What if we split the state in half, roughly along the Fall Line?
I wonder what the impact would be on our politics and demographics. 60+ northern counties becoming their own state, 90+ southern counties becoming their own.
What would the capital of South Georgia be? Savannah? Tifton? Would it be even more agriculturally-dependent than Georgia is right now?
And what would the impact on Georgia Democrats be when they are split between these two states? Most of the Democratic base is concentrated in Metro Atlanta, but African-American voters who straddle both sides or live even further south of the Fall Line give more geographic breadth to the Democrats outside of the most urbanized areas. So many of these rural Democratic counties in “South Georgia”, especially in Southwest Georgia and the Savannah area, are Black Belt counties where the ancestors of their current African-American residents once toiled the soil as slaves and sharecroppers. “North Georgia”, by comparison, didn’t have as much rich soil to attract plantation owners to such an extent, especially not in Appalachian
But at the same time, perhaps it would wean the DPG further away from its historic legacy as a party dependent on the agricultural sector for votes, and center the party as a pro-industry, pro-economic diversification party.
One thing has long interested me, partly because it has long been ignored in the mainstream. Data shows that the majority of Southerners identify as or lean toward the Democratic Party. But because of voter purges, voter suppression, gerrymandering, etc Republicans have maintained historical control. So, I’m not sure what impact would be seen with dividing a state like Georgia.