GOP Candidate Turning Out Democrats to Win Georgia Special Election
Candidate Jason Dickerson is benefitting from huge Democrat turnout in the special election to replace Senator Brandon Beach.
Republican newcomer Jason Dickerson is shelling out big bucks in the special election to replace Senator Brandon Beach, who was recently appointed by President Donald Trump as Treasurer of the United States.
According to public financial disclosures, Mr. Dickerson appears to be making good on his pledge to spend $1 million of his own cash in the race. With so much money to spend in a short time, it looks like he’s implementing a unique strategy in order to win in the deep red district.
The Georgia Wire has spoken with at least half a dozen Democrat voters in Fulton County who report Dickerson’s campaign staff knocking on their doors in recent weeks. Their pitch? The lone Democrat in the race has no shot at winning and a vote for a moderate Republican like Mr. Dickerson will be better than a Trump-aligned candidate.
As proof of his anti-Trump bonafides, Dickerson’s team points to his attacks on fellow Republican Steve West who is seen as the Trump-aligned candidate. They say West is a “MAGA Republican” who will be too conservative for the more moderate voters in North Fulton.
Early vote numbers suggest the strategy may be paying off - for now - with roughly 35% of the early vote coming from Democrats and polling showing that Dickerson is capturing a significant portion of their votes.
“He is reaching out across the aisle and finding he has common ground with us,” said one Democrat voter in Alpharetta who found out about Dickerson’s campaign from a door knocker. “It’s refreshing to see a more moderate Republican who isn’t a MAGA sycophant,” said another neighbor who also received a knock on their door.
Both voters we spoke with said they voted for Dickerson after being assured he would oppose new abortion restrictions and support red flag laws to make it harder for individuals to purchase AR-15s and high capacity magazines.
GOP strategists warn that cozying up to the other side could backfire. “Sure, it might help him make the runoff and peel away a few extra votes” one veteran Republican operative told The Georgia Wire. “But he is alienating the conservative base he needs to win.”
Republican voters we spoke with in Cherokee County said they felt betrayed and misled by Dickerson in light of the recent news. “So he’s been saying one thing to us and another to Democrats? Sounds like he’s just another phony politician in a fancy suit,” said one. When asked if they would consider voting for Dickerson knowing that he was planning to find common ground with Democrats, every one of them said no.
Only time will tell if Mr. Dickerson’s unique approach will pay off and ultimately land him a spot in the runoff election. Other candidates in the race did not respond to requests for comment
Early voting for the special election is currently underway and ends Friday, August 22nd with Election Day on August 26th. Two candidates are expected to advance to a runoff election on September 23rd.