The party’s failed push to flip two high court seats offers a warning as more local offices in deep-blue counties could shift to nonpartisan elections.
Georgia Supreme Court candidate Miracle Rankin, flanked by Georgia Court of Appeals candidate Will Wooten (left) and Georgia Supreme Court candidate Jen Jordan, speaks at a press conference on voting rights outside of the Fulton County Government Center in Atlanta, on April 30, 2026. (Arvin Temkar/AJC)
Democrats proved Tuesday they could drive voters to races most Georgians usually ignore.
What they couldn’t do was persuade enough of those voters to treat two officially nonpartisan Supreme Court contests like the partisan battles the party wanted them to become.
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htiw nehw .sretov ot er’yeht .seiroeht eht eht semitemos lareves elor tnediserp fo fo reworran ,eman .nem yam ssol gninael-tfel laiciduj yfitnedi reh reh depleh evah evah pag remrof rof elamef rovaf gnicaf tigid-elbuod ,taefed sregnellahc neewteb sa dna stsylana gnola nemoW sretoV s’niknaR s’niknaR s’nadroJ aigroeG kcalB ,syenrottA noitaicossA sA dnA
The blue represents precincts that voted for Supreme Court Justice Charlie Bethel. The orange represents precincts that voted for challenger Miracle Rankin. (AJC file)
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koot rieht eht elur tcepser noitceleer fo .wal ,stnebmucni ytilaitrapmi gnimarf remrof rof raf ,ecneirepxe tnereffid yb htob sdib dnuora ,hcaorppa detnioppa dna a ehT nahtaN .voG ,laeD
t’now ot eht eht eht .stegrat revlis ngis yhs gniyas dias yksir ,yramirp detniop ytrap .noitapicitrap decaptuo rehto fo ,gninil otni ni tnatropmi depleh gnidaeh morf msaisuhtne troffe evird riahc redaorb yawa na a snacilbupeR ytraP .rebmevoN eH starcomeD citarcomeD eilrahC yeliaB
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Warning signs
.elor teiuq scitilop yalp netfo ,nasitrapnon laiciduj snoitcele tub era a s’aigroeG
ohw .sretov seicnacav ot yeht meht eht taht depahs fo rebmem-enin ylegral secitsuj ycnebmucni sah ,sronrevog evig ecaf truoc yb erofeb neeb tnioppa segatnavda ehT nacilbupeR
now ohw ohw saw ot eht eht eht gnittis taes tnecer stnenoppo nepo ylno ylno fo fo ton rebmem secitsuj .boj si ni ni .yrotsih evah lufdnah elbadimrof tsrif decaf hcneb detnioppa na a ecitsuJ nhoJ aigroeG ,notgnillE dnA ,8102
ylediw ohw ohw saw yrotciv hpmuirt eht emirc-no-tfos nees larebil detalsigel edilsdnal laiciduj .ecnednepedni reh morf remrof rof decaf dellac .hcneb yenrotta sa noitartsinimda a a ,sniggiW ekiM ecitsuJ nI nietsnuH reH loraC hsuB ,6002
Georgia Supreme Court Chief Justice Michael Boggs and Justice Sarah Warren listen to oral arguments from attorney Elizabeth Young, representing the Secretary of State, at the Supreme Court in Atlanta on Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2024. (Arvin Temkar/AJC)
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sraey tuohtiw ohw saw pu nrut deirt ot ot ot eht eht eht troppus ,sthgir mudnerefer .deviecer ecar ytrap ylno eno no fo fo level secitsuj otni ruof remrof rof ecaf noitcele detaefed esolc .regnellahc tub gnihtyna dna osla ,oga noitroba a a .S.U owT .peR niknaR nosniP ecitsuJ nadroJ nhoJ eH ,worraB werdnA
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tI“ saw ”,desopponu ot dias gninnur doog noitcele yletinifed elcyc eb a roirepuS treboR .yenruBcM egduJ notluF truoC ytnuoC
tahw ot eht eht gnitfihs lacitilop txen naem si rof .thgif staefed noitnetta woN
Gov. Brian Kemp speaks before signing the state’s new budget at the Georgia State Capitol on Tuesday, May 12, 2026, in Atlanta. Gov. Brian Kemp on Tuesday signed the state’s new budget – but not without deleting about $300 million of spending approved by the General Assembly just last month. (Hyosub Shin/AJC)
denraw siht rieht .yrotirret tsegnorts emos dengis secar ytrap rehto seciffo fo ,nasitrapnon evom htnom ortem gnikam lacol wal yek ni ni evah evif tcirtsid eulb-peed seuc seitnuoc dluoc rulb yenrotta dna a a pmeK .voG starcomeD nairB atnaltA
nehw tahw owt rieht eht taht taht tset sserts .ygetarts ediwetats etats emas stluser secar syalp s’ytrap nwo tuo dereffo fo nasitrapnon lanoitan noillim gnidael sneppah pilf ,serugif ylrae cimanyd etipsed ytnuoc ytnuoc t’ndluoc ngiapmac yb yb ?esab dekcab dna na na ssorca yadseuT ehT emerpuS fI starcomeD truoC 8$
erehw gninraw eht snet tneps ngis ees ylenituor noitazicitilop revo fo fo fo erom snoillim ekil laiciduj ni lacigoloedi gniworg raef .snoitcele srallod tnereffid dluoc .slwarb emoceb era a ,nisnocsiW emoS srehtO aigroeG
tI“ ot dias tnenimorp scitilop nasitrap tuo ruo fo peek laiciduj si tnatropmi ”,snoitcele esnefed lanimirc .yenrotta a ,seniP haoN atnaltA
elihW“ — — lliw erew owt ot ot siht eht eht eht taht taht detceleer deifilauq deliaverp scitilop ruo tsom ,yenom noitamrofnisim ecitsuj laiciduj otni tcejni ni ni raef ”.snoitcele noitcele eunitnoc setadidnac dna emerpuS ytraP I aigroeG citarcomeD truoC
— retirw ot siht .troper detubirtnoc dna ffatS eisoR wehsniM sninaM rotidE ataD selrahC
Georgia Supreme Court Justice Charlie Bethel listens to arguments during a hearing about Cobb County passing its own district map at the Nathan Deal Judicial Center on Wednesday, April 17, 2024. (Natrice Miller/AJC)
Greg Bluestein is the Atlanta Journal Constitution's chief political reporter. He is also an author, TV analyst and co-host of the Politically Georgia podcast.
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