ALPHARETTA, Ga. — Why is the head of the Democratic National Committee in a suburban Atlanta coffee shop on a random Saturday in September?

"We've got a really important state Senate special election here in Senate District 21, which we are investing in," DNC Chairman Ken Martin said last week. "And we believe we have a real shot at winning."

In the special election runoff Tuesday, Sep. 23, Democrats did not flip the deep-red seat. But Martin and others in the party view it as a win because the Democratic candidate, Debra Shigley, improved the party's margin by double digits from November.

For their part, Republicans aren't concerned. Georgia Republican Party Chairman Josh McKoon said in a statement that Republicans "cut through the noise" with a coordinated investment in digital and

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