I’m finishing the series on what happened in the 2020 election and what the GOP needs to do to maintain majorities in Georgia. There were about 500,000 Republicans who did not vote in the runoff on January 5 and about 150,000 Democrats who stayed home. There are enough Republicans to win elections, but they now feel empowered to stay home and that is bad for Georgia.
Too many people believe the former president’s behavior is the only issue. He has a part to play in his defeat, but we who supported him do, too. So here is a short recap and what we need to do going forward:
- If you are still a Trump supporter, acknowledge and communicate with his team what he could do better. Following lock step behind any candidate is what they do, not what we do.
- Communicate issues clearly. I believe education and economics is what separates us and if we are the party of education and economics and clearly communicate it, we will win. It’s a little-known fact that many people in the state split their vote and voted for Biden and Perdue in the suburbs in the general and Perdue and Warnock in the runoff.
- Republicans need to be actively recruiting voters to register to vote and make sure they get out to vote and they need to begin a more open campaigning process where they not only shore up their base but talk to groups publicly outside the base. It’s a risk but has to happen.
There are many more things I could put on the list, but I’ve learned if you start with a list of three and then accomplish those things and then move on. I am a proud conservative Republican who gets along with people all over the spectrum because I find common ground. I may not change their minds, but they will take my calls and have a conversation.
