Democratic Party of Georgia

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Democratic Party of Georgia
ChairpersonNikema Williams
Senate leaderSteve Henson
House leaderBob Trammell
HeadquartersAtlanta, GA
IdeologyModern liberalism
Political positioncenter-left
National affiliationDemocratic Party
ColorsBlue
Seats in the Upper House
21 / 56
Seats in the Lower House
75 / 180
Website
www.georgiademocrat.org

The Democratic Party of Georgia is the affiliate of the Democratic Party in the U.S. state of Georgia. It is one of the two major political parties in the state. It is chaired by Nikema Williams.

History[edit]

President Jimmy Carter (1977-1981)

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]

Leadership[edit]

The Chairman of the Democratic Party of Georgia is Nikema Williams. Porter was elected in August 2013 via special election and was reelected in January 2015 to serve a full four-year term. In 2019, First Vice Chair Nikema Williams was voted to succeed him.

Seven individuals—Chairman DuBose Porter, First Vice Chair Nikema Williams, Wendy Davis, former state AFL-CIO President Richard Ray, Sally Rosser, State Representative Pamela Stephenson and former state Democratic Party Chairman David Worley—were elected to represent Georgia on the Democratic National Committee.

State Representative Robert Trammell serves as Minority Leader in the Georgia House of Representatives.[5] State Senator Steve Henson serves as Minority Leader in the Georgia Senate.[6]

Party officers[edit]

Officers of the Democratic Party of Georgia are elected by the state Democratic committee at a January meeting following each regular gubernatorial election.[7] 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:[8]

  • Chair: DuBose Porter
  • First Vice Chair: Nikema Williams
  • Congressional District/County Liaison Vice Chair: Sarah Todd
  • Constituency Group Vice Chair: State Representative Pedro "Pete" Marin
  • Candidate Recruitment Vice Chair: Ted Terry
  • Secretary: Stephanie Woods Miller
  • Treasurer: Kip Carr

Caucuses[edit]

[9]

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

Current Democratic officeholders[edit]

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

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.

Georgia Presidential Vote, 1948-2008[edit]

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

Democratic National Committee members[edit]

[10]

Appointed by DNC Chair Tom Perez

Chairs of the DPG[edit]

Elected by the state convention[edit]

Appointed by the Governor[edit]

Elected by State Committee[edit]

Future[edit]

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 [11] and 2 State Senate seats.[12] Governor Brian Kemp, a Republican, only won the gubernatorial race by 1.39% in 2018.[13], with former Republican Governor Nathan Deal clinching almost 8% of the vote just four years prior.[14]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "WSB-TV Tom Murphy Biography". Archived from the original on 2010-07-26. Retrieved 2010-11-22.
  2. ^ Real Clear Politics: Georgia Governor - Deal vs. Barnes
  3. ^ WSB Radio Georgia Governor: Runoff Likely[permanent dead link]
  4. ^ WXIA-TV Republicans Sweep Statewide Races[permanent dead link]
  5. ^ http://www.house.ga.gov/Representatives/en-US/member.aspx?Member=865&Session=24
  6. ^ http://www.accessnorthgeorgia.com/detail.php?n=255374
  7. ^ "Charter of the Democratic Party of Georgia" (PDF). Democratic Party of Georgia. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2010-11-22.
  8. ^ "Officers". Georgia Democratic Party. 12 July 2016. Retrieved 1 April 2018.
  9. ^ "Caucuses". Georgia Democratic Party. 11 July 2016. Retrieved 1 April 2018.
  10. ^ "DNC Members". Georgia Democratic Party. 6 February 2017. Retrieved 1 April 2018.
  11. ^ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2018_Georgia_House_of_Representatives_election
  12. ^ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2018_Georgia_State_Senate_election
  13. ^ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2018_Georgia_gubernatorial_election#General_election
  14. ^ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2014_Georgia_gubernatorial_election

External links[edit]

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