 Georgia Republican Party Records
Collection DescriptionHistorical NoteThe Georgia Republican Party is one of two major political parties in the state of Georgia. Historically, the Republican Party was in power briefly during Reconstruction from 1865 to 1872. By the late nineteenth century, though, their power decreased significantly as Democrats used various means to all but eliminate Republicans from the political system. In Georgia, until the 1960s, the state Republican Party's chief functions were to dispense the federal patronage when a Republican was elected to the White House. As the Civil Rights Movement created a more liberal national Democratic party, conservative Southern Democrats became alienated from the party. Increasingly in the 1960s and 1970s, these "disenchanted" voters crossed over to the Republican Party. In 1964, Howard "Bo" Callaway became the first Republican to be elected to the United States House of Representatives since Reconstruction in Georgia. In the 1950s, the Georgia Republican Party and politicians promoted "business-friendly" policies that attracted Northern Republicans to the state. As conservative voters realigned throughout the South in the 1970s and 1980s, the Republican Party gained political majorities. In 1980, Mack Mattingly became the first Republican since Reconstruction to represent Georgia in the United States Senate. While the Georgia Republican Party won some early victories, their real political growth came in the late 1980s and 1990s. During these years the party expanded their activities and increased county and district organization building. The Georgia Republican Party of the early 1980s was primarily an organization dedicated to fundraising and elections but by the late 1980s, the political staff and officers of the party included a new emphasis on grassroots organization. Under the leadership of John Stuckey, who served as Chairman from 1987 to 1989 and Alec Poitevint, who served two terms as Chairman from 1989 to 1991 and from 1991 to 1993, the Georgia Republican Party made an effort to attract minorities to the party with more expansive approaches to political organization. The party also introduced "targeting" as a political strategy that utilized past election data to project the "winnability" of a given Republican in an election. The Georgia Republican Party staff also underwent an organizational change after the election of Alec Poitevint in 1989 as full-time party staff positions were eliminated and other key positions in the party became multi-functional. Many programs from this period show the directional shift as Republicans at the top sought different ways to increase the size and presence of the party. The changes in strategy and staff are well-documented in the collection in the administrative and political records. In 1995, as the United States Congress came under Republican control, Newt Gingrich, Georgia's representative from the 6th District, was elected Speaker of the House. By the late 1990s, the state of Georgia was represented by a largely Republican congressional delegation. As the Republican Party went from political minority in the 1980s to political majority in Georgia in the 2000s the state party's leadership changed and enacted new ideas as it became a modern organization. The major successes of the Georgia Republican Party in the last decade can be attributed to changes in the electorate and changes in how the party reached out to Georgians. In 2002, Georgians elected their first Republican Governor since Reconstruction, Sonny Perdue. As of 2014, the Georgia Republican Party maintains its political majority. Georgia Republican Party Chairmen The Georgia Republican Party elects its Chairman at state party conventions every two years in odd numbered years. The dates in this list indicate election year. The records of the Georgia Republican Party held at the Richard B. Russell Library currently end with Rusty Paul's second term. 1975 Mack Mattingly; 1977 Rodney Cook; 1981 Fred Cooper; 1983 Bob Bell; 1985 Paul Coverdell; 1987 John Stuckey; 1989- 1993Alec Poitevint; 1993 Billy Lovett; 1995-1999 Rusty Paul; 1999 Chuck Clay; 2001 Ralph Reed; 2003-2007 Alec Poitevint; 2007- 2013 Sue Everhart; 2013-2017 John Padgett; 2017-2019 John Watson; 2019- David Shafer Scope and ContentThe Georgia Republican Party Records include materials from the political organization related to the running of the state party, the election of statewide and national candidates to political office, political campaigns, voting statistics, and finance records for the organization. Series I. Administrative contains primarily the files of the Chairman with some other administrative materials. Materials in this series include correspondence, political plans, and reports; bulk dates from 1980 to 1999. Series II. Political contains the files of Executive Directors and other political departments in the organization; bulk dates from 1981 1998. Series III. Finance dates from 1982 to 1994 and includes fundraising materials and financial statements. Series IV. Campaigns and Elections dates from 1982 to 1994 and contains campaign files from various departments, press clippings, campaign plans, state and national campaign disclosure reports, and records from the GA GOP statistical program ORViS (Optimum Republican Voting Strength). Series V. Audiovisual Materials contains audiovisual materials that date from 1981 to 1998 related to political research, individual campaigns, and instructional materials from multiple Republican and conservative political organizations. Organization and ArrangementThe records are arranged in six series: I. Administrative, II. Political, III. Finance, IV. Campaigns and Elections, V. Audiovisual Materials, and VI. Websites. Administrative InformationConditions Governing AccessThis collection is open for research. Preferred citationRichard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies, University of Georgia Libraries, Athens, Georgia, 30602-1641. Processing InformationProcessing of the Georgia Republican Party Records was completed as part of the year-long Georgia Political Parties Detailed Processing Project funded by a generous grant of up to $58,777 from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC). Copyright InformationBefore material from collections at the Richard B. Russell Library may be quoted in print, or otherwise reproduced, in whole or in part, in any publication, permission must be obtained from (1) the owner of the physical property, and (2) the holder of the copyright. It is the particular responsibility of the researcher to obtain both sets of permissions. Persons wishing to quote from materials in the Russell Library collection should consult the Director. Reproduction of any item must contain a complete citation to the original. User RestrictionsLibrary acts as "fair use" reproduction agent. Related Materials and SubjectsSubject TermsRelated Collections in this Repository
Georgia Republican Party Central Committee Campaign Files Howard H. (Bo) Callaway Papers ROGP 014 Mack Mattingly, 2007 February 15 Reflections on Georgia Politics Oral History Collection, ROGP 018 Johnny Isakson Reflections on Georgia Politics Oral History Collection, ROGP 121 Rusty Paul Related Collections in Other RepositoriesOther GuidesArchival Research: Political Parties at the Richard B. Russell Library. | ||||||||||||||||||||||