The general elections were held on November 6th, with some of the races still not being called as of press time. However, most of Georgia’s races held very few surprises, with the majority of the incumbents winning their general election and 10 incumbents as of now losing to challengers (one federal, one state Senate, and eight state House members). However, these races did not come easy, with 112 races that saw competition (and there were 83 that had competition in the primary, several with multiple primary opponents). Nothing was a given; there were some races in which fewer than 100 votes separated the victory from a loss! Don’t ever underestimate the power of being involved in the elections – credit unions make a difference and shift the tables of who wins a seat.
How? Credit unions made an impact on the elections through ElectionWatch to encourage voter turnout among staff, board and members. They built influence and changed the course of races through the PAC funds raised for political donations, donating to 14 federal races and 126 state races.
Credit unions also assisted with physical “boots on the ground” efforts for four candidates out of six candidates targeted, and that is in addition to the two candidates supported in the primary by credit unions. Our thanks go to all the credit union individuals for engaging in physical campaign activity this year.
Credit unions are encouraged each election season to take advantage of the opportunities to engage in physical campaign efforts, as it can make a difference not only in an election, but also in the ability to shape the issues of importance to credit unions before they become law.
