In Georgia Democrats are starting to think the unthinkable: the State could possibly turn blue. Who would have thunk it? -- Part I

From The Wall Street Journal:

Democrats are starting to think the unthinkable: the state could possibly turn blue.

A record 1.99 million people, or 36% of Georgia's registered electorate, voted during the 45-day-period set aside for early voting, according to statistics from the Georgia Secretary of State's office. That is more than 60% of the 3.28 million total voters in the 2004 presidential election, and far more than the number that voted early that year.

The upshot in the state's major races is a slim, but narrowing lead in most polls for Sen. John McCain over Sen. Barack Obama, and a surprisingly tight race for Sen. Saxby Chambliss as the Republican incumbent fights to keep a tenuous hold on his seat. "The Obama campaign has done a very good job of expanding the electorate and mobilizing Democratic voters across the state," said Merle Black, a professor of politics and government at Emory University. "Obama is probably in the lead right now, but there's still a lot of voting that has to happen on Tuesday."

Overall, about 13% more voters are registered in Georgia for the 2008 election compared with 2004, while population in the state has grown by just over 14% for most of the decade so far, according to figures from the U.S. Census Bureau.