What lies ahead for Georgia Democrats

Friends,

 

Despite the disappointment of last Tuesday’s results, Georgia Democrats have every reason to be proud of the strides we’ve made in just a few short years. Hours after traditional battleground states like Ohio and Florida were called, Georgia’s race remained too close to call until nearly midnight. In fact, Georgia outperformed Ohio—yes, Ohio—in casting votes for our presidential nominee. Through hard work and perseverance, Georgia is positioned as the newest battleground state on the map. That’s no small thing.

 

There was plenty of good news at the local level as well. Several counties made history on Election Night, and Georgia Democrats would like to take this opportunity to thank our County Chairs and committee members for holding the line and making gains in county and municipal elections.

 

Douglas County Democrats celebrated a historic night last Tuesday, after sweeping every competitive race in the county. A special congratulations goes to Douglas County Commission Chair-elect Romona Jackson Jones and Sheriff-elect Tim Pounds for their resounding victories.

 

Henry County elected Dee Clemmons to serve as the Henry County Commissioner from District 2. Clemmons became the first African American woman elected to the Henry County Commission.

 

We’d also like to congratulate the Cobb, Gwinnett, and Henry County Democratic Committees for a job well done in joining Fulton, DeKalb, Chatham, Clayton, Richmond, Muscogee, Bibb, Douglas, Clarke, Newton, Rockdale, Dougherty, Liberty, Baldwin, Sumter, Burke, Washington, Jefferson, Macon, Terrell, Hancock, Talbot, Randolph, Warren, Stewart, Calhoun, Clay, and Taliaferro counties in casting a majority of their votes for Hillary Clinton in the presidential race.

 

Every single county where the DPG opened a field office went blue this year. That’s no small feat, and speaks to the power of local grassroots activists actively working for the change they sought in their communities.

 

Along with sending most of our Democratic incumbents back to the state legislature, we picked up some seats as well. Take the time to get to know Georgia’s newest Democratic state senator, Tonya Anderson, and state house representatives-elect Sam Park and Bill McGowan.

 

There’s still more news to come. Once the Secretary of State certifies the elections and shares the data file with us, we’ll have a full accounting of the gains we made this year.

 

Here’s what we do know: Since early Wednesday morning, there has been an outpouring of support from Democrats across the state who refuse to sit on the sidelines any longer and wish to become more active within our Party. We welcome this surge of enthusiasm with open arms and look forward to matching each individual’s talent to the multitude of tasks ahead. If the results of last week’s elections prove anything, it is that the Democratic Party is the true big tent party. We’ve built a broad, ever-expanding coalition of Georgians where every single person has a seat at the table.

 

As we prepare for the upcoming legislative session and beyond, we encourage anyone interested in working with Democrats to forge a better future to take a few actions:

 

• Sign up to volunteer. There’s plenty of work to be done and we could use your help.
• Get involved with your local county committee. A list of active, charted committees can be found on our website here.

 

Staying involved with the Party is of the utmost priority. There are still a few runoff races to be won, and where the victor could be decided by just a handful of votes. And the 2017 legislative session is right around the corner, and Democratic elected officials in both chambers need our support to fight against the backward policies put forth by the GOP and to fight for policies that align with our shared values.

 

Together, we put Georgia in play and we aren’t even close to being done. By working together on the right side of history, the possibilities for Georgia Democrats are endless.

 

Thank you for everything you’ve done and for what has yet to be done.

 

Sincerely,

 

DuBose Porter

Chair