ATLANTA — For Georgia delegates the first days of the Democratic National Convention solidified what they already knew: the Peach State plays a key role in the party’s plan to win in November.

With the presidential race, two heated Senate races and competitive district races, state Democrats hope to flip as many seats as they can from red to blue. 

Recent polls show President Donald Trump and Joe Biden nearly neck-and-neck in the battle for Georgia votes, and Democrats recognize the challenge to win over moderates, independents and even traditionally Republican voters.

“All eyes are literally on Georgia,” Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms told Georgia DNC members Tuesday. “We are not going to let this country down.”

This year, delegates to the Democratic National Convention are parked in front of their laptops for back-to-back Zoom meetings instead of piled in a crowded room — Democrats sticking to their platform of putting safety during the COVID-19 pandemic ahead of in-person events.

State Democrats take national stage

Nikema Williams, chairwoman of the Democratic Party of Georgia, dubbed Tuesday’s convention programming “GA night” at the DNC. In a pre-recorded shot in front of the John Lewis mural in downtown Atlanta, Williams cast all 117 Georgia delegate votes for the party’s official nominee, Joe Biden.

The line-up on the second night included two Georgia Democratic stars: Stacey Abrams, 2018 gubernatorial candidate, and State Rep. Sam Park who delivered a joint keynote speech with 15 others. Former President Jimmy Carter made an appearance of his own to announce his endorsement of Biden.

“Joe has the experience, character and decency to bring us together and restore America’s greatness,” Carter said. “We deserve a person with integrity and judgment, someone who is honest and fair, someone who is committed to what is best for the American people.”

Former acting U.S. Attorney General and Atlanta native Sally Yates also gave an address during night two of the convention and called out Trump for “abuse of power.”

“His constant attacks on the FBI, the free press, inspectors general, federal judges — they all have one purpose,” she said. “To remove any check on his abuse of power. To put it simply, he treats our country like it’s his family business.”

After her narrow loss to Brian Kemp in 2018, Abrams founded Fair Fight Action — an organization aimed at mobilizing voters and addressing voter suppression. During her DNC appearance, Abrams said Biden “will be a champion for free and fair elections.”

“Every election, we choose how we will create a more perfect union. Not by taking sides, but by taking stock of where we are and what we need. This year’s choice could not be more clear,” she said. “America faces a triple threat: a public health catastrophe, an economic collapse and a reckoning with racial justice and inequality. So our choice is clear, a steady experienced public servant who can lead us out of the crisis like he’s done before, or man who only knows how to deny and distract.”

Park, the first openly gay man to serve in the state Capitol, has grown into a notable Democrat among state lawmakers. During the joint keynote speech of rising members of the party, Park pointed to how elected officials have handled reopening schools amid the pandemic — which has been widely criticized. 

“Teachers in Gwinnett County, Georgia and across the country are being asked to return to the classroom without a plan to keep them safe,” Park said. “And parents are exhausted juggling full-time work and full-time childcare.”

‘A new fight’

Amid Georgia’s controversial reopening, Biden’s presidential campaign recently named its senior leadership team for the state, hinting at larger plans in the coming weeks.

During Monday DNC events, Erin Wilson, Biden’s national political director, told Georgia delegates the campaign has its eyes on the state when tallying potential electoral votes.

“We are coming for Georgia. When we look at the map, we have a bunch of different ways to get to 270,” Wilson said. “And when I think about the places that are most exciting, Georgia is very high at the top of that list.”

Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar, former Democratic presidential candidate, was among the all-women speakers who joined Georgia delegates for their breakfast meeting on the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment Tuesday.

Klobuchar called for unity behind the Biden-Harris ticket — while noting both Abrams and Bottoms were top contenders for the vice presidential nomination.

“In a state like yours,” she said, “we are going to have to bring in, of course, independents and moderate Republicans, as well as getting our turnout as strong as it can. I think Kamala Harris is going to help a lot with that turnout.”

The convention has been filled with tributes to the late Congressman John Lewis, whose funeral brought together three former presidents.

Williams called Georgia delegates to rally “in the spirit of” Lewis.

“We have a legacy to live up to — and this year, we are going to make good trouble,” she said. “We are going to fight for our democracy like never before. Fight together for the promise of America.”

Friends, family and colleagues of Lewis noted during his funeral that in his final days, the civil rights icon and voting rights champion said this may be the most important election of their lifetimes.

“This year, we will vote in record numbers in honor of Congressman Lewis and all of those who fought for us to have the right to cast a ballot,” Williams said. “We will fight for every voter, stand up for every voter facing long lines and disenfranchisement.”

During a Georgia delegation meeting Wednesday morning, Abrams noted that since she lost the governor’s race by a small margin, thousands of new voters have been added to the rolls in the state — many younger than the age of 30 and people of color.

“We are bringing the new fight to Republicans and they know it,” she said. “… We can win this state, and we can win this nation, but we’ve got to remember that we’ve gotten this far, together. This isn’t about winning Atlanta. This isn’t about winning Augusta, this is about winning across the state.”

But while Georgia Democrats display their enthusiasm and confidence just months out from the election, Gov. Brian Kemp joined state GOP Chairman David Shafer in some Republican counter-messaging Tuesday.

The Republican governor predicted voters will “reject” the Biden-Harris ticket for being “too extreme.”

“It’s going to be a fight everywhere around the country — it’s a huge election,” he said. “The contrast, quite honestly, couldn’t be clearer, but I believe that Georgians will reelect Donald Trump to continue the reopening of America and the promises that he kept when he was elected.”