Coastal Georgia is a deep red U.S. House district. What can Democrats do to be competitive?

This is the City Talk column by Bill Dawers, a longtime contributor to the Savannah Morning News.

Even though the U.S. Senate race is headed to a runoff, Republican candidates in Georgia did very well in the general election.

Gov. Brian Kemp beat Stacey Abrams by nearly 300,000 votes for a 53.4% to 45.9% win that never felt close in the final months. Charlie Bailey, the Democratic candidate for lieutenant governor, slightly outperformed Abrams, but lost to Republican Burt Jones by 51.4% to 46.4%. Republicans won other races for state offices by similar numbers.

The 2022 elections spotlighted the deep divisions in the state’s electorate. Georgia obviously isn’t the only state with islands of dense blue surrounded by seas of red, but the divide seems especially stark here for several reasons.

3 takeaways from Georgia governor's race: Brian Kemp defeats Stacey Abrams for second term

3 takeaways from U.S. House race: Rep. Carter thumps well-funded challenger by large margin

Incumbent 1st District U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter handily defeated Democratic challenger Wade Herring by nearly 50,000 votes for a final tally of 59.1% to 40.9%, despite the fact that Herring took nearly 58% of the vote in Chatham County.

A well-funded and hard-working candidate, Herring picked up 2,000 more votes in Chatham County than Abrams did, but that strong performance in the district’s most populous county didn’t even get Herring close to a win in a district that tilts so far to the right.

Even as Herring outperformed Abrams, he struggled to get a third of the vote in most counties in the district. Herring took just 30% in Bryan County, 31% in Camden County and 34% in Glynn County.

I should note that incumbent Sen. Raphael Warnock attracted more voters than Herring and other Democrats, but that race was an outlier. If a mainstream candidate had emerged from the May primary instead of the Trump-backed Herschel Walker, Republicans would almost certainly have taken Warnock’s seat.

Sure, Herring would likely have done better in a general election than a midterm election. But with a rightward lean of nearly 7% according to the Princeton University Gerrymandering Project, the odds are long for any Democrat, especially against a longstanding incumbent like Carter.

In this politically polarized environment, coastal residents seem more likely to come together over specific issues than over candidates.

For example, voters from across the political spectrum have concerns about protecting the fragile coastal environment. As the regional population increases, there will inevitably be increased concerns about transportation, housing costs and quality of life.

The recent vote to expand Medicaid in ruby red South Dakota provides yet more evidence of a clear divide on that issue between conservative voters and conservative elected officials.

I’m not suggesting that Democrats will have a shot against Carter in 2024, but focusing on widely shared concerns could provide a political path forward.

Sustained efforts to build consensus around issues might eventually lead to the implementation of better public policy, even if it doesn’t turn the coast from red to blue.

Bill Dawers can be reached via @billdawers on Twitter and CityTalkSavannah@gmail.com.

This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Midterm election takeaway is Democrats in Coastal Georgia shift focus