(Georgia Recorder) — Vice President Kamala Harris urged supporters to cast their ballot early at a Saturday rally in Atlanta after a week of voting where Georgians have already shown up at polling places in record numbers.
The Democratic presidential candidate’s visit – the first of several appearances planned for the coming week in metro Atlanta, including at a church service Sunday – comes as polling continues to show a close race in the swing state.
“Atlanta, we have 17 days left in one of the most consequential elections of our lifetime,” Harris said at Lakewood Amphitheater, where her campaign said about 11,000 people were in attendance.
“And look, let’s have some real talk. It’s going to be a tight race until the very end. And we are the underdog, and we are running as the underdog. But make no mistake: we will win,” she said to loud cheers.
Already, more than 1.3 million people have voted in Georgia, according to the Secretary of State’s turnout datahub. Voters shattered a record on the first day, demonstrating the pent-up energy across the state, and maintained that energy throughout the first five days of voting. There are 8.2 million registered voters in Georgia.
The vice president also received an on-stage boost Saturday from R&B star and Atlanta native Usher.
“We have the opportunity to choose a new generation of leadership for our country,” he said. “We’ve got work to do, Atlanta. ATL, we’ve got work to do to get this campaign across the finish line. I’m counting on you.”
When Harris took the stage in Atlanta after campaigning in Michigan, she outlined her economic plan and boasted of her support from Republicans, such as former Georgia Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan.
“America is ready to chart a new way forward. We are ready for a new and optimistic generation of leadership,” she said. “Which is why Democrats, Republicans and independents are supporting our campaign.”
She also mocked her rival’s meandering comments and criticized former President Donald Trump for a comment he made about a recent press conference that featured the family members of a Georgia woman, 28-year-old Amber Nicole Thurman, who died while trying to have an abortion. When asked about the press conference during a Fox News town hall in Cumming, Trump said, “We’ll get better ratings, I promise.”
Thurman’s mother and father were at Harris’ rally Saturday. Her mother, Shanette Williams, was featured in a recent campaign ad for Harris.
Harris has put reproductive rights at the center of her campaign, and she calls the abortion bans that came in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court decision that ended the federal right to the procedure “Trump bans.”
“Ours is a fight for the future and it is a fight for freedom, like the fundamental right of a woman to make decisions about her own body and not having the government tell her what to do,” she said.
Harris’ visit capped a week that brought a parade of high-profile surrogates campaigning on the Democratic candidate’s behalf.
Former President Bill Clinton kicked off the first week of voting in Georgia with a swing through southwest Georgia, including a fish fry in rural Peach County. Minnesota first lady Gwen Walz, wife of vice-presidential candidate Tim Walz, was in suburban Cobb County Wednesday. And Doug Emhoff, Harris’ husband, campaigned in Savannah Thursday.
Former President Donald Trump held two events in Georgia last week – including the Fox News town hall with an all-women audience – and will be back this coming week.
“Kamala’s desperate, last-minute plea to win over Georgians proves how out of touch she is and why Georgia will vote to send President Trump back to the White House this November,” said Morgan Ackley, who is the Trump campaign’s Georgia communications director.
The dueling campaign events just continue to highlight Georgia’s status as one of the seven swing states in this election. Polls continue to show a tight race in Georgia, with the Real Clear Politics’ polling average at 48.6 for Trump and 46.9 for Harris.
