WHAT GEORGIANS SAW THIS WEEK: Democratic Party of Georgia Hosts Statewide ‘Democrats Deliver’ Tour

This week, the Democratic Party of Georgia hosted its ‘Democrats Deliver’ statewide tour, highlighting the achievements President Biden, Vice President Harris, and Democrats have made for Georgians in Macon, Columbus, Augusta, Savannah, and Atlanta. 

Throughout the week, elected officials, labor leaders, and community members discussed the success of the American Rescue Plan in lowering health care costs and cutting taxes for middle class families, underscored the historic impact the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill will have on Georgia’s economy, and laid out the need to continue passing the Build Back Better agenda. 

Here’s what Georgians saw this week about the ‘Democrats Deliver’ tour:

41NBC (8/30/21): Georgia Democrats begin statewide tour in Macon

• The Georgia Democrats started their “Democrats Deliver” statewide tour in Macon Monday morning.
• Representative Miriam Paris spoke about the accomplishments since Senators Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock took office, including Macon-Bibb receiving $77 million to help with the pandemic recovery effort.
• Paris says the Democrats’ economic agenda is helping build Georgia back.
• “The American Rescue Plan is the reason why our economy is bouncing back,” she said. “Just last month, the Biden economy created over 43,000 jobs.”
• She also says 91% of families are benefiting from middle class tax cuts in the American Rescue Plan.

WGXA (8/30/21): Democratic Party of Georgia begins statewide tour in Macon

• WGXA: “Georgia’s Democratic Party launched a statewide, week-long tour in downtown Macon this morning. State Democrats say the purpose is to remind voters that their party is making good on promises to fund pandemic recovery through the American Rescue Plan.”
• “They pointed out Macon Bibb County received $77 million in funding to fight COVID and jumpstart the economy. They also said that working families and small business owners have benefited greatly from the help.”
• State Rep. Miriam Paris: “Each and every Georgia Republican in Congress voted against the economic plan that’s keeping small business doors open and cutting child poverty in half.”
• Courtney Driver: “I’ve been fortunate to remain employed during this pandemic, but it’s still come with challenges. The Democrats’ economic stimulus payments were a great help in offsetting the cost of childcare and allowing us to have a safety net so I can continue to work. But there are still so many parents in need.”

WRBL (8/30/21): “Democrats Deliver” tour makes stop in Columbus

• The Democratic Party of Georgia made Columbus a stop on their statewide tour. On Monday, city and state officials spoke at Woodruff Park as part of the “Democrats Deliver” campaign.
• Speakers included State Representative Calvin Smyre and City Councilmember Toyia Tucker. They spoke on the American Rescue plan and its impacts on the Chattahoochee Valley, with over $114 million going toward fighting COVID-19 and supporting recovery. 
• According to Smyre, the purpose of the statewide tour is to “amplify the workings of the Biden administration, Vice President Kamala Harris, Senator Ossoff, Senator Warnock and the Georgia House Democrats.”
• “[They]” promised us that they would support working families, better wages, more jobs, small businesses and farmers.” Smyre said. “Just seven months later the Democrats are fulfilling their promises.”
• The goal of this direct funding is to help cities and counties replace lost revenue, maintain vital public services and protect frontline workers. Smyre says the impact of the American Rescue Plan goes a long way to help working families throughout the state of Georgia. 
• “COVID has affected all of our economies around the nation,” Smyre said. “When you get funds like infrastructure money or the American Rescue Plan money— we’re in the process of reviewing that and seeing how it’s going to be used throughout the state of Georgia as it relates to services for the people that we represent.”
• “With Labor Day just right around the corner, Democrats are continuing to fight for historic investments that will build our state back better by advancing President Biden’s bipartisan Infrastructure Bill,” Tucker said. “Republicans have been talking about infrastructure for years, but President Biden and Georgia Democrats are actually delivering.”

WTVM (8/30/21): Democrats Deliver Tour in Columbus

• The Democratic Party of Georgia kicking off its ‘Democrats Deliver’ tour today with a stop at the Fountain City — the group highlighting how the Biden administration has delivered for Georgians.
• This is the party’s first tour since the Senate runoff this year. One of the hot button issues coming up on the agenda today was the American Rescue Plan and how it benefits Georgians.
• The group also laid out the need for passing the Build Back Better agenda.

Augusta Chronicle (9/1/21): Georgia Democrats’ tour touting national achievements stops in Augusta

• Tuesday morning the Democratic Party of Georgia stopped in Augusta for its “Democrats Deliver” tour, a cross-state trip to promote the American Rescue Plan and the bipartisan Infrastructure bill – particularly for organized labor.
• “Whether the $100 for vaccines locally, blight mitigation, job programs or solutions for food deserts, the American Rescue Plan is helping not only on a national level, the state level, but right here in Augusta, Georgia,” said State Sen. Harold Jones II.
• Jones was joined by Glenn Kelly Jr., president of the International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers Local 8 Southeast, Benyoel Morgan, president of Transport Workers Union of America Local 527, and James Horch, political coordinator for Iron Workers Local 846.
• “We want to make sure we build back better with unions, because we all know that Augusta, not only Augusta, Georgia, all of the areas in between, was built by the unions, that’s why the infrastructure has lasted as long as it has, obviously it’s failing, but it’s taken years and years and years,” said Kelly.
• Morgan told The Chronicle he thinks transit workers will benefit from the bipartisan infrastructure bill too, if it passes the House and is signed into law. 
• “(Augusta) being the second largest municipality in the state of Georgia should have a much more viable transportation system, and that infrastructure bill, I believe, will move us in that direction,” he said. 

Capitol Beat (9/2/21): ‘Democrats Deliver’ state tour ends in Atlanta

• The Democratic Party of Georgia wrapped up a five-city tour in Atlanta Thursday, urging the state’s Republican congressional delegation to pass a bipartisan infrastructure bill.

• President Joe Biden’s $1.2 trillion infrastructure spending package is expected to include $8.9 billion for Georgia highways over five years, $1.4 billion to improve public transit, $913 million for water and sewer projects, $225 million for bridge repairs and replacements, $135 million for electric-vehicle charging stations and at least $100 million to expand the deployment of broadband.

• “This is why elections matter,” U.S. Rep. Nikema Williams, D-Atlanta, Georgia’s Democratic chairman, said during a news conference in Liberty Plaza across from the state Capitol. “Real people’s lives are being made better.”

• “This bill represents the largest long-term investment in our infrastructure in nearly a century without raising taxes on anybody making less than $400,000 a year,” added state Rep. Billy Mitchell, D-Stone Mountain, chairman of the Georgia House Democratic Caucus.

• The U.S. Senate passed the infrastructure bill 69-30 last month, with 19 Republicans joining Democrats in support of the measure. The House of Representatives followed with a 220-212 procedural vote along party lines to move the infrastructure package forward, with a final vote expected later this month.

Atlanta Journal-Constitution (9/3/21): The Democratic Party of Georgia wrapped up a statewide tour in Atlanta touting the bipartisan infrastructure plan

• The “Democrats Deliver” tour promoted the $1 trillion Senate-passed package to build new roads, bridges, broadband internet pipelines and other projects — and attempted to raise the pressure on Republicans to back the proposal in the House when it comes up for a vote later this month.
• “There’s no such thing as a Republican bridge. There’s no such thing as Republican infrastructure needs. There’s no such thing as Republican broadband issues. This should be a bipartisan issue that’s a win for workers, farmers, businesses, and families alike,” said state Rep. Billy Mitchell.
• But U.S. Rep. Nikema Williams had a more partisan message. “I want to remind you that not one Georgia Republican voted for the American Rescue plan,” she said.

###