While this strategy appears to have given Democrats a head start, it remains to be seen whether it will be enough to stem the surge in Republican voters who are probably waiting until election day to appear at the polls, as has traditionally been the case.
“Democrats attended the early vote and the open emphasis on black voters apparently paid off,” said Brian Robinson, a Republican strategist based in Georgia, in a text message on Wednesday. “Republicans, however, still have a lot of votes they can get, particularly in northwest Georgia, where Trump is going on Monday. Republican Party candidates will easily win among voters on Election Day, so the greater the turnout on Tuesday, the better the chances for Republicans. ”
But Republicans had similar hopes for Trump in the general election, in which he fell short of about 12,000 votes in Georgia. And it is not clear whether Trump, in his visit to Dalton, will end up motivating his followers or causing more headaches for Republicans.
Trump’s tweet calling for Kemp’s resignation was already commanding some of the political spotlight on Wednesday. At a press conference called in a hurry, Kemp did not address Trump’s comments directly, saying he would not be “distracted” from his goal of electing Perdue and Loeffler. The governor also said he was too focused on responding to the coronavirus pandemic to get involved in internal political struggles.
“That horse left the barn in Georgia,” said Kemp of Biden’s victory in Georgia – rejecting Trump’s false claims that the state election was tainted by fraud.
The way the maneuvers unfold will not only affect the balance of power in Washington, but it will also offer the first hints as to how both parties navigate the post-Trump political future. Trump has proven to be a unique motivator for the Republican base, and the party has yet to find a figure who is equally adept at maximizing participation among white conservatives.
Democrats are eager to prove that Biden’s success in November was no accident, and that voters want a robust liberal agenda, rather than the Republican-led obstructionism that defined the Obama administration.