Gov. Brian Kemp's more than 50-point victory over former Sen. David Perdue last week was seen as a rebuke of Perdue's campaign and of much of former President Trump's endorsement slate.

• But to Kemp's team, it was also a validation of the data-driven organizing infrastructure they've quietly built for more than a year.

Driving the news: Since April 2021, Kemp's team has spent more than $3 million on what they dub the largest field investment by a state Republican candidate in Georgia history.

• The strategy involved identifying and targeting low-propensity (voted in two or fewer of the last four primaries), likely Kemp voters, which they argue boosted turnout.

Why it matters: It's an effort to match years of organizing by Democrats and Stacey Abrams, Kemp's two-time opponent.

• "We needed to do something big and drastic on the ground game," Kemp's campaign manager Bobby Saparow tells Axios, calling 2018 "an eye-opener."
• "Stacey mobilized her folks in a very unique way that I think people took note of. In order to be successful...we needed to build that internally from the ground up, and have our fingers fully in control on the buttons to make sure we knew exactly what was going on and that we were targeting the right people."

Catch up quick: Abrams' 2018 campaign featured a massive organizing infrastructure, which reached 1.9 million voters. Shepherded by Abrams' longtime ally and two-time campaign manager Lauren Groh-Wargo, that campaign built on years of work begun by Abrams' first voter engagement organization, the New Georgia Project.

What they're saying: "The days of slapping an (R) next to your name and running some TV ads are over in Georgia," Cody Hall, Kemp campaign communications director and senior advisor, told Axios in a statement.

By the numbers: The governor’s campaign tells Axios they reached nearly 600,000 voters via paid door knockers during the primary. By the end, the team had 90 paid staffers.

• During the final six weeks of the primary, the Kemp team reached more than 2 million likely Republican voters by paid phone/text banking, more than 1 million low/mid propensity and undecided voters by mail, and deployed digital ads to more than 200,000 low-propensity voters and people with outstanding absentee ballots.

What's new: Saparow said that the campaign made an important decision to build out campaigning efforts internally, rather than relying on outside groups like the state Republican party and the RNC. "It was not cheap by any stretch...but we get to see real results," he said.

Yes, but: The Democrats' operation has only grown since Abrams' 2018 run. During the 2021 Senate runoffs, the campaigns for Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock joined forces and knocked on 1 million doors in the final four days alone.

• Abrams and Warnock just launched their own coordinated campaign for this fall's general elections.

What's next: Saparow said the campaign will spend "whatever it takes" to keep expanding their ground game during the general election, though he's anticipating the Democrats will out-spend them.

• But he said Republicans are ultimately hoping "to build something that we can use in 2024 and down the road as well."

Read the full story.

City Hall leaders want Amtrak to have a prime spot at Centennial Yards in Downtown, reviving a transit vision for a massive development that’s poised to bring thousands of residents, travelers and workers to the historic city center.

Why it matters: Atlanta was founded as a railroad hub — and remains a vital focal point for freight traffic. But currently, catching a train out of Amtrak’s quaint Brookwood station makes passenger rail inconvenient for many travelers.

• President Biden’s administration, himself an avid fan of Amtrak, is bullish on boosting and building out a passenger rail network — and Atlanta is part of that vision.

Catch up quick: Centennial Yards — the 50-acre mini-city proposed near Mercedes-Benz Stadium — could add more than 8 million square feet of apartments, hotel rooms and offices to South Downtown.

• Previous plans for the area included a multimodal terminal that would serve passenger rail and buses and would link to the Five Points and Georgia World Congress Center stations.

Details: Councilperson Jason Dozier, the lead sponsor on a resolution calling for an Amtrak station at Centennial Yards, says a transit hub would boost the proposed $5 billion mini-city, the equally significant nearby development projects, as well as the metro region.

• With the area’s history, location and density, Dozier says, it makes sense.

Read the full story.

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🎸 Grace Potter and the Disco Biscuits headline the Candler Park Music Festival tonight and Saturday.

🥶 The Fox Theatre plays host to the Tony-nominated stage version of Disney’s beloved "Frozen."

🥁 Dierks Bentley comes to the Ameris Bank Amphitheatre in Alpharetta on Saturday.

🍻 Oakland Cemetery’s popular Malts and Vaults tour takes a walk Sunday through Atlanta’s rich brewing history.

🩰 Beacon Dance — once known as Decatur Civic Ballet — celebrates 60 years with its sister company Decatur City Dance partner at B Complex today and Saturday.

Also: The Hold Steady, a pinball tournament, and so much more.

Rooftop L.O.A. at the Interlock gave us a sneak peek yesterday of the eagerly anticipated rooftop pool, restaurant, bar and lounge.

• Inspired by Miami hotels, the spot by Slater Hospitality — the team behind Skyline Park and Nine Mile Station — is scheduled to open this month.

💵 Atlanta will invest $6.2 million in federal relief funds to fight homelessness. (CBS 46)

🗳 Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger testified yesterday in the investigation of 2020 Georgia election meddling. (GPB)

👩‍🔧 The plum lady of West End. (Atlanta Magazine)

🆘 Residents of a Buford Highway apartment complex say raw sewage is erupting from their bathtubs, but no one is helping them. (285 South)

🚭 Gwinnett County's smoking ordinance now includes prohibiting vaping in many areas. (AJC)