Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, on Wednesday kicked off a bus tour through rural Georgia to galvanize Black and rural voters in the battleground state.
The tour began in Savannah, where it will also end with a big campaign rally on Thursday evening. Campaign officials did not say where the bus would stop during the tour, but said Ms. Harris and Mr. Walz would meet with “a diverse coalition of voters,” including “a large proportion of Black and working-class families.”
Black voters account for roughly one-third of Georgia’s electorate and will be crucial to winning the Peach State.
Ms. Harris and Mr. Walz were greeted by college students upon landing in Savannah. Their only stop Wednesday was at Liberty County High School in the Savannah suburb of Hinesville, Georgia.
“We wanted to come by just to let you know that our country is counting on you. All of you. You are leaders, by the very fact that you are here in this room,” Ms. Harris told the students. “We are so proud of you. Your generation, all that you guys stand for … is what is going to propel our country into the next era of what we can do and what we can be.”
Ms. Harris and Mr. Walz were greeted by college students upon landing in Savannah. They did not make any remarks and quickly entered the bus that had a sign reading, “A new way forward.”
By traveling to rural districts, Ms. Harris is bucking the conventional wisdom that Democrats win elections in large, urban areas such as Atlanta and its middle-class suburbs. She is expected to talk about the economy, abortion rights and lowering consumer costs, the campaign said.
Before President Biden dropped out of the race, it looked as if former President Donald Trump had Georgia locked up. Mr. Trump held a 6-point lead over Mr. Biden, 47% to 41%.
Since then, however, Ms. Harris has steadily gained ground in Georgia. The latest polls compiled by FiveThirtyEight show Mr. Trump with a one-point lead in the state, 47% to 46%.
Mr. Trump won Georgia in 2016, but Mr. Biden’s 2020 victory in the state was by only one-quarter of a percentage point. Mr. Biden won the state by doing what Ms. Harris is doing with her bus tour, visiting the state’s rural districts. It was the first time the state backed a Democrat for president since 1992.
RNC Chairman Michael Whatley predicted Mr. Trump would return the state to the red column.
“Georgians are united behind one thing — they know America cannot afford another four years of Kamala Harris’ failed, weak and dishonest leadership,” he said. “In November, Georgians will end the Kamala Harris nightmare and unite behind President Trump.”
The trip is Ms. Harris’ second to Georgia since she became the Democratic nominee. Earlier this month she held a rally in Atlanta that featured rapper Megan Thee Stallion, which drew more than 10,000 people.
In a bid to court Georgians who live in red areas, the Harris campaign gave a prominent speaking spot at the Democratic National Convention to former Georgia Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan, a fierce Trump critic.
Republicans also have aggressively targeted Georgia by ramping up campaign spending. In a social media post last week, Mr. Trump said winning Georgia is “so important to the success of our Party, and most importantly, our country.” He is expected to campaign in the state.
• Jeff Mordock can be reached at jmordock@washingtontimes.com.
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