Can Clinton turn Georgia from red to blue? It's a matter of black and white

Obama lost here by 5 percentage points in 2008, a surprisingly close finish since he essentially ceded the state after Labor Day. In 2012, the president didn’t even bother competing — his campaign had two staffers, one steering volunteers to North Carolina and the other to Florida — and lost by 7 points.

Still, the changing demographics and the vulnerabilities of Trump make it a tempting target; one of the strongest advocates for a hard run at Georgia is former President Bill Clinton, the last Democrat to carry the state — by a whisker — back in 1992.

Even the most optimistic Hillary Clinton supporter acknowledges that winning in November would likely require a perfect convergence of events: a huge black turnout, a significant drop in Trump’s white support and a decent enough showing by Gary Johnson, the Libertarian candidate, to allow Clinton to win the state with less than 50% support. (Green Party candidate Jill Stein is not on the ballot.)

“I’m not going to say it’s likely,” said James Carter, a Democratic operative in Atlanta and grandson of former President Jimmy Carter. “Still, it’s definitely realistically possible.”