Tuesday was a big day in Georgia.
The state, known for its Southern charm and delicious peaches, set an early-voting record as more than 190,000 Georgians hit the polls to vote in person. That’s 40 percent more votes than in 2022—a day-one record.
“This record-breaking turnout proves that voters have confidence in the integrity of our elections,” said Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger in a statement to WABE, an NPR station. “It’s a testament to our strong election system overseen by 159 of the best county election officials in the country.”
Shades of purple
WABE also reported that “an additional” 10,300 absentee ballots came in on Tuesday as well, parroting what happened during the primary election in May. Voters also broke records then, casting more than 1 million ballots in three weeks of early voting.
Georgia, a once-solidly red state, has been varying shades of purple since former President Joe Biden narrowly won it in 2020. And despite a paucity of Democratic cash for the gubernatorial campaign, the fear on the right is palpable.
On Wednesday, Vice President JD Vance popped up at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport to meet with supporters, while President Donald Trump is preparing for a campaign rally this Friday in Dalton, Ga.
But most revealing was billionaire GOP gubernatorial candidate Rick Jackson’s no-show on Monday, when he turned down a chance to appear with his rival, Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms, at the Atlanta Press Club for a debate, leaving the former Atlanta mayor rolling solo.
Perhaps he knew something she didn’t, or maybe they both sensed what was coming.
Georgia is showing up to vote.
I never understood why more isn’t made of the GOP’s fear of a high voter turnout. After all, if you believe in democracy, it’s all about the vote. Why wouldn’t you want as many eligible voters as possible to show you have a true mandate for change and to legislate? Trump loves boasting about how many people voted for him in 2016 and 2020 (even though Biden snagged more votes and won in the latter year). Yet the GOP is constantly trying to make it harder to vote, demanding voter ID, purging rolls, gerrymandering districts, challenging the Voting Rights Act in court, and, now, attacking mail-in voting, something that was historically more popular with conservatives.
It’s almost as if they fear their policies aren’t actually popular.
Is money what matters most?
But independent political strategist Omar Ali offered a different view on Georgia’s race to CBS News: “Most Republicans think that there’s no chance whatsoever that Mayor Bottoms will win. And because of that, they’re not as motivated. And so they are using President Trump in areas that is heavy MAGA base to motivate the rural areas to get out to vote.”
Right.
It’s interesting that Ali thinks this, which makes me think either Georgia conservatives aren’t consuming the same media as everyone else, or it’s another case of wishful partisan thinking.
Either way, most polling shows Bottoms and Jackson are in a dogfight filled with molasses—neck and neck.
“This is a guy who’s put up almost $100 million alone just to slander my name on television, and even with that, by just about every poll, we are tied,” Bottoms told HuffPost’s Brittany Shepard. “Some polls even have me up, so people shouldn’t be discouraged. They just need to show up and vote.”
While Democratic Senate candidate Jon Ossoff has a clear polling and funding advantage over his Georgia Republican rival, Rep. Mike Collins, Bottoms’ less-funded campaign told HuffPost that Jackson’s massive spending—most coming from his own coffers—shows how weak a candidate he truly is.
“Rick Jackson blowing through hundreds of millions of dollars isn’t a sign of his strength; it’s proof of his desperation,” said Bottoms campaign manager Tharon Johnson in a statement to HuffPost. “Despite his constant presence on every television station and social media app, he’s tied with Mayor Bottoms because she knows this race won’t be won with sound bites.”
Will money matter in Georgia? That remains to be seen. But you know what definitely matters? The people.
And the people are voting.
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