In an after-action report on the 2022 elections in Georgia, Greater Georgia Chairwoman Kelly Loeffler argued that Georgia is still a red state, but that Democratic spending from outside the state is the reason for losses in the federal elections.
“Republicans won every statewide office and held both the State House and Senate. Georgia isn’t just a red state – it is a red state despite the challenges posed by the Left’s massive national funding, organization on the ground, and growing demographic advantages,” Loeffler, a former U.S. senator, wrote in the report.
Loeffler said Stacey Abrams outraised Governor Brian Kemp $113 million to $78 million, but still lost. Senator Raphael Warnock raised $170 million but only won with a margin of 35,000 votes against defeated Herschel Walker, who raised $71 million. Still, that spending brought out 200,000 new voters for Warnock in the runoff.
“Despite decisive victories for statewide Republican candidates, the impact of out-of-state money was felt at the federal level. Out-of-state money will continue to be an issue in Georgia heading into the 2024 presidential election cycle, making strategic voter engagement even more important in defending what has been an uneven playing field,” she wrote.
After Loeffler lost in a runoff to Warnock in 2020, she launched Greater Georgia Action, which she said uses a year-round approach to reach voters even in non-election years. She said that in 2022, Greater Georgia worked to restore conservative voter confidence by educating them about new election integrity legislation passed in the state in 2021.
Additionally, she said the organization focused on people less likely to vote, including minorities and suburban women. That’s something that Republicans need to keep focusing on, she said, using ground game strategies and advertising.
“A clear lesson is that Republicans must compete for voters – particularly those who are newly registered, diverse and underrepresented, swing and independent, and in growing voting blocs like women and young voters. If conservatives don’t compete with progressives to grow the base year-round, the chances of expanding the movement or sustaining our majorities are slim,” she wrote.
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Eric Burk is a reporter at The Virginia Star and The Star News Network.
Photo “Kelly Loeffler” by Office of Senator Kelly Loeffler. Background Photo “Georgia State Capitol” by DXR. CC BY-SA 4.0.
