The Georgia 2022 Midterms in Black and White

By Raynard Jackson

The Georgia midterm elections next month are fascinating on many levels, especially to those who follow politics closely.

You have two marquee matchups.

Republican incumbent governor Brian Kemp is being challenged by radical liberal Democrat Stacey Abrams.

This is a rematch of the governor’s race of 2018 in which Kemp defeated Abrams by less than two percentage points.  Abrams claimed, without evidence, that her election was stolen.

The second matchup pits incumbent radical leftist Democrat senator, Raphael Warnock against first time candidate, Republican Herschel Walker who is Black.

What is intriguing about these two races is that the white Republican governor is doing better with the Black voter than the Black Republican candidate for the senate; this, despite Walker being a football legend in the state of Georgia and has almost universal name ID.

One of the latest polls has Kemp polling at 8% of the Black vote versus Walker getting only 2% of the Black vote in his senate race.

This means that a significant number of Black voters are voting for Kemp’s reelection as governor and then voting for Warnock for senate; they are splitting their tickets.

It is rare and almost unheard of for Black voters to vote for a white conservative Republican at the top of the ticket and then for a radical Black liberal Democrat for a different statewide office.

This phenomenon is considered a political anomaly.

I think Kemp will break into double digits with his support from within the Black community.  I would not be surprised if he ends up with between 15-20% of the Black vote.

Kemp has been one of the best governors in the U.S. over the past four years and he has put in the time to cultivate good relations within the Black community.

Juxtapose that with how little the Walker campaign has done within the Black community.  Walker has all white consultants, no Blacks in decision-making positions on staff, and few if any Black surrogates.

This is what happens when you surround yourself with people who have no understanding nor any appreciation for Blacks and their votes.

Blacks are on third of the electorate in Georgia.  But, as is par for the course when the Republican establishment sends white operatives into a campaign from D.C., they have no interest nor any understanding of the Black community.

Ultimately it up to the candidate, especially a Black one, to make sure Black operatives are brought into the campaign.

It is inconceivable and inexplicable that Walker is polling at only two percent of the Black vote.
Despite Walker’s poor campaign and his lack of substantive engagement with the Black community, I still think he can eek out a win; but it will take a strong commitment from Walker to do things his white consultants will fight him on.

He needs to host a campaign luncheon with the Black business community in Georgia and include all the Black businessmen he knows from across the country.

He needs to use this occasion to give a major policy address directly to the Black community; and share with them how his being elected to the U.S. senate will benefit their community.
He must focus on entrepreneurship, school choice/vouchers, and values—pro-life, pro-traditional values, and support for the traditional nuclear family.

His opponent, Warnock, has no answer to these issues.  Warnock is so far out of the mainstream with the Black voters in Georgia that this should be a no brainer for the Walker campaign.

To continue to ignore the Black vote in a state like Georgia where they are a third of the electorate is political malpractice!!!

If Walker were to lose this race, he will have no one to blame but himself.  Warnock is a very weak candidate with many deficiencies that have yet to be exploited.

Why has Walker not reached out to prominent credible Black Republicans like former Florida Lt. Governor Jennifer Carroll, a twenty-year Navy veteran?  She is the first Black to win statewide office in the history of her state.  Where is current Virginia Lt. Governor Winsome Sears?  The first Black female to win statewide office in the history of her state and a twenty-year Marine veteran.

Kemp has one of the most effective and efficient campaigns I have ever seen.  The campaign is quick to respond to my calls and suggestions even if they don’t act on them all; at least I get a response and a reason why they agree or disagree with me.

Again, I think Herschel can pull this election out, but not if his all-white team is going to continue to ignore the Black vote.

They need to put Walker in touch with some Black professionals who understand effective communications and who understand how to effectively message to the Black community.
Blacks in Georgia are looking for a reason to vote for Herschel but unfortunately he has yet to give them one.

[Raynard Jackson is a Pulitzer Award nominated columnist and founder and chairman of Black Americans for a Better Future (BAFBF), a federally registered 527 Super PAC established to get more Blacks involved in the Republican Party. BAFBF focuses on the Black entrepreneur. For more information about BAFBF, visit www.bafbf.org. You can follow Raynard on Twitter; RealRaynardJ; on Gettr: RaynardJackson.]