Politico: “First came passage of one of the nation’s most restrictive voting bills. Then came efforts to overhaul the number of elected offices in one of Georgia’s largest counties.
Now, with the pending passage of a new congressional map, Republicans have taken another step toward dismantling the Atlanta-area engine that turned Georgia blue, powering President Joe Biden to victory in 2020 and flipping control of the Senate to Democrats.
Just as Georgia has emerged as a pivotal swing state, the GOP-controlled legislature has gone to extraordinary lengths to overhaul election administration, rewrite election rules and redraw political lines in the fast-growing metro region that is currently reshaping state politics.
The changes stand to roll back many of the recent Democratic Party’s gains or dilute Democratic power. And with a high-stakes Senate race, a governor’s race and several competitive House races in 2022, they could have implications that reach well beyond Georgia’s borders.
“We’re getting hit from every angle,” said Dontaye Carter, a former spokesperson for the Fulton County district attorney and also a 2021 mayoral candidate in Sandy Springs, Ga., less than 20 miles north of Atlanta. “We’re fighting against it. But the reality is we just don’t have the political capital or the resources to make an impact.””