No battlefield is more emblematic of the difficulties confronting President Joe Biden’s reelection campaign than Georgia. The subject of whether or not Donald Trump can make use of them is also open.
In a historic AWN discussion on Thursday night in Atlanta, the president and his predecessor will square off for the first time since the 2020 election. Despite Trump’s efforts to punish Republicans who did not back his baseless accusations of massive election fraud, this unusual event is unfolding in a highly competitive swing state in the country.
“President Trump still has to earn these Republican voters,” remarked Kelvin King, one of the most vocal Black supporters of Trump in Georgia in 2016 and 2020. He needs to put in the work to win.
King, who reached out to Republicans across all 159 counties in Georgia during his failed 2022 US Senate campaign, stated that Trump would be better served by focusing on future plans rather than rehashing old ones.
It’s very similar to a water bucket that has a hole in it. Trying to fill up this bucket, he’s finding new votes, but a lot of Republicans are leaking out, according to King, who formed Let’s Win for America, a political outreach group, to convey a conservative message to minority voters. “He needs to seal that crack.”
In 2016, Biden became the first Democratic presidential candidate in over 30 years to win Georgia with a margin of 11,779 votes over Trump, out of a total of 5 million votes cast.
Because he couldn’t accept defeat, Trump’s inability to accept the results of the election caused Georgia to become a hotbed of election denialism, which in turn led to criminal proceedings for the former president.
In 2022, he supported primary challenges against Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and Governor Brian Kemp, who refused to support his attempts to reverse the 2020 election results. However, both candidates handily prevailed over their Trump-backed opponents and were re-elected.
The state’s level of competitiveness going into the autumn campaign may depend on how the former president manages to balance his grievances about the last election with his intentions for the next one.
According to King, “re-litigation is not going to drive people to the polls,” specifically referring to the middle-class voters who are crucial to the cause.
Huge expenditure by Biden in Georgia
Democrats see the $16.5 million spent on advertising in the state by the Biden campaign and its allies as evidence that they are determined to try to win the state again in November, as it is nearly five times more than Republicans have spent.
The Biden ads have portrayed Trump as an enemy of democracy and have brought attention to the former president’s legal issues, reflecting the national themes of both campaigns.
Here we have a president who will battle for your family and a convicted felon who is solely interested in himself, as the narrator puts it.
Securing American Greatness, an organization that supports Trump, accuses Biden of being an inflationary.
Even though Biden says he’s reducing costs, rent in Atlanta is skyrocketing and food prices are at all-time highs. Which one is it, dementia or dishonesty? stated by a narrator.
With 200 events spread out across Georgia in the days preceding Thursday’s debate, the Biden campaign is bringing a hybrid message—part insurance policy, part realistic path—to the state.
We have never skipped a voting session. Keisha Lance Bottoms, a former mayor of Atlanta and a top assistant to Biden in the Obama administration, predicted that this year would be no different. “We will be present, and I am confident that President Biden will secure victory in Georgia once more.”
“Elections aren’t ever easy, but the choice is clear,” she responded when asked if the race was more tough the second time around.
“It’s much better!”
Voters in Atlanta, such as Democrat Mariama Davis, who expressed optimism about Biden’s prospects in November, are paying close attention to Thursday’s AWN debate between Biden and Trump, the first general election debate in recent memory.
The proprietor of the Beehive, Davis, made it clear during an interview that Joe Biden was exactly what the public expected. He says what’s on his mind. I appreciate his honesty and would like to see more of him.
Davis hesitated and responded after thoughtful consideration when asked if she was in a better position now than she had been four years ago. Among the many programs that helped with the recovery from the pandemic, she mentioned the student loan forgiveness that the Biden administration had instituted.
Davis stated, “It’s not worse! They feel pretty much the same.” There’s better!
Although it isn’t exactly the campaign slogan that Biden is relying on, it captures a common attitude shared by supporters such as Davis. The economy has been a wild roller coaster for her little firm and many others like it.
“What impact has inflation had on our company? “Like all businesses, it has affected ours,” Davis remarked. The expectation remains that individuals will purchase food for their family if given the choice between eggs, food, and gifts. However, we are thankful that our doors are still open.
Possible routes to 270 electoral votes
The battleground states that Trump is aiming to reclaim include Arizona, Georgia, and Nevada, a state that he lost twice. If Biden can hold on to the “blue wall” of Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Michigan, and even if he loses all three, he still has a chance to win reelection with just one electoral vote in Nebraska.
The Democrats are pouring a lot of money into Georgia to make sure everything stays open. Last week, Vice President Kamala Harris dedicated one of over a dozen campaign offices that have opened throughout the state.
The group will “gather, organize, build community, and build a coalition” through the office located here, according to Harris. “When we stand together, we can accomplish great things.”
One of the biggest problems the Biden campaign is having is that their coalition is starting to fall apart.
“Young voters have a lot of homework to do,” Kerry Singleton Jr., a recent Morehouse College graduate, said. While many students have spoken out against the administration’s broken promises, he said, “As we hold Trump accountable, we have to hold Biden accountable” when speaking to AWN last year.
Singleton had a different opinion after listening to the president’s graduating speech at Morehouse College and giving the decision more thought in November.
“Our two candidates here are more important than our past disagreements,” Singleton stated. “Donald Trump, the former president, is completely out of the question in my opinion.”
The issue is not whether young voters share Singleton’s views but rather whether they are more diverse.
How involved Black voters in the state are in the race and if Biden or Trump can shake up a very staid campaign in the final five months leading up to Election Day are the two biggest questions hanging over the fight.
For his part, Singleton said, “Absolutely,” when asked if he was concerned about Trump succeeding. As a young Black man, I find the prospect of his election to be terrifying.