Democratic Party of Georgia
Encyclopedia
The Democratic Party of Georgia is one of the two major political parties in the U.S. state of Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...

. It is affiliated with the United States Democratic Party
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...

.

Leadership

The Chairman of the Democratic Party of Georgia is Mike Berlon. Berlon is the former Chairman of the Gwinnett County Democratic Party and former President of the Georgia Association of Democratic County Chairs. Berlon was elected on January 29, 2011 to serve a four year term by the party's state committee. He defeated former Labor Commissioner candidate and former Secretary of State candidate Darryl Hicks by a vote of 151-65.

In addition to Berlon, seven individuals -- state Democratic Party First Vice Chair Nikema Williams, Page Gleason, Dan Halpern, State Senator Lester Jackson, state AFL-CIO President Richard Ray, Sally Rosser and former state Democratic Party Chairman David Worley-- represent Georgia on the Democratic National Committee
Democratic National Committee
The Democratic National Committee is the principal organization governing the United States Democratic Party on a day to day basis. While it is responsible for overseeing the process of writing a platform every four years, the DNC's central focus is on campaign and political activity in support...

. In 2008, Georgia had 100 votes at the Democratic National Convention, with 82 votes going to then Senator Obama and 18 going to then Senator Clinton. Georgia is to received 124 votes at the 2012 Democratic National Convention, which will take place in neighboring North Carolina.

State Representative Stacey Abrams serves as the Minority Leader, with State Representative Brian Thomas serving as the Democratic Caucus Chairman in the Georgia House of Representatives. State Senator Steve Henson serves as the Minority Leader, with State Senator Doug Stoner serving as the Democratic Caucus Chairman in the Georgia Senate.

History

For over a century, the Democratic Party dominated Georgia state and local politics. From 1872 to 2002, the Democratic Party controlled the Governor's Mansion, both houses of the state legislature and most statewide offices.

After switching to the Republican Party in 1998, Sonny Perdue
Sonny Perdue
George Ervin "Sonny" Perdue III, was the 81st Governor of Georgia. Upon his inauguration in January 2003, he became the first Republican governor of Georgia since Benjamin F. Conley served during Reconstruction in the 1870s....

 went on to defeat Democrat Roy Barnes
Roy Barnes
Roy Eugene Barnes served as the 80th Governor of Georgia from January 1999 until January 2003. Barnes was also a candidate for Governor of Georgia in the 2010 election....

 in the 2002 gubernatorial election. Perdue's unexpected victory marked the beginning of a decline for the Democratic Party of Georgia.

Georgia House Speaker Tom Murphy, the longest serving Speaker in any state legislature, lost his bid for another term in the state House. Four Democrats in the Georgia State Senate changed their political affiliation, handing the upper house to the GOP. And in 2004, the Democratic Party lost control of the Georgia House of Representatives
Georgia House of Representatives
The Georgia House of Representatives is the lower house of the Georgia General Assembly of the U.S. state of Georgia.-Composition:...

, putting the party in the minority for the first time in Georgia history.

The Democratic Party of Georgia entered the 2010 elections with hopes that former Governor Roy Barnes could win back the Governor's Mansion. Polls showed a tight race between Barnes and Republican gubernatorial nominee Nathan Deal
Nathan Deal
John Nathan Deal is a United States politician, the 82nd and current Governor of Georgia. He was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives as a Democrat in 1992 but switched to the Republican Party in 1995...

., with some predicting a runoff election However, on election day, Republicans won every statewide office.

Party officers

Officers of the Democratic Party of Georgia are elected by the state Democratic committee at a January meeting following each regular gubernatorial election. Democratic Party of Georgia officers serve four year terms, and there is no limit on the number of terms an individual can serve as a Democratic Party of Georgia officer. Below are the current officers of the Democratic Party of Georgia:
  • Chair: Former Gwinnett County Democratic Party chairman Mike Berlon
  • First Vice-Chair: Nikema Williams
  • Congressional District/County Liaison Vice Chair: R.J. Hadley
  • Constituency Group Vice Chair: State Representative Pedro "Pete" Marin
  • Candidate Recruitment Vice Chair: Miguel Camacho
  • Secretary: Laverne Gaskins
  • Treasurer: Russell Edwards

Current Democratic officeholders

The Democratic Party of Georgia controls none of the thirteen state constitutional offices. Five Democrats represent Georgia in the state's congressional delegation.

Federal
  • U.S. House of Representatives
    • Sanford Bishop
      Sanford Bishop
      Sanford Dixon Bishop Jr. is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1993. He is a member of the Democratic Party.The district is located in the southwestern part of the state and includes Albany, Thomasville and most of Columbus....

      , 2nd District
      Georgia's 2nd congressional district
      Georgia's 2nd congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Georgia. One of the largest districts by size, it takes in most of the southwestern fourth of the state of Georgia...

    • Hank Johnson
      Hank Johnson
      Henry C. "Hank" Johnson Jr. is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2007. He is a member of the Democratic Party. The district is based in DeKalb County, a largely suburban county east of Atlanta. It also includes portions of Gwinnett and Rockdale counties.-Life, education and...

      , 4th District
      Georgia's 4th congressional district
      Georgia's 4th congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Georgia. The majority African American district includes parts of Dekalb, Rockdale, and Gwinnett counties in the Atlanta Metropolitan Area, including North Atlanta, Decatur, and Lilburn...

    • John Lewis
      John Lewis (politician)
      John Robert Lewis is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1987. He was a leader in the American Civil Rights Movement and chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee , playing a key role in the struggle to end segregation...

      , 5th District
      Georgia's 5th congressional district
      Georgia's 5th congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Georgia. Based in central Fulton and parts of Dekalb and Clayton counties, the heavily African American district includes the state capital and largest city of Atlanta as well as many of the surrounding suburbs...

    • John Barrow
      John Barrow (U.S. politician)
      John Jenkins Barrow is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2005. He is a member of the Democratic Party.The district stretches along the eastern portion of the state, from Augusta to Savannah.-Early life, education and career:...

      , 12th District
      Georgia's 12th congressional district
      Georgia's 12th congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Georgia covering much of the east central parts of the state. From the city of Augusta it runs southeast, along the state's border with South Carolina, to the city of Savannah, taking in such cities as...

    • David Scott
      David Scott (politician)
      David A. Scott is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2003. He is a member of the Democratic Party.-Early life and education:Scott was born in Aynor, South Carolina and attended high school in Daytona Beach, Florida...

      , 13th District
      Georgia's 13th congressional district
      Georgia's 13th congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Georgia. The district is located in the Atlanta Metropolitan Area and encircles the city and includes Smyrna, Mableton, Douglasville, and Union City....


External links

Party Website: Democratic Party of Georgia
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