Kamala Harris chooses failed gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams to try to help her win key swing state Georgia
Kamala Harris will be calling on Stacey Abrams to help her win Georgia, with the failed gubernatorial candidate joining her for a rally in Atlanta on Tuesday.
Abrams, who has been a staunch defender of the vice president, will stand alongside Harris, along with the state’s Democratic senators Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock.
Singer Megan Thee Stallion will also join Harris at her rally, the campaign announced.
“ATL HOTTIES SEE YOU TOMORROW,” the singer wrote on her Instagram.
Tuesday marks Harris’ first visit to the crucial state since announcing her presidential campaign, but her sixth visit since becoming vice president.
Georgia is seen as a key victory for Harris in the 2024 race. The state is part of a group of “sunbelt” states that Democrats believe she can win, along with Midwestern states such as Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Michigan that make up the so-called “blue wall.”
“We have multiple paths to 270 electoral votes. The vice president is strong in both the blue wall and the Sun Belt and we’re running strong in both,” Harris’ battleground states director Dan Kanninen said during a call with reporters on Monday.
Kamala Harris will enlist Stacey Abrams to help her win Georgia
Abrams has been an outspoken defender of Harris in the past. The two African-American women have supported each other’s campaigns and backed each other in their respective races.
She also helped Joe Biden win the state in the 2020 election, giving Democrats their first victory since Bill Clinton.
Abrams has repeatedly stressed that Harris would not face as much criticism if she were a white man.
“We will always question the person behind the person, but we cannot ignore that misogyny and racism are still endemic in our politics,” Abrams told MSNBC late last year.
“For those behaviors that don’t lead to misogyny or racism, there’s just a difference. Our expectations are for the traditional white male vice president. That’s what it’s always been. We’re not always good at new things,” she noted.
“But more importantly, when you read through the criticisms and think about the ways in which she is being criticized, I know that it is inextricably linked to race and gender.”
Abrams defended herself at a time when Harris, the first black female vice president, was facing record-low approval ratings.
Her services will likely be needed again as the presidential campaign continues and Donald Trump becomes increasingly aggressive.
Trump’s running mate, Senator JD Vance, has been increasingly at pains to portray Harris as a far-left politician out of touch with the American mainstream.
Vance said Sunday that Harris had “got a little bit of a boost from her introduction,” but predicted that would quickly dissipate.
“Look, people are going to learn her record,” Vance said. “They’re going to learn that she’s a radical. They’re going to learn that she’s basically a liberal from San Francisco who wants to take San Francisco policies and push them across the country.”
Trump himself called Harris a “crazy liberal.”
Stacey Abrams is a staunch defender of the vice president
Meanwhile, Georgia played a pivotal role in the last presidential election, and it’s expected to be just as important in November. According to several polls released last week, it’s a virtual toss-up between Harris and Trump.
Polls showed Joe Biden trailing Trump significantly in the state, but Harris is doing much better against the former president.
She is outperforming Biden among young people, black voters and Hispanic voters — key demographics that could tip the scales in swing states like Georgia and Arizona.
Georgia takes center stage, with less than 100 days to go until the election.
Harris’ campaign said it has 24 offices in the state and 170 employees on the ground.
“In Georgia, we are running the largest Democratic presidential primary campaign ever in a state,” said Michael Tyler, campaign communications director.
While Harris is in the state, he plans to attack Trump for his ties to Project 2025 — a Heritage Foundation initiative that promotes conservative policies — and for his stance on abortion rights.
And while Harris focuses on Georgia, Trump will focus on breaking through the Democrats’ blue wall.
He is holding a rally in Pennsylvania on Wednesday, his first visit to the state since his assassination attempt in late June.
Harris had alternates in Pennsylvania on Monday to oppose Trump — Gov. Josh Shapiro of the state and Gov. Gretchen Whitmore of Michigan. Both Democrats have been mentioned as possible running mates for Harris.
Harris’ campaign has also enlisted Georgia as it considers who to choose as its runner-up.
Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, who is reportedly a potential running mate, was in the state on Sunday.
Harris’ campaign is investigating him along with several other candidates, including Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona and Governors Roy Cooper of North Carolina and Tim Walz of Minnesota.
She is expected to choose her vice presidential candidate on August 7.
Harris’ campaign said she held some 2,300 organizing events in key states this weekend, while several top Democrats on her potential vice presidential slate endorsed her.
JD Vance has tried to portray Kamala Harris as an out-of-touch liberal
With less than 100 days to go until Election Day, Harris’ campaign is touting her fundraising and infrastructure, saying she is well-positioned to defeat Trump in November.
The campaign has raised $200 million since Harris emerged as the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee last week.
More than 170,000 volunteers have signed up to help the Harris campaign with phone canvassing, canvassing and other activities to get more people out to vote.
“The momentum and energy for Vice President Harris are real — and so are the fundamentals of this race: This election will be very close and decided by a small number of voters in just a few states,” Tyler wrote in a memo.