November 4, 2018
This year with both major political parties exhorting their base to vote like there’s no tomorrow, turnout is predicted to be heavier than usual. Inwood voters may understandably feel a little shortchanged in the drama and excitement department with a ballot full of nearly sure-thing candidates but may turn out in greater than usual numbers anyway.
Meanwhile, a contest here in Georgia is going down to the wire with two of the three candidates for Governor running neck and neck in the final days. While the race isn’t technically even a midterm, it’s one of the highest profile contests nationally this cycle. In the R’s corner is Brian Kemp and for the Ds it’s Stacey Abrams. Neither is an incumbent running for re-election. The current Governor Nathan Deal can’t run again because of term limits.
A few aspects stand out: Abrams would be America’s first black, female Governor for one. Then there’s the possibility of a runoff if nobody breaks 50%. Finally, the person supervising the election is running in it. That last one seems pretty shady. President Carter weighed in, as a veteran international election monitor, saying, “One of the key requirements for a fair and trusted process is that there be a non biased supervision of the electoral process.”
Presidents Trump and Obama have also leaned in to help their respective candidates, as has Oprah Winfrey, by coming to Georgia to help get out the vote. While the latest polls indicate a dead heat, the betting is skewed toward Kemp winning without a runoff. The final days have been a swirl of TV ads, rallies, and canvassing. Abrams has messaged a vision of “better” (schools, healthcare, opportunity) but hasn’t shied away from slamming Kemp, mainly for trying to suppress the vote. Kemp, for his part has pitched “continuity” with the relatively popular outgoing Governor, his Georgia authenticity, and some good old fashioned fear mongering as seen in these campaign ad screen grabs:
