Joan Reynolds, a longtime Republican activist and chair of the Shelby County GOP, is putting together a team of dedicated conservative volunteers to aid Republican efforts in the two U.S. Senate races in Georgia.
Control over both of Georgia’s U.S. Senate seats will be decided in runoff elections on January 5. The Republican party currently holds 50 U.S. Senate seats, and the Democrats 48, meaning control of the chamber and the ability to pass any major national legislation likely hinges on which party wins the seats in Georgia.
“The Democrats have already said they’re sending a lot of people into Georgia. Well, I want to send a lot of people to Georgia, too,” Reynolds said in a phone interview with Yellowhammer News on Thursday morning.
“With or without the presidency we just can’t afford to lose these two,” she said of the two Senate seats in Georgia.
Democrat Jon Ossoff faces incumbent Republican Senator David Perdue in one of the Georgia races. In the other, Republican Senator Kelly Loeffler, who was appointed to the position following the retirement of her predecessor, faces Democrat nominee Reverend Raphael Warnock, the senior pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta.
Reynolds, whose teams of volunteers are called the Mighty Alabama Strike Force, has been leading door-knocking groups for over 10 years.
Door knocking, Reynolds believes, is the most effective form of political organizing available today.
“It is the only way you can get a hold of people anymore. They don’t answer cell phones … and a lot of things you put in the mail they don’t get,” she pointed out.
Due to Alabama’s position as a reliably Republican state, she and her teams are often asked to travel where races are more competitive.
This year, the Strike Force traveled to Florida, where they helped President Donald Trump secure a victory in the Sunshine State.
Reynolds says many of the volunteers who traveled with her to Florida have already contacted her about working in Georgia. She said around 50 people have already indicated an interest in traveling with her to Georgia.
“They’re in that mode,” she said, noting that many of the volunteers were frustrated with the current state of the nation’s politics.
Volunteers for the trips should be prepared to walk at least three miles per day and be able to use an iPhone, according to Reynolds.
She told Yellowhammer she warns volunteers that the trips should not be viewed as leisurely vacations, adding that a lot of effort is expected of those who get involved.
Mighty Alabama Strike Force missions generally last one week. The hotel reservations are paid for by money Reynolds raises, but those traveling are asked to take care of their own supper or some other incidental costs.
Reynolds says she usually “works under the auspices of the RNC,” to coordinate the exact location for her efforts within the targeted state, and told Yellowhammer she is currently coordinating with that group about more details for the Georgia trip.
Joan Reynolds’ husband, Paul, is Alabama’s national committeeman for the RNC.
Those interested in joining Reynolds for the Republican door-knocking efforts in Georgia can email their interest to joanr.alstrikeforce@gmail.com.
Henry Thornton is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can contact him by email: henry@new-yhn.local or on Twitter @HenryThornton95
