Atlanta resident Kelly Roarke has been to a few election night watch parties at Manuel’s Tavern, but one stands out as most memorable: the night Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton lost to now President Donald Trump in 2016.
“You’ve never felt the air go out of a room – and I was outside! – more quickly,” Roarke said. “It was so sad, and depressing. I will never forget that feeling.”
On Nov. 3, the date of the 2026 midterm elections, Roarke said she was hoping to erase the feeling she had during Clinton’s loss all those years ago. And, after a decisive night, it looks like she succeeded.
Democrats took control of both the U.S. Senate and House as a “blue wave” swept across the country, seen as a rebuke to the Trump administration and its handling of issues like the economy and the war in Iran. Democrats also won big in Georgia in particular, including Sen. Jon Ossoff’s huge win against Republican challenger Mike Collins and former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms’ win against billionaire businessman Rick Jackson.
Manuel’s Tavern has been hosting election night watch parties since founder Manuel Maloof started the tradition back in 1970. Maloof, who chaired the DeKalb County Commission and later became the county’s first CEO, founded the bar in 1956, and is something of a legend among Georgia Democrats.
Under his ownership, the bar became an institution, regularly hosting debate and election watch parties and serving as an unofficial hub for politics in Atlanta. From state senators to presidents, politicians in Atlanta often make their way through Manuel’s doors for a beer, a meal, or community.
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Some of those politicians were in attendance on Tuesday night. Democratic State Sen. Nan Orrock of District 36 stopped by early in the night with high expectations for Democrats in Georgia and beyond.
“I’m expecting a blue tsunami,” she said. Orrock went on to become part of that wave of Democratic wins, holding on to her District 36 seat by defeating Republican challenger Katie Corkren.
Manuel’s welcomes everyone, but it is certainly a Democratic hotspot. Chris Martin, an Atlanta resident since 1999, has a young child, and said he doesn’t get out as much as he used to – but, on election night, he knows that Manuel’s is the place to be.
“When I can, I come here to watch election returns, because it’s the place where Democrats go,” Martin said.
That partisan energy was palpable in the room, with resounding cheers every time a Democratic candidate took the lead and loud booing whenever a Republican seemed poised to win. Former Georgia State Rep. Michele Henson, who worked on Maloof’s initial DeKalb County CEO race and has been coming to Manuel’s for decades, said part of why she likes coming to the bar is for that sense of community.
“It’s a wonderful place to be,” Henson said. “It’s like feeling hugged and loved.”
Though the election night watch party officially started at 7 p.m., every table and every spot at the bar was taken as early as 5:45 p.m. People squashed in close, hanging out in any empty space they could find – including walkways, which caused many a harried server to politely, but firmly, ask patrons to move out of their way (the waitstaff at Manuel’s on election night is working double, if not triple time).
There was a certain nervousness in the air once results started pouring in, but quickly the energy in the Democratic stronghold turned to excitement as results from all over the country started to look blue. Part of coming to Manuel’s on election night means not just engaging with Georgia politics, but with politics on a national level. Sandy Sarge, who moved to the city about a year ago, was one of the patrons paying close attention to races outside of the Peach state.
“Ossoff is awesome, but I’m also watching Texas,” Sarge said. “I’m watching some of the other ones too.” Later in the night, Texas flipped from red to blue, with Democrats James Talarico and Gina Hinojosa winning the senate and governor’s races respectively.
The biggest cheers of the night came when Bottoms beat Jackson in Georgia’s gubernatorial race. People chanted her name throughout the bar, celebrating the first Black woman in the United States to be elected governor.
“It was awesome, it was amazing,” said patron Kedric Ross about the reaction to Bottoms’ win. “The chants and everything that broke out – fantastic.”
That energy – the clapping, the yelling, the communal celebration – is what brings people to Manuel’s for politics. Ross and Kaetlin Marsh had never been to Manuel’s on election night, but decided to give it a shot this year. They found the experience of watching with other people invigorating.
“It’s exciting to share the victory with people,” Marsh said. “Because it’s a little different when you watch it from home, and you’re like, oh, I know how I voted. But you get to see everybody else united for the same cause. That’s very empowering.”
