The Atlanta metro area and South Georgia are two culturally different places that exists in the same state. Atlanta stands as a bustling city with an international airport, multiple fortune 500 companies, and a booming entertainment scene. In contrast, the more rural South Georgia features miles of farmland and southern traditions that have lasted for decades.
But while Atlanta and South Georgia offer different aspects of the same state, VP Kamala Harris and Tim Walz are seeking to mobilize voters in both areas.
This week, Harris and her team are making a play for South Georgia with a bus tour and rally that will take place in Savannah today.
Harris’ visit to South Georgia marks her 16th visit to the state since becoming Vice President and her seventh visit to the state in 2024. In June, she spoke at a 100 Black Men conference, participated in a gun violence summit with Atlanta rapper Quavo, and celebrated Juneteenth with voters in the heart of Atlanta. And she kicked off her “Fight for Reproductive Freedoms” tour in Savannah, and made two visits to the state for her economic impact tour.
Campaigning in South Georgia is critical as it represents a diverse coalition of voters. The area is a priority for the campaign with 50 full time staff across 7 offices in South Georgia, including Valdosta with over 35,000 volunteers. The campaign has hosted more than 500 events in the region since May.
Harris’ trip to South Georgia is also the first time a Democratic presidential candidate has campaigned in the region since Bill Clinton did so in the 1990s. Clinton would go on to win the state.
We are running the largest in-state operation of any Democratic presidential campaign cycle, with over 190 Democratic coordinated campaign staff in 24 coordinated offices across the state. Our coordinated campaign offices are strategically located in all corners of the state: from rural counties like Washington and Jenkins counties to the outer Atlanta metro counties that are rapidly shifting, including Forsyth and Fayette. Our recent Weekend of Action had more than 300 people turn out in the heart of Forsyth County, an area that voted for Trump in 2020, and more than 60 women turned out for an organizing event in rural Washington county as part of a rural tour through central Georgia.
Vice President Harris has made it a point to prioritized rural healthcare and deliver more than $3.1 billion dollars to invest in farmers across rural Georgia. The VP has touted the New Way Forward, an optimistic agenda to bring down costs, cut taxes for the middle class, and make it more affordable for middle-class Americans to own a home.
Tonight, CNN’s Dana Bash will sit down with Harris and Walz in South Georgia following her Savannah rally.
