The sun is shining here in Hartwell as election results are still pouring in from around the country — and the state of Georgia, where I now live. At the time of posting, no results have been confirmed statewide in Georgia.
Last night, however, I spent part of the evening at a Democratic watch party hosted by Devin Pandy for Congress, who was vying for a seat in the US House of Representatives for Georgia’s 9th District. This watch party, held at a hotel restaurant in Gainesville, Georgia — a town of approximately 41,000 people in comparison to Hartwell’s 4,500 — was attended by approximately 25 people, including the candidate.
Masks and social distancing were required, as well as ample hand sanitizer and individually provided food, in line with COVID-19 precautions. Every person in attendance was adhering to these requirements.
“Georgia is still in play,” Mr. Pandy’s campaign manager said shortly after 10pm. “That’s going to be a ‘down to the wire’ thing. That’s something to be proud of and thank you to everyone in this room for making that happen.”
While Hart County, part of the 9th District, went for President Trump with 9,460 votes (up from 7,285 votes in November 2016), Democratic voters turned out in higher numbers than last election cycle for Joe Biden. 3,155 ballots were cast for Biden, compared to 2,583 cast for Clinton in 2016.
There was a feeling of “hesitant optimism” glowing through the room as election results rolled in for former Vice President Biden, even with the loss in Mr. Pandy’s own race.
“We’re looking at increased turnout across about two-thirds of the district, and that’s pretty impressive,” Mr. Pandy’s campaign manager said. “What’s important tonight is, for only the second time really, we’ve had an opportunity to have a choice in these elections. There’s someone out there that represents our values. That’s something important.”
Mr. Pandy lost the race to Republican Andrew Clyde, 23.38% to 76.62%. The total percentage of votes was up in Mr. Pandy’s favor nearly 3% from last election cycle, when he ran against former US Representative Doug Collins in 2018.
“To everyone here, I want you to know that I don’t see this as a defeat,” Mr. Pandy said. “I see this is as a progress report. We now see how far we’ve gained and how much farther we have to go.”
“We may have a ways to go,” he said, looking out at the group. “But we are already on that journey.”
[Editors Note]: It is here that I want to remind you of the premise of this project — we are more alike than different and most people are good. We the Voters is a non-partisan project; coverage of any group or event by We the Voters does not equal endorsement. As with all of my coverage in the past year, I hope it helps you gain a more full picture of the many pieces in the American puzzle.
