The Battle for Sandy Springs

There is a runoff election happening in Sandy Springs on December 2nd that you need to pay attention to, even if you don't live there. Because what is unfolding in North Fulton is not just about one mayor's race—it's a microcosm of the larger war being waged across metro Atlanta and the entire state of Georgia.

The race is between incumbent Mayor Rusty Paul, a former chairman of the Georgia Republican Party, and challenger Dontaye Carter, a community organizer and advocate who has spent years fighting for working families. On the surface, it's a nonpartisan race. But let's be clear: there is nothing nonpartisan about what's happening.

The latest controversy involves state Rep. Esther Panitch, Georgia's only Jewish legislator, who announced her support for Rusty Paul while attacking Dontaye Carter for accepting an endorsement from state Rep. Gabriel Sanchez, a member of the Democratic Socialists of America. Panitch claims the DSA is "anti-Semitic and anti-Israel," and therefore Carter's acceptance of Sanchez's endorsement disqualifies him from her support.

Let me be direct: this is a textbook example of what political strategists call driving wedges into coalitions. As one Republican operative famously admitted in describing their strategy against Democrats: "We were always trying to come up with things that would drive wedges in there." The goal is to fracture multiracial, working-class coalitions by exploiting identity-based tensions.

This is not about protecting the Jewish community. This is about using identity politics as a weapon to fracture a coalition that threatens the status quo. Dontaye Carter has a documented record of speaking out against antisemitism. His campaign is about economic justice, affordable housing, and community investment—issues that benefit all working families, including Jewish families in Sandy Springs.

But when you're running against the establishment, they don't debate your ideas. They attack your character. They blur your message. Literally.

In a recent campaign communication, an image of Dontaye Carter at a protest was digitally altered, with the sign he was holding blurred out. The original sign read: "Defund ICE. Fund Education, Healthcare, and Housing."

The altered version was designed to make Carter look radical and dangerous without actually engaging with the substance of his message—a clear policy position about redirecting resources toward community needs. This is the Republican playbook: distort, deceive, and distract.

Meanwhile, Rusty Paul has been using clear racist dog whistles in his messaging to his base. He is MAGA through and through, and his record as mayor reflects it. He has consistently prioritized the interests of wealthy developers and corporate interests over the needs of working families. He has overseen a city where poverty is systematically exploited—through private prisons, for-profit probation services, and a tax structure that keeps the rich comfortable while the poor carry the weight.

This isn't just about Sandy Springs, Georgia. This is just where the battle has found a focal point.

Small cities and towns all around Georgia are facing the same issues. We are watching a deliberate strategy to maintain power by supporting a status quo that feeds poverty, which fuels crime, which fuels fear, which continues the cycle. And that cycle is profitable—for private prisons, for predatory probation companies, and for the wealthy who benefit from low taxes while the poor are exploited.

This is how you farm your people and profit from it.

Sandy Springs is a test case. If Rusty Paul wins, it sends a message that MAGA politics, racist dog whistles, and corporate greed can still win in a diverse, educated, metro Atlanta city. If Dontaye Carter wins, it proves that a multiracial, working-class coalition can defeat the establishment when we refuse to be divided.

We must understand the larger game being played. Republican strategists have been explicit about their approach to Democratic coalitions. They know that when diverse communities—white progressives, Black voters, working-class families—come together, they represent an unstoppable force. So the strategy is simple: find the fault lines and exploit them.

Whether it's using international politics to create suspicion, deploying fear-based messaging about radical policies, or distorting a candidate's image, the goal is always the same: keep us fighting each other instead of fighting the system that exploits us all.

The enemy's main weapon is always deception—sleight of hand, smoke and mirrors, and driving wedges into our coalition. The question we must ask ourselves is: Why is someone who is talking about doing for the majority of us and bringing people together seen as a threat?

The answer is simple: because victory for them isn't about the people. It's about preserving a way of life that benefits the few at the expense of the many.

Dontaye Carter is not perfect. No candidate is. But he is the only choice if you believe in a Sandy Springs—and a Georgia—where everyone thrives, not just the wealthy few.

He is fighting for:

• Affordable housing so families aren't priced out of their own communities

• Fully funded public education so every child has a fair shot

• Economic justice so working people can actually benefit from the city's growth

• Community investment over corporate giveaways

Rusty Paul is fighting to preserve a system that works for him and his donors.

Even if you don't live in Sandy Springs, you can make a difference:

1. Share this blog post. Help spread the word about what's really at stake.

2. Support Dontaye Carter's campaign. Donate, volunteer, or simply amplify his message on social media.

3. Vote if you're in Sandy Springs. The runoff is Tuesday, December 2nd. Early voting is already underway.

4. Pay attention to your own local races. The same dynamics playing out in Sandy Springs are happening in cities and towns across Georgia. Know who your candidates are and what they truly stand for.

As a scholar of Black politics and a community organizer, I've watched this playbook deployed over and over again. The tactics change, but the strategy remains the same: divide us, distract us, and maintain power at all costs.

We cannot let them win.

Vote for Dontaye Carter. Steer Sandy Springs—and metro Atlanta—away from MAGA politics and toward a future where we all thrive.

The runoff is December 2nd. Early voting is open now.

Hilerie