When state Rep. Farooq Mughal campaigns at voters’ doors in Gwinnett County, he brings up the standard Democratic talking points to sway the undecided: access to abortion care, gun violence prevention and strong public education.
“But when I say, ‘Are you tired of traffic?’ They’re like, ‘Oh my God, yes, it’s horrible,’” Mughal said. Rather than mentioning that he is the first Pakistani American elected to the Legislature, he often discusses his plans to address growth and development within his House district, which includes Dacula, Buford and the Mall of Georgia.
Mughal sees these local quality-of-life issues as key to winning voters and keeping his seat in the Georgia General Assembly. In Gwinnett, legislative races are close as the former GOP stronghold has begun voting for Democratic candidates. Republicans, eager to hold their majorities in the Statehouse, are campaigning aggressively to flip seats held by Mughal and other Democrats such as state Rep. Jasmine Clark and state Sen. Nabilah Islam Parkes.
Georgia’s Future, a PAC led by Georgia House Speaker Jon Burns, is running ads against Clark and Mughal accusing them of supporting higher taxes and criticizing their votes on LGBTQ+ issues.
In December, Mughal’s district was reshaped by GOP lawmakers, making it slightly more competitive for a Republican to win.
“I understand a lot of people are probably going to go party line on both sides, but there are people in the middle,” Mughal said. By his estimations, there are less than 1,000 undecided voters in his district.
Meanwhile, Republican candidates have been focusing on moderating their message to appeal to more voters.
Mughal’s opponent, Sandy Donatucci, is campaigning on public safety and the economy. Like Mughal, she is reaching for those rare independent voters.
“When I talk to people, it really is swing voters, Democrats and Republicans,” she said. “It’s really kind of the middle is who I’m really reaching out to.”
Gwinnett’s changes
Over the past decade, Gwinnett has seen a dramatic transformation. The county has grown in population, and the demographics have shifted with the establishment of large Latino and Asian American communities, giving Democrats an advantage in recent elections.
Republicans are fighting to stay alive. Gov. Brian Kemp held a get-out-the-vote rally Friday in Duluth for state Reps. Matt Reeves and Scott Hilton and Republican nominees Donatucci and Elvia Davila. The key to winning, the governor said, is to focus on kitchen-table issues, such as the cost of groceries and gas.
“What we did in 2022 is we advanced our numbers in places like Gwinnett and other diverse communities around our state,” Kemp said of his reelection campaign.
Gwinnett GOP Chair Sammy Baker said the party’s strategy has changed with the county, and it is now recruiting candidates of color who reflect the population.
Tim Le, a Republican who is running for the Gwinnett County Commission, is Asian American and saw the party’s outreach as a good thing.
“They’ve always welcomed candidates of all colors,” he said. “This time around, we have so many minority candidates that are willing to step up on that platform.”
But at a kickoff Saturday for Democratic volunteers, former gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams said Democrats’ policies are more aligned with Gwinnett’s community needs.
“The GOP may want the window dressing, but they’re unwilling to serve the needs of those communities,” Abrams said, “and that’s where Democrats will continue to have the edge.”
A winning message
Clark, who is running for reelection in House District 108, is framing her race around protecting voting rights and abortion access.
“We are bringing those freedoms that are in jeopardy up on the campaign trail, and we’re hearing from people about their concerns about freedoms being taken away,” Clark said.
Her challenger, Davila, is running to address crime after her husband, Juan Carlos Davila-Brambila, was killed in 2021.
“There’s a lot of other victims,” Davila said. “It’s just becoming very dangerous.”
Donatucci said crime is also a concern she often hears about when campaigning.
“A lot of the folks are just very concerned about what’s going on,” she said. “Maybe it was down the street, but now it seems to be starting to come into the neighborhoods.”
Mughal said he speaks with Gwinnett police regularly and talks to parents about school safety, especially after the deadly shooting at Apalachee High School just 20 miles away. He said that message is resonating, and he hopes it can translate to votes.
