ALPHARETTA, Ga. (AP) — After a Democrat won 40% of votes in a special state senate election in a deeply conservative Georgia district, voters will decide Tuesday between her and the Republican who won the second most votes. That’s especially true when their party isn’t in the presidency, noted Georgia Republican political strategist Brian Robinson. She ran in 2024 against Republican state House Speaker Pro Tem Jan Jones and lost. Republicans mostly kept their seats, but Democrats flipped a Pennsylvania state Senate seat in March and two Iowa state Senate seats in January and August. Local and state Democrats say regardless of the outcome, the rush of volunteers offers hope for broader grassroots organizing ahead of races coming up in 2026 for governor, U.S. senator and other offices.