Kamala Harris to visit Georgia in first visit as the presumptive Democratic nominee

Melissa Cruz, USA TODAY
·2 min read
16
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.

Vice President Kamala Harris is making a campaign stop in Atlanta next week, her first trip to Georgia since becoming the presumptive Democratic nominee after President Joe Biden exited the race on Sunday.

The Georgia press secretary for Harris for President confirmed the visit with USA TODAY, saying it will take place on Tuesday, July 30. No further details have been released about Harris’ visit yet.

Georgia’s on her mind

Harris made Georgia a key focus even prior to entering the race at the top of the Democratic ticket.

She has visited Georgia 17 times in last four years, making frequent trips to Atlanta, Columbus, Dalton, and Savannah. Her most recent visit to the Peach State was in June.

Georgia is seen as a pivotal swing state in this year’s election. The Democratic Party hopes to keep the state blue after it voted for a Democratic president for the first time in over two decades during the 2020 election.

Harris’ campaign will focus on mobilizing Southern Black voters, according to NBC News. This differs from Biden’s strategy, which had placed much of its efforts into Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin.

More: Georgia political figures, voting rights groups rally around Vice President Kamala Harris

Georgia delegates back Harris

On Tuesday, the Democratic Party of Georgia formally endorsed Harris. The group confirmed that the 108 Georgia delegates will vote for Harris at the Democratic National Convention, slated to take place Aug. 19-22 in Chicago.

In a statement, the group said: “Georgia Democrats know that Vice President Harris is the right candidate to defeat convicted felon Donald Trump – we are united, our eyes are on the prize, and we’re ready to send her back to the White House as President.”

Harris’ polling in Georgia

According to an Emerson College poll released Thursday, Harris is starting to climb in swing state polls.

She is currently trailing former President Donald Trump by two percentage points in Georgia, with 46% of the vote to his 48%.

Trump’s lead has shrunk since Harris became the presumptive Democratic nominee, as he was previously polling at 45% to Harris’ 40% before she entered the race.

Melissa Cruz is an elections reporting fellow who focuses on voter access issues for the USA TODAY Network. You can reach her at mcruz@gannett.com or on X, formerly Twitter, at @MelissaWrites22.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Kamala Harris will visit Georgia next week, as campaign heats up