DNC chair confident Georgia will vote blue despite new election rules- Washington Examiner
Recent developments in Georgia highlight the state’s critical role in the upcoming presidential election, with a fierce contest between former President Donald Trump and current Vice President Kamala Harris. As of now, polling indicates a tight race, with Trump leading Harris marginally at 48.4% compared to her 47.1%.
Democratic National Committee Chairman Jaime Harrison expressed strong confidence that Democrats will maintain control in Georgia despite recent changes to voting rules that some critics argue could suppress voter turnout. These changes include the removal of thousands of inactive voters from registration rolls and new election certification rules backed by Trump allies, which could complicate the certification of election results.
Harrison and other Democratic leaders emphasize the robust infrastructure and campaign efforts already in place to secure votes in Georgia, pointing to their extensive ground game that includes 24 offices and over 150 staff actively engaging with voters. Both candidates have been heavily campaigning in the state, with Trump making recent appearances alongside Georgia Governor Brian Kemp and Harris visiting to announce federal aid in the wake of Hurricane Helene.
Amidst legal challenges to new laws affecting voting, Harrison remains adamant that Democrats can successfully navigate the political landscape and secure a win, leveraging their recent successes in the state as evidence of their ability to perform strongly in tight races.
DNC chair confident Georgia will vote blue despite recent election changes
The leader of the Democratic National Committee is certain that Democrats can win the battleground state of Georgia next month despite changes to the voting rules.
Chairman Jaime Harrison said Democrats are “well poised to win Georgia” during a Friday press call. Harrison’s statement comes after recent election integrity decisions in the state, including the removal of thousands of inactive voters from registration rolls by Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger.
The changes also include two controversial election certification rules, which were endorsed by Trump allies on the State Election Board. These rules require “reasonable inquiry” before certification and allow election officials to examine all election-related documentation. Democrats have argued that the provisions will delay the certification of election results in Georgia.
The DNC has also sued the state over a new rule requiring counties to count ballots by hand for the election. Despite these legal challenges, Harrison claimed his party would prevail in November.
“We have one of the best campaign apparatuses in Georgia. Our state party there led by … Congresswoman Nakema Williams (D-GA) is absolutely fantastic,” said Harrison during the call, which included Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI), head of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, and Rep. Suzan DelBene (D-WA), head of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.
“These folks are grizzled veterans in terms of winning very close and tight races,” Harrison continued. “They’ve done it the last few election cycles led by Reverend Raphael Warnock, the senator there. They know how to win tight races.”
Sens. Raphael Warnock (D-GA) and Jon Ossoff (D-GA) both became the first Democratic senators in the state since 2000 after narrowly winning their elections in Georgia during the 2021 runoffs. President Joe Biden narrowly defeated former President Donald Trump in Georgia, becoming the first Democrat to win the state in the presidential race since former President Bill Clinton in 1992.
Harrison pointed to Vice President Kamala Harris’s ground game operation in the state as an example of why the party can keep Georgia blue.
“We have 24 offices across battleground Georgia. We have over 150 staff on the ground there, working every day, and they’ve been there for a while now,” he said. “Making sure that we are knocking on doors, having conversations with voters. So I believe that we are well poised to win Georgia once again.”
Polling in the Peach State, however, shows Trump narrowly leading Harris, 48.4% to 47.1%, according to FiveThirtyEight’s aggregate. Both candidates have rushed to tour the state in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene. Trump will appear with Gov. Brian Kemp (R-GA) on Friday afternoon after previously visiting the state Monday.
Harris toured the state Wednesday afternoon accompanied by Ossoff, where she announced that Biden had approved the governor’s request for 100% federal reimbursement of local costs.
Harrison also slammed the GOP for allegedly working to block Georgians from voting and claimed he wanted all eligible voters to be able to cast a ballot.
“The Republicans, they can’t win just in terms of having the battle, in terms of the back and forth, in terms of poly policy positions. They have to find ways to keep people from the polls,” he said. “I believe that it’s good for our democracy for folks to get out and exercise the right to vote. I don’t understand why the Republicans don’t feel that way.”
On Tuesday, a Georgia judge signaled that more clarification was needed on the “reasonable inquiry” rule, claiming it was “vague” during a bench trial. But Democrats remain adamant that the new rule won’t block victory.
“They can do whatever they want to … or try with their efforts to keep people from the polls, but we are well funded,” said Harrison. “Our committees will be working together to make sure that we have the best and most robust legal protection program ever in the history of the Democratic Party, and we’re ready to make sure that we can fight for every voter.”
Kaelan Deese contributed to this report.
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