Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz are set to campaign together in Georgia for the first time this week, focusing on the southeast portion of the state as part of their strategy for the upcoming November election. Georgia, a crucial battleground state, will be closely watched to gauge voter response to campaign efforts and the newly formed ticket, especially after President Joe Biden's narrow victory in the state in 2020.
The duo will kick off their bus tour in south Georgia, a region that traditionally leans Republican but showed promise for Democrats in the 2022 Senate runoff. The campaign has established a strong presence in the state with 24 field offices, including 7 in southern Georgia, and 50 full-time staffers.
Harris' campaign aims to appeal to a diverse coalition of voters, including rural, suburban, and urban Georgians, with a particular focus on African American voters in the region. The campaign is optimistic about peeling off Republican voters, especially with former President Donald Trump as the opponent and anticipated higher turnout in a presidential election year.
While recent polling shows Trump leading among registered voters in Georgia, Democratic strategists see an opportunity to make inroads, particularly in rural areas where Democrats have historically struggled. The campaign is working to narrow Trump's margins in these regions and engage with voters across the state.
The upcoming rally in the Savannah area will cap off the bus tour, which will also feature a joint interview with Harris and Walz. The campaign sees campaigning in Georgia as critical to reaching a diverse voter base and plans to focus on kitchen-table issues during the tour.
Walz's background in rural America, military service, and experience as a football coach are seen as assets in connecting with voters in south Georgia. The campaign hopes that introducing Walz to Georgia voters will help broaden their appeal and potentially shift the political landscape in the state.
