The results of Georgia’s statewide elections have largely been called, and they are historic.

Across the Peach State, Georgians delivered a sweeping defeat to MAGA and the Republican Party, with Democrats winning the Senate seat, governor, secretary of state, attorney general and lieutenant governor. Every statewide executive office on the ballot flipped to the Democratic Party. Democrats also secured victories in the races for Commissioner of Agriculture, Commissioner of Labor, Commissioner of Insurance, and both open seats on the Public Service Commission.

Georgians turned out in record numbers for these midterm elections, and their collective voice helped block MAGA at every turn and stood against greed, violence and war. These results carry enormous implications for the future of Georgia politics. They demonstrate that MAGA and the Republican Party’s grip on our state is not unbreakable, and that Georgians are ready to demand something different.

Tonight also represents an extraordinary milestone for Black political representation in Georgia and across the country. With Keisha Lance Bottoms’ election as governor, Georgia has elected the first Black woman governor in American history.

This is a historic achievement not just for Georgia but for Black women who have spent generations organizing, mobilizing and fighting for representation in the political institutions that have historically excluded them. Alongside Bottoms, the victories of Black women across Georgia’s statewide races represent another important step forward in that struggle.

Black women have long been at the forefront of building Georgia’s political movements, expanding the electorate and fighting for democracy. Tonight, we see that work reflected at the highest levels of state government.

These victories are particularly significant given the threats to our democratic institutions that preceded this election. From Trump’s threats to deploy the National Guard in Atlanta to Republican proposals to bring the Georgia National Guard to polling places, and former Gov. Brian Kemp’s deployment of the Georgia National Guard to Washington, D.C., the integrity of our elections and the right of Georgians to exercise their democratic voice were very much at stake.

Georgians have made their voices heard, and their votes have reaffirmed that our democracy belongs to the people, not those who would seek to intimidate them.

But the struggle for democracy and real change doesn’t end at the ballot box. If we want to consolidate the victories made today, we must continue to organize and mobilize the people of Georgia around a politics that works for them. Electoral victories must become the foundation for stronger mass movements, broader working-class organization and continued struggles for affordability, democracy, equality and peace.

Today we celebrate; tomorrow we fight.

The opinions of the author do not necessarily reflect the positions of the CPUSA.

Image: Keisha Lance Bottoms. Facebook.