“If this district swings in 2026 as much as we’ve seen other districts swing in recent elections, we will flip this seat,” she tells her Facebook audience.
By conventional measures, it’s a long shot to turn the seat in northeast Georgia blue. The last time a Democrat held the seat was more than 30 years ago, and the Cook Political Report rates the district solidly Republican.
But, Doherty and other Democrats in the district running in Tuesday’s primary election say that circumstances are ripe for a flip come November.
President Donald Trump’s approval ratings have hit record lows. The incumbent Rep. Mike Collins (R-GA) is running for Senate, leaving the seat open.
The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, which elects state-level Democrats, boasts flipping 30 seats across the country, compared to zero for Republicans during the special election cycle, which Democrats hope will be a bellwether for national races.
“Especially in a year like this where we are expecting a wave — who knows how big — but also it's an open seat … which will mean it's easier to flip,” Doherty said.
“If the 10th district swings like we've seen some of these other districts swinging, we can definitely flip this seat, so we're looking at this like the wind is at our back. It's still definitely a tough race, but if it's going to happen, this is going to be the year that we flip the seat for sure.”
'Very realistic'
Three Democrats and three Republicans are competing in Tuesday’s primary.
Pamela DeLancy, another Democrat running for the seat in Georgia’s 10th congressional district, said while the district has been gerrymandered to favor Republicans, a Democratic flip is still “very realistic.”
“Absolutely it can be done. The bottom line is getting people out to vote, getting people to get out of this mindset that their vote doesn't count or their voice has been squashed,” DeLancy said.
“I think our current administration is trying … to put fear and tell people, ‘No matter what you do, you can't change anything because we're in charge,’ and I like to challenge that thought.”
DeLancy said the district is a mix of suburban and rural areas and has shifted to become “a huge diverse community.”
Doherty lost to Collins in 2024, bringing in 36.9 percent of the vote, but she said she’s learned a lot since the last election and has gained recognition running in the district for more than two years already.
“This is an area that, if there was any sanity to how we drew districts, it would be a blue seat, but they had to work really hard to make it a red seat,” Doherty said.
“In a year like this, it is very possible for us to flip this seat.”
'Solidly in the swing'
Recent swings in Georgia have given Doherty and DeLancy hope for a shift in their district
Democrat Eric Gisler flipped a state House seat that overlaps with Georgia’s 10th congressional district in a special election in December. The seat had a Trump 12-point advantage.
“I think we're seeing a blue wave across the whole United States,” DeLancy said.
“He flipped the seat last election ... which no one had done, and no one expected him to do it. The possibility does exist … because the environment has changed.”
In March, Democrat Emily Gregory flipped the Florida House seat where Trump’s Mar-a-Lago is located, and in February, Democrat Taylor Rehmet flipped a Republican Texas Senate district that favored Trump by 17 points, both drawing national headlines.
On the national stage, Doherty said Democrat Shawn Harris’ race in Georgia’s 14th Congressional district gives her hope even though Harris lost to Republican Clay Fuller in an April special election to replace former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) who resigned in January.
Harris captured 44.1 percent of the vote. When he ran against Greene in 2024, he got 35.6 percent of the vote, improving upon a 10-point Democratic swing from the 2022 election.
“If we swing even half as much as that race swung, we can flip this seat,” Doherty said.
“We are kind of solidly in the swing if things keep going like they've been going.”
'Make a penny holler'
Republicans have far out-fundraised Democrats in the district.
Georgia State Rep. Houston Gaines, endorsed by Trump, raised more than $2.1 million and Ryan Millsap, a “proud MAGA warrior” film producer brought in more than $1.1 million, according to Federal Election Commission filings through April 29.
Doherty has raised more than $209,000, and DeLancy has raised more than $13,000, according to the filings.
“Hey, I can make a penny holler when you have to account for every penny that you earn,” DeLancy said.
“I'm not going to go out here and complain to my constituents, say, ‘Oh, man, the economy is so bad. By the way, I know you can't afford milk and eggs and bread for your kids, but can I have your last $10?’ What type of representative I'm going to be if I have the audacity to ask for somebody’s last $10? I don't think that's the kind of person you need representing you.”
Doherty said she went into the race recognizing out-fundraising Republicans would be an unlikely task, especially in Georgia. She has refused corporate PAC money, and she said she’s turned to fundraising outside of the district, recognizing the district’s voters are working class.
“One of the big things that I'm trying to do in this race is make sure that across the country, people understand how important this seat is and how flippable it is,” Doherty.
“If you're serious about wanting to take back the House, this is a race where a little bit of money can go a long way, and we've had a lot of people outside of the district that have been incredibly supportive and see the importance of that.”
Doherty said she’s trying to strike a balance between both turning out the Democrats and persuading voters to support her, leaning into her roots growing up in rural South Carolina.
“I try to talk to the people that are our traditional Democratic base, but I also try to talk to people that maybe are a little skeptical,” Doherty said.
“I've worked on farms my whole life, so I think I have the ability to talk to your traditional moderate conservative voter in a way that a lot of people can't.”
As a nurse and 39-year Army veteran, DeLancy said she’s been a “bipartisan person my whole career.”
The issues DeLancy said she’s focusing on apply to both the liberal and conservative parts of the district, including a need for affordable food, housing and gas prices, along with access to health care.
'Democracy versus a dictatorship'
If she were elected in November, passing a minimum wage increase would be Doherty’s top priority, she said.
Voters in the district are concerned about the direction of the country under Trump, and as DeLancy put it, “democracy is on the ballot,” this election.
“A lot of people are really concerned about the corruption that we're seeing, just a lot of people generally not happy with the direction things are going right now,” Doherty said.
The stakes of the 2026 election are “extremely high, maybe higher than ever before,” DeLancy said.
“If the Democrats do not come out and make their voice heard … Democrats’ party may no longer be in existence because what you're looking at is democracy versus a dictatorship.”
Simply, in order to stand-up to the Trump administration, whose policies on immigration, tariffs and Iran have been unpopular, Democrats simply need to flip seats in Congress, DeLancy said.
“We have to take the fight to the polls. We have to have individuals go and vote,” DeLancy said.
“If you don't go and vote and help us flip these seats and put more representation in the House, then we're going to be at a standstill. They will continue to rule as long as they have the numbers.”
If Georgia’s 10th congressional district goes blue come November, that would signal that Democrats likely will take back control of the House, Doherty said.
“Flipping a seat like this, it would mean we've got a majority in the House. Basically, I think there's no way we flip the seat and don't take the majority,” Doherty said.
“If I get elected, I will be a part of hopefully a very strong majority party that's standing up to this administration in every possible way that we can.”
