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Political Rewind: Will Sinema's departure hinder Democrats?; Political future for Kemp and Warnock
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The panel
Greg Bluestein, @bluestein, political reporter, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Maya King, @mayaaking, political reporter, New York Times
Patricia Murphy, @MurphyAJC, political reporter & columnist, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The breakdown
1. Sen. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona announced she'd be leaving the Democratic Party.
- The announcement came days after Sen. Raphael Warnock won reelection in Georgia, a move which would have secured Democrats' 51st vote in the Senate.
- Sinema, along with Sen. Joe Manchin, had leverage over the party's more progressive efforts in a 50-50 Senate.
2. How did the 2022 midterms raise the political profile of Gov. Brian Kemp and Warnock?
- Kemp's stance against Donald Trump's interference in the 2020 election allowed him to run off the image of being a moderate Republican who stood up to the former president, appealing to independents.
- Warnock soundly won an election against one of Georgia's biggest celebrities, solidifying his place in the Senate for six years.
- Both wielded the power of incumbency to run strong campaigns.
3. Abrams campaign manager Lauren Groh-Wargo tweeted a thread on why her candidate lost following Warnock's reelection.
- The tweets allege both that Abrams helped recruit Warnock for his Senate race and that the governor's mansion was "unwinnable" for Democrats in 2022.
- After Democrats lost Georgia's constitutional races, the party is asking what it can do better to win seats stateside.
4. Will Republicans look to change Georgia's runoffs again?
- The 2022 midterm runoff was Georgia's first attempt at a four-week runoff.
- Politically, Democrats performed better in both the 2020 and 2022 runoffs. On the ground, some polling places saw lengthy lines. Could Republicans look to change practices?
- It's still unknown what effect Senate Bill 202 had on overall turnout.
Tuesday on Political Rewind: Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan on the future of the Republican Party.