Democracy Dies in Darkness

For Democrats, the elusive dream of a blue Georgia hinges on rapidly diversifying Atlanta suburbs

By
July 30, 2018 at 9:31 a.m. EDT
Renee Peters during the 9:30 a.m. service at Berean Christian Church Gwinnett. The predominantly black church hosted an NAACP forum and welcomed Democratic candidates for services in a rapidly diversifying, populous suburb of Atlanta that will be instrumental in November. (Kevin D. Liles/For The Washington Post)

DULUTH, Ga. — If a blue electoral wave crests in Georgia in November, it will be pushed by dramatically changing counties such as Gwinnett in what once were the Republican strongholds of suburban Atlanta.

Georgia’s second-largest county has transformed from 67 percent white in 2000 to 62 percent nonwhite last year, stunning longtime residents and shaking up the political environment.