Georgia Democrats try to get closer to a majority as they contest legislative seats

PEACHTREE CORNERS, Ga. (AP) — The general in one of Georgia's house-to-house partisan struggles was rallying her troops on Saturday morning in a suburban Atlanta coffee shop.

Democratic state House candidate Laura Murvartian stood up on a stool to urge 50 canvassers to turn out votes for Kamala Harris, but also for her effort to unseat Republican state Rep. Scott Hilton.

“By flipping the seat, we’re sending a message to the Republicans that their extreme bills, their extreme positions, are not working for people in Georgia," Murvartian said.

Democrats are campaigning on overturning Georgia’s abortion restrictions, doing more to limit guns, and expanding the Medicaid program to more low-income adults. Republicans tout their support for low taxes, police and school vouchers.

It's one of a handful of intensely fought races, as Democrats try to dent the 102-78 GOP majority in the state House. Leaders of the minority party admit they can't win a majority in the lower chamber of the General Assembly this year. But picking up seats would let Democrats argue they're moving toward a majority, after Republicans held the line in 2022 as Gov. Brian Kemp swept to reelection.

“It’s going to take maybe two or three election cycles. But we’re in it for the long haul and we’re in it to win," Murvartian told her canvassers.

State legislative races aren't exciting — few voters can even name their state House member. But the contests are building blocks of power and a proving ground for candidates who rise to higher office.

Like in most states, legislative seats in Georgia have been gerrymandered by the party in power. For example, Republicans are likely to maintain their 33-23 majority in the state Senate even as Harris and Republican Donald Trump wrestle for a narrow statewide victory.

But Democrats are favored to gain at least a few House seats, in part because court-ordered redistricting increased the number of Black majority seats. The parties are evenly matched in some areas, particularly in Atlanta's northern suburbs. Those suburbs are increasingly less white, and some once-conservative voters have shown a willingness to vote for Democrats because they dislike Trump.

“This is going to be a tough race from the top of the ticket, all the way down," Kemp said Friday.

Murvartian is one of three Democratic challengers aiming to unseat suburban Republican incumbents. Hilton, her target, was a former legislator when he unseated a Democratic incumbent two years ago to return to the House.

Republicans in competitive districts tell voters they are independent. On Friday, state Rep. Deborah Silcox, maybe the most embattled Republican incumbent, stood next to Kemp in Atlanta and told reporters she disagreed with the 2019 law Kemp signed that bans most abortions in Georgia after fetal cardiac activity is detected.

“You know, I have the greatest respect for Gov. Kemp and his position on that issue," said Silcox, whose Democratic opponent attacks her sharply on abortion. "But I am an independent voice for my district. And I knew that my district disagreed with the governor, so I voted my district.”

Republican incumbent Matt Reeves, whose district spans parts of Gwinnett County, underlined his bipartisan credentials on Saturday as he shook hands with the county's Democratic district attorney at a picnic honoring Gwinnett County police officers.

“For the last two years in office, I have not sounded off on hot-button issues,” Reeves said. “I focused on those state and local needs that we have. And I want Democrats, independents, libertarians, Republicans to know that I’m working hard for them, regardless of their strongly held beliefs at the national level.”

The GOP, in turn, sought to bolster its majority during redistricting by tilting two suburban districts held by Democratic incumbents Farooq Mughal and Jasmine Clark. Mughal, in particular, was dealt a much tougher hand with his district now 50-50 between parties. Republicans could also steal a Black-majority seat that runs north out of Macon that doesn't have an incumbent.

The same redistricting put Republican Ken Vance of Milledgeville in peril. His redrawn district has voted 59% Democratic in recent years, according to an analysis by Fair Districts Georgia.

Republican Mesha Mainor faces even steeper challenges after she left the Democratic Party over disputes about her support for school vouchers and her opposition to Fulton County Democratic District Attorney Fani Willis. Mainor is seeking reelection in an Atlanta district that votes 91% Democratic.

Most of the incumbents have financial advantages over their challengers, although Silcox has been outraised almost 2-to-1.

Republican and Democratic groups are also spending heavily. Kemp said Friday that he's spent $2 million from a state-level committee on door-to-door canvassing and other campaigning in House districts. Two House Republican groups have spent almost $4 million combined.

Democratic support trails. The main House Democratic committee has raised less than $500,000, amid fallout over claims that outgoing House Minority Leader James Beverly sexually harassed a staffer. A review couldn't substantiate the claims. State Rep. Shea Roberts of Sandy Springs, who resigned as Democratic Caucus treasurer in protest, said she has separately raised more than $500,000 to support fellow Democrats.