Among the seven swing states, Georgia stands alone as the only one with a Republican trifecta — its State House, State Senate and Governor’s office have been in red hands for two decades. To change this, Georgia Democrats need a message that resonates with working people, and that message is raising the minimum wage.
Georgia was the only swing state in 2024 where Kamala Harris outperformed Joe Biden with voters between the ages of 18 and 29. Young Georgians feel the impacts of a state whose leaders care about being the best for businesses, but not the best to make a living.
While Trump improved upon his 2020 performance across the nation, Georgia is home to many of the few counties in the country where Harris outperformed Biden. In Henry County, Harris outperformed Biden by nine points, more than any other U.S. county. While the entire country shifted about 4 points toward Trump, Georgia only shifted 0.7 points. Georgia remains a key battleground state, and Democrats have silver linings to motivate ourselves for 2026.
Democrats are only 11 seats away from a majority in the Georgia State House, despite surgical gerrymandering to lessen their representation. In 2018, during the first Trump midterm, Democrats flipped 11 seats in the State House, two seats in the State Senate and one congressional seat. This midterm election poses Georgia Democrats’ best opportunity to flip the State House and the Governor’s Mansion since Gov. Roy Barnes left office. There is a path to power for Georgia Democrats, but it requires a strong economic message that speaks to Georgians’ needs.
If Democrats want to break the Republican trifecta, we need a candidate for governor who makes raising the minimum wage a core piece of their campaign. This election told us that people want to see material improvements in their lives and their wallets. Exit polling found that in the 2024 election, the economy was the top issue among 40% of voters. Democrats still need to continue to talk about education, health care, reproductive freedom and gun safety. However, they cannot win this election unless they demonstrate that Georgia Democrats will make our state’s economy work for everyone.
Georgia Republicans use cultural issues to distract and divide Georgians while lining the pockets of big business with tax subsidies, pursuing selective socialism for the rich at the expense of everyone else.
In 2026, every single Democrat on the ballot in Georgia must staunchly advocate for raising the minimum wage. Everyday expenses continue to rise, but workers’ wages don’t. Georgians want more purchasing power, more economic opportunity and higher wages to keep up with the cost of living. Raising the minimum wage puts money in people’s pockets and food on the table, infusing money into local economies across Georgia.
Georgia is one of just three states, alongside Utah and Wyoming, where the state minimum wage is lower than the federal minimum wage. When Georgia established its minimum wage in 1991, it was set at $4.25, above the federal rate at the time. However, since 2001, the state minimum wage has remained at $5.15. For tipped workers, the minimum wage is a measly $2.13 an hour. Most Georgia workers fall under the federal minimum wage, which has been frozen at just $7.25 since 2009. This is an insult to the dignity and value of work. No one in Georgia, or the United States, should be expected to survive on these wages — leaving hardworking people, even those working full time, struggling to make ends meet.
Through a 2020 citizens’ initiated ballot referendum, 60% of Florida voters approved gradually raising the minimum wage. Today, the minimum wage in Florida is $13, up from $8.56 in 2020, and will rise to $15 by October 2026. If given the opportunity, polls show Georgia voters would do the same.
Georgians know their time is more valuable than $5.15 or $7.25 an hour. As Georgia’s Republicans serve as a rubber stamp to Trump’s attack on the social safety net, Democrats need to make it clear we are on the side of the people, not billionaires. More than half of Georgians report that they are living paycheck to paycheck, and 50% of metro Atlanta residents say that they could not afford an unexpected $500 expense.
People are struggling, and Republicans aren’t helping. If Georgia Democrats want to win in 2026, they must prioritize people’s material well-being. Hardworking Georgians are struggling to survive and while Republicans remain fixated on corporate welfare, they are leaving everyday people behind. As Trump’s tariffs drive the economy into the ground, it’s only going to get worse for working Georgians. Democrats need to present a real alternative that helps people now, not later, and that starts with raising the minimum wage.
Credit: Natrice Miller/AJC
Credit: Natrice Miller/AJC
Parker Short is the former President of the Young Democrats of Georgia and a graduate of DeKalb County Schools and University of Michigan Ford School of Public Policy. Short represented Georgia’s 4th Congressional District as a delegate at the 2024 DNC, serves as a member of the Georgia Democratic Party State Committee, and is currently pursuing a Masters of Public Policy at Duke. He has worked in the state, local and federal government.
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