My optimism is rising that Stacey Abrams can win the Georgia governor's race.
Her Republican foe, Brian "Jethro" Kemp, has brought the state national horror and derision for his heavy-handed voter suppression efforts as secretary of state, a post he refuses to relinquish as he runs for governor.
Although Kemp would be much worse than GOP incumbent Nathan Deal and predecessor Sonny "Bass Farm" Perdue, I've agreed with longtime observers of Georgia politics that the state's vaunted demographics shift would again crash.
My optimism about Abrams' campaign was stoked by a strongly reported article by the Nation's Joan Walsh, who accompanied the candidate on appearances throughout the state, from rural hamlets to metro areas like Valdosta and Savannah.
While Walsh is a committed progressive writer, her piece is based on objective, fact-based reporting. She makes a convincing case that Abrams, in visiting all 159 Georgia counties, is not only reaching minority and white progressive Democratic voters, but rural white small-business owners and suburban residents who typically vote Republican.
Walsh also shows that Abrams has boosted the commitment of black women volunteers and women who're also running for office.
The article moves me to think that those old political hacks might be wrong, and that Abrams is forging a new political vision for Georgia democrats that might overcome Kemp's reactionary tactics.
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