Blue Notes🎶

& News

At our May 9th meeting, Hall County Dems heard from 3 more candidates for statewide office: Nakita Hemingway, running for Ag Commissioner; Bee Nguyen (pronounced "Win" for those of you who don't know), cadidate for Secretary of State; and Currey Hitchens, running for State School Superintendent.

Thousands turned out for the #BansOffOurBodies at the state capitol yesterday.

The event was one of many that took place on Saturday across the country to let the Supreme Court know that the privacy extended to women's healthcare via the Roe v Wade precedent should not be taken away.

Early voting is underway and runs through May 20th. TODAY is the last weekend date for early voting. You can vote after our rally! Friday is the last day to vote early. If you don't vote early, vote on Tuesday, May 24th.

Check My Voter Page to be sure you are registered, to learn what Georgia House and Senate District you live in, and to find out where you can vote.You can also view a sample ballot.

Make sure you have a valid ID when you go to the polls: https://www.hallcounty.org/259/Voting-ID-Requirements

Make sure Hall County Dems show up in large numbers to vote in the primary. Share voting information with your family, friends and neighbors. Take a friend to the polls!

Early voting locations:

You may vote at ANY early voting location, regardless of where you live in Hall County.

This does NOT affect early voting locations.

You can verify your polling place via My Voter Page.https://mvp.sos.ga.gov

Using the secure website ActBlue, you can donate to these Hall County Democrats running for office. Use the links below:

Kim Floria, GA HD30: https://secure.actblue.com/entity/fundraisers/134190

Follow Kim on Twitter and Facebook

Laura Colaninno, Hall County Commission District 1: https://secure.actblue.com/entity/fundraisers/135002

Devin Pandy, GA HD29: https://secure.actblue.com/entity/fundraisers/134763

Follow Devin on Twitter and on Facebook

You may also contribute to Mike Ford's campaign for U S House, 9th District of Georgia: https://secure.actblue.com/entity/fundraisers/132079

Check out Mike's website.

We'll add links for our other Hall County candidates as they become available. Candidates can email us at HallCountyDemocrat@gmail.com with information about their campaigns.

Hall County Dems have the opportunity to work with RideShare2Vote, a national organization that helps coordinate getting voters to the polls.

if you're interested in volunteering to drive people to the polls during the primaries or the general election, email Jennifer LaRose at jblarose13@gmail.com to learn more.

Show you support for Stacey Abrams for Governor with a yard sign. Come by HQ during office hours (at the bottom of this email). For a donation to Hall County Democratic Party, you can walk out with a sign! All donations welcome.

Want to help Get Out The Vote for the May 24th primary? Sign up with the GA Dems for phone-banking or texting! Phone-banking shifts available on Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday. Sign up below:

Republicans fall in line behind their candidates while Democrats must fall in love. This manifestation is particularly evident in Democratic primaries – and is why electable Democratic candidates have difficulty surviving the primaries. Trying to peddle a strong progressive policy into a strongly conservative values electorate is nonsensical. And, the resulting Democratic frustration is untenable. Trying to teach a pig to sing wastes your time and irritates the pig, right?

In the 9th District, 75% of the electorate votes Republican and the last Democratic congressional candidate got 21.4% of the vote. The Republican messaging? A rifle silhouette on Republican signs. Democrats are still saying “machine gun Clyde” – with disdain. To state the inescapable: Clyde’s pro gun message worked. 79% of the votes were cast for Clyde. For Republicans, gun ownership is on par with their other constitutional rights. Few Democrats share this belief. What Democratic message was rejected by the voters? 

Don’t take my word for it. Progressive Democrat Chloe Maxmin described her experiences in a strongly Republican rural campaign in her new book: Dirt Road Revival (paraphrased):

When Democrats talk only to their supporters, only a small fraction of the changes roiling our country are seen. Small town residents have fallen behind cities on major economic benchmarks and they watch helplessly as power and wealth are consolidated in cities. This reality has caused loss, hopelessness and frustration. Republicans play to this very successfully. 

The Democratic party establishment doesn't appreciate the facts of rural life. Rural life is rooted in shared values of independence, common sense, tradition, frugality, community and hard work. Progressive Democratic campaigns peddle white papers and wonky policy. Rural voters ignore candidates that regurgitate political talking points and the vagaries of policy. Rural folks vote on what rings true and personal to them: Can this person be trusted? Is he authentic?

Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result may not be insane, but it is certainly misguided – and probably stupid. Our Democratic messaging has to address the values of the voters where we are running. Frankly, my dear, most voters don’t give a damn about policy – particularly progressive policy! 

So, our Committees, our campaigns and our volunteers need to address the realities of the messaging we are sending to our voters. Work on face to face with voters and talk about the values that we all share. You will find common ground. Everybody wants good government, a reasonable life, and the best for the future and their children. Somewhere in there must be shared values. Try it! You’ll like it!

As you can see by the list below, Georgia Democrats have a lot of excellent candidates running in 2022. That's why it matters so much that we all VOTE in the primaries! For those candidates shown in blue, click on their name to visit their site or Facebook page.

This week, at least two national news outlets ran stories about elections workers in Georgia who believe in the Big Lie. The Guardian coverage included this, about our own Hall County Elections Board chair:

"In Hall county, elections board member Tom Smiley said he took issue with claims that the 2020 election saw no fraud, saying he would amend it to “NO FRAUD DISCOVERED.' "

Nationally, more emails were revealed to show John Eastman, the former guy's attorney who headed up Operation Insurrection, was organizing a multi-pronged effort to overturn the 2020 presidential election. The emails, obtained by Politico, show him urging GOP state legislators in Pennsylvania to cast doubt on 2020 vote totals, to create cover to certify a slate of presidential electors for Trump. 

This past week, the only letter to the editor of The Times was from a gentleman who apparently has lost touch with reality and lives in the Fox News universe. You can let him know that not everyone in our area believes in the lies perpetuated by the GOP and spread by their captive cable channel.

If YOU have an opinion you want to share, you can submit a letter to the editor here: https://www.gainesvilletimes.com/about-us-main/contact-letter/

If you'd like us to help with a letter to the editor, email hallcountydemocrat@gmail.com and put "letter to the editor" in the subject line.

State & Local News (Some links may require a subscription)

PLEASE NOTE: Any articles we post about 2022 Georgia Democratic candidates in contested primary races are intended to keep you informed. They are not an endorsement of any candidate.

National News (Some links may require a subscription)

Phone: (470) 892-5825