We are working tirelessly to make it happen! I want to thank everyone who has supported our efforts this far! We appreciate any and all help!
To make a donation, please visit secure.actblue.com/…
I want to thank M247 and EricAZ for the previous write ups!
Newton County is not one of the politically sexy counties in Georgia. It’s relatively big, ranking #23 out of the 159 counties, but still small compared to the big four of (Fulton, Gwinnett, Cobb, DeKalb) in the Atlanta metro area. It is relatively blue, being the #34 most Democratic county, but also not a real Democratic stronghold. Despite it’s lack of sexyness, it’s still quite important for the results of the runoff election on January 5, the balance of power in the US Senate and the success of Joe Biden’s presidency.
Besides running a GOTV campaign, Democrats in Newton County also have to contend with Republican crazyness regarding the raging pandemic, as the Covington News, the county’s largest newspaper reports. The article is titled Newton political parties clashing about masks for absentee ballot monitors, and it’s exactly what you expect. Democrats would like everybody to wear masks on the principle of “let’s try not to kill each other”, Republicans oppose that on the principle of “why not”:
Democrats are blasting a Republican Party member’s practice of wearing a face shield while monitoring the processing of absentee ballots erlier this week for the Jan. 5 runoff election because they feel the shield does not adequately protect them from COVID-19 transmission.
Democratic Party Chairman Ryan Barrett said the CDC does not consider a face shield an "effective barrier to transmission." [...]
Republican Party Chairman Scott Jay, whose wife Leesha was the one wearing the shield, said Democrats were making the issue "political" by being overly verbally abusive about Republicans not following mask requirements when numerous exemptions exist. [...]
Barrett, who works as a cardiac tech and ER tech, said, "As a healthcare professional, I am seeing day in and day out staggering numbers of individuals who are in the emergency room and ICU battling COVID-19." [...]
Ryan Barrett, or user BarrettDRGA here at DKos, is not only fighting to keep his poll monitors safe, but also running one of the most ambitious GOTC programs in Georgia. As EricAZ pointed out in a recent diary, Newton County Democrats bring the following to the table:
- Over 150 volunteers ready for dispatch.
- Partnered with neighboring counties (Walton, Jasper, Morgan, Greene) that are unable to have such an expansive ground game to allow use of our facilities and supplies in the overall effort to win as a team.
- Partnered with local organizations with the unifying goal of electing Democrats up and down the ballot.
- Executive Committee and GOTV committee is in contact daily to ensure our plan is thoroughly executed.
- Physical Location available for use 24/7, facilitating the needs of the constituents, candidates, and our neighboring counties to aide in our victory.
They have the people, they have the motivation, they have the energy, they have the great candidates to support, they have the leadership to make it happen. Unfortunately, funds are a little short — as county committees are funded only by grassroots donation. So, if you can, please give a little boost to Newton County Democrats with a donation via ActBlue. They’ll make your dollars go a long way with their work.