Looking back to the political watershed year of 1984 in Gwinnett
By Elliott Brack, editor and publisher | If you moved to Gwinnett after 1984, you may not realize the significance of that year politically for the county. You would not be alone. The county’s population in 1984 was 226,100, while today it’s estimated to be 960,000. So a great majority of residents, 733,100, have moved here since 1984. You are in good company.
Back in 1984, the county was still composed of mainly white residents, more than 95 percent. Today that’s no longer the case, with the white population in 2018 in a minority, and with African-Americans, Hispanic and Asians being together a majority of the county.
The year 1984 was a watershed year in politics. Up until 1984, Gwinnett had elected mostly Democratic officials, though Louise Radloff had won a school board post in 1973. But until then, she was the key Republican to hold office in Gwinnett. (Ironically, Mrs. Radloff is still on the school board, but when Republicans gerrymandered her district, she ran for office as a Democrat, won, and still sits on the School Board, with 45 years of service.)
What happened in 1984 in Gwinnett startled both the Democrats and the Republicans. There were 17 contested races for county commission, school board and legislative races on the ballot that year, while only one Democrat (Probate Judge Alton Tucker) had no opposition.
When the voted were counted, all 17 Republicans won, sweeping out the surprised Democrats (and Republicans).
We bring this up in 2018, after 34 years of Republican control of most offices in Gwinnett, as qualifying begins today to run for political office in the May primaries.
With the change in Gwinnett’s population make-up, today showing more diversity, it could happen that 2018 might be the best chance for the Democratic Party to gain more positions in Gwinnett. After all, in the 2016 primary, several Republican office-holders came close to losing to a Democrat. In addition, one new Democrat won election over Republicans in 2016, as Samuel Park won a legislative seat, defeating Valerie Clark.
This is complicated by several Gwinnett Republicans deciding that they will not keep the post to which they were elected in 2016. That includes State Senator David Shafer, running for lieutenant governor; and Rep. Buzz Brockway seeking the office of Secretary of State. Add to that three Republican state representatives folding their tent and not planning to run (Reps. Brooks Coleman, Joyce Chandler and David Casas). That makes five Republicans giving up their posts.
Another factor needs to be included: the fact that in the 2016 presidential election, Gwinnett went for Hillary Clinton over Donald Trump. That was the first time in years that Gwinnett did not vote for a Republican presidential candidate, and the candidate that they voted for in that year was a Georgian, Jimmy Carter.
Meanwhile, where for many years the Republican Party has been far more organized than the Democrats, this, too, is changing. There is a much stronger Democratic Party in Gwinnett now, with the party having organized training sessions, in addition to seeking people to run for office. Whether it will bode well for success, at least the Democrats are about equally organized as are the Republicans.
All this add up to anticipating that the political year 2018 will be far more competitive than in the past. It might just well be a year that will be remembered as also being a bellwether year.
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
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