Georgia’s liberal organizers warn of a cash crunch and apathy

Since 2020, Democratic strategists and activists have been fixated on how to increase their gains in Georgia, once a Republican stronghold and now a veritable battleground.

But some of the state’s most prominent grassroots organizers — those responsible for President Biden’s 2020 victory and that of two Democratic U.S. senators in 2021 — are increasingly concerned that efforts and attention are waning four years later .

The national money that once flowed freely from Democratic groups to help win crucial Senate races in Georgia is slow to come. Leading organizers say, just over a month after the expected start of their initiatives to mobilize voters for the presidential elections, they are facing a deep sense of apathy among key constituencies that will require even more resources.

And small but potentially crucial shifts in strategy — cost-conscious measures such as delaying large-scale voter engagement programs until later in the cycle or relying more on volunteers than paid candidates — have stoked fears among some organizers about their ability to repeat their successes. More than that, it has led them to wonder how seriously Democratic donors and party leaders will take the state in 2024, even as Biden’s campaign indicated that a repeat victory in Georgia is part of his strategy.

“What we’re hearing is it’s not about the first level,” said Cliff Albright, co-founder and executive director of the Black Voters Matter Fund, which has been one of the leading organizations on the ground in Georgia since 2020. “So that’s a bit disappointing, but we don’t know exactly what that means yet. But some early indications are that it will not be prioritized.”

Unlike 2020 or 2022, Georgia will not see a major statewide race in 2024, increasing the urgency for progressives to build both a robust digital operation and organizing on the ground.

Interviews with more than a dozen Georgia-based organizers and political strategists, as well as a review of financial disclosure forms for the state’s most committed grassroots organizing groups, revealed smaller fundraising totals and slower spending in 2023 — a slowdown that’s not unusual for a year without a major election, but it has highlighted concerns about the resources needed for the presidential race in the state.

“It’s no secret across the ecosystem that fundraising has been a challenge in 2023 through 2024,” said Jonae Wartel, a Democratic political strategist who helped run Raphael Warnock’s 2020 U.S. Senate campaign. “I don’t think the resources are where they need to be right now, but I really think it’s about engaging and engaging the donor community to really invest early.”

A number of organizers in Georgia have met with national donors in recent months. At a meeting of liberal donors and national organizing groups in Washington last week, Georgia organizers were among those assured that their work would continue to be funded, although some left the impression that the campaigns in other states undermined Georgia’s interest in the eyes of some could overshadow. followers.

Mr. Albright, who attended the meeting in Washington, said donors and party leaders had considered heavier investments in swing states such as Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. North Carolina, a southern state that faces a highly competitive gubernatorial race in 2024, is also likely to receive more attention.

Similar concern is growing among donors who were early to the Georgia cause in 2020 and who are increasingly irritated by the slow trickle of money flowing into the state.

“For some inexplicable reason, a lot of people are leaving Georgia out of the top states to focus on next year,” said Steve Phillips, an early supporter of Stacey Abrams and a progressive Democratic donor from San Francisco. Mr. Phillips said he had “heard from top donors and several billionaire advisers” that “they have a top tier of five states and Georgia is not in that.”

Mr. Phillips also blamed some Democratic leaders. “If donors don’t hear from top campaigners that we can and must win Georgia,” he said, “then donors won’t be excited about it.”

Leading organizers in Georgia argue that more money and manpower will flow into the state as the general election approaches, and they expect a more visible Donald J. Trump, should he earn the Republican nomination, will push progressive donors and reluctant voters off the sidelines motivate. . But the current slowdown, combined with declining support for Biden among young and Black voters, shows the challenge Democrats will face.

And while grassroots groups plan to launch their organizing initiatives for the presidential election in January, it is expected to take a few months before Mr. Biden’s campaign is expected to set up its own organizing infrastructure there. Georgia’s presidential primaries are on March 12.

In some ways, the groups are operating in a similar environment to the early days of the 2020 election. Megadonors didn’t pay much attention to Georgia until a few months before November, when polls showed the Democrats’ strength.

The groups quickly grew in size and scope after Democrats won two Senate runoff elections in 2021 — developments that gave the once-fledgling organizations lasting power and proved that there had long been belief among veteran state organizers that the South could play a role before the elections. party through good investments.

“Building a winning movement requires year-round support and investment,” said Craig Walters, organizing director of Fair Fight Action, in a statement. “And the time for that investment is now.”

This month’s elections in Virginia, Ohio, Kentucky and Mississippi offered a first look at next year’s political landscape. Issues like abortion access and the erosion of democratic norms have galvanized Democratic voters, but enthusiasm for Biden’s reelection is at record lows among key parts of the base.

A New York Times/Siena College poll released this month showed black voters moving noticeably toward Trump. Pessimism was also pronounced among young voters, who said in interviews they had been rejected by both parties.

According to the groups, this only underlines the importance of their work.

“As we think about investing in this election, think about these organizations that support and talk to voters all year round,” said Hillary Holley, executive director of Care in Action, an organization that supports domestic workers. “Because at the end of the day, we will be one of the best messengers, because we have the most trust with these voters who are not considering voting for Trump, but are more considering delaying it.”

Some groups also face internal challenges. The New Georgia Project recently completed an internal investigation into its finances following claims that the organization mishandled funds it raised in 2020 and 2021. first reported by Politico.

Kendra Davenport Cotton, the CEO of the New Georgia Project, said the internal review “revealed the misstep” and left her organization “on sound financial footing.” She added that she had set a fundraising goal of about $18 million for 2024 – close to what the group raised in 2020.

In an email to supporters on Wednesday previewing the 2024 organizing campaign, the New Georgia Project framed its plans as a solution to what it called Mr. Biden’s campaign’s “messaging problem.”

Black voters, Ms. Davenport Cotton said in an interview, “don’t hear enough about what he did for them, which our research shows is how they understand their political power and feel motivated to get out again.”

Many voters, she said, feel compelled to blame the White House for issues for which state or local leaders are responsible. Her group and others like it plan to highlight the difference.

“It is incumbent on groups like us to be very intentional in those messages,” she said.