Thank Conservatives for Success

When the Atlanta Falcons host the New Orleans Saints in Mercedes-Benz Stadium, the number of fans yelling “Who dat” rivals that of the fans cheering the home team to “Rise up!” It’s safe to assume many of those sporting gold-and-black jerseys are Metro Atlantans who fled to Georgia after Hurricane Katrina ravaged New Orleans. Migration to Metro Atlanta causes similar dynamics when the Atlanta Braves play the Chicago Cubs or New York Mets at Truist Park.

New Georgians importing their sports allegiances are, at worst, annoying. It doesn’t hurt our quality of life. But that’s not the case for new Georgians importing their political beliefs. In a swing state, recent arrivals could determine the margin.

Georgia remains among the nation’s favorite destinations for Americans seeking great job opportunities and a high quality of life. The state has secured its 12th consecutive year as the No. 1 state for doing business, according to Area Development magazine. The skyline is crowded with cranes, our ports are buzzing, and our neighborhoods are filled with new faces from California, Illinois and New York.

To our new neighbors: We are glad you’re here. You’ve traded the $6-per-gallon gas, the crushing weight of taxes and regulatory burdens that stifle business and send housing prices soaring. You’ll find in Georgia an environment that rewards hard work and innovation. But as you register to vote in your new home, there is a vital lesson to remember: The prosperity you moved here for is not an accident of geography – it is a result of unified conservative leadership on the state level.

California’s weather is the envy of the nation. Cities like Chicago and New York boast attractive cultural offerings. Nevertheless, residents have left because the “Blue State Model” has become a blueprint for decline.

Georgia Democrats, given the reins of power, will quickly put us on the blue state disaster path.

Between 2024 and 2025, California lost over 229,000 residents. The exodus from New York and Illinois was 137,000 and 40,000, respectively. During that same window, Georgia gained tens of thousands of new residents continuing a long trend that has seen Georgia add approximately a million new residents each decade. Georgia will most likely attain a 15th congressional seat after the 2030 census while the states above lose seats once again.

When you flee a “high-tax, high-regulation” state, you are participating in the ultimate market signal. You are in essence admitting that the progressive experiment – characterized by endless bureaucracy and fiscal irresponsibility – has failed.

Photo credit: Wolfgang Hasselmann

California is considering legislation to implement a “billionaire tax” that will send more rich people to red states; Illinois is staggering under the weight of reckless pension obligations and New York City is bracing for
what a socialist mayor will impose. In contrast, under Republican leadership, Georgia has slowly cut income tax rates for nearly a decade, rejected the red tape that kills small businesses and maintained one of the best fiscal stability ratings in the country.

The blue states that people are fleeing have prioritized social engineering over economic sanity. Broadly speaking, many have created environments where it seems easier to get a government subsidy than a business permit. If you bring that same voting pattern to Georgia – supporting candidates who promise more government services funded by higher taxes and more regulation – you will eventually find yourself living in the very same “burning house” you just escaped and hurting the state that welcomed you.

Georgia Democrats, given the reins of power, will quickly put us on the blue state disaster path. Former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, the leading Democratic candidate for governor, telegraphed all we need to know when California Gov. Gavin Newsom hosted a political event for her in Atlanta in February. The Georgia House Democratic Caucus now has its first Democratic Socialist member, who’s started a Progressive Caucus, which will surely push job-killing bad ideas.

In November, Democrats won two statewide Public Service Commission seats by 26 points, promising to lower energy prices with policies that will eventually lead to underinvestment in our grid and less energy reliability.

As we approach the 2026 midterms, Georgia is at a tipping point as it selects a new governor and legislative majorities. For now, it seems the national environment favors the Democrats. But Georgia voters, natives and newbies alike, shouldn’t.

If you came to Georgia to take a good job and own a home in a nice neighborhood to raise a family, vote for the policies that brought that good job here in the first place.

Even if you don’t support the Falcons or Braves, please don’t vote for policies that caused you to flee the state you came from.