Why are Ossoff and Warnock so much more liberal than other red/purple state Dems?

[Cyrusman]

Compared to all other Democrat senators who represent light red/purple states Ossoff and Warnock are by far the most liberal. None of the politicking bills that have been proposed in the last 6 months have they even questioned or potentially said they would vote no for and have pretty much been United with the main costal dems. Even in the “culture wars” they tend to lean pretty liberal.
This is very different than the likes of Tester, Kelly, Hassan, Sinema, brown, and let alone Manchin.

How do they get away or why would you say they are much more liberal?

[Roll Roons]

Brown is also a pretty outspoken liberal.

Georgia is much less elastic than those other states, so campaigns tend to be more focused on turning out the base rather than persuading swing voters. Democrats' recent success has been mostly a result of rapidly changing demographics that have caused the liberal base to expand.

[Stand With Israel. Crush Hamas]

Because they're liberals and were elected by a tiny margin in a wildly polarized state. They know they have no chance of winning over Republicans and their only chance of success is to keep on driving up Dem and black turnout.

Sinema's victory was driven a lot by centrist older Dems and liberal Republicans who jumped the fence. And the majority of Manchin's votes likely came from Republicans.

[Holy Unifying Centrist]

They campaigned as liberals and won, so obviously they will govern as liberals

[TML]

Remember: "centrist" as defined by the general public is way to the left of "centrist" as defined by the political establishment. Thus, the voting records of people like Manchin are actually way to the right of what their constituents actually believe.

[Devils30]

Because unless Georgia trends change, if they survive 2022/2026 neither is likely to be defeated in a general election afterwards. This isn't Zell Miller's state anymore.

[Meatball Ron]

The first two responses basically nailed it, but it's as simple as Georgia being a "turnout state" not a "persuasion state" (see outdated Nate Silver article below if you don't know what I'm referring to; pretty sure this contains the origin of these concepts or at least what made them widespread)

https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/swing-voters-and-elastic-states/

That said, will be curious to see if that starts to change - could educated whites in the ATL area that helped push Biden/Ossoff/Warnock over the edge become a "persuadable" group? Maybe if the GOP reverted to a saner pre-Trump baseline, which feels unlikely. If any sizable cohort of GA voters become persuadable voters, it would change the calculus for campaigning in this state.

[MATTROSE94]

Because unless Georgia trends change, if they survive 2022/2026 neither is likely to be defeated in a general election afterwards. This isn't Zell Miller's state anymore.

Jon Ossoff I feel has his seat for as long as he wants it, whereas Raphael Warnock likely loses to Herschel Walker in 2022, who I have surviving until 2028 or 2034.

[Devils30]

Because unless Georgia trends change, if they survive 2022/2026 neither is likely to be defeated in a general election afterwards. This isn't Zell Miller's state anymore.

Jon Ossoff I feel has his seat for as long as he wants it, whereas Raphael Warnock likely loses to Herschel Walker in 2022, who I have surviving until 2028 or 2034.

Ehh, Walker probably won't get the black vote up against Warnock and he comes off as a complete idiot to whites in the suburbs.

Just in case you think Walker would be a strong candidate!

https://twitter.com/HerschelWalker/status/1346932366061805569

[Amenhotep Bakari-Sellers]

Ossoff came out against Crt Packing as well he isn't, all that Liberal, there isn't any justification for Crt packing now, since Roberts is helping CB and Kavanaugh moderate the CRT

[Mr. Smith]

Because they're liberals and were elected by a tiny margin in a wildly polarized state. They know they have no chance of winning over Republicans and their only chance of success is to keep on driving up Dem and black turnout.

Sinema's victory was driven a lot by centrist older Dems and liberal Republicans who jumped the fence. And the majority of Manchin's votes likely came from Republicans.

WV only just flipped to majority GOP, so I doubt this.


And no, I'm pretty sure Tester is more liberal than Ossoff.

[Progressive Pessimist]

Because they recognize how politics is changing with the increasing polarization in our country. They can legislate however they want so long as they keep the base engaged and turning out during their elections, especially in representing a state that is sharply trending left. It's something Manchin and Sinema cannot seem to fathom. Though in Manchin's defense nothing will probably save him in 2024. Then again, that should be all the more reason for him to go left and be completely shameless with it.

[Buffalo Mayor Young Kim]

Wait, did you just put Sherrod Brown, the very model of a modern Democratic Senator, on a list with Tester, Hassan, and the devil’s own cheerleader?

Anyway, the answer is probably, that with exception of Sinema, the rest are old politicos with years of experience teaching them bad lessons and cadre of advisors from the Clinton years. Warnock and Ossoff were effectively born into modern US politics where being a moderate hero gets you nothing.

[MargieCat]

This article below sums it up.

In Georgia, it's about getting the base out. This is the best analogy I've seen, "The idea is you're not trying to get Catholics to convert to Baptist; you're trying to get Baptists to go to church." They are trying to get the more progressive urbanized younger and more diverse electorate out to overcome the rural conservative vote.

In Arizona and some other purple states, there is a more moderate center of the road approach to get moderates and swing voters.

https://www.wbur.org/npr/997051449/what-path-is-best-in-a-swing-state-georgia-arizona-senators-try-diverging-messag

[SnowLabrador]

Because Ossoff and Warnock are much smarter than Manchin and Sinema.

[AGA]

Because they can just ride off of Georgia's demographics.

[Devils30]

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/19/us/herschel-walker-georgia-senate.html

"In a 2005 application for a protective order, Mr. Walker’s ex-wife, Cindy Grossman, alleged that Mr. Walker had a history of “extremely threatening behavior” toward her. In one instance, she has said, he put a gun to her temple. In his book, Mr. Walker admitted to numerous instances of playing Russian roulette."

Thinks might make Loeffler look like a great candidate!

[mtvoter]

Compared to all other Democrat senators who represent light red/purple states Ossoff and Warnock are by far the most liberal. None of the politicking bills that have been proposed in the last 6 months have they even questioned or potentially said they would vote no for and have pretty much been United with the main costal dems. Even in the “culture wars” they tend to lean pretty liberal.
This is very different than the likes of Tester, Kelly, Hassan, Sinema, brown, and let alone Manchin.

How do they get away or why would you say they are much more liberal?

This is just not true. They definitely are not "by far" the most liberal.

Unless you've never heard about Sherrod Brown and Tammy Baldwin, who are actually progressives in Ohio (Trump +8) and Wisconsin (EVEN)

@ OP, Baldwin supports M4A, GND, court packing, etc and is literally one of the most liberal members of congress. Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock don't.

[mtvoter]

Because they're liberals and were elected by a tiny margin in a wildly polarized state. They know they have no chance of winning over Republicans and their only chance of success is to keep on driving up Dem and black turnout.

Sinema's victory was driven a lot by centrist older Dems and liberal Republicans who jumped the fence. And the majority of Manchin's votes likely came from Republicans.

The majority of Manchin's votes didn't come from republicans. If more republicans turned out in 2018 he would've got swept out. Luckily turnout was only like 45%

[mtvoter]

Wait, did you just put Sherrod Brown, the very model of a modern Democratic Senator, on a list with Tester, Hassan, and the devil’s own cheerleader?

Anyway, the answer is probably, that with exception of Sinema, the rest are old politicos with years of experience teaching them bad lessons and cadre of advisors from the Clinton years. Warnock and Ossoff were effectively born into modern US politics where being a moderate hero gets you nothing.

OP clearly doesn't actually know about Sherrod Brown or Tammy Baldwin lol

This is a man who openly talks about being friends with Stacey Abrams in a Trump +8 state

For Montana's state lean, Jon Tester is also actually better than Ossoff and Warnock (given Georgia's partisan leans)

[Alben Barkley]

Georgia doesn't have many swing voters. It's all about turning out the base; there is no incentive to play moderate because there is no real hope of winning over voters who normally vote for the other side.

That's not so much the case for Arizona, where Democrats have to rely much more on winning over moderates/independents/even some Republicans. Same goes for Ohio and Montana, though Brown and Tester aren't really moderates. They just are pretty good politicians who are good fits for their state; they come across as likable and genuine to many voters so they win over swing voters despite not being particularly moderate. New Hampshire has a clear D lean in federal races these days, and Hassan isn't all that moderate either, but still there is more incentive in that state to downplay partisanship and present yourself as an "independent thinker" because there are still a lot of split ticket voters in states like NH and Maine.

West Virginia is another story entirely. Manchin is a relic of the state's ancestral Democratic lean, pretty much the last one left now. In order to have any hope of survival, he by necessity HAS to win over LOTS of Trump voters as the state was nearly 70% Trump. He has to not only be a great politician and great fit for his state like Brown and Tester, he also has to be a bona fide moderate if not conservative like Sinema.

[Amenhotep Bakari-Sellers]

GA isn't a red state anymore, it's a purple state just like IA, OH, NC, FL are still purple states, despite what Rs insistence that they are red stayes

[mtvoter]

Georgia doesn't have many swing voters. It's all about turning out the base; there is no incentive to play moderate because there is no real hope of winning over voters who normally vote for the other side.

That's not so much the case for Arizona, where Democrats have to rely much more on winning over moderates/independents/even some Republicans. Same goes for Ohio and Montana, though Brown and Tester aren't really moderates. They just are pretty good politicians who are good fits for their state; they come across as likable and genuine to many voters so they win over swing voters despite not being particularly moderate. New Hampshire has a clear D lean in federal races these days, and Hassan isn't all that moderate either, but still there is more incentive in that state to downplay partisanship and present yourself as an "independent thinker" because there are still a lot of split ticket voters in states like NH and Maine.

West Virginia is another story entirely. Manchin is a relic of the state's ancestral Democratic lean, pretty much the last one left now. In order to have any hope of survival, he by necessity HAS to win over LOTS of Trump voters as the state was nearly 70% Trump. He has to not only be a great politician and great fit for his state like Brown and Tester, he also has to be a bona fide moderate if not conservative like Sinema.

100% agree. GA strikes me more as a turnout state rather than an ideologically fluid state (unlike AZ, MT, etc).

I think Tester has also shifted left over his years - or maybe it's just the gop shifting rightward to qanon land.

He was still always the most liberal red state senator excluding Sherrod Brown (compared to people like Baucus, Landrieu, Pryor, Lincoln, Nelson-NE, Conrad, Dorgan, Manchin, Sinema, etc).

I remember people assuring me Sinema would vote to the left of Tester back when she won in 2018 - LOL

[wbrocks67]

This thread is kind of predicated on an idea that's not necessarily true.

While Ossoff and Warnock have been "yes" on everything Biden has done so far, and ARE both liberals, if you watch Ossoff's social feeds, you wouldn't really get the sense he's a super lib. He really keeps his head down and focuses on things that actually.... what do you know... seem to be FOR actual people and constituents! He posts a lot about local stuff that happens in GA and local GA bills that he's focusing on or fighting for.

If anything, more senators should be like him imo.

[Non Swing Voter]

Because it's a highly polarized state just like Virginia and North Carolina.  That's why Republicans are terrified about losing these southern states because once they flip they're not only gone but they'll have 2 liberal senators each, no moderates.  Georgia isn't like an Arizona or a Michigan where there are genuinely a lot of swing voters keeping the parties somewhat in check.