Josh McLaurin & Georgia Democrats declare victory in presser

So happening live right now, Georgia Democrats are speaking in a news conference. Speaking of the next lieutenant governor, Josh McLaurin, along with Senate Minority Leader Harold Jones II and other Democratic leaders. Let's take a listen live to this news conference to see what they're saying. This election, the lines were clearly drawn. Democrats discussed issues such as expanding Medicaid, improving health care throughout the state. On education, we were clear that we wanted to fully fund public schools and we wanted to move away from these efforts to privatize our schools through the use of vouchers. We were clear we would restore a woman's right to choose. We were clear that all citizens would be treated with love and respect. We were also clear that we would govern with maturity, reason, and also with fairness. And we would deliberate on all issues that are important to Georgia's citizens. And that is what brings us here today. To show that we are here on day one, after this election, not to make sure that we deliver on these promises. To deliver on these promises starts today, not in January, and that is why we're here. So to the people of Georgia, you have entrusted this party and this caucus with improving your lives, and we're here today to say thank you, but we're also here today to say we're ready for this challenge and we're ready to improve your lives. And next, I'll allow our Lieutenant Governor-elect, former Senator, still State Senator, Josh McLaurin, to also speak. Thank you. Thank you. It is my incredible honor to stand here today as Georgia's next Lieutenant Governor. I am so honored to be standing here with Leader Jones, who's done a tremendous job over the last few years in building a real collegiality and cohesiveness in the Senate Democratic Caucus. Democrats may be diverse in our backgrounds and our voter base, but our values and our message have never been more united or focused. That is what distinguished us yesterday from our opposition in the elections, both in Georgia and all across the country. What we saw was not just a blue wave. It was not just a blue tsunami. It was the complete and utter collapse of Donald Trump's MAGA coalition. And that means something. What it means is that voters are tired of the culture war. They're tired of the distractions. I think the one word I heard the most on 18 months of the campaign trail was exhausted because voters just want to wake up. And go to work, take care of their kids, come home, spend a little free time, have some recreation, be able to afford a vacation every now and then. This should not be too much to ask. Voters want to be able to afford their first home at an age before 41. That's currently the average first time home buyer age in this country. We have not expanded Medicaid in this state. We're one of 10 states who have not done that. We've left billions of dollars on the table of tax money we've already paid that could come back to Georgia, along with the incentives that Senators Ossoff and Warnock built into the expansion package. Under 20 years of Republican rule, this state has opted for silently acquiescing to everything Trump wants at the federal level, while meanwhile ignoring the critical needs on health care, housing, child care, cost of living in general, and even thrown in some culture war like defunding our public schools, as Leader Jones mentioned, or passing the deadly six-week abortion ban in 2019 that Brian Kemp said has been a popular governor to some extent because he conveys this sense of steady-handedness. But underneath the surface of that relative quiet, there has been a lot of suffering. And when we tried to get the word out about how the abortion ban was killing women in this state, the Maternal Mortality Review Board, information from that board was published by ProPublica, and the government's response was to shut down the board. So we've had a culture of acquiescence to Trump's chaos and ignoring the suffering and critical needs of Georgians During this period of Republican rule and voters said enough. We want a government that does not engage in that harmful culture war, that does not take away basic legal rights, but does stay laser focused on health care, housing, and other economic issues that are major cost drivers for working families in this state. I couldn't be prouder to be a Georgia Democrat here with this coalition of senators. The number of Democratic state senators in this state is now 27. Seven. That's one short of the halfway mark, and two short of a majority. And I know from my good bipartisan relationships in the legislature that there are Senate Republicans who wish that they could have been more outspoken about expanding Medicaid. Who wish that they did not get forced into a vote for a deadly six-week abortion ban. Who wish a lot of things that their leadership didn't let them do because of their base politics. Well, the voters have said, we want to release that honesty. We have put a Democrat in the governor's mansion, Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, Governor-elect Keisha Lance Bottoms. Voters flipped the statehouse in Georgia and reduced the Republican Senate majority to one vote. So, you know, we're used to getting questions from Republicans or from the media, what are you willing to do to work with Republicans in this state? Today we're going to ask you a new question. What are Republicans willing to do to work with the new Democratic majority? And if our colleagues in the legislature, who we have built genuine, meaningful relationships with over the years, want to work with us on expanding Medicaid, building new housing to bring down the cost of housing and to bring down property taxes, if they want to invest in child care and behavioral health and mental health in this state, if they want to do the most basic gun safety, pediatric safe storage, which they have not even given a hearing to for several years in these chambers, Then we welcome them with open arms because we are the new governing bipartisan coalition in this state. I say bipartisan because it wasn't just Democrats who elected this coalition last night. It was Republicans, independents. I've heard stories of three-time Trump voters who voted a straight Democratic ballot because they have said it is time to make a change in this state, to turn the page. And there are four individuals behind me who are going to help me do that. I want to congratulate each of them in order. The new Senator from Senate District 37, Darcy Castro. The Senator-elect from Senate District 42, Senator-elect Pastor Lee. The new Senator from District 45, Scott Tipton. And my neighbor, you're touching my district, Senator from District 48, Laura Murvadian. We look forward to having conversations with Republicans in the coming weeks. We want to share power to the extent that voters have asked us to. We want to govern in a bipartisan, common-sense way. We are proud to be standing here as your new Democratic majority, and we are ready to make government sensible and not about culture war. And at that time, this time, we'll be happy to answer any questions. All right. Josh McLaurin speaking there after winning the Georgia lieutenant governor's race. And you just listen in on that conference live here. Other Democratic leaders here, Senate Minority Leader Harold Jones, the second, the Georgia Senate Democratic Caucus as well.