**Original Story By BILL Barron at AP**
- The political landscape of local elections in Georgia, particularly in the Atlanta suburbs, has significantly shifted in the Trump era, reflecting deeper national partisan and cultural divisions.
- In Johns Creek, a historically Republican-leaning suburb, candidates like city councilwoman Stacy Skinner and her opponent Devon Dabney are navigating these new dynamics.
- Skinner, endorsed by Veterans for Trump, cautiously promotes her conservative stance without overtly highlighting her Trump association.
- Dabney, criticized for her past Democratic votes, emphasizes the nonpartisan nature of the election.
- These local elections, once focused on issues like zoning and public services, are now influenced by broader national political trends and cultural debates.
- The shift is partly attributed to the decline of local journalism and the rise of national political narratives dominating voter perceptions.
- This change is evident in the discussions around development and zoning, which have become flashpoints in partisan politics, mirroring national issues like immigration and urban-rural divides.
- Georgia’s suburbs, crucial in determining statewide races, have grown more diverse and politically varied.
- This diversity, along with the presence of Republicans not fully aligned with Trump, played a role in Trump’s underperformance in these areas during the 2020 elections.
- The new political landscape in local elections reflects a broader national trend where local issues are increasingly viewed through the lens of national partisan politics.