Porter Elected as Chair of the Georgia Democratic Party

On Saturday in Newnan, Democrats elected Former House Minority Leader DuBose Porter (D-Dublin) as its next Chairman of the Georgia Democratic Party, replacing Mike Berlon who resigned a few months. Porter defeated Former State Sen. Doug Stoner & current Georgia Democratic Party Vice-Chairman RJ Hadley. Over 200 plus members gathered at Wadsworth Auditorium in Coweta Couty, the birthplace of Ellis Arnall who served as governor from 1943-47 & was one of Georgia's first Progressive Democrats.

I was mildly surprised that Porter won, my money was on Doug Stoner because he had strong backing from Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed, ex-Governor Roy Barnes, State Sen. Jason Carter, grandson of former president James E. "Jimmy" Carter.

Porter's connections to Rural Georgia will be critical for democrats as they begin to rebuild the once-dominant party from the ashes. With all the talk about fundraising, which is a must, candidate recruitment is also vital and it has to start on the local whether its County Commissioner or State Senator. The next move will be who will Porter name as executive director of the Georgia Democratic Party, which is the next critical move for the party.