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Jimmy Williams
Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz are set to embark on a bus tour of Southern Georgia next week, marking their first time campaigning together in the state.
This tour will also be their first public event following the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. The Harris-Walz ticket aims to harness post-convention momentum as the 2024 general election approaches.
According to the campaign, the Southern Georgia tour will focus on reaching a diverse coalition of rural, suburban, and urban voters, particularly Black voters and working-class families. “Campaigning in this part of the Peach State is critical as it represents a diverse coalition of voters,” the Harris-Walz campaign said in a release.
The tour will be followed by a solo rally headlined by Harris in Savannah, Georgia—her seventh visit to the state this year. Harris has prioritized Georgia as a key battleground state, with the campaign recently launching a major mobilization effort. Nearly 400,000 volunteers, 174 staff members, and 24 coordinated offices are working across Georgia in what the campaign calls “the largest in-state operation of any democratic presidential campaign cycle ever in Georgia.”
“Black voters are the key to winning Georgia,” said Ranada Robinson, research director for the New Georgia Project Fund. “Black Georgians had historical turnout in 2020, and it has to happen again for there to be victory in Georgia.”
The bus tour is expected to resemble the recent western Pennsylvania tour that included stops at a campaign field office, firehouse, and high school football practice. Southern Georgia, including cities like Albany and Valdosta, houses some of the largest Black populations in the state. Harris’ team has opened field offices across the region, reflecting the campaign’s emphasis on grassroots engagement.
“The South Georgia region is a priority for the campaign: we have nearly 50 full-time staff across seven offices in the area,” said Harris-Walz Georgia campaign spokesperson Adelaide Bullock.
Republicans are also intensifying their efforts in Georgia. Vice presidential nominee Sen. JD Vance recently campaigned in Valdosta, while Donald Trump held a rally in Atlanta earlier this month. Both parties are competing for support from Black and Latino voters, as polls suggest the GOP could gain ground with these key demographics.
Harris campaign chair Jen O’Malley Dillon noted Georgia’s shifting demographics in a recent memo, highlighting the vice president’s strength with young voters, Black voters, and Latino voters as crucial to the path to 270 electoral votes.
Harris and Walz plan to expand their outreach to battleground states around Labor Day, just before Harris begins preparing for her September debate against Trump.
A Trump adviser acknowledged that Harris could receive a post-convention “bump” in the polls but dismissed it as a “sugar high,” arguing that it is unlikely to significantly alter the state of the race.
The Harris-Walz campaign hopes their message will resonate deeply with Georgia voters as they work to secure a critical victory in the state come November.
