Georgia's Very Own Megathread!

[Calthrina950]

Interestingly enough, I happened to catch a glimpse of a CBS This Morning report earlier today about the close presidential race in Georgia. They interviewed three Georgia voters. One of them, a black gentleman, is a driver for "Souls to the Polls", the traditional effort organized by black churches and other black community organizations, in Georgia and elsewhere in the country, to transport voters from their homes or churches to the polls. He told the interviewer (CBS correspondent Mark Strassman) that he didn't care if the voter were "voting Democrat, Republican, independent, Snow White"-he just wanted to get people to the polls. The second voter interviewed was a black lady, who was being transported by this driver-she stated (unsurprisingly) that she voted for Biden.

But the third voter was the most interesting of all, and one that I have doubts about. A white man, he is a registered Democrat who said he had been a Hillary Clinton supporter back in 2016, but was voting for Trump this time because of "court packing", which he thinks is extreme. I don't buy it, as I seriously doubt that someone would be turned off from Biden just because of that one issue. Here's the clip, so people on here can judge for themselves: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qZQviiXz_XA&ab_channel=CBSThisMorning.

[Calthrina950]

State Representative David Clark banned from House Chamber after refusing a COVID test.

A Georgia state lawmaker said his refusal to take a Covid-19 test got him kicked out of the House chambers on Tuesday.

But Georgia House Speaker David Ralston said the lawmaker, Rep. David Clark, has repeatedly refused to follow House policy which states that all members and staff be tested for the coronavirus twice a week.

"The member in question had been advised numerous times about the requirements and had refused to be tested at any point during this session," Ralston's office said in a statement on Twitter.

"The member refused to leave of his/her own accord. As such, under the authority granted to the Speaker by House Rules, the member was escorted out of the Chamber by a member of the Georgia Department of Public Safety."

Clark, a Republican, said in an emailed statement Tuesday that he arrived at the chamber ready to follow the required protocols by wearing a mask, social distancing and having his temperature taken.

But "what I will not do is be forced to have a Covid test, or any unnecessary medical test, done without a basis for doing so," he said.

"The seat that I hold for District 98 is not my seat, but the people’s seat. I work for you, and I cannot in good conscience watch expensive tests that should be given to Georgia citizens who desperately need them be wasted for nothing more than political optics at the Capitol."

https://twitter.com/rahulbali/status/1354102643652759553

When seeing the name, I immediately thought of the former Sheriff of Milwaukee County who's been an outspoken "voice" on the right, if you want to describe him as such.

[Calthrina950]

I’m hoping Barrow runs for SOS again, he was really wronged with the Supreme Court election cancellation

And if he does run and is opposed by Hice, I believe he would win this time.

[Calthrina950]

https://twitter.com/GeorgiaDemocrat/status/1465899752730468354

Is Georgia truly gone for Republicans if Democrats are doing this well in the current national environment?

Its possible. Democrats nationwide should start taking lessons from the state party.

This is why I think it's likely that Warnock holds on and Abrams wins the Governorship next year, even if things go terribly for Democrats outside of Georgia.

[Calthrina950]

Tossup, but 2022 could be her year.

[Calthrina950]

https://twitter.com/HeartlandSignal/status/1570447074252197892

Is there a collective suicide pact among this year's Republican candidates?

Given that you are a Georgia resident, what are your perceptions of the gubernatorial and senatorial races right now? How is Abrams faring, and has she made up any ground?

[Calthrina950]

https://twitter.com/HeartlandSignal/status/1570447074252197892
Is there a collective suicide pact among this year's Republican candidates?

Given that you are a Georgia resident, what are your perceptions of the gubernatorial and senatorial races right now? How is Abrams faring, and has she made up any ground?

(Note: Edited OP because I had some D's and R's reversed.)

I think Abrams has certainly made up some ground following the Dobbs decision, as have many Democratic candidates across the nation.  After the May primary I had the gubernatorial race at Likely R.  Since Dobbs, Abrams has been hitting Kemp hard on abortion, and I moved it to Lean R with the expectation that Kemp would finish first in November, but there was a good chance of a runoff that would have an uncertain outcome.  Now?  If the above story gets real traction I would expect a close race with a very likely runoff.  It should be remembered that Abrams is very good at organizing new voters and turning out Democrats.  She's still behind, but has been gaining.

In the Senate, I think Warnock will finish first in November but a runoff is likely.  This view hasn't changed much except for minor fluctuations.  I've had it as Lean D the whole time.

I see. I've actually been of the view that Walker would finish first, but that he would lose the runoff to Warnock. But what you say is certainly possible. As for Abrams, it is true that she does know how to energize the Democratic base, and she has been credited with the state's recent turn to the Democrats on the federal level. But Abrams is herself a flawed candidate, and up to this point, her campaign this year had been lacking in enthusiasm. And Kemp certainly has gone farther to the right with regards to abortion than Georgia presently lies.

[Calthrina950]

Hopefully Trump doesn't come to GA, would not be a good thing.  Kemp will outperform him with ease.

What would be your judgment of the races in Georgia at this point? Is a split outcome between Kemp and Warnock likely? And will Republicans sweep all of the statewide offices again?

[Calthrina950]

https://twitter.com/MentallyDivine/status/1578442334223888385

*gasp* How dastardly of them!

Are you voting a straight Democratic ticket?

[Calthrina950]

https://twitter.com/MentallyDivine/status/1578442334223888385

*gasp* How dastardly of them!

Are you voting a straight Democratic ticket?

Yes.  Since I changed my identification from I to D in late 2018, I've had a policy of never voting for a Republican in a general election (I do occasionally vote in R primaries).

So not even for Raffensperger, then? Georgia isn't a state known in recent times for extensive ticket-splitting in any case, so perhaps your sentiment is more widespread than it would seem. If that's the case, Kemp and Raffensperger might win more narrowly than some suspect.

As for me, I'm probably going to be voting a straight Democratic ticket in Colorado (and will definitely be voting for Polis, Bennet, and Griswold), although I am not entirely decided yet about Attorney General or Treasurer, and I do plan on voting for most of the local Republicans running in El Paso County. I did vote in the Republican primary this year to help stop Hanks, Lopez, and Peters from winning their respective races.

[Calthrina950]

https://twitter.com/MentallyDivine/status/1578442334223888385

*gasp* How dastardly of them!

Are you voting a straight Democratic ticket?

Yes.  Since I changed my identification from I to D in late 2018, I've had a policy of never voting for a Republican in a general election (I do occasionally vote in R primaries).

So not even for Raffensperger, then? Georgia isn't a state known in recent times for extensive ticket-splitting in any case, so perhaps your sentiment is more widespread than it would seem. If that's the case, Kemp and Raffensperger might win more narrowly than some suspect.

As for me, I'm probably going to be voting a straight Democratic ticket in Colorado (and will definitely be voting for Polis, Bennet, and Griswold), although I am not entirely decided yet about Attorney General or Treasurer, and I do plan on voting for most of the local Republicans running in El Paso County. I did vote in the Republican primary this year to help stop Hanks, Lopez, and Peters from winning their respective races.

Nope.  I did vote in the R primary this year for Raffensperger, Kemp, and as many other non-Trumpy candidates as I could identify.  But I view the party in its current state as a grave danger to American democracy, and I won't enable it by voting for any of its candidates in a general election.  If the party ever purges itself of its dangerous tendencies (an outcome I think is unlikely, but we can always hope) then I would be open to voting for Republicans again.

I think it will be a long time before that happens. Trump, it appears to me, will have a lasting influence on the Republican Party and the direction it takes, and it is definitely becoming a more downscale, working-class, non-college-educated party than it was before. But who was the last Republican you voted for? Isakson in 2016?

[Calthrina950]

https://twitter.com/MentallyDivine/status/1578442334223888385

*gasp* How dastardly of them!

Are you voting a straight Democratic ticket?

Yes.  Since I changed my identification from I to D in late 2018, I've had a policy of never voting for a Republican in a general election (I do occasionally vote in R primaries).

So not even for Raffensperger, then? Georgia isn't a state known in recent times for extensive ticket-splitting in any case, so perhaps your sentiment is more widespread than it would seem. If that's the case, Kemp and Raffensperger might win more narrowly than some suspect.

As for me, I'm probably going to be voting a straight Democratic ticket in Colorado (and will definitely be voting for Polis, Bennet, and Griswold), although I am not entirely decided yet about Attorney General or Treasurer, and I do plan on voting for most of the local Republicans running in El Paso County. I did vote in the Republican primary this year to help stop Hanks, Lopez, and Peters from winning their respective races.

Correct me if I’m wrong Calthrina, but your Bennet vote seems like a good example of why it can be pretty tough to unseat incumbents even with decent candidates. Not only are incumbents very unlikely to flame out compared to untested candidates, but there seem to be a fair amount of independent-minded voters where it takes a convincing case to throw out an incumbent unless they’ve done something memorably bad. This might speak to why we’re seeing a lot of incumbents polling well this cycle even if there are complaints against their national party.

Well, I'm biased towards Bennet because I interned in his office down here in Colorado Springs back in the summer of 2017. Had it not been for a transportation mishap, I would have had the chance to meet Bennet in person. At any rate, I generally approve of him, although I certainly don't agree with some of his votes and stances. I think he should have voted for Gorsuch, at least, for the Supreme Court, and he's much more to the left on abortion than I am. But he's a workhorse, not a showhorse, and I don't think O'Dea has made a convincing case as to why Bennet should be ousted.

I strongly approve of Polis however, and of almost everything he has done, except for the abortion law that he signed earlier this year. Ganahl seems unhinged to me, as she chose an election denier (Danny Moore) as her running mate, who was expelled from Colorado's Redistricting Commission by his colleagues when old Facebook posts of his relating to the 2020 election surfaced. Moreover, she's recently made crazy and unfounded allegations about "furries" in our schools, which the school districts themselves have rejected. It's ironic, because I voted for Ganahl in 2016, when she was up for current position on the Board of Regents. She seemed much more reasonable at that time.

I approve of how Griswold has done her job, although many have accused her of being "transparently ambitious" and she appeared in an advertisement with her predecessor, Wayne Williams, that some saw as a gimmick to promote herself to the voters. I voted for Williams in 2018 when he lost reelection to her, as I approved of his performance, but now I'm switching to her on the same basis.

[Calthrina950]

Plus the act of voting for the reason Republican in the primary and then voting against them in the general creates a negative feedback loop against such Republicans going forward. "Lost because they weren't conservative enough/strong enough/tough enough/Trumpist enough". It negates the whole purpose and benefit of voting for them in the primary in the first place.

Agreed, and if I were in Georgia, I would be voting for Kemp and Raffensperger, as well as Warnock. But I think that most of the "swing" or "persuadable" voters in Georgia, such as they are, plan on voting in exactly such a manner.

[Calthrina950]

Plus the act of voting for the reason Republican in the primary and then voting against them in the general creates a negative feedback loop against such Republicans going forward. "Lost because they weren't conservative enough/strong enough/tough enough/Trumpist enough". It negates the whole purpose and benefit of voting for them in the primary in the first place.

Agreed, and if I were in Georgia, I would be voting for Kemp and Raffensperger, as well as Warnock. But I think that most of the "swing" or "persuadable" voters in Georgia, such as they are, plan on voting in exactly such a manner.

I would vote for Kemp, Raffensberger but would leave the Senate Race blank. Giving Democrats another blank check vote in the Senate is not what I would envision. I couldn't stomach voting for Warnock given that he throw the Country into the carpet with his votes.

There is a Libertarian on the ballot in Georgia, so that would provide an outlet to those who don't want to vote for either Warnock or Walker, such as Lt. Gov Duncan (who has explicitly said he won't vote for Warnock, but doesn't approve of Walker and has been critical of him).

[Calthrina950]

Here is the link to watch the Governor's Debate that was earlier tonight...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YNtlU7Rkp7w

From what I've seen and read of the debate, it appears that Kemp won. Abrams is sinking fast, and she is going to lose by more than in 2018, which is what she deserves.

[Calthrina950]

Here is the link to watch the Governor's Debate that was earlier tonight...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YNtlU7Rkp7w

From what I've seen and read of the debate, it appears that Kemp won. Abrams is sinking fast, and she is going to lose by more than in 2018, which is what she deserves.

Here y’all go. LOL.

“The candidate I don’t like and disagree with on most, if not all issues lost the debate”

I'm not just basing my opinion on that. As I've said before, Abrams is clearly the underdog at this point.