It's kind of interesting how fast Georgia went from the swing state Democrats felt most optimistic about to arguably the state they're most pessimistic about.
After 2020 and 2021, Democrats sort of had a honeymoon phase in Georgia where it was assumed Atlanta's growth and increasing black population would pull the state left for the long run. Then in 2022 Democrats had a pretty underwhelming midterm in GA outside the Senate race failing to come close at the state level. Now in 2024, polling and pundits both suggests Trump winning Georgia with relative ease.
Regardless of if Trump ends up winning GA or not, this shows how fast a narrative about a state can turn around.
After 2020 and 2021, Democrats sort of had a honeymoon phase in Georgia where it was assumed Atlanta's growth and increasing black population would pull the state left for the long run. Then in 2022 Democrats had a pretty underwhelming midterm in GA outside the Senate race failing to come close at the state level. Now in 2024, polling and pundits both suggests Trump winning Georgia with relative ease.
Regardless of if Trump ends up winning GA or not, this shows how fast a narrative about a state can turn around.
Georgia could possibly follow the direction of North Carolina where it lent it’s electoral votes to democrats in 2008 then stubbornly vote GOP cycles after albeit by small margins.
I personally have my doubts but we shall see. NC always seemed to have a lot more places where Democrats could collapse further than Georgia. When Obama won NC in 2008 he was winning or at least coming close in many rural white Appalachian precincts - in Georgia however rural whites are already pretty close to as red as they can get. I think the main thing that could change my view is if we actually see black voters shift right in large magnitudes for cycle after cycle.
Also Georgia growth is just far more lopsided in Dems favor than NC. In GA most fo the growth is coming out of metro Atlanta and making it bluer, whereas in NC you had some counteracting growth in certain exurban areas and along the NC coast.