Democrats Quietly Took A Big Loss In Battleground State

Georgia voters on Tuesday rejected two state Supreme Court justice candidates backed and funded by Democrats, including former President Barack Obama and Vice President Kamala Harris.

Incumbent conservative justices Sarah Warren and Charles Bethel, both appointed to Georgia’s top court by Republican Gov. Nathan Deal, defeated liberal former state Sen. Jen Jordan and attorney Miracle Rankin. 

The nonpartisan races drew outsized attention as Democrats nationwide sought to flip the seats in a blue-leaning electorate and reshape Georgia’s high court ahead of looming redistricting and abortion battles

“Epic Dem flop, this is an electorate that should have gotten their Supreme Court candidates over the line. Good bit of Dem/abortion group spending but Dems went to polls and didn’t know who their candidates were,” Semafor political reporter David Weigel posted on social media. 

In Warren’s race, the results reflected a blowout, with the Republican-appointed justice winning nearly 60% of the statewide vote, including a chunk of the black vote, and carrying all but three counties.

“Sarah Hawkins Warren is pulling out legitimately insane numbers for a Republican,” Ryan Girdusky, a conservative political consultant, said on X. 

Zachary Donnini, head of data science at Vote Hub, said Warren’s victory likely preserves Georgia’s conservative court majority through 2030. 

Republican-backed Justice Sarah Warren has held her Georgia Supreme Court seat despite a blue-leaning electorate, likely preserving the GOP’s court majority until at least spring 2030.

The result could especially matter for future abortion and redistricting cases. https://t.co/fxwG8D9hkx

— Zachary Donnini (@ZacharyDonnini) May 20, 2026

In Charles Bethel’s race, the result was closer but produced a similar outcome, with the Republican-appointed incumbent defeating Obama-backed Miracle Rankin with 51% of the vote.

“Georgia’s electorate is already D+7, and will grow with the Atlanta-area vote still out, but the key story is persuasion: many black Democratic voters backed incumbent Republican justices,” Donnini said on X. “Dems probably needed to spend some money to tell their base who they should vote for.”

Obama isn’t having a great night https://t.co/f0OF1UJfTA

— Ryan James Girdusky (@RyanGirdusky) May 20, 2026

A sitting Georgia Supreme Court Justice has not lost re-election in more than a century, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution — but this year’s races attracted Democratic heavy hitters — including former President Barack Obama and former Vice President Kamala Harris. 

“You have the chance to send Miracle Rankin and Jen Jordan to the Georgia Supreme Court. They are extraordinary leaders who will fight to protect your rights and uphold the rule of law,” Harris posted on social media. 

The high-profile endorsements ultimately fell short. 

“The decisions made by state supreme courts touch every part of our lives. And that’s especially important when voting rights and basic freedoms are being challenged,” Obama said on Election Day. “Let’s get this one right, Georgia.”

The decisions made by state supreme courts touch every part of our lives. And that’s especially important when voting rights and basic freedoms are being challenged.

Today, voters in Georgia can stand up for fairness and integrity by electing Miracle Rankin and Jen Jordan to…

— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) May 19, 2026