African-American Voters Flex Their Power in Georgia

Both Democrats and Republicans are chasing voters of color as registration and turnout could decide the midterm elections this November and the presidency two years later.

Georgia, like other states with shifting demographics, is moving from deep red to swing state. African-American voters are expected to play a major role in deciding everything from Senate races to who lives in the governor’s mansion and, depending on how other states vote, the presidency.

And it’s not just the Democrats, who traditionally take the diversity vote for granted, looking for an advantage. According to an Associated Press report, Republicans have identified 275,000 nonwhite Georgians who are “persuadable” and could make the crucial difference come voting day.

It’s good to be wanted, as Rev. Raphael Warnock, pastor at Martin Luther King’s old church, told the AP:

“The more black and brown people, the more pressure we put on Republicans and Democrats to take our political strength seriously,” said the Rev. Raphael Warnock, pastor at the historic Ebenezer Baptist Church, where the Rev. Martin Luther King once preached. Warnock backs Democratic-aligned registration and turnout efforts, but said the matter goes beyond party. “You don’t want to be in a situation where one party can ignore you and the other can take you for granted,” he said.

— Posted by Peter Z. Scheer