ATLANTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - As the 2026 midterm elections approach, Democrats are eager to bounce back after suffering heavy losses at the Georgia polls in 2024.

Republicans maintained a healthy majority in both chambers of the state capitol, and President Donald Trump won Georgia with just over 50% of the vote.

But Democratic National Committee Chairman Ken Martin, in his first year at the helm of the party, said policies like Trump’s so-called “big, beautiful” budget bill will ultimately help Democrats win back voters.

“Certainly, we’re going to hang this vote around their neck, but we then have to pivot to giving people a sense of what the hell we would do as Democrats to improve their lives,” said Martin. “The opportunity, of course, is it provides Democrats a chance to actually have conversations with voters who left our party. Working class people, big parts of our coalition, who didn’t feel like we’re standing up and fighting for them.”

In an exclusive interview with our sister station Atlanta News First, Martin also said the DNC is going to throw all its might behind Georgia races this year, and not just at the top of the ballot.

“We’ve got to work right now to win the moment. We’ve got to win in Georgia in ’26 because of all the critical races on the ballot,” he said. “Georgia is a state that’s trending in our direction. We have to invest, and we can’t just invest in federal races.”

Georgia’s trifecta – the combination of governor, attorney general and secretary of state – is all up for election this midterm season. The trio of roles is critical to the functions of state government and can often dictate the direction policy goes in for years.

There are also a number of state House and Senate seats up for grabs, and Martin said Democrats plan to attack those, too.

“For us, Georgia is one of the critical battleground states. Not just in 2026, but for the foreseeable future,” he said.

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