Georgia race pits ‘politically incorrect’ Republican against Democrat who would be the first black female governor (Source latimes.com)

It is shaping up to be the ultimate identity-politics contest: A brash, shotgun-wielding, white male conservative who bills himself as “politically incorrect” will compete in Georgia’s gubernatorial race with a liberal Ivy League Democrat who hopes to be the nation’s first black female governor.

Republicans have long ruled this Southern state, and almost two decades have passed since a Democrat was elected governor. But Democrats are pouring millions of dollars into the November race in the hope that a rapidly growing and diversifying population, along with dissatisfaction with President Trump, could make it a swing state.

Trump won Georgia by 5% in 2016, but political observers note that his divisive and erratic governing style has energized the Democratic base and turned off many independents and moderate conservatives in Atlanta’s sprawling suburbs — setting the stage for a gubernatorial race that could be more competitive than usual and more focused on national issues. “It’s going to be a little bit like a laboratory,” said Kerwin Swint, a political science professor at Kennesaw State University near Atlanta, noting that neither of the candidates is a moderate, and therefore they will have to find a way to energize supporters without turning off swing voters. “It’s going to be a battle of the bases.”