A ‘bloodbath.’ Georgia Democrats sweep statewide offices in historic political upheaval
Georgia’s political landscape was transformed Tuesday as Democrats swept every statewide office, captured the Governor’s Mansion for the first time in nearly three decades and threatened to win control of the Georgia House.
It was a stunning reversal of fortune for Republicans, who entered the election controlling every statewide constitutional executive office and both chambers of the Legislature. By night’s end, their dominance was over.
The result was a landmark night for Black women, who have long been the backbone of Georgia’s Democratic coalition but also have long been shut out of the state’s highest offices.
Black women won races for governor, secretary of state, attorney general, agriculture commissioner, insurance commissioner, school superintendent, labor commissioner and public service commissioner.
Georgia elections
Georgia Governor: Keisha Lance Bottoms elected Georgia governor, a first for a Black woman in US
U.S. Senate: Democrat Jon Ossoff wins reelection to U.S. Senate
Democratic wave: A ‘bloodbath.’ Georgia Democrats sweep statewide offices in historic political upheaval
Election results: Track the votes
Live: What’s happening on the Georgia campaign trail
Map: How your neighborhood voted
History made: Keisha Lance Bottoms and the long road from Crawfordville to Governor’s Mansion
Complete coverage: Georgia elections
Together, they are poised to remake a political establishment that had been controlled almost entirely by Republicans since Sonny Perdue’s breakthrough victory for governor in 2002.
“Georgians sent a clear message that they want leaders who care about their gas and groceries and not ballrooms and reflecting pools,” said longtime Georgia Republican consultant Jordan Fuchs. “This election is a full rebuke of what has been going on in Washington, and enough is enough.”
Powered by U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff’s runaway reelection victory and Keisha Lance Bottoms’ historic win for governor, Democrats also won control of the Public Service Commission and narrowed the GOP majority in the state Senate. With votes still being tallied late Tuesday, Democrats were close to flipping control of the Georgia House, which Republicans have held since 2005.
Even long-shot Democrats pulled off upsets, unseating GOP incumbents favored to easily win another term, including Agriculture Commissioner Tyler Harper and Insurance Commissioner John King.
And Democrats mounted unexpectedly strong challenges in several U.S. House districts drawn to favor Republicans.
Even Democrats were stunned by the scope of their victories. They knew President Donald Trump’s sagging approval ratings had created an opening, but few fathomed a sweep this complete.
And now, just two years after Trump recaptured Georgia and four years after Gov. Brian Kemp cruised to reelection, voters delivered an astonishing rebuke to the party that had controlled state politics for a generation.
“The voters pounded the table for change. That is the takeaway,” Democratic state Rep. Scott Holcomb said. “There is tremendous dissatisfaction with the direction of our country, and Democrats have an opportunity to lead the course correction.”
Holcomb, a military veteran, added: “I have not seen a bloodbath like this since I was deployed more than two decades ago.”
A reckoning for Republicans
Bottoms became the first Black woman elected governor in U.S. history, overcoming Republican billionaire Rick Jackson even after he poured more than $200 million of his own fortune into defeating her.
“We are in a transitioning period as a party, and we’ve got to get to a better place,” said Melanie Collier, a longtime GOP activist who watched the returns at Jackson’s subdued election night party.
The scope and scale of the defeat left Republicans confronting uncomfortable questions about their party’s future and its inextricable ties to Trump.
“This was definitely a referendum on Donald Trump. There were no ifs, ands or buts about it,” said Debbie Dooley, a former tea party leader who has grown critical of the president. “Maybe this will finally send the message it’s time to move on from Trump.”
But Democrats also gave voters reasons to back their candidates beyond their strident opposition to the president and his policies.
Bottoms campaigned on expanding Medicaid, broadening access to prekindergarten and delivering targeted tax relief to teachers and working families.
Ossoff emphasized his fight against corruption in Washington and promised to bring down the cost of living. His rout of U.S. Rep. Mike Collins was so decisive that the Republican was on pace for the worst showing by a GOP nominee in a regular Georgia Senate election since 1984.
“It was always gonna be a hard campaign for us,” said Paulding County GOP chair Ricky Hess. “We knew that no matter what. But we are going to keep going. There’s always another election to come back stronger.”