GREATER GEORGIA HD34 EFFORTS FEATURED IN MARIETTA DAILY JOURNAL
July 9, 2021
In case you missed it, the Marietta Daily Journal
published an article yesterday highlighting
Greater Georgia's efforts to secure a conservative victory in the runoff election for State House District 34. The article highlights Greater Georgia's ground game, dedication, and results, including the thousands of voter contacts made, as well as the significant investment the organization has made in the race:
Kelly Loeffler touts her organization's work in Kennesaw Statehouse race
With major statewide elections in Georgia still over a year away, it’s no wonder outside groups have taken an interest in the race for House District 34—right now, it’s the only show in town.
The Stacey Abrams-backed advocacy organization and fundraising juggernaut Fair Fight Action has endorsed Democrat Priscilla Smith in the special election, now headed to a runoff on Tuesday. Across the aisle, former U.S. Sen. Kelly Loeffler, R-Georgia, is trying to prove her recently-formed Greater Georgia group can make a splash by helping Republican Devan Seabaugh across the finish line.
Seabaugh, a Metro Atlanta Ambulance executive, finished with 3,337 votes, or 47.1% in the first round of voting on June 15. Smith, an activist, artist and former educator, came in second place with 1,740 votes, or 24.6%.
The race was a so-called ‘jungle primary,’ with five candidates—two Democrats, two Republicans, and one Libertarian—on the ballot. No candidate earned the required outright majority of the vote to avoid a runoff. While Seabaugh and his Republican counterpart, David Blinkhorn, combined for over 60% of the vote in the once firmly Republican district, Democrats have made steady gains over recent election cycles.
Loeffler has not shied away from comparisons between her group and Abrams’. Allowing Fair Fight has been “very effective,” the former senator said this week she wants to break its “monopoly on voter mobilization.”
To those ends, Greater Georgia has now spent over $100,000 on the special election, a spokesperson for the organization said.
Neither Smith nor Fair Fight responded to requests for comment from the MDJ before press time, but the organization and Abrams have highlighted Smith’s candidacy and encouraged support for her on social media. Fair Fight CEO Lauren Groh-Wargo was also among Smith’s campaign donors in a June financial disclosure report.
In a recorded message, Abrams called Smith a “tireless advocate for underrepresented communities,” who will “fight to protect our nation’s democracy by working to put an end to attacks on Georgians’ freedom to vote.”
Cobb GOP Chair Salleigh Grubbs attributed the big spending on the race to it being the first election since the “disasters” of November and January.
“More people are awake, more people are paying attention,” Grubbs said, adding Greater Georgia’s offerings for the Cobb GOP have primarily been in volunteer training and resources.
Loeffler told the MDJ her organization has mailed over 1,500 postcards, knocked over 3,000 doors, and identified about 1,600 unregistered conservative voters in House District 34, which covers parts of Marietta and Kennesaw. She couldn’t say how many of those 1,600 voters Greater Georgia had reached, or registered, but said the group has registered “thousands” of new Republicans around the state.
Records from the secretary of state’s office show Cobb has added just over 3,600 registered voters — of all persuasions — to its rolls since the November general election.
Because Greater Georgia has yet to establish an independent expenditure committee (one formed to spend on a candidate’s behalf, without coordinating with said candidate), it won’t be expressly endorsing Seabaugh in the race. It’s instead calling to “help elect a conservative,” though Loeffler was obliquely complimentary of Seabaugh.
“I can tell you that when we have folks that have private sector experience, that have built businesses, that have hired people … we need more citizen-legislators representing Georgians. We don’t need more politicians and activists,” she said.
Seabaugh told the MDJ he hasn’t been in touch with Greater Georgia, who has instead routed its efforts through the Cobb GOP by training volunteers and organizing canvassing.
“They have been out … trying to rally the Republicans to get out and vote,” Seabaugh said, adding he’s “cautiously optimistic” about his prospects with less than a week to go.
In lieu of an endorsement, Greater Georgia has tried to frame the race as a referendum on the issues which have burned up the Georgia political scene since March: Senate Bill 202, “election integrity” (or ”voter suppression”), and as a corollary, Cobb’s loss of the MLB All-Star Game.
“Election integrity is the No. 1 issue that we see right now,” Loeffler said, which tracked with the theme of the Cobb GOP’s Fourth of July celebration last weekend. A straw poll found “election fraud” top of mind for attendees, a sentiment unlikely to change no matter the outcome of next week’s vote.
Click HERE
to read the full article.
###
Media Contact: press@greatergeorgia.com
ATLANTA, GA— Greater Georgia today released a statement in support of Georgia’s ongoing voter roll cleanup, calling the move a necessary and long overdue step to protect election integrity and restore confidence in the state’s electoral process. The Secretary of State’s office last week began the process of removing more than 500,000 outdated voter registrations, including those who have moved, passed away, or not voted in nearly a decade, as part of one of the largest list maintenance efforts in Georgia history. “This voter roll cleanup is not only common sense, it’s long overdue after fear-mongering lawsuits from leftist groups halted the process,” said Terry Fye of Greater Georgia. “Election officials, and especially the Secretary of State’s office, are legally required to keep our rolls accurate and failing to do so undermines trust in our elections and opens the door to potential fraud.” Georgia law requires regular voter roll maintenance to ensure only eligible voters remain on the rolls. The current process includes multiple attempts to contact inactive voters before any cancellation is finalized, offering ample time to update their information and maintain active status. Since its founding, Greater Georgia has worked to strengthen trust in elections by advocating for secure, transparent, and accountable voting practices. The organization has registered more than 65,000 new voters, expanded civic engagement in every corner of the state, and continues to push for meaningful reforms that protect the vote of every legal Georgian. ### Greater Georgia, founded by former U.S. Senator Kelly Loeffler in 2021, is working to register, engage, educate, and mobilize voters in communities across the Peach State. Our year-round work is focused on growing our movement by registering voters who may not be captured by Georgia’s “Motor Voter” program, mobilizing diverse and underrepresented communities, promoting issue advocacy, and fighting to restore trust and integrity in our elections.
ATLANTA, GA — Today, Greater Georgia Action, Inc. announced a statewide education tour to inform Georgians about consequential legislation passed during the 2025 legislative session, with a heavy focus on Governor Brian Kemp’s civil judicial reform package. Engaging speakers and innovative event formats will allow Georgians to learn about the impact of these laws and ask questions in an approachable environment. Each unique event, ranging from small business roundtables to town halls, will feature key civic leaders, elected officials, and topic experts. Additional information will be made available closer to the event. Greater Georgia is excited to visit: April 16, 2025 - Dekalb County (Stonecrest, GA) featuring Insurance Commissioner John King Bibb County (Macon, GA) Fulton County (Alpharetta, GA) Chatham County (Savannah, GA) Whitfield County (Dalton, GA) Gwinnett County (TBD) Doughtery County (Albany, GA) Athens Clarke County (Athens, GA) Lowndes County (Valdosta, GA) “Educating diverse and disengaged communities is a key mission of Greater Georgia, so we’re taking our message on the road to reach voters where they are,” said Terry Fye, Director of Outreach for Greater Georgia. “Georgia took an immense step toward balanced court rooms and competitive insurance markets, and these events will help Georgians understand the full benefits of tort reform and provide real- time feedback to their elected officials.” “Session is out, and now our work begins in earnest to educate voters on the legislation passed that will impact them and their families. This tour will empower voters and provide them with the resources they need to make informed decisions next November.” For additional information about Greater Georgia and to receive updates about the education tour, please visit our website, https://www.greatergeorgia.com/.
ATLANTA, GA — Today, Greater Georgia Action, Inc. announced a statewide education tour to inform Georgians about consequential legislation passed during the 2025 legislative session, with a heavy focus on Governor Brian Kemp’s civil judicial reform package. Engaging speakers and innovative event formats will allow Georgians to learn about the impact of these laws and ask questions in an approachable environment. Each unique event, ranging from small business roundtables to town halls, will feature key civic leaders, elected officials, and topic experts. Additional information will be made available closer to the event. Greater Georgia is excited to visit: April 16, 2025 - Dekalb County (Stonecrest, GA) featuring Insurance Commissioner John King Bibb County (Macon, GA) Fulton County (Alpharetta, GA) Chatham County (Savannah, GA) Whitfield County (Dalton, GA) Gwinnett County (TBD) Doughtery County (Albany, GA) Athens Clarke County (Athens, GA) Lowndes County (Valdosta, GA) “Educating diverse and disengaged communities is a key mission of Greater Georgia, so we’re taking our message on the road to reach voters where they are,” said Terry Fye, Director of Outreach for Greater Georgia. “Georgia took an immense step toward balanced court rooms and competitive insurance markets, and these events will help Georgians understand the full benefits of tort reform and provide real- time feedback to their elected officials.” “Session is out, and now our work begins in earnest to educate voters on the legislation passed that will impact them and their families. This tour will empower voters and provide them with the resources they need to make informed decisions next November.” For additional information about Greater Georgia and to receive updates about the education tour, please visit our website, https://www.greatergeorgia.com/.
ATLANTA – Today, Greater Georgia announced that its 2024 pre-election voter registration push registered over 7,000 new conservative voters and re-engaged over 4,000 inactive conservative voters. Inactive voters are those who had not participated in an election in the last five years - in this case, since at least 2018. "Greater Georgia has become the leading conservative voter registration group in our state - working year-round to expand the tent, rather than taking it down after every election," said Greater Georgia Chairwoman Kelly Loeffler. "Since 2021, we have registered more than 55,000 new voters, who just became part of the landslide that elected President Trump. We've proved our thesis that we can keep Georgia red as long as we work year-round, every year, to grow the conservative movement. Today, as we prepare for the next election cycle starting with municipal elections in 2025, we can confidently say that the movement has never been stronger or more energized." Greater Georgia is the state's leading conservative voter registration organization. Since it was founded in 2021, the group has registered and re-engaged more than 55,000 voters. It has also worked to build diverse coalitions and advocate for election integrity. In 2024, the group invested in multiple six-figure campaigns, including an 8-week voter registration campaign that ran from August to October, featuring digital ads, text messages, in-person voter registration drives, and over 115,000 phone calls to unregistered voters. ### Media Contact: press@greatergeorgia.com
ATLANTA – Today, Former U.S. Senator Kelly Loeffler applauded the efforts of Greater Georgia, the Georgia GOP, the RNC, and other conservative groups after Republicans won decisive victories up and down the ballot across the state. President Trump won with a record-breaking 2.65 million votes, the most ever received by a Republican candidate in Georgia. Republicans in the State Senate maintained their 33-23 majority and Republicans in the State House will also preserve their majority, having defended three key tossup districts and flipped one Democrat-held seat. “I founded Greater Georgia to apply the strategic lessons we learned in the 2020 election, with the singular mission of creating a winning conservative infrastructure in our state. Over nearly four years, we have invested millions and worked every day to drive voter registration, diverse community outreach, and election integrity, building a new conservative coalition and solidifying Georgia as a red state,” said Greater Georgia Chairwoman Kelly Loeffler. “Last night’s victories, from the state legislature to the presidency, were years in the making. They are a testament to the candidates, campaigns, and preparation of groups like Greater Georgia, the Georgia Republican Party, the Republican National Committee, and other key partners. From the ground game to election integrity, 2024 was a massive step change for conservatives despite being outraised at every level. “We’re already evaluating the data to find ways to sustain these gains for the long term - and I look forward to collaborating with our conservative counterparts to build on this solid foundation to engage Georgia voters and keep our state red.” Leading up to this election, Greater Georgia invested over $1M in voter registration and several get-out-the-vote campaigns, making more than 14,000,000 voter contacts. Greater Georgia targeted - and saw gains from - the following conservative-leaning groups: Black, Hispanic, and Asian voters Voters aged 18-29 South Georgia voters impacted by Hurricane Helene Low-propensity male voters in North Georgia Conservative and swing voters in Fulton County Greater Georgia, launched by former U.S. Senator Kelly Loeffler in 2021, is a 501(c4) nonpartisan nonprofit dedicated to growing participation in the democratic process by mobilizing and empowering voters. The group works year-round to educate and register voters, engage with diverse and underrepresented communities, and protect election integrity. ### Media Contact: press@greatergeorgia.com
ATLANTA – Tonight, Greater Georgia Chairwoman and Former U.S. Senator Kelly Loeffler issued the following statement after President Donald Trump won Georgia’s 16 electoral college votes in the 2024 presidential election. “Tonight’s win is one of the greatest political victories in modern history. Despite the relentless attempts to jail, bankrupt, slander, and assassinate him – Donald J. Trump has flipped the state of Georgia red in a decisive victory for his America First movement. Voters rejected Kamala Harris’ failed record and, along with millions of their fellow Americans, cast their ballots to restore strength, security, and the American Dream. “This is a significant milestone for Georgia, and I join our voters in thanking President Trump for his relentless commitment to making America greater than ever before, and for the sacrifices of the entire Trump family. The future of our nation is bright thanks to his willingness to fight for it. And as Chairwoman of Greater Georgia, I also thank our staff, volunteers, and interns who have spent nearly four years building a winning conservative infrastructure that just helped move our state back into the solidly red column.” Senator Loeffler is the top donor to President Trump in Georgia, having contributed more than $6,000,000 in support of his re-election campaign. Greater Georgia has made over 14,000,000 voter contacts in the last six months, as part of the organization's effort to register and mobilize voters ahead of the presidential election. Greater Georgia, launched by former U.S. Senator Kelly Loeffler in 2021, is a 501(c4) nonpartisan nonprofit dedicated to growing participation in the democratic process by mobilizing and empowering voters. The group works year-round to educate and register voters, engage with diverse and underrepresented communities, and protect election integrity. ### Media Contact: press@greatergeorgia.com