A.G. Gancarski
The incoming President and Vice President will make in-person pleas to Georgians in the coming days to flip their Senate seats blue, counterprogramming a Donald Trump rally to keep the seats Republican.
On Sunday, January 3, Vice President-elect Kamala Harris is headed to Savannah to stump for Democratic nominees Jon Ossoff and Rev. Raphael Warnock. The next day, President-elect Joe Biden delivers the closing message in Atlanta, ahead of the Tuesday runoff election.
Details for both events are to follow, but expect them to be limited occupancy show-ups where people stay in their cars and listen.
Both Harris and Biden have already made trips to the Peach State since the election, and their message is likely to remain consistent.
In a trip before Christmas, Harris made a 20-minute pitch to Georgians to flip their Senate seats blue and give her the gavel in case of a need for a tiebreaker vote.
Harris, adopting the regional cadences and rhythms of southern speech styles in a nod to the Columbus market, tended toward repetitive catch phrases and praise for the November vote with calls to action to do it again in January.
Biden also visited the Peach State in recent weeks, in an appearance not without gaffes, such as a mispronunciation of Ossoff’s name lampooned by conservatives for a day or two afterwards. But he did make the case that removing “roadblocks” in Sens. Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue from office was essential.
“I need two Senators who are going to get things done, not get in the way,” Biden said. “Two Senators who fight for progress, not get in the way. Two Senators ready to say yes, not the word no.”
In addition to the new President and Vice President coming in, former President Barack Obama will make his own cameo appearance on Georgia airwaves, offering the narration for a new Ossoff ad released Wednesday and airing statewide. The spot is soundtracked by a John Legend take on “Georgia on My Mind.”
Georgia is also on the President’s mind, of course. Days before the incoming administration rolled out its deployments, President Trump announced his own rally Monday.
Trump will headline an event Monday, Jan. 4 for Sens. Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue, his second event in the state since his defeat in the November election.
The rally will be held at 7 p.m. at the Dalton Regional Airport. Expect calls to vote for the incumbents to be juxtaposed with Trump’s assertions that he was jobbed by a rigged count in November.
