominee who is unacceptable to most mainstream voters. The voting bloc that especially concerns Republican officials are the right-of-center, college-educated voters who usually favor Republican candidates but cannot abide Mr. Trump. These voters can make up anywhere between a quarter to a third of the party’s electoral coalition.

“That voter is clearly not going to vote for Donald Trump,” said Josh Holmes, a Republican strategist who is working on several Senate races. “But if they don’t vote at all, it’s catastrophic for us.”

The nightmare possibility for the party is that swing voters punish the party because of Mr. Trump, the anti-Trump Republicans stay at home and Mr. Trump’s base casts a ballot for him and then leaves the polls. Under those conditions, Senate races in places like Pennsylvania and North Carolina could fall to Democrats, while Senate and House races in places like Missouri, Arizona and Kansas could move to the center of the battlefield.

Already, Republicans view Mr. Trump’s sharp downturn in the presidential race as having jeopardized their majorities in Congress. A poll published on Tuesday by NBC News and The Wall Street Journal found Mr. Trump trailing Mrs. Clinton by nine percentage points nationally and drawing just 37 percent of the vote. No major-party nominee since World War II has received a smaller share of the vote. But in an illustration of the bind Republicans are in, the poll found that three-fourths of Republicans believed their candidates should stay loyal to Mr. Trump.

In Nevada, the Republican candidate for Senate, Representative Joe Heck, withdrew his support from Mr. Trump over the weekend, and is facing a furious backlash.

Sandie Kirwin, a Las Vegas retail manager supportive of Mr. Trump, said she might now vote for a Democrat over Mr. Heck in a critical Senate race.

“I think of Joe Heck the same I do of any Republican not supporting Donald Trump,” said Ms. Kirwin, 52. “I will never support any of them, and I will do what I can to get them out of office.”

But other Republican-leaning voters say they may punish those who fail to denounce Mr. Trump. Several Republicans in difficult Senate races have criticized Mr. Trump in strong terms without coming out in opposition to his candidacy, including Senators Patrick J. Toomey of Pennsylvania, Richard M. Burr of North Carolina and Mr. Rubio.

In Pennsylvania, Jaye Steuterman, a registered Republican and a real estate agent in Doylestown, said she was still undecided on which presidential candidate to vote for. She said she was deeply unsettled by Mr. Trump’s past comments about forcing himself on women, but that might not be enough to stop her voting for him.

“I don’t know what’s more important to me — that, or the fact that Hillary is a liar,” Ms. Steuterman said.

In the Senate race, she is inclined to vote for Mr. Toomey because he is a Republican, but her decision could depend on whether he supports Mr. Trump.

Even the drastic step of denouncing Mr. Trump may not be enough to shield Republicans from his unpopularity. In a conference call on Tuesday with the Democratic caucus, Representative Ben Ray Luján of New Mexico, the chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, said that party polling found voters drawing scant distinction between Republicans who endorsed Mr. Trump and those who abandoned him out of political expediency, according to people who participated in the call, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because it was supposed to be private.

On the same call, Representative James E. Clyburn of South Carolina, the third-ranking House Democrat, expressed concern that Mrs. Clinton might abandon states that she is all but sure to win, but where Democrats are still locked in competitive races. Mr. Clyburn asked Representative Nancy Pelosi, the minority leader, to contact Mrs. Clinton’s campaign to ensure it would not withdraw resources from Virginia and Colorado.

“Most people think the House now could be in play,” said Representative John Yarmuth of Kentucky. “There’s a little bit of scrambling going on to identify races that could flip if the presidential race somehow gets to a 10-point margin.”

Like their Republican counterparts, Democrats do not plan to make final strategy decisions until they receive new polling. But they have already begun aggressively attacking Republicans, even as those officials retreat from Mr. Trump.

Three Democratic congressional candidates have started running ads this week that showcase footage of Mr. Trump describing sexual assault in graphic terms, from a 2005 recording. Gov. Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire, who is challenging Senator Kelly Ayotte, used the footage in a campaign video on Tuesday, saying Ms. Ayotte recently denounced Mr. Trump only to “protect herself.”

And outside groups supporting congressional Democrats have begun to reallocate their spending to take advantage of the shifting environment. The House Majority PAC, the principal outside group supporting House Democrats, this week made a $1.2 million reservation to contest the suburban Philadelphia seat held by Representative Michael G. Fitzpatrick, who is retiring.

In affluent, suburban areas, which were already trending strongly toward Democrats after the first presidential debate, Republican survival may depend on the willingness of voters to separate their feelings about the presidential race from their voting behavior in all other elections.

Outside a ski shop on Tuesday in Aurora, Colo., Sharon and Les Sparks said they were disappointed by Republicans pulling away from Mr. Trump, whom Mr. Sparks described as “spoiled little entitled brats.” Among those lawmakers is Representative Mike Coffman, a Denver-area congressman who has been critical of Mr. Trump for months and recently called on him to end his campaign.

Still, Mr. and Ms. Sparks said they would vote for Mr. Coffman, despite their frustration. “They need to unite,” said Ms. Sparks, 49, a project manager in the health industry. “If you’re going to be in the Republican Party, you need to start standing behind the party.”

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Written by PNM Admin · Categorized: DPG in the News, Georgia Democrats, National Democrats, Party News, Press Releases · Tagged: Battleground State, Donald Trump, Georgia Democrats, Georgia GOP, gop, Hillary Clinton

Sep 29 2016

First Presidential Debate: Trump Crumbled Under Pressure

Release:  Thursday, September 29, 2016                                                                

Atlanta, GA – The reviews for Monday’s debate are in. Hillary Clinton delivered.

Donald Trump lied, came unglued, and crumbled under pressure.

AJC: UGA debate guru: Donald Trump faltered, Hillary Clinton didn’t

Performance of Hillary Clinton

She effectively spoke to younger voters and African-Americans in the debate when addressing climate change, student loans, the birther issue and stop-and-frisk policy. Substantively, she delivered better answers than Donald Trump on a full range of issues in the last hour of the debate. For example, when pressed, she was far stronger than Trump in explaining the value of the Iranian nuclear agreement.

Performance of Donald Trump

Viewers who watched the full debate were left with the impression of a debater who was not able to sustain a set of coherent and full messages on issues ranging from gender to nuclear policy to race relations.

The New Yorker: The Problem with Trump Isn’t His Debating Skills

Talking, again, about President Obama’s birth certificate, he displayed not only the usual pathological inability to admit to an error—any error, ever—but an underlying racism so pervasive that it can’t help express itself even when trying to pass as something else. 

…Again, this wasn’t a problem of how he chose to present his beliefs; the problem is with the beliefs. This wasn’t a question of preparation. It was that the things he actually believes are themselves repellent even when coherently presented. This was not a bad performance. This is a bad man.

LA Times: Hillary Clinton was the matador to Donald Trump’s bull in first presidential debate

Claiming that Clinton “doesn’t have the stamina” to lead the nation reeks of sexism and is plain ridiculous. “To be president of this country,” he said, “you need tremendous stamina.”

But Clinton has been campaigning across the country for more than a year, often enduring 16-hour days barnstorming and speechmaking before strangers.

And despite being diagnosed with pneumonia, she had enough stamina — mentally and physically — to do her homework for the debate. Something Trump didn’t. And it showed.

Washington Post: What does it mean that Donald Trump lost the debate?

We also already knew that Trump is the most dishonest and least transparent presidential nominee in recent memory, refusing to release his tax returns even though every presidential nominee for 40 years has done so and betting that a visit to Dr. Oz relieved him of responsibility for releasing more information on his health. We already knew that he was an uncommon liar. The Post has only been the latest outlet to attempt to record the full panoply of deceptions Trump tells on a daily basis, such as his recent claims that Clinton has “been silent about Islamic terrorism for many years,” and that he “never” proposed targeting Muslims.

New York Magazine: Ranting Bully Donald Trump Came Unglued in First Presidential Debate

The final exchange of the debate was the most devastating. Clinton lacerated Trump for his dehumanization of women — the kind of sexualization that offends social conservatives and social liberals alike. She brought up his abuse of one of his beauty-pageant contestants — noting, as an aside, his fondness for hanging around them — and that he called one contestant “Miss Piggy” and, because she is Latina, “Miss Housekeeper.” When Trump fell for the trap by demanding her name, Clinton supplied it: Alicia Machado, driving home the justifiable impression that Clinton sees her as a human being, unlike her opponent, who sees her as a piece of meat. His response consisted of whining that her campaign was spending money to attack him in advertisements.

NYT: The Lies Trump Told

He lied about the loan his father once gave him.

He lied about his company’s bankruptcies.

He lied about his federal financial-disclosure forms.

He lied about his endorsements.

He lied about “stop and frisk.”

He lied about “birtherism.”

He lied about New York.

He lied about Michigan and Ohio.

He lied about Palm Beach, Fla.

He lied about Janet Yellen and the Federal Reserve.

He lied about the trade deficit.

He lied about Hillary Clinton’s tax plan.

He lied about her child-care plan.

He lied about China devaluing its currency.

He lied about Mexico having the world’s largest factories.

He lied about the United States’s nuclear arsenal.

He lied about NATO’s budget.

He lied about NATO’s terrorism policy.

DPG Chair DuBose Porter: There was only one Commander-in-Chief on that debate stage

Tonight was a tale of two visions for our country. The Republican candidate offered to take us down a path paved with fear and division and hate to a truly dark and dangerous destination. A place where lies and insults are used to divide communities and tear people down.

Hillary Clinton challenged the American people to take a higher road tonight. A road that we travel together, leaving no one behind. Her vision for our great country is based on the simple yet powerful belief that we are stronger together when we lift each other up.

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Written by PNM Admin · Categorized: Press Releases · Tagged: Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton, presidential debate

Sep 27 2016

DPG Statement on First Presidential Debate

Release:  Monday, September 26, 2016                                                                  

Atlanta, GA – Democratic Party of Georgia Chair DuBose Porter issued the following statement on tonight’s presidential debate.

“Tonight was a tale of two visions for our country. The Republican candidate offered to take us down a path paved with fear and division and hate to a truly dark and dangerous destination. A place where lies and insults are used to divide communities and tear people down.

“Hillary Clinton challenged the American people to take a higher road tonight. A road that we travel together, leaving no one behind. Her vision for our great country is based on the simple yet powerful belief that we are stronger together when we lift each other up.

“There was only one Commander-in-Chief on that debate stage, and Georgia will join the rest of the nation in sending her to the White House.”

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Written by PNM Admin · Categorized: Georgia Democrats, National Democrats, Press Releases · Tagged: Donald Trump, DuBose Porter, Georgia Democrats, Hillary Clinton, presidential debate

Sep 07 2016

Veteran Rep. Scott Holcomb Response to Trump at Commander in Chief Forum

Veteran Rep. Scott Holcomb Response to Trump at Commander in Chief Forum

 

In response to NBC’s Commander in Chief Forum, Georgia Representative Scott Holcomb, an Army veteran who served six years on active duty and deployed overseas three times for the conflicts in Bosnia, Afghanistan, and Iraq, said:

 

“The most damning evidence that Donald Trump is unfit to be Command-in-Chief are his own words. He mocks the sacrifices of parents who lost a child to war but can’t identify any sacrifices he’s ever made for our nation. He laments that he always wanted a Purple Heart but lied about giving to veterans charities that support those who’ve sacrificed. He lacks the most basic understanding of foreign policy and thinks that he’s smarter than our professional soldiers because he went to a military high school decades ago.

 

“Mr. Trump won’t stand behind our troops and have their backs, Hillary will. She’s ready, and I’m proud to join veterans across our state and nation who are supporting her.”

 

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Written by PNM Admin · Categorized: DPG in the News, Georgia Democrats · Tagged: Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton, Rep. Scott Holcomb

Aug 05 2016

Battleground Georgia: Latest Polling Proves GA is in Play

“Numbers don’t lie—Georgia is a battleground state. We’re not taking a single vote for granted, and we’re leaving no stone unturned to use this momentum to mobilize voters on an unprecedented scale. All I can say is that I wouldn’t want to be a Republican on November 8th.” –DuBose Porter, Chair of the Democratic Party of Georgia

Nate Silver’s FiveThirtyEight –

Nate

AJC 8/5/16 – AJC poll: Hillary Clinton has slim lead over Donald Trump in Georgia

Democrat Hillary Clinton has built a slim lead over Donald Trump in Georgia after one of the worst weeks of the Republican’s campaign, and the Libertarian presidential ticket cracked double-digits, according to a new Atlanta Journal-Constitution poll.

The poll released Friday shows Clinton at 44 percent and Trump at 40 percent in a head-to-head matchup, within the poll’s margin of error. It is the latest showing a close race between the two candidates in Georgia, a state that has voted for the GOP nominee since 1996.

Politico 8/5/2016 – Poll: Clinton leads Trump in Georgia

Hillary Clinton holds a four-point lead over Donald Trump in Georgia, a state that has not voted for a Democratic presidential nominee in nearly a quarter century, according to the results of an Atlanta Journal-Constitution poll out Friday.

Politico 8/4/2016 – Reid: Clinton could win Georgia and Arizona

“If you look at Georgia — Georgia, last re-elect for President Obama, he never stepped foot in Georgia, but yet he lost by about three percent. Georgia’s Hillary Clinton’s, and I’m glad she’s going to be campaigning there,” the Nevada senator told reporters here…

WSBTV 8/1/2016 – Clinton, Trump deadlocked in latest Georgia poll

The exclusive Channel 2 Action News poll conducted by Landmark/Rosetta Stone polled nearly 800 likely Georgia voters. The poll, conducted over the weekend, found Trump and Clinton deadlocked with 45 percent of the vote. 

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Written by PNM Admin · Categorized: Georgia Democrats, Party News, Press Releases · Tagged: Battleground State, Democratic Party of Georgia, Georgia Democrats, Hillary Clinton

Mar 01 2016

DPG Chair Statement on Georgia Primary Results

Release:  Tuesday, March 1, 2016                                                                                       

 

DPG Chair Statement on Georgia Primary Results

 

 

Atlanta, GA – Democratic Party of Georgia Chair DuBose Porter issued the following statement on the results of the Georgia Presidential Primary.

 

“First, I want to congratulate Secretary Clinton on her win in Georgia. Both she and Senator Sanders ran spirited campaigns and showcased the fact that our Party—the Democratic Party—has a substantive plan to build on the progress made over the last seven years under the Obama Administration.

 

“I’d imagine that Georgia Republicans—up and down the ballot—would rather have a wasp in their mouth than have Donald Trump at the top of the ticket. But he is a monster of their own creation. His victory is perfectly illustrative of just how extreme and out of touch the Republican Party has become. Whether or not he clinches the nomination, Trump and the stranglehold he has held on the GOP pose very serious problems for their Party in November.

 

“Georgia voters will have a clear choice in November, and we will join a majority of states in sending another Democrat to the White House.”

 

Written by PNM Admin · Categorized: Georgia Democrats, Georgia Republicans · Tagged: 2016 Presidential Primary, Bernie Sanders, Donald Trump, GAGOP, Georgia Democrats, gop, Hillary Clinton

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