Georgia’s Swing-State Strategies: A Playbook for Wisconsin Democrats Under Devin Remiker

June 16, 2025 | Boncopia.com

A New Dawn for WisDems in a Battleground State

On June 15, 2025, the Democratic Party of Wisconsin (WisDems) elected Devin Remiker as its new chairman at its state convention in Wisconsin Dells, signaling a bold push toward the 2026 midterm elections. As a swing state with a history of razor-thin margins, Wisconsin shares a striking resemblance with Georgia, another battleground that flipped blue in 2020 but reverted to Republican control in 2024. Georgia’s political strategies—driven by voter mobilization, grassroots organizing, and issue-driven campaigns—offer critical lessons for Remiker and WisDems as they aim for a Democratic “trifecta” in 2026. By examining Georgia’s tactics, WisDems can refine their approach to energize voters, counter GOP strategies, and maintain Wisconsin’s competitive edge.

Devin Remiker’s Mission: Powering WisDems Forward

Devin Remiker, a 32-year-old former WisDems executive director, secured the chairmanship with 485 votes in a ranked-choice election, defeating Joe Zepecki and William Garcia. Building on outgoing chairman Ben Wikler’s legacy, which raised $262 million and secured victories in 10 of 13 statewide races since 2019, Remiker’s platform emphasizes year-round organizing, grassroots engagement, and leveraging Wisconsin’s newly fair legislative maps. His call to “hit the gas” targets key 2026 races, including the governor’s seat, 17 state Senate seats, and a state Supreme Court position.

Georgia, like Wisconsin, is a swing state where elections hinge on small margins. Joe Biden’s 2020 win in Georgia by 11,779 votes (0.2%) marked the first Democratic presidential victory since 1992, while Donald Trump’s 2024 win by 2.2% showed its volatility. Georgia’s strategies—particularly Democratic successes in 2020 and 2022—provide a roadmap for WisDems to navigate Wisconsin’s purple landscape.

Georgia’s Political Landscape: A Swing-State Evolution

Georgia’s political history mirrors Wisconsin’s in its transition from Democratic dominance to Republican strength and back to competitiveness. From the late 1800s to 1960, Georgia was a Democratic stronghold, part of the “Solid South.” The 1964 Voting Rights Act and the GOP’s “Southern Strategy” shifted it Republican, with the party controlling the state legislature since 2002 and the governor’s office since 2004. However, Georgia’s growing diversity—58% white, 28% Black, 7% Hispanic, and 5% Asian per a 2023 PRRI survey—has made it a battleground, with Democrats winning both U.S. Senate seats and the presidency in 2020.

Georgia’s political geography features a Democratic stronghold in metro Atlanta, home to over half the state’s population, contrasted by conservative rural areas and the Black Belt in south Georgia. This urban-rural divide parallels Wisconsin’s, with Milwaukee and Madison anchoring Democratic support against rural Republican strongholds. Georgia’s suburban Atlanta counties, like Cobb and Gwinnett, have shifted Democratic, similar to Wisconsin’s Waukesha and Ozaukee counties.

Georgia’s Political Strategies: Lessons for WisDems

Georgia’s political tactics, shaped by Democratic gains and GOP resilience, offer WisDems strategies to emulate and challenges to address. Here are key approaches and their relevance to Wisconsin:

1. Grassroots Organizing and Relational Organizing

Georgia Democrats have excelled at grassroots mobilization, led by figures like Stacey Abrams and LaTosha Brown. Abrams’s Fair Fight and Brown’s Black Voters Matter registered hundreds of thousands of voters, boosting turnout among Black voters (30% of Georgia’s electorate) to 92% for Biden in 2020. The 2020 Senate campaigns of Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock used “paid relational organizing,” paying organizers to contact personal networks, boosting turnout by 3.8% among 160,000 targeted voters.

WisDems, with their year-round organizing model, can adopt this approach by expanding grassroots efforts in Milwaukee’s Black and Latino communities and suburban areas. Relational organizing—leveraging trusted messengers like community leaders—could boost turnout in Wisconsin’s competitive districts, as seen in Georgia’s 2020 Senate runoffs.

2. Mobilizing Diverse Coalitions

Georgia’s growing diversity—Black, Hispanic, and Asian voters—drove Biden’s 2020 win, with suburban moderates in Atlanta rejecting Trump. Black women, 92% of whom voted for Biden, were pivotal, comprising a key Democratic bloc. However, 2024 saw softening support among Black men and lower turnout among Black voters (26% of early votes), highlighting the need for sustained engagement.

WisDems can replicate this by targeting Milwaukee’s diverse communities and suburban voters in Waukesha County, where educated professionals are trending Democratic. Georgia’s focus on young voters, with a 34% increase in 18–24-year-old registration from 2016 to 2020, suggests WisDems should prioritize college towns like Madison and Eau Claire.

3. Issue-Driven Campaigns

Georgia Democrats have leveraged issues like abortion, healthcare, and voting rights to mobilize voters. A 2023 PRRI survey found 63% of Georgians support legal abortion, with 83% of Democrats favoring access, despite restrictive state laws. Campaigns by Abrams, Ossoff, and Warnock emphasized Medicaid expansion and public education, resonating in urban and suburban areas.

Wisconsin Democrats have similarly used abortion rights, with 57% of voters opposing restrictive laws per a 2023 Marquette Law School poll. Remiker can amplify messaging on reproductive rights, education funding, and economic opportunity, appealing to Wisconsin’s working-class voters in Racine and Kenosha, much like Georgia’s focus on metro Atlanta.

4. Countering GOP Voter Turnout Strategies

Georgia’s GOP has adapted, encouraging early voting in 2024 after opposing it in 2020, leading to 4 million early votes (55% of the electorate). Republicans targeted rural “barn-red” counties and made inroads with Black men, reducing Democratic margins. WisDems face similar GOP efforts, such as voter ID ballot measures. Remiker can counter by promoting early voting in urban and suburban areas, as Georgia Democrats did, while addressing GOP narratives on election integrity with transparent voter education, as seen in Georgia’s response to Senate Bill 202’s voting restrictions.

5. Suburban and Rural Outreach

Georgia Democrats flipped suburban Cobb and Gwinnett counties in 2016 and 2018, driven by college-educated women and diverse voters. However, rural outreach remains a challenge, with Democrats aiming to “lose by less” in conservative areas. WisDems can emulate this by targeting suburban Waukesha and Ozaukee, while investing in rural outreach to reduce GOP margins in northern Wisconsin, learning from Georgia’s efforts in the Black Belt.

Challenges and Opportunities for WisDems

Georgia’s 2024 loss to Trump, despite high early voting, highlights risks for WisDems. Lower Black voter turnout and GOP gains with Black men and Latinos underscore the need for sustained engagement with diverse communities. Wisconsin’s 2024 presidential loss to Trump shows similar vulnerabilities, particularly in rural areas. Georgia’s restrictive voting laws, like Senate Bill 202, mirror Wisconsin’s voter ID measures, requiring Democrats to educate voters on access.

However, Georgia’s successes—flipping Senate seats and the presidency in 2020—offer hope. Wisconsin’s fair maps, like Georgia’s competitive districts, create opportunities to flip legislative seats. Remiker can leverage Wisconsin’s urban strength and suburban trends, as Georgia did in Atlanta’s suburbs, to build a winning coalition.

Remiker’s Roadmap: Applying Georgia’s Lessons

Remiker’s leadership team, including First Vice Chair Sarah Godlewski and Second Vice Chair Joshua Taylor, can adapt Georgia’s tactics with Wisconsin’s fundraising strength. Key priorities include:

• Grassroots and Relational Organizing: Expand paid and volunteer programs to reach diverse voters, as Georgia did in 2020.

• Diverse Mobilization: Target Black, Latino, and young voters in Milwaukee and college towns, mirroring Georgia’s Atlanta strategy.

• Issue-Driven Messaging: Focus on abortion, education, and economic opportunity, as Georgia Democrats did in urban and suburban areas.

• Countering GOP Turnout: Promote early voting and address voter ID concerns with transparent education, inspired by Georgia’s response to voting restrictions.

• Suburban and Rural Outreach: Flip suburban counties and reduce rural GOP margins, as Georgia Democrats achieved in Cobb and aimed for in the Black Belt.

Why This Matters

Georgia and Wisconsin are swing-state siblings, with shared histories of tight races and growing diversity. Georgia’s strategies—grassroots organizing, diverse coalitions, and issue-driven campaigns—offer WisDems a blueprint to secure 2026 victories. As Remiker leads WisDems forward, adapting these tactics could shape Wisconsin’s political future and influence national Democratic strategies in battleground states.

Thought-Provoking Questions for Readers:

1. How can WisDems under Devin Remiker adapt Georgia’s relational organizing model to boost turnout in Wisconsin’s urban and suburban areas?

2. What lessons from Georgia’s challenges with Black and Latino voter turnout can WisDems apply to engage Wisconsin’s diverse communities in 2026?

3. Can WisDems replicate Georgia’s success in flipping suburban counties while countering GOP rural turnout, and what issues might drive their campaign?

Sources: Information compiled from Wisconsin Examiner, NBC26, WisPolitics, Marquette University Law, The Guardian, U.S. News, NPR, POLITICO, The Conversation, CNN, Washington Post, New York Times, PRRI, and posts on X. For more on U.S. News & Politics, visit Boncopia.com.