Gen Z’s party in Atlanta – and other takeaways from the Georgia general primary election

Tuesday was Gen Z’s night: All but one of the state presidential candidates won in metro Atlanta.

One major upheaval particularly stood out, sending shockwaves through the political establishment. It was Gabriel Sanchez’s victory over state Rep. Teri Anulewicz in the Democratic primary in her Cobb County legislative district, which covers parts of Smyrna and Marietta. Sanchez won with 56.8% or 2,249 votes – compared to 43.2% or 1,711 votes for Anulewicz.

Anulewicz, who has represented District 42 since 2017, rose through the party ranks to become deputy whip for the Georgia House of Representatives Democrats, while serving on key House committees, such as Appropriations and Transportation. Her reputation as an opposition activist has earned her a broad base of support, even among Republicans. She gained support from a long list of state and local officials, including U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock, U.S. Rep. Lucy McBath and the Georgia AFL-CIO.

His unexpected loss to a 27-year-old waiter and member of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) could signal a shift in local politics — one where young, organized progressives running to the left of the establishment can win elections.

By all accounts, Sanchez ran an impressive campaign. Anulewicz outraised him by more than two to one, bringing in $123,648 in donations, compared to Sanchez’s $50,097, according to campaign finance disclosures. But nearly half of the contributions to Anulewicz came from political action committees, while Sanchez’s contributions were largely smaller individual donations.

This reflects the grassroots mobilization for the vote that Sanchez’s campaign has undertaken since last November to win. About 100 volunteers knocked on 17,000 doors, aiming to convince 2,500 voters to defeat Anulewicz, according to Sanchez campaign manager and DSA-Atlanta co-chair Kelsea Bond.

“The main thing we take away from this campaign – and this is something we already knew in our gut – is that there is a huge disconnect between what the average voter or American actually believes in and what politicians,” Bond said.

Therefore, Sanchez’s campaign approach was to go out and talk to voters about their top issues—housing, health care, a green economy—and connect them to DSA’s ideals. “This victory really confirms what we have been saying all along, that our ideas are truly popular. It’s just that a lot of politicians are afraid to defend them,” Bond said.

Anulewicz did not respond to a request for comment.

Even for Cobb Republicans, his loss is a wake-up call. Skylar Akins, executive vice president of the Atlanta Young Republicans and a District 42 resident, said it was completely unexpected.

If anyone had predicted it, he added, a number of Republican voters in Anulewicz’s district would have chosen a Democratic primary runoff just so they could vote for her. “They certainly would have (chosen a Democratic vote). The only thing we decided on the Republican side in Cobb County was the sheriff race,” he said.

Akins acknowledged the “fairness” implemented by Sanchez’s campaign. “I know they flooded this district with people because I was personally interviewed by his campaign three or four times,” he said.

Sanchez will face Republican Diane Jackson for the House legislative seat in November. Jackson ran unopposed in the Republican primary.

Other Gen Z wins

Other Gen Z candidates set to win Democratic primaries for House seats are Bryce Berry and Ashwin Ramaswami in metro Atlanta and Madeline Ryan Smith in a middle Georgia district.

Berry beat a crowded field to win the Democratic primary for House District 56, which stretches from Ansley Park, through Midtown, southwest to Beecher Hills. Incumbent district Rep. Mesha Mainor made a splash last July when she switched from the Democratic Party to the Republican Party — attracting Berry and four other Democratic challengers.

If Berry wins against Mainor in November, he could be the first public school teacher in the Georgia House of Representatives. The 2023 Morehouse College graduate teaches 7th grade math in Atlanta Public Schools. He said Atlanta Civic Circle last month, education reform, including better teacher pay, as well as affordable housing and accessible health care, were his top concerns.

Ramaswami ran unopposed to win the Democratic primary for Senate District 48 in Johns Creek, where he grew up. Ramaswami, a software engineer who just graduated from Georgetown Law School, will face Republican incumbent Sen. Shawn Still in November. The Democrat said he decided to challenge Still after the latter was indicted in the sprawling Fulton RICO case against former President Donald Trump.

In middle Georgia, Smith also ran unopposed to win the Democratic primary for House District 158, located between Macon and Savannah. Smith is challenging longtime incumbent Rep. Larry “Butch” Parrish, who just completed his 20th term in the state Legislature. This will be his second bid for the seat, after losing to Parrish in 2022.

A Gen Z challenger in Albany, Joshua Anthony, failed to unseat Rep. David Sampson in his first term in the Democratic primary for House District 153. Sampson won a resounding 58% of the vote, compared to just 21%, respectively, for Anthony and another challenger, Tracy Taylor.

The incumbents are doing well

Aside from Sanchez’s anger, the starters performed well Tuesday night.

Georgia Supreme Court Justice Andrew Pinson avoided a competitive challenge from former Democratic Congressman John Barrow, winning 55 percent of the vote in this closely watched nonpartisan primary. Pinson was appointed to the state Supreme Court in 2022 by Republican Governor Brian Kemp, so he will now serve a 6-year term.

In another nonpartisan judicial race, incumbent Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee also won with 83 percent of the vote. McAfee is overseeing the landmark case alleging election interference against Trump and 14 co-conspirators.

Fulton Sheriff Pat Labat and District Attorney Fani Willis, the prosecutor handling Trump’s election interference case, both won in their Democratic primaries. Another Democratic incumbent, Clerk of Courts Che’ Alexander, also drew primary challengers but won 52 percent of the vote to narrowly avoid a runoff. These primary victories all but ensure their November victories in this heavily Democratic county.

Gwinnett County Sheriff Keybo Taylor defeated three of his fellow Democrats, winning 67.8 percent of the vote in their primary. He will face Republican primary winner Mike Baker, a former Gwinnett congressman, in the Nov. 5 general election.

Second rounds to watch

Several other elections will take place on June 18. In elections with more than two candidates, if no candidate obtains more than 50% of the votes, a run-off between the top two voters will take place within four weeks.

Here’s a look at the runoff elections expected for the five-county metro Atlanta area:

Fulton County

• Democratic primary for Fulton County Commissioner, District 4: incumbent Natalie Hall v. Mo Ivory.

Clayton County

• Democratic primary for Clayton Sheriff: incumbent Levon Allen against Jeffrey E. Turner.
• Democratic primary for Clayton County Commission Chairman: Alieka Anderson v. Terry L. Baskin
• Democratic primary for Clayton County Commissioner, District 3: Tashe’ Allen v. Attania Jean-Funny.

DeKalb County

• Democratic primary for DeKalb CEO: Larry Johnson vs. Lorraine Cochran Johnson.
• Democratic primary for DeKalb County Commissioner, District 4: Lance Hammonds vs. Chakira Johnson.

Gwinnett County

• School District 1: Karen Watkins v. Rachel Stone
• School Board District 3: Steve Gasper v. Shana White

State Legislature

• Democratic primary for State Senate District 55: Iris Knight-Hamilton vs. Randal Mangham (DeKalb and Gwinnett counties)
• Democratic primary for State Senate District 38: RaShaun Kemp vs. Ralph Long III. (Fulton County)
• Democratic primary for State Senate District 34: Valencia Stovall vs. Kenya Wicks. (Clayton and Valencia Counties)
• Democratic Primary for State House District 96: Arlene Beckles vs. Sonia Lopez (Gwinnett County)

Claire Becknell contributed to this story.