First and foremost, they served as a reminder both parties can still rely on a deep reserve of volunteers motivated to do the thankless work: The door-knocking, phone-banking, text-messaging, fund-raising and get-out-the-vote-organizing at the center of campaigns.
They also proved again that candidates are placing bold bets that nationalizing state elections will pay off.
At stops around the state, Kemp ties his rival to “Biden-Abrams inflation” and other Republicans eagerly invoke the president’s name. Herschel Walker claims that U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock has done more to help Biden than he has for Georgia voters.
And at the Truth and Courage PAC’s summit, Cruz predicted Biden has unwittingly birthed a Republican “revival.”
“Every time we see some dumbass decision from this White House, part of me grieves but part of me quietly celebrates,” Cruz said. “Because it is accelerating the process of peoples’ eyes opening up and people coming back.”
Instead of running from Biden, Abrams and other key Democrats have embraced his platform, hopeful that his recent policy victories will speed a turnaround in public opinion.
Credit: Steve Schaefer
Credit: Steve Schaefer
She and other statewide contenders are trying to leverage outrage over the U.S. Supreme Court’s consequential abortion ruling to energize a wave of new supporters.
And while Warnock has a more guarded approach to Biden – and uses his campaign stops to highlight an independent streak – he’s also keen to show how the president’s legislative priorities wouldn’t have passed without Democratic victories in Georgia’s 2021 runoffs.
The weekend events also underlined the complex dynamic among marquee candidates.
Consider the picture taken backstage Saturday of a smiling Kemp sandwiched between Walker and state Sen. Burt Jones, the GOP nominee for lieutenant governor.
Three months after the May primary, the widely shared snapshot is the closest that Kemp and Walker have come to campaigning publicly together.
Allies of both insist they harbor no ill will toward each other – Walker has spoken of forming a devastating political “tag team” on the trail – but they each may have reasons to remain wary of a closer alliance.
Credit: Jason Getz
Credit: Jason Getz
With solid leads in the polls, Kemp might have little motivation to tie himself to Walker, whose campaign trail travails have given Democrats fresh hopes of holding Warnock’s seat.
Plus, Kemp’s camp needs little reminder of Walker’s snubs during the primary. Walker said he was “mad” at both Kemp and his Donald Trump-backed rival, U.S. Sen. David Perdue, for competing against each other. And Walker wouldn’t say whether he voted for Kemp in May.
As for Walker, a closer connection with a popular governor with conservatives offers…
Read More: What a fish fry, a Democratic bash and Ted Cruz tell us about Georgia politics