Fresh off flipping Georgia for the first time in nearly three decades, state Democrats released a memo that highlighted the tactics and strategies that candidates and the party used to achieve the victory.
The six-page memo looks back to Stacey Abrams' narrow defeat in 2018 and look ahead to the approach Democrats Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock will take ahead of Jan. 5 runoffs that will likely decide control of the Senate.
“While Republicans advance a lazy notion that runoffs always favor their side, the truth is that no well-funded statewide runoff has occurred in the new, diverse Georgia that exists today,” it reads.
Here’s a few key points:
An early start: The memo credits efforts by Stacey Abrams and other leading Democrats to develop a sprawling grassroots infrastructure and robust voter protection program. The party launched a first-of-its-kind initiative in 2019 to plunge into municipal races, laying the groundwork for new pickups.
Nuts and bolts: The campaign expanded its gains in cities and metro Atlanta’s suburbs while undercutting Trump’s margins in exurban areas.
A pandemic shift: Democrats created digital organizing hubs on Slack and hosted virtual events across Georgia during the pandemic, hosting overall thousands of phone banks and digital organizing events to reach voters in their homes.
Mobilizing Black voters: The campaign launched the “largest paid African-American media program in recent state history,” with targeted emphasis on Black-owned media outlets.
Vote by mail: Democrats achieved record turnout during the June primary and capitalized on the move to absentee ballots in November. As organizers encouraged Democrats to vote early, the party publicized its voter protection hotline in seven languages and ballot cure operations were available for those with problems on their absentee ballots.
Credit: Ben Gray
Credit: Ben Gray
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