… It’s difficult to overstate how rapidly the politics of the area has evolved. The results from the last few elections tell the story.
In 2012, Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney won Cobb County by 12 percentage points and won Georgia by 8 points. In 2016, the county swung Democratic as Hillary Clinton won Cobb by 2 points, even as she lost the state overall by 5 points. This past November, Democratic gubernatorial nominee Stacey Abrams won Cobb by a solid 9 points — and only narrowly lost the state. …
Since 2010, Cobb’s population has swelled by 10 percent, outpacing overall growth in the state. At the same time, Cobb has become more racially and ethnically diverse. Its white, non-Hispanic population has dropped from 58 percent to 52 percent. CONT.
Dante Chinni, Sally Bronston & Matt Rivera, NBC News