{"id":2354428,"date":"2024-10-14T04:04:02","date_gmt":"2024-10-14T08:04:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/election-2024-here-are-the-issues-georgia-voters-care-the-most-about-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2024-10-14T04:06:30","modified_gmt":"2024-10-14T08:06:30","slug":"election-2024-here-are-the-issues-georgia-voters-care-the-most-about-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/election-2024-here-are-the-issues-georgia-voters-care-the-most-about-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"Election 2024: Here are the issues Georgia voters care the most about &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">30<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Felection-2024-here-are-the-issues-georgia-voters-care-the-most-about-washington-examiner%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2354428&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The article from the Washington Examiner discusses key\u2063 issues that Georgia voters are focused on as they prepare for the 2024 \u2063presidential election. It highlights five \u2064significant concerns: social security, crime, \u2064abortion, the economy, and immigration.<\/p>\n<p>1. **Social Security** is the top concern for voters, influenced by a recent data breach affecting millions and increased difficulty accessing services in rural\u200d areas. Over 1.8 million Georgians depend on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/lori-and-chad-daybell-face-murder-charges-in-the-deaths-of-their-2-children\/\" title=\"Lori and Chad Daybell face murder charges in the deaths of their 2 children\">social security benefits<\/a>, prompting political efforts, particularly by Rep. David Scott (D-GA), to address related challenges.<\/p>\n<p>2. **Crime** ranks second, driven by increased public fear following\u200b a \u200dmass shooting in September 2023, despite Georgia&#8217;s crime rates being\u2064 comparatively lower than the \u2062national average. Concerns around gun violence have particularly \u200cescalated, with a significant percentage of Georgians expressing worries about safety.<\/p>\n<p>3. **Economic issues** are also prominent, with expectations\u2062 of a downturn in 2024. However, \u2062Georgia remains robust in economic growth and employment, ranking ninth nationally by economic \u2062size and maintaining\u2062 a lower-than-average \u200bunemployment rate.<\/p>\n<p>4. **Abortion** has become a \u200dcrucial topic since the state enacted a &#8220;heartbeat bill&#8221; in 2019, with ongoing\u200b debates around legal access following the Supreme Court&#8217;s decision in 2022. Although \u200dthe issue is not on the ballot this \u2064election, it remains \u2064significant in public\u2062 discourse, especially after <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-to-announce-sweeping-gun-control-restrictions\/\" title=\"Biden to Announce Sweeping Gun-Control Restrictions\">recent court rulings<\/a> and political campaigns centered around women&#8217;s rights related to reproductive health.<\/p>\n<p>5. **Immigration** is also highlighted, demonstrating \u2064its importance \u2064in the context \u200dof \u2063the\u200d upcoming elections,\u200b although the \u2064article primarily \u2064focuses on the other\u2064 four issues.<\/p>\n<p>The article suggests \u200cthat these matters will play a \u2064vital role in shaping\u200d voter \u200cpreferences and influencing the outcome of the election in Georgia, a historically pivotal state in national politics.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Election 2024: Here are the issues Georgia voters care the most about<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_1823344\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/georgia\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Georgia<\/a>, with 16 electoral votes, made history in 1968 as the first state to give an independent third-party candidate electoral votes in a presidential election, but became reliably red afterward. Nonetheless, President <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/joe-biden\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Joe Biden<\/a> won the Peach State by 0.2% in 2020, beating <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Donald Trump<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Supporters of President Donald Trump hold signs during a demonstration outside the State Farm Arena where Fulton County has a voting counting operation, Thursday, Nov. 5, 2020, in Atlanta. (AP Photo\/John Bazemore)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The <em>Washington Examiner <\/em>is following the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/newt-gingrich-after-midterm-election-the-challenges-facing-democrats-and-republicans\/\" title=\"Newt Gingrich: After Midterm Election, the Challenges Facing Democrats and Republicans\">key issues voters care<\/a> about as they prepare to vote for the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/2024-elections\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>next president<\/a> of the United States. The specific issues being tracked are social security, crime, abortion, economy, and immigration.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The issues were chosen with the help of the <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/projects\/election-results-2024\/google-trends\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title><em>Associated Press <\/em>issues tracker<\/a>. The Washington Examiner subsequently compared five of the key issues in Google Trends on a state-by-state basis, revealing which issues are most important to voters in swing contests.<\/p>\n<p>Here, you can track how important these various concerns are to the voters in Georgia on a rolling 30-day basis.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script type=\"text\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/ssl.gstatic.com\/trends_nrtr\/3826_RC01\/embed_loader.js\"><\/script> <script type=\"text\/javascript\"> trends.embed.renderExploreWidget(\"TIMESERIES\", {\"comparisonItem\":[{\"keyword\":\"abortion\",\"geo\":\"US-GA\",\"time\":\"today 1-m\"},{\"keyword\":\"immigration\",\"geo\":\"US-GA\",\"time\":\"today 1-m\"},{\"keyword\":\"economy\",\"geo\":\"US-GA\",\"time\":\"today 1-m\"},{\"keyword\":\"crime\",\"geo\":\"US-GA\",\"time\":\"today 1-m\"},{\"keyword\":\"social security\",\"geo\":\"US-GA\",\"time\":\"today 1-m\"}],\"category\":0,\"property\":\"\"}, {\"exploreQuery\":\"date=today%201-m&geo=US-GA&q=abortion,immigration,economy,crime,social%20security&hl=en\",\"guestPath\":\"https:\/\/trends.google.com:443\/trends\/embed\/\"}); <\/script> <\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Social Security&nbsp;<\/h2>\n<p>Georgia ranked social security as their No. 1 issue this election. The spike in concern is likely tied to a massive <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/social-security\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Social Security<\/a> data breach in late August that left millions of people vulnerable to leaked Social Security numbers.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>In addition, many of Georgia&rsquo;s rural communities have lost access to Social Security offices, giving the limited caseworkers a heavier and more backlogged workload, thus making the people in need of benefits wait even longer.<\/p>\n<p>Over 1.8 million people in Georgia actively rely on social security, and Rep. David Scott (D-GA) has used social security as a selling point for elections. Scott has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.billtrack50.com\/legislatordetail\/15816\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>sponsored<\/a> a bill that would amend the Social Security Act, eliminating the waiting period for disability insurance benefits.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Crime<strong>&nbsp;<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Crime was the second most searched issue in Georgia despite its current crime rates being below the national average. The state is ranked 27th nationally for crime rates, however, its violent crime <a href=\"https:\/\/patch.com\/georgia\/across-ga\/ga-crime-average-ranks-among-most-least-dangerous-states-report\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>rate<\/a> of 3.67 incidents per 1,000 is roughly 12.5% higher than where it was in 2019 prior to the pandemic. Property crime rate is 16.91 per 1,000 residents.<\/p>\n<p>Reports from this summer suggested crime isn&rsquo;t a huge issue for voters, but concerns have changed after the mass shooting at Apalachee High School on Sept. 4 that killed four people. Now, 70% of Georgians <a href=\"https:\/\/www.safewise.com\/blog\/safest-cities-georgia\/#:~:text=Violent%20crime%20in%20Georgia%20occurs,compared%20to%20the%20previous%20year.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>worry<\/a> about gun violence, and 17% have experienced gun violence themselves. In 2023, there were 25 mass shootings in the state, which is nearly a 14% decrease from 2022.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Economy<strong>&nbsp;<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Economic concerns ranked third among voter issues. It&rsquo;s been <a href=\"https:\/\/extension.uga.edu\/publications\/detail.html?number=AP130-2-01&amp;title=2024-overall-us-and-georgia-economic-outlook\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>reported<\/a> that 2024 will bring an economic slowdown, yet, the state <a href=\"https:\/\/usafacts.org\/topics\/economy\/state\/georgia\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>ranks<\/a> ninth in the nation for economy size, and made up 2.9% of the country&rsquo;s economy in 2023.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The state also ranks eighth in the country for employment growth with an unemployment <a href=\"https:\/\/usafacts.org\/topics\/economy\/state\/georgia\/\">rate<\/a> of 3.4% which is lower than the national average. The third quarter of 2023 saw a gross domestic production of $814.4 billion in goods and services, amounting to 4.5% economic growth.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The mining industry saw 7.9% growth and real estate grew 3.6%. However, educational services fell 0.5% and wholesale trade decreased 3%.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Abortion<strong>&nbsp;<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>In 2019, Georgia was one of the first states to enact a &ldquo;heartbeat bill,&rdquo; banning abortions after a heartbeat is detected. After the reversal of Roe v. Wade in 2022, the Georgia Supreme Court ruled in 2023 that abortion is legal in the state, but with extreme restrictions barring the procedure after 6 weeks of pregnancy. After six weeks have passed, the only exceptions are for rape or incest, to save the mother&rsquo;s life, or if the fetus will not survive the pregnancy.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Although abortion is not on the state&rsquo;s ballot this Nov., it has still been on voters&rsquo; minds &mdash; particularly in the May elections for a seat on the state&rsquo;s Supreme Court. Former state rep. John Barrow (D-GA) ran for the court&rsquo;s open seat on an abortion-rights platform but fell short, finishing the vote 10 points behind GOP-backed Andrew Pinson.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Since Barrow&rsquo;s defeat, presidential nominee Kamala Harris has tried to revitalize the issue&rsquo;s importance in Atlanta, where she spent a significant amount of time talking about women who had <a href=\"https:\/\/www.propublica.org\/article\/georgia-abortion-ban-amber-thurman-death\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>died<\/a> from improper care under the ban.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>On Sept. 30, Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney<a href=\"https:\/\/s3.documentcloud.org\/documents\/25178645\/final-order_5cce1275.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title> rolled back<\/a> Georgia&rsquo;s six-week abortion ban, and since then, the state&rsquo;s attorney general has appealed the ruling to the Georgia Supreme Court and requested the six-week ban be put back in place while the court deliberates.<\/p>\n<p>The Supreme Court sided with the attorney general and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/press-releases\/georgia-supreme-court-reinstates-six-week-abortion-ban\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>reinstated<\/a> the six-week abortion law just a week after the law was ruled unconstitutional by McBurney. Now, the heartbeat law remains active while further deliberations on the legality of the law take place in Georgia&rsquo;s Supreme Court.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Immigration<strong>&nbsp;<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Immigration was the least worrying thing to voters in Georgia, as statistics show the state is widely benefitting from the immigrant-powered workforce. The <a href=\"https:\/\/map.americanimmigrationcouncil.org\/locations\/georgia\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>impacts<\/a> of immigration are substantial with about 10.8% of the state&rsquo;s residents being foreign born and 14.3% of the labor force being immigrants.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>In 2022 it was reported that there were over a million immigrants in Georgia, with a total spending power of $38.6 billion and $13.6 billion paid in taxes. They account for 20.7% of entrepreneurs, 21.4% of STEM workers and 14.4% of nurses and caretakers.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The top countries of origin for Georgia&rsquo;s immigrants are Mexico, India, Jamaica, Vietnam, and Korea. Of the immigrants in the Peach State, 49.7% are naturalized, 158,000 are eligible for naturalization, and 29.7% are undocumented. Yet, 89.2% of those undocumented are all a part of the labor force.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_1823344\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"1823344\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Election 2024: Key issues for Georgia voters<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3427,"featured_media":2354429,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/AP20310727418543.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[34059,32650,32457,33017,32076],"class_list":["post-2354428","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-election-2024","tag-georgia-voters","tag-key-issues","tag-political-analysis","tag-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/AP20310727418543.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2354428","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3427"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2354428"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2354428\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2354429"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2354428"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2354428"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2354428"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}