Attention Class !!! Put down your pencils and close your books. Look at the blackboard. I need your undivided attention for this brief lesson.

Who can tell me how the Republican Party lost majority control of the United States Senate? Here is what a reporter from National Public Radio (NPR) had to say about it:

From NPR Article

“It’s been about a month since Democrats flipped Georgia’s two Senate seats in high-profile January runoffs, sending Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff to Washington, D.C., and handing the party narrow control of the chamber.

One key to the stunning upsets were the roughly 225,000 new voters who didn’t vote in November but turned out in January, a disproportionate number of whom were people of color.

“That’s just the math,” said Bernard Fraga, a political scientist at Emory University who has studied the turnout data.

“If it wasn’t for the relatively high mobilization of African Americans and other nonwhite voters in Georgia, Ossoff would have lost. Warnock might have lost; it would have gone to a recount. But Republicans would control the Senate,” he said.

The turnout numbers are the latest and highest-profile example of an organizing infrastructure Georgia Democrats have been building for years. And they beg the question: Can Democrats do it again? Democrats certainly think so. Republicans warn it’s not a foregone conclusion.

“This wasn’t by mistake,” said Jeremy Halbert-Harris, coordinated campaign director for the Biden-Harris campaign in Georgia and a senior adviser to the runoff campaigns.

“Our organizing was sincere, and we will continue to organize in a very sincere and strategic manner,” he said. “And this won’t be the last you hear from Georgia.”” {End of Article Quote}

Alabama Senate District 14

So how does this relate to today’s lesson students ? Well here in Alabama there is an election on Tuesday July 13 for State Senate District 14. This district covers Bibb, Chilton and parts of Shelby County. The map is shown here. Notice that if you live anywhere in Bibb County you are in District 14.

The Republican candidate, April Weaver, won the primary elections with a low turnout vote in all three counties. Special elections often see low turnout and the primaries were business as usual. The Democrats are counting on a low turnout from Republicans for the general election. If Republicans stay home like they did for the primaries, the Democrats have a good chance for an easy win at the ballot box and could easily turn the Senate District 14 Seat Blue.

Example Post From Alabama Democratic Party

It has been reported The Democrat candidate has the national party machine working to establish text and phone banks to get out the vote on election day and to be sure that they do every thing possible to get as many D votes on behalf of their candidate as they can. If Republicans stay home as they did during the primaries they Democrats will flip the seat to Blue with a record D turnout.

It could happen. Georgia lost a Republican majority in their own State and allowed that to upset the balance of power in Washington D.C. because they were not watching what the other side was doing. Too many GOP voters stayed at home.

Example Post From Alabama Democratic Party

Shelby County clearly has more registered voters. The Republican April Weaver needs as many Republican votes from Bibb and Chilton Counties as possible to win this race. The GOP has to get voters to the poll on Tuesday. The Democratic party is doing all they can to defeat April Weaver. Please do your part and vote.

Class dismissed. See you at the voting booth on Tuesday !

The opinions expressed in this article are those of the writer and do not express the views of The Bibb Voice or its management.