Georgia

Named after King George II of Great Britain, Georgia became a British colony in 1732 after being settled in 1733. It was the last of the 13 colonies established by the United Kingdom. Georgia is the 24th largest state in America by area and the 8th most populous state in the country.

The state joined the Union on 2 January 1788 and has participated in every presidential election ever since, except for the 1864 election due to secession during the Civil War.

For nearly 100 years, from 1868 to 1960, the state was a Democratic stronghold. However, like many southern states, it shifted to the Republican Party in the 1964 election due to the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibited discrimination based on colour, gender, religion, and race.

The Republicans took the opportunity to implement their Southern Strategy to win the state. With 16 electoral votes, Georgia remained Republican from 1972 to 2016. However, in the 2020 presidential election, Joe Biden won the state by a margin of 0.2% over Donald Trump.