Georgia Democrats outlined their strategy to flip two U.S. Senate seats in a memo released Tuesday that documents the party’s return to in-person canvassing – on hold for months during the pandemic – and an expanded outreach to diverse coalitions.
Led by runoff director Jonae Wartel, the “first-of-its-kind” coordinated campaign is promoting Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock as a joint ticket, since both would have to defeat U.S. Sens. David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler on Jan. 5 for Democrats to win control of the Senate.
Door-to-door campaigning resumed in November after a months-long hiatus with canvassers adhering to safety guidelines, along with phone banking, digital messaging and other forms of voter outreach.
A virtual rally featuring former President Barack Obama on Friday reached more than 500,000 voters and recruited a record number of volunteers for a single event, the memo said.
Democrats also aim to re-energize the same coalition that helped fuel Joe Biden’s narrow victory in the state, with targeted efforts appealing to Asian, Black, Latino, LGBTQ and youth voters, among other groups. A voter protection program focused on ballot access has been expanded to help voters navigate safety precautions during the pandemic.
And the coordinated campaign is intensely urging Democrats to cast ballots early, hoping to build a dominant edge to offset Republican strength during Election Day voting.
“With a narrow window of time in one of the busiest months of the year, the Runoff Coordinated Campaign has one goal: turning out as many voters as we can to vote early, whether early in-person or with mail-in ballots.”
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