2021-01-12 Politics in the U.S. state of Georgia are changing, as we have seen in two recent elections.  This will have a big impact on the political direction of the United States in the coming months and years.  In the November 2020 U.S. presidential election, voters in Georgia chose Democrat Joe Biden over the Republican incumbent, Donald Trump. He was the first Democratic presidential candidate to win in Georgia in 28 years.  Then, on January 6, 2021, two Democrats – Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock – beat the two Republicans, Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue, who were up for re-election for the U.S. Senate. Both of these elections were remarkable because they occurred in Georgia, a formerly solidly Republican state.  And they are considered significant because they have been instrumental in causing a power shift in Washington.  The Democratic Party, rather than the Republican Party, will soon be in control of both the presidency and the two houses of Congress. All of this was largely made possible by one woman: Stacey Abrams.  She was not on the ballot.  But she was the organizer behind the scenes, who helped get out the vote among people who, for a variety of reasons, had been unlikely to go to the polls.  Many of these voters were people of color.  Many were young.  And many voted Democrat.  For years, Abrams had done the hard work of knocking on doors in parts of the state where turn-out for elections was low.  She helped educate potential voters, got them registered, and organized community leaders.  She worked tirelessly to combat the spread of misinformation from the far right.  She fought to give a voice to people of color, the poor, and the young, empowering them to vote.  She led a dynamic movement that shattered barriers and ultimately swung some of the most consequential elections in a generation.