The Georgia delegation to the Democratic National Convention kicked off the four-day event on Monday with a virtual breakfast that focused on a promise the state can be flipped in November and a reflection on the late U.S. Rep. John Lewis’ voting rights legacy.
In a Zoom call, state party Chairwoman Nikema Williams noted that she missed some of the flamboyance of past conventions. No one showed up to the breakfast festooned in costume, and there was little of the hoopla that would have accompanied an in-person meeting.
But she urged the audience of dozens of delegates and dignitaries to keep in mind that the mission and message have not changed: Georgia Democrats want to convince national party leadership that they should be taken seriously as a battleground state. And Lewis, who died last month, left them a blueprint of how to cause his brand of “good trouble.”
“As we remember Congressman John Lewis and lift up his spirit, we know that he left us with a job to do,” said Williams, who is now the Democratic nominee for Lewis’ seat in November’s election. “We know, like he taught us, that our vote is the most powerful nonviolent tool in a democratic society. And we must expand access to the ballot so that our democracy is fully realized.”
The premier guest was Erin Wilson, the political director for Joe Biden’s presidential campaign. She quickly cited the early support that the nominee received from Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms and hinted at a major effort in Georgia but didn’t elaborate.
“We are coming for Georgia. When we look at the map we have a bunch of different ways we can get to 270 (electoral votes), and when I look at the states that are most exciting, Georgia is very high on that list,” Wilson said.
Other breakfast speakers included U.S. Rep. Lucy McBath of Marietta, who is running for re-election in one of the country’s most competitive districts.
McBath emphasized her work in Washington to push for expanded access to health care and meet the needs of people during the COVID-19 pandemic, previewing a conventionwide message focused on President Donald Trump’s response to the disease.
“At its core, I believe this election is truly about having a government that is for the people by the people,” McBath said. “Such as even all the work that we’ve slated to do in the House, everything that we have done (and) all the pieces of legislation that we’ve put forth for this 116th Congress has been specifically for the people.”
Warnock tells Black Democrats to keep an eye on Georgia
Democrats have done the work it takes to win statewide in Georgia, the Rev. Raphael Warnock told members of the Democratic Party’s Black Caucus during its meeting Monday.
The U.S. Senate candidate told viewers watching the online meeting that the state party has registered 750,000 new voters in the two years since Stacey Abrams lost the governor’s race. Nearly half of them are people of color or under age 30.
“The momentum is with us, the wind is at our back,” he said. “The other side knows it, and that’s why they’re engaged in voter suppression; it will not stand.”
Credit: Curtis Compton/AJC
Credit: Curtis Compton/AJC
Republicans hold rival event — and offer prediction
As Democrats prepared to meet, Gov. Brian Kemp and Georgia GOP Chairman David Shafer held a conference call to tout the ground-game efforts by Republicans to boost President Donald Trump’s campaign.
Shafer said staffers and volunteers in Georgia have made at least 5.2 million voter contacts this campaign season and held 1,800 training sessions and other pro-Trump meetups to energize his supporters.
“There’s no question the elections are going to be close,” Shafer said. “I sense enormous enthusiasm for the president. I’m very optimistic about our prospects this November.”
Credit: ALYSSA.POINTER@AJC.COM
Credit: ALYSSA.POINTER@AJC.COM
Kemp followed up with a prediction that also took aim at his 2018 opponent: “Just like voters rejected Stacey Abrams because she was too extreme, they will also reject Biden and Harris in November.”
He invoked Biden’s running mate, U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris, again a few moments later to try to frame her as a problematic addition to the ticket.
“I know many people are trying to paint these two as commonsense moderates,” Kemp said, “but we know better than that ... He’s hiding from his record and how far left the Biden-Harris agenda is for America.”
Poll shows close race for president in Georgia
Republican President Donald Trump and former Democratic Vice President Joe Biden are running roughly even in Georgia ahead of two weeks of political conventions that aim to reframe the public’s attention on the race for the White House.
The poll, conducted for Channel 2 Action News by Landmark Communications, pegs Trump at 47% and Biden at 44% — within the margin of error. About 4% back Libertarian Jo Jorgensen, and another 4% are undecided.
It echoes other polls that show a tight race in Georgia, a state that Republican presidential hopefuls have carried in every vote since 1996. A string of recent Georgia polls from Monmouth University, YouGov and SurveyUSA each show a close contest.
Looking ahead: Abrams, Park, Yates on tap for Tuesday
There will be several Georgia speakers featured during Tuesday’s prime-time lineup. Former candidate for governor Stacey Abrams and state Rep. Sam Park are among 17 “rising stars” who will jointly deliver the keynote address. Sally Yates, who served as acting attorney general during the beginning of the Trump administration, will also give remarks.
Other speakers include U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, former President Bill Clinton and Jill Biden, Joe’s wife.
