Democrats are embracing a new strategy as they seek to win two U.S. Senate elections in Georgia that will determine control of the United States Senate.
"President-elect Joe Biden’s plan to visit Georgia next week to campaign for Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock is a sharp reminder of a seismic shift in the state’s Democratic politics. Not long ago, state Democrats ran screaming from national figures. Now, they’re embracing them," Greg Bluestein of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported Thursday.
"Of course, it makes sense for the Senate candidates to tie themselves to Biden, who became the first Democratic presidential nominee to carry the state since 1992," Bluestein reported. "But the Georgia Democrats’ embrace of national stars goes far beyond the former vice president, who defeated President Donald Trump in the state by about 12,000 votes. They’ve held fundraisers with U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren — liberal leaders whom Republicans eagerly frame as too extreme for Georgia."
Indeed, the persepective from Georgia Republicans was on display by Rep. Rick Allen (R-GA), who decried "limousine liberals" while warming up the crowd at an Augusta rally for VP Mike Pence.
"With the Senate on the line, Democrats say the candidates simply can’t afford to alienate any potential supporter on the ideological spectrum — even if it means risking new broadsides from Republican U.S. Sens. David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler," Bluestein reported. "It’s a notable shift in Georgia, where Republicans have long campaigned with national leaders — including a string of 2024 presidential hopefuls who visited in November ahead of the runoff — while Democrats have more often shunned them."
There's been a massive shift in the last decade.
"When President Barack Obama visited Atlanta weeks before the 2014 election, for instance, it was considered shrewd political strategy for top Democratic candidates to steer clear of an appearance with him on the tarmac," Bluestein noted.
