“The energy is palpable,” said Democrat Susie Greenberg, who is running against incumbent Republican Deborah Silcox for Georgia’s 53rd House District, which stretches from parts of Buckhead to Sandy Springs and Roswell.

It’s one of the most competitive legislative districts in Georgia, almost evenly split between Democrats and Republicans in an already periwinkle state. Silcox lost her bid for reelection in 2020 by 377 votes and took back her seat in 2022 with a 1,496-vote margin.

Meanwhile, Republicans in metro Atlanta swing districts are keeping their distance from Trump. Instead, they’re aligning themselves with popular Republican Gov. Brian Kemp.

“I am a Kemp Republican,” Silcox said. “I’m a conservative, but I am not a fan of President Trump.”

Credit: Steve Schaefer /

Credit: Steve Schaefer /

The Republican strategy

Top Republican leaders, including Kemp and House Speaker Jon Burns, are eager to maintain their party’s majorities in both state legislative chambers. Their leadership fundraising committees are providing a combined $2.5 million for candidates in about a half-dozen hotly contested districts in metro Atlanta, including districts in Gwinnett County and north Fulton County that narrowly supported Biden four years ago.

The Democratic National Committee is attempting to counter that cash by giving nearly $1 million to the Democratic Party of Georgia to support Harris and down-ballot candidates.

While candidates in safe Republican districts across the state are advertising their allegiance to Trump, GOP candidates in these more competitive races have been pushing local issues.

“Obviously, folks are focused on the White House, but I tell them I’m more interested in your house,” said Rep. Scott Hilton of Peachtree Corners.

Hilton is facing Democratic challenger Laura Murvartian, who said she decided to run after Hilton voted to allow families to use public funds to subsidize the cost of private schools, a policy commonly known as school vouchers.

“It doesn’t benefit us in any way,” said Murvartian, executive director of a local nonprofit.

Some Republicans in competitive metro districts have worried that Trump could hurt their chances on Election Day. Hilton said he’s focused on his race.

“I don’t hide from the fact that I am a Republican. I believe in limited government, low taxes and family values,” he said. “But I work to build a bigger tent,” adding that he aims to be “empathetic to all sorts of people and willing to listen across the board.”

Burns, the House speaker, said he advises candidates to focus on issues that directly connect to needs in Georgia.

“We’re cutting the income tax rate. We’re delivering on health care. We’re delivering on transportation,” he said. “When you look at all those things, I think that resonates with communities around the state.”

Credit: Ben Gray

Credit: Ben Gray

Republican state Rep. Matt Reeves, who is from Duluth, said he doesn’t discuss Trump with voters.

“Every once in a while, I’ll get a question about the presidential race, and I’ll do a lot of listening, but there’s very little common ground there and I don’t spend a lot of time on that,” he said.

Reeves’ district, House District 99, runs northeast from Duluth through Suwanee and parts of Sugar Hill and was once solidly Republican, but it is becoming more competitive, in part because of changing demographics.

His opponent, community advocate Michelle Kang, said she is running “to be a voice of the diverse community and represent all people living in my district.” Kang is a first-generation Korean American immigrant, and the district has a large Asian American population.

On the trail, Reeves emphasizes his record on cutting taxes and his support of the Safer Hospitals Act, which created harsher punishments for people who assault health care workers.

“If we focus on what our neighbors and local small businesses and schoolchildren and teachers need, that will benefit us,” he said. “But if we do a lot of hyperpartisan things, that’s when you end up with a toxic political culture that people want to see change.”

The Democratic strategy

The approach is different on the Democratic side, especially lately.

Once Harris won the nomination, “it was a complete 180, and people felt so energized,” said state Sen. Nabilah Islam Parkes, who represents parts of Gwinnett County.

Islam Parkes won her first election in 2022 with 52.84% of the vote, the tightest of any state Senate race.

“Harris has brought so much enthusiasm to the American electorate that was missing,” she said. “I can see that in my district as well.”

State Rep. Jasmine Clark, who also represents parts of Gwinnett County, agreed, saying she also saw a bump in fundraising.

“I felt excitement about the shift in energy and enthusiasm,” she said.

She hopes to extend the excitement Democratic voters feel toward Harris all the way down to her race. Republicans hold a large majority in the state House. Of the 180 state representatives, 78 are Democrats — about 43% of the chamber.

“While Democrats are currently in the minority, the closer you get to halfway, the more conversations have to be had and collaboration has to take place,” Clark said.

Republican business owner Elvia Davila, who is challenging Clark, said she is running for office to support safer communities after her husband, Juan Carlos Davila-Brambila, was killed in 2021.

Both Clark’s district and state Rep. Farooq Mughal’s district slightly favored Biden in 2020 and Democratic gubernatorial nominee Stacey Abrams in 2022. Mughal’s district is a top target for Republicans to flip this year.

House Democratic Minority Whip Sam Park said Harris’ entrance into the race has “most definitely” improved his assessment that Democratic candidates can win more of these competitive races, and he urged them to focus on “kitchen table issues,” such as the cost of living, health care, groceries and transportation, when talking with voters.

Some Democratic officials urged Biden to leave the presidential race because they feared he could threaten the chances for other candidates. But Mughal said he was never worried “that what happens at the top of the ticket is going to affect me.”

“I personally believe our office has done a very good job,” he said. “But now that we have Vice President Harris, I feel we could probably jump a point or two.”

Editor’s Note: Michelle Kang’s occupation has been updated.