Despite the odds in a long-held, deeply Republican district, the head of the Democratic National Committee hit the pavement Saturday to personally help flip a Republican seat in the state Senate in next week’s special election runoff.
DNC Chairman Ken Martin knocked doors with candidate Debra Shigley on Saturday in Alpharetta, reminding residents in Senate District 21, which covers parts of Fulton and Cherokee counties, to vote Sept. 23.
“This is a big election, and we’ve got to get out to the polls. Election Day is Tuesday,” he said to one Alpharetta resident. “Do you plan on voting?”
Credit: abbey.cutrer@ajc.com
Credit: abbey.cutrer@ajc.com
Both parties see Tuesday as a significant race and potential test case for the 2026 midterms.
It should be a solidly GOP seat: the previous occupant, Republican Brandon Beach, who left earlier this year to serve as U.S. treasurer, won reelection less than a year ago with 70% of the vote.
But when Shigley came in first among seven candidates in last month’s special election, she drew attention from Democrats and concern from Republicans.
“There’s a special election for senate district 21 and we’ve got to turn out the vote. We see the left is motivated. I believe we’re motivated too,” said Mack Parnell, executive director of the Faith and Freedom coalition, at its annual dinner earlier this week.
He instructed audience members to “call everyone you know in Senate District 21″ and tell them to vote.
Shigley is competing against Republican Jason Dickerson, a trucking company executive, who came in second on Aug. 26.
In an interview with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Martin said Saturday’s visit is part of a broader effort from the DNC to more deeply invest in local contests instead of only focusing on federal power.
“For many years now, (the DNC has) ignored state legislative seats. We’ve ignored county seats, municipal seats, school boards. And we can’t do that any longer,” he said.
Democrats, he said, must be supported up and down the ballot.
Credit: abbey.cutrer@ajc.com
Credit: abbey.cutrer@ajc.com
Earlier in the day, former Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan, a Republican turned Democrat who is running for governor, campaigned for Shigley. He is also from nearby Forsyth County.
On Sunday, U.S. Rep. Lucy McBath, D-Marietta, and Stacey Abrams, the former gubernatorial candidate, also will stump for her. And she has been supported by Georgia U.S. Sens. Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock, among others.
Dickerson has also racked up several GOP endorsements, including Gov. Brian Kemp, Lt. Gov. Burt Jones and Georgia Senate Republicans.
But although Republicans are closely watching the race, they haven’t held big public events or brought in the big names to campaign like Democrats. That’s largely because the district is generally tilted in their favor.
Martin said he’s hoping to challenge those notions.
“If we just keep not showing up and not investing in these areas, then they’re going to continue to stay ruby red,” he said. “But when you start to show up, you start to invest time, energy and money, over time, you start to move the needle, and over time, you start to win. That’s the idea here.”
Credit: abbey.cutrer@ajc.com
Credit: abbey.cutrer@ajc.com
The candidates are also each backed by expensive TV campaigns.
A conservative group, Competitive Georgia, launched an ad campaign supporting Dickerson, by linking Shigley to liberal politicians such as U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vermont, and New York mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani.
Meanwhile, the Democratic Party of Georgia told the AJC it’s spending money, for the first time in 20 years, on a state legislative candidate. One of two 15-second ads calls Dickerson a “MAGA extremist.”
Tuesday is expected to see lighter turnout from voters. Those who wish to cast a ballot must use their assigned precinct locations.
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