Georgia's Black Voters Could Determine Whether Republicans Stay in Power

Black voters—and Black women voters in particular—have historically voted Democrat. In the 2020 presidential election, for instance, an estimated 90 percent of Black women voted for Biden. Without their support for Democratic candidates, Republicans are likely to stay in power. Black political leaders in Georgia, especially women such as Stacey Abrams, Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, LaTosha Brown, and Nse Ufot, were instrumental in mobilizing Black voters in the past several years. Their tireless efforts included voter registration drives at churches and knocking on doors in black and Latinx communities. Of the 5 million Georgians who voted in the presidential election, some 1.2 million of them were Black. Those same political organizers are using similar efforts in the Senate runoff and will be decisive in fending off Republican opponents. "We've done it before and we will do it again," said Ufot, CEO of the New Georgia Project, a nonpartisan voter registration group started by Stacey Abrams. "Never before in my lifetime have Georgia voters been more important to the state of this nation." Since the presidential election, Abrams's organization Fair Fight has raised an additional $3.6 million for the January runoff. No matter the outcome, pundits predict the race will be close, but support from Black voters could turn a close race in the Democrats' favor. As Michael Golden of the Chicago Tribune wrote: "If the party ends up winning those two seats, effectively seizing control of both chambers of Congress and the White House, it will have African Americans voters — and leaders — to thank for it."