Georgia Politics, Campaigns, and Elections for November 30, 2022

General George Washington set up winter headquarters at Morristown, New Jersey on December 1, 1779.

On November 30, 1782, British and American signed a preliminary treaty in Paris to end the American Revolution, which included withdrawal of British troops and recognition of American independence.

On November 30, 1819, the SS Savannah returned to Savannah, GA from its trip as the first steamship to cross the Atlantic.

On December 1, 1824, the election for President of the United States, in which no candidate received a majority of electoral votes, went to the United States House of Representatives.

Andrew Jackson of Tennessee won 99 electoral and 153,544 popular votes; John Quincy Adams–the son of John Adams, the second president of the United States–received 84 electoral and 108,740 popular votes; Secretary of State William H. Crawford, who had suffered a stroke before the election, received 41 electoral votes; and Representative Henry Clay of Virginia won 37 electoral votes.

As dictated by the Constitution, the election was then turned over to the House of Representatives. The 12th Amendment states that if no electoral majority is won, only the three candidates who receive the most popular votes will be considered in the House. Representative Henry Clay, who was disqualified from the House vote as a fourth-place candidate, agreed to use his influence to have John Quincy Adams elected.

The City of Sandy Springs began operations at one second after midnight on December 1, 2005. Three years later, Dunwoody became a new city, on December 1, 2008.

Georgia Politics, Campaigns, and Elections

More than half-a-million Georgia voters have cast their ballots in the Runoff Election for United States Senate, according to Atlanta News First via WTVM.

As of Tuesday morning, 503,792 Georgians have cast ballots, either through absentee voting or early voting, which began in some counties over the weekend and launched statewide on Monday. The data comes from the Georgia Secretary of State’s data hub for the Dec. 6 runoff.

Early Tuesday afternoon, Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger said, “Voters broke the all-time daily turnout record for in-person early voting on Monday, November 28. As of Tuesday morning, 468,000 Georgians have cast their in-person ballot for the December 6 runoff, with an astounding 301,545 casting their vote on Monday.

“Monday’s total is well above previous records of 233,252 voters processed on the final day of early voting in the 2018 general election, and 252,715 voting on the highest day of early voting in 2016,” Raffensperger added.

In terms of early voting, the metro Atlanta counties of Fulton, DeKalb, Gwinnett and Cobb are leading all other Georgia counties.

Raffensperger acknowledged long voting lines have been reported in some metro areas.

“However, many metro area polling locations experienced little to no wait times,” Raffensperger said. “Richmond, Gwinnett, Fulton, and Cobb are among the counties publishing wait times, and we encourage voters to check before going to the polls.

The last day for early voting is Friday, December 2.

From the Savannah Morning News:

Earlier this month, Emory University Associate Professor Bernard L. Fraga tweeted out topline turnout numbers for those who cast ballots in the general. Just over half of Georgians who were eligible to vote turned out for the midterm, he calculated, down about 1% from last midterm in 2018.

“It’s a bit easier to vote in 2022, relative to 2018, there’s been an expansion of early voting options and the like but overall turnout was relatively lower in 2022 to 2018,” said Zachary Peskowitz, associate professor of political science at Emory. “I suspect what is going on is, this was not a referendum on Trump, and was not an opportunity to voice your support of Trump or your displeasure of Trump, in the same way that the 2018 midterms were.”

Black and Hispanic turnout declined by a few percentage points, Asian turnout increased, and white turnout increased by just 0.4%, according to Fraga’s data. This was despite much higher early voting numbers this year than in 2018.

“I don’t know why we had this drop off, because I think it was unexpected. You know, we’ve set a record with midterm elections four years ago and for a presidential election two years ago and for a runoff election in January of 2021,” said Charles Bullock, a University of Georgia political science professor widely considered the foremost authority on state politics. “Looked like we had a very energized electorate that would show up in large numbers.”

“It looks like maybe young people were not as energized, and maybe the minority community not as energized,” Bullock said. “Why might that be? Well, again, just to speculate, maybe it was because they didn’t feel like the Biden administration had come through for them.”

Black voters also supported Abrams, with 90% of those polled voting for her, about 55% of Hispanic or Latino and Asian voters backed her as well. Three-quarters of white voters backed Kemp.

“I’m very interested in what Black turnout in the runoff is relative to the general election,” Peskowitz said. “I think that’s probably the critical variable and determining who wins the runoff.”

From 13WMAZ:

Herschel Walker stopped in Greensboro in Northeast Georgia Tuesday while Senator Raphael Warnock spoke in Fort Valley.

“Get out and vote. Tell 10 of your friends to get out to vote. If you don’t have friends, make friends and tell them to get out and vote,” Walker said at a rally in Greene County Tuesday.

“If you stand with me for the next seven days, I’ll stand up for you for the next 6 years. I think that’s a pretty good deal. Are you ready to get this thing done?” Warnock said to a room of students.

Raphael Warnock made his third college visit of the week Tuesday, speaking to a small group of students at Fort Valley State University.

Meanwhile, Herschel Walker has concentrated on campaigning in north Georgia for much of the runoff, including Tuesday, when he spoke to a crowd in Greene County.

He talked about energy independence, critical race theory, supporting police, and opposing abortion, but his most consistent theme has been making the incumbent the issue.

“He’s lying to you and telling you this is the new normal. He’s lying to you and telling you everything is OK. No, it’s not. Crime is the way it is because of him,” Walker said.

In the Atlanta area, Charles Bullock, University of Georgia political science professor, says Republicans try to run up vote totals in Hall, Cherokee and Forsyth counties. Those counties are population dense and Republican.

We’ve also seen Warnock campaigning a lot on college campuses. Bullock says the younger the voter, the more likely they’ll vote Democrat. However, those younger voters are also less likely to turn out. Bullock says that’s why Warnock is working to mobilize them.

From the Capitol Beat News Service via the Rome News Tribune:

More than 300,000 Georgians cast ballots Monday, the first day of statewide early voting in the runoff contest between Democratic U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock and Republican challenger Herschel Walker. That easily broke the daily record for early voting turnout in Georgia of 233,000.

And that latest record didn’t last long. As of late Tuesday, another 309,083 Georgians had voted.

Floyd County once again was a big contributor to the state record. On Tuesday, 1,885 people cast ballots at the election office off East 12th Street or the Anthony Recreation Center. In three days of advance voting, Floyd has recorded 4,559 ballots as well as accepted 599 absentee votes.

From the Macon Telegraph:

Statewide early voting in the Senate runoff began Monday, and a record number of Georgians cast their ballots early, including more than 4,000 in Bibb County.

In Bibb County, 4,115 votes have already been cast most of those at the election board’s main office on Pio Nono.

From the AJC Political Insider:

While Democrats are giddy about the record-breaking voter participation so far in the runoff — particularly the soaring turnout from Black voters in Georgia — Republicans also have reason to be optimistic.

Herschel Walker campaign manager Scott Paradise noted that on Monday, the first day of early voting in all of Georgia’s 159 counties, nine of the top 10 with highest turnout were counties Walker carried in the midterm — most of them by an overwhelming margin.

And turnout was particularly robust in Forsyth and Hall counties — two of the most important GOP strongholds.

Although they trail Democratic strongholds like Fulton and DeKalb in population, the turnout spike in red counties indicates the kind of enthusiasm GOP strategists are looking for.

“All this being said, only 2% of the General’s Election Day voters have cast a ballot so far in the runoff,” Paradise tweeted.

“Herschel Walker won Election Day voters in the General Election by 15 points, a nearly 220,000 vote margin. So, we’re just getting started!”

Early voting yesterday was even higher, with 309,083 ballots cast. Altogether, more than 833,000 Georgians have already voted in this year’s runoff.

United States Senate candidate Herschel Walker (R) called Texas “home” according to CNN via the Gwinnett Daily Post.

Georgia Republican Senate candidate Herschel Walker, facing renewed and growing questions about his residency in the final week of the runoff campaign, described himself during a campaign speech in January as living in Texas and said he decided to run for Georgia’s Senate seat while at his Texas “home,” according to a CNN KFile review of his campaign speeches.

Georgia Democrats have called for an investigation by state officials into Walker’s residency after CNN’s KFile reported last week that Walker was getting a tax break in Texas intended for a primary residence, possibly running afoul of Texas tax law and some rules for establishing Georgia residency for voting and running for office.

“I live in Texas,” Walker said in January of this year, when speaking to University of Georgia College Republicans. Walker was criticizing Democrats for not visiting the border when he made the comments. “I went down to the border off and on sometimes,” he said.

“Everyone asks me, why did I decide to run for a Senate seat? Because to be honest with you, this is never something I ever, ever, ever thought in my life I’d ever do,” said Walker. “And that’s the honest truth. As I was sitting in my home in Texas, I was sitting in my home in Texas, and I was seeing what was going on in this country. I was seeing what was going on in this country with how they were trying to divide people.”

A CNN KFile review of some of Walker’s media appearances and events from 2021 and 2022 finds Walker appeared on Fox News and other conservative media from his Texas home at least four times after announcing his candidacy for Georgia’s Senate seat.
The interviews at his Texas home took place twice in September 2021 and in February and March of 2022.`

If I moved to Texas tomorrow and spent the rest of my life there, I would still describe things that happened pre-move at my current home Atlanta as “at home.” I don’t think this story makes a bit of difference to any voter.

The Athens-Clarke County Democratic Party headquarters was burglarized, according to the Athens Banner Herald.

The intruder flipped over tables and stole a laptop, police Lt. Shaun Barnett said on Tuesday.

The office had been locked the Saturday evening and a person who showed up for a meeting Sunday morning discovered the burglary, Barnett said.