And for the second election cycle in a row, every U.S. House seat is contested by both parties even though almost every one of the districts was redrawn in November to be safe for either Democrats or Republicans.

Georgia GOP Chair David Shafer boasted that the Republican ticket “will be strong, wide and deep” with more than 900 candidates in state, local and federal offices.

Democrats shattered a midterm election record set in 2018 with 310 contenders for state and federal offices. Scott Hogan, the executive director of the state Democratic Party, said more seats in Congress and the Legislature are being contested in this election cycle than in 2018.

“We’ve always believed no seat is too blue or too red to count out,” said Hogan, who predicted Democrats will continue “defying expectations” in November.

Georgia’s arguably the most politically divided state in the nation, and dozens of first-time contenders wanted a piece of the action. If there was a constant over the weeklong period, it was a sense of spring-training-like optimism.

State Sen. Nan Orrock is one of the most liberal members in the Georgia Legislature, a reliable “no” vote against conservative proposals backed by ruling Republicans. But that long record didn’t stop a challenger from marching to the Capitol this week to fill out paperwork.

“I’m running to her left,” said Chase Stell, an environmental consultant who is among two Democrats challenging Orrock. “I want to be more present, more active and more connected to the community.”

Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC

Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC

Many of those running against incumbents or competing in long-shot battles will inevitably falter. But leaders of both major parties say filling out the bottom of the ballot is crucial to helping candidates at the top.

“We have to make sure we are engaging our base all across the state,” said U.S. Rep. Nikema Williams, the chair of the Democratic Party of Georgia. “And that means having local candidates that live in their communities that they know.”

‘Solid slate’

Williams is quite familiar with this challenge. She was a party official and activist in the mid-2010s when Democrats scrounged to compete for even marquee races. Now there’s intense competition up and down the ballot.

The only statewide Democratic candidate to run unopposed in the primary is Stacey Abrams, who is making a second bid for governor. Even U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock drew a little-known Democratic challenger.

Republicans have benefited from the increasing focus on Georgia politics, too. Hundreds of GOP office-seekers lined up to run. In strongly Democratic DeKalb County, 15 Republicans qualified to run for state legislative seats.

Credit: Curtis Compton / Curtis.Compton@

Credit: Curtis Compton / Curtis.Compton@

“If we’re going to vote DeKalb red, we have a solid slate of red candidates to win both in May and in November,” DeKalb GOP Chair Marci McCarthy said. “For the first time in probably two decades, the majority of DeKalb residents are going to have a choice on their ballots.”

The competition on the GOP ticket will also complicate efforts to unite ahead of November. Former President Donald Trump recruited ex-U.S. Sen. David Perdue to challenge Gov. Brian Kemp and persuaded former Democrat Vernon Jones to enter a race for the U.S. House.

Other candidates are challenging incumbents in hopes of winning Trump’s blessing. State Sen. Tyler Harper, a candidate for agriculture commissioner, is the only Republican running for a statewide constitutional office who avoided a GOP rival.

The Libertarian Party of Georgia fielded candidates for most of the state’s top offices, along with a trio of state legislative seats. Party Chair Ryan Graham said it’s a sign that voters recognize the “two-party system doesn’t represent their interests.”

‘More accountability’

Despite the brightening spotlight on the state, many down-ballot contenders emerged unscathed.

The GOP’s relatively guarded approach to legislative mapmaking means Democrats are likely to pick up five or six state House seats and one state Senate seat, but the new boundaries were designed to ensure that Republicans retain majorities in both chambers.

About one out of every three legislative seats has already been decided because a sole candidate never drew a challenger from either major party. That includes House Speaker David Ralston, who has faced opposition in every election since 2014.

Roughly half of Georgia’s legislative seats will feature competitive November elections, which means dozens of seats were left uncontested by either party. Still, crowded races formed for seats left open by retirements, and many other incumbents faced primary challenges.

“It’s not just about the 40 days of the Legislature — it’s about the other days,” said Michael Carson, a paralegal who is one of three Democrats challenging state Sen. Horacena Tate in a primary. “I’m in spaces and places where there are concerns, but we have no state representation.”

That’s what drew Edwards, an Athens-Clarke County commissioner, to become one of the final candidates to qualify for state office. After the Republican-controlled Legislature redrew his local district lines to prevent him from running for another term, he set his sights on higher office.

“In this climate now, voters are now more than ever ready for a change,” said Edwards, the late entrant into the Public Service Commission race. “They just want to see more accountability and integrity from public officials.”

Staff writer Isaac Sabetai contributed to this article.

Credit: file

Credit: file