OK Kossacks, here’s my pitch…
In a nutshell — 1) GA-7 is a flippable R seat. 2) We have an outstanding candidate. 3) We need your support.
I’ve been around DKOS for most of this century, at first lurking and smirking, and eventually providing my $0.02 every now and then over the years. This is a community I love and respect, and I bring this request to you only because I know many of you will appreciate the great opportunity it means.
I live in Atlanta. We have a couple jerrymandered Congressional districts that are heavily Democratic, represented by John Lewis and Hank Johnson. They are great. But in the wealthy Buckhead corridor and the exurbs, our Congresscritters tend to have an R after their name. We aim to change that, and I’m asking for your help.
Now Georgia has some famous Congressional districts – like GA’s 5th, represented by the civil rights conscience of the nation John Lewis, or GA’s 6th, where John Ossoff mounted a special election campaign against entrenched Republicans and nearly won. Lucy Mcbath is the nominee there for November, and she’s a great candidate and deserves our support as an advocate of sensible gun policies and progressive leadership in a Georgia swing district.
But I’m writing to let y’all know about Carolyn Bourdeaux in GA’s 7th. First, the district – Trump won the 7th by a margin of 51-45, placing it well within contestable territory. All we need is a six-point swing, and we’ve seen WAY more than that in many recent elections. The 7th is now majority-minority, and Gwinnett County (making up most of the district) went for Hillary in 2016, voting Democratic in a Presidential for the first time since 1976. I’m telling you, this is the sleeper Congressional race to watch - and hoo boy have we got a stellar nominee on team D!
First off, she’s eminently qualified – Carolyn served as a staff member for U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, she directed the budget office of the Georgia Senate, working across the aisle with Republican leadership, and she is a recognized expert and professor in the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies at Georgia State University, the number 1 non-profit university in the nation awarding bachelor’s degrees to African American students. She’s endorsed by Emily’s List, End Citizens United, Congressman Hank Johnson, former Sen. Max Cleland, and a whole bunch of other folks.
Second, she’s a proud progressive, and has been a strong voice for reproductive rights, equitable healthcare policy, sensible transportation policy, and many other issues. Here’s why she’s running:
She came out on top in the primary way back in the spring (God it seems like a decade ago!), and she just won the runoff on Tuesday (Georgia requires >50% for elections). She is now going head to head with Rob Woodall, who is a Trump apologist and a pathetic excuse for a public servant. I could go on and on, but suffice it to say that on any vote, Woodall will vote with Trump, and against the people of the United States.
Carolyn outraised Woodall 2-to-1 the last quarter, but Woodall hasn’t had to spend a dime on his primary, and he is now sitting on a $600,000 warchest. Carolyn needs to replenish her funds, so she can go toe to toe in the expensive Atlanta media market. This is a district that is winnable, with an impeccable candidate who will fight for our values on Capitol Hill. She stands with a slate of other women and men shooting for leadership positions in Georgia that will help reshape the contours of the South and the Nation.
We’ve been talking about this for years – help us make this the year we break the chokehold that the Republicans have had on Georgia politics ever since Roy Barnes had the courage to take down the Confederate flag from the Georgia state house. Times have changed, Georgia has changed. We are ready to turn Georgia blue!
Please click here and help us out with whatever you can give!