LISTEN: Hundreds of people showed up for a Thursday night town hall in Cherokee County. While it’s majority Republican, local Democrats, who hosted the gathering, hoped to make inroads with voters. GPB’s Ellen Eldridge reports.

Cherokee County Democrats Chair Nate Rich stands in Allen Temple AME Church in Woodstock, Georgia.

Cherokee County Democrats Chair Nate Rich stands in Allen Temple AME Church in Woodstock, Ga., on May 1, 2025, flanked by a modified 'Where's Waldo' cardboard cutout.

Credit: Ellen Eldridge/GPB

Georgia Democrats packed a church Thursday night in Cherokee County, an area about 30 miles northwest of Atlanta.

As people walked into the Allen Temple AME Church from its full parking lot, staff added folding chairs to have enough seating.

By the time the town hall with Georgia state Rep. Lisa Campbell and state Sens. Jason Esteves, Sonya Halpern and Josh McLaurin began, the sanctuary was standing-room only.

Cherokee County remains a longtime Republican stronghold even as Cobb County and other metro Atlanta suburban areas have shifted to the political middle. The county is part of the 11th Congressional District, represented by Republican U.S. Rep. Barry Loudermilk.

Chair of Cherokee County Democrats, Nate Rich said, right now, all the county's Democrats can do is organize.

"Historically, and it's just been a game of numbers — we were so small that it was like a supper club," Rich said. "Very social in nature because it was just survival so people don't feel alone because we're in a deep red rural community, right? That's really changed in the last 16 months."

Rich said the group's goal is to have more Democrats run in Cherokee County in 2026.

Last week, Loudermilk spoke at a gathering of his Republican constituents.

"It was a great honor to speak to the grassroots patriots of the 11th Congressional District Republican Party today," Loudermilk wrote in a Facebook post. 

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