Democrats compete in twice as many Georgia legislative seats this year

At the heart of Georgia Democrats’ strategy to win seats in the state Legislature is a plan to compete in more races.

They’ve accomplished that goal already by fielding many more candidates this year. Whether it results in victories in November’s general election remains to be seen.

There are a total of 91 legislative districts with both Democratic and Republican party candidates on the ballot, according to a count by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. That’s more than double the 44 contested seats two years ago. There’s a total of 236 seats in the state House and Senate.

In 2016, Georgia had the highest rate of uncontested state House seats in the nation, with 83 percent of candidates running without an opponent, according to an analysis by The Associated Press. That number has shrunk to 62 percent this year, with 68 of 180 House seats facing competition.

House Minority Leader Bob Trammell quoted hockey legend Wayne Gretzky to explain why Democrats are fighting in more legislative races:

“You miss 100 percent of the shots you don’t take,” said Trammell, D-Luthersville.

Read more about how this year’s electoral map could result in Democrats gaining seats in the Georgia General Assembly on PoliticallyGeorgia.com.