Democratic Party of Georgia

President Jimmy Carter (1977−1981)

Originally having members who were conservative Southern Democrats, for over a century, the Democratic Party dominated Georgia state and local politics. From 1872 to 2002, the Democratic Party controlled the Governor's Mansion, both houses of the state legislature and most statewide offices.

In 1976, Democratic Governor Jimmy Carter (1971-1975) was elected the 39th President of the United States.

After switching to the Republican Party in 1998, Sonny Perdue went on to defeat Democrat Roy Barnes in the 2002 gubernatorial election. Perdue's unexpected victory marked the beginning of a decline for the Democratic Party of Georgia.

Georgia House Speaker Tom Murphy, the longest serving Speaker in any state legislature, lost his bid for another term in the state House.[1] Four Democrats in the Georgia State Senate changed their political affiliation, handing the upper house to the GOP. And in 2004, the Democratic Party lost control of the Georgia House of Representatives, putting the party in the minority for the first time in Georgia history.

The Democratic Party of Georgia entered the 2010 elections with hopes that former Governor Roy Barnes could win back the Governor's Mansion. Polls showed a tight race between Barnes and Republican gubernatorial nominee Nathan Deal,[2] with some predicting a runoff election.[3] However, on election day, Republicans won every statewide office.[4]

Officers of the Democratic Party of Georgia are elected by the state Democratic committee at a January meeting following each regular gubernatorial election.[5] Democratic Party of Georgia officers serve four-year terms, and there is no limit on the number of terms an individual can serve as a Democratic Party of Georgia officer. Below are the current officers of the Democratic Party of Georgia:[6]

• Chair: Nikema Williams
• First Vice Chair: Ted Terry
• Congressional District/County Liaison Vice Chair: Sarah Todd
• Constituency Group Vice Chair: Bee Nguyen
• Candidate Recruitment Vice Chair: Adrienne White
• Secretary: Justin Holsomback
• Treasurer: Jason Esteves
• Democratic National Committeemembers: Wendy Davis, Richard Ray, Sally Rosser, Pam Stephenson, Sheikh Rahman and Dan Halpern
• House Leader: Bob Trammell[7]
• Senate Leader: Steve Henson[8]

[9]

• African American Caucus
• AAPI (Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders) Caucus
• disABILITY Caucus
• Greening Georgia
• Latino Caucus
• LGBTQ Caucus
• Senior Caucus
• Veterans Caucus

Of Georgia's fourteen seats in the United States House of Representatives, five are currently held by Democrats. The Democrats do not hold either of the two United State Senate seats. To date, the last Democratic senator from Georgia was Zell Miller, serving from 2000 to 2005.

Members of United States Congress

• U.S. House of Representatives
  • Sanford Bishop, 2nd District
  • Hank Johnson, 4th District
  • John Lewis, 5th District
  • Lucy McBath, 6th District
  • David Scott, 13th District

The Democratic Party of Georgia controls none of the fourteen state constitutional offices. The Democrats control 21 of the 56 State Senate seats and 75 of 180 state house seats. Two-year terms of office apply to both houses, and the entire membership of each body is elected at the same time in even-numbered years.

Since 1948, the Democrats have secured the state of Georgia 7 times, while the Republican party secured Georgia 8 times. However, during the past 6 presidential elections, the Democrats won the state of Georgia only once, in 1992. Bill Clinton won 43.47% of the vote while incumbent President George H.W. Bush carried 42.88%, while losing his quest for a 2nd term.

Georgia Presidential Vote, 1948-2008

As the state has gotten more diverse with the growth of the Atlanta metropolitan area, margins of victory for Republicans have significantly decreased in recent times. During the 2018 Midterm elections, Republicans lost 10 State House seats[10] and 2 State Senate seats.[11] Governor Brian Kemp, a Republican, only won the gubernatorial race by 1.39% in 2018.[12], with former Republican Governor Nathan Deal clinching almost 8% of the vote just four years prior.[13]

• Political party strength in Georgia (U.S. state)

• Democratic Party of Georgia
• Young Democrats of Georgia