The battleground for the US's future

The eternal flame at the King Center in Atlanta burns on, unperturbed by the raging election campaign that has held the US state of Georgia in its grip for weeks. The flame is a reminder of the perseverance shown by the Black civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr. in his fight for a more just world.

It was a fight that cost him his life at the age of 39, when he was assassinated in 1968.

Kareem and Jessica Sterling are regular visitors to the eternal flame. It gives them strength and fills them with calm, particularly now in these first days of the new year, which have been unusually cold for Georgia. "We always have to remember how far we have come. We must not stop fighting for our rights," Kareem says.

The Sterlings come from Georgia and love traveling. They speak enthusiastically about Hamburg and Berlin, about Europe. But they are worried about the state of things in their own country. "Much is at stake. Very much. We finally need a good social system that is fair and supports us all," Kareem says.

They have been closely following the tussle for the two Senate seats. But they do not want to reveal their political leanings. "I am definitely against violence. And hope whoever comes to power will continue to follow MLK's path," Kareem says.

Campaigns in overdrive

Sam Demney is also visiting the area where, for decades, was the heart of Atlanta's Black community, with many booming businesses and restaurants. It's also where Ebenezer Baptist Church is located, the church in which Martin Luther King Jr. used to preach.

Demney came down from Washington, DC,  a week ago. Normally, he works at a think tank — but he headed down to Georgia to campaign. He walks from house to house and talks to people in the street, trying to persuade them to vote. In the end, he says, the result will depend on which side gets the most people to cast a ballot.

He makes no bones about what side he is on politically — he is fighting for the Democrats. "If the Democrats don't get a majority in the Senate, the Republicans will block all major projects, from economic aid packages to immigration to climate protection," he says.

Demney paints a somber picture of the incoming Democratic president's political chances if the Republicans do end up holding the upper chamber: "Then Joe Biden will be losing out from day one."

Half a billion in donations

Never in US history has so much money been spent on campaigning for Senate seats. More than half a billion dollars have gone toward the fight for the Senate majority, reflecting the fact that much more is at stake than just the political representation of a single state.

Two Democrats are challenging the Republican incumbents, David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler. One of them is Jon Ossoff, who, speaking to DW, confirmed the singular importance of this election. He spoke of health care as being a human right in the US and about renewable energy sources. And he promised there would be "a new civil rights act to secure equal justice for all, regardless of race."

Raphael Warnock is the other Democratic candidate. He has been the main pastor at Ebenezer Baptist Church since 2005. In two months, the two of them have collected more than $200 million (€163 million) in donations with their joint appearances.

Playthings for the powerful

Just opposite this historically significant church, there is an empty piece of land from where red bricks can be seen behind the branches of the leafless trees. Its mesh fence has been trodden down. Between empty bottles, plastic litter and scraps of clothing stand cheap tents. Many of them are covered with tarpaulins to give extra protection from the rain and cold. Ten to 15 people spend the night here.

Jessye Gleaton collects money in his congregation to buy food and distribute it to people in need in the region. On this day, he has come here in a white bus. The polystyrene boxes it is carrying contain bread and pieces of meat that are gratefully received by the tent residents.

For Gleaton, the question of whether he will vote for Democratic candidate Warnock is the wrong one. "Instead of putting millions into the election campaign, they should come here and see how people are really doing," he says. "This is where the money is needed. But nobody cares. It's all about power."

"We often have the feeling that we are being kicked around like a plaything by those up there."

Persuading the doubters

It is skeptical voters who, like Gleaton, feel neglected by their political representatives that the Democrats need to get on side if they are to win majorities in states like Georgia.

One person who helped Joe Biden win the presidential elections and secure a win for the Democrats is Stacey Abrams. Her larger-than-life portrait adorns the wall of a house in this historic district where Georgia's present-day problems seem encapsulated as if in a microcosm.

The Democratic politician and activist has carved a radically new path. Carter Crenshaw, a former Republican who has turned his back on the party because of Donald Trump and worked for the campaign "GOP for Joe," explains Abrams' formula for success.

"She understood that Democrats can only grow if they don't slide to the right, but deal with the real problems and thus get previous non-voters to the polls," he says. Crenshaw believes she is headed for greater things. "Stacey Abrams will be president one day," he says.

Threats from Republicans

Will this strategy be successful? Will the Democrats succeed, as they did in the presidential campaign, in mobilizing enough people — above all African Americans — and win a majority for both Democratic candidates?

It is still a neck-and-neck race. And it is likely that there will be no reliable results on the evening of January 5, with vote counting expected to go on for days.

What is clear, however, is that Donald Trump has called for a demonstration on January 6 in Washington despite the pandemic. 

One of those planning to take part in this march protesting at allegedly manipulated presidential elections is Texan Senator Ted Cruz. Rumor has it that he has ambitions to run for the presidency in 2024. He is already loudly wooing the supporters of Trump.

Cruz made an appearance at a campaign event an hour's drive away in one of the whitest regions of Georgia and made a promise to the cheering crowd should the two Senate seats flip to the Democrats: "We will not go quietly into the night."

This article has been adapted from German