Bernie Sanders, the Vermont senator and insurgent Democratic presidential candidate, makes his first Georgia visit of the campaign on Friday for an Atlanta fundraiser.
The 6 p.m. event at 200 Peachtree will cost you a minimum of just $50 to attend and, unlike most candidates, Sanders opens his fundraisers to the press.
Sanders relies heavily on small-dollar donations, boasting that he has no Super PAC in his corner and his 400,000 donations as of June 30 were an average of $33. Much of his stump speech is devoted to attacking big money in politics.
News of the Sanders visit comes a day after Hillary Clinton canceled a Sept. 17 campaign appearance. Vice President Joe Biden, who is considering a run, spoke at an Atlanta synagogue on Thursday.
The man who ran as a socialist when he was mayor of Burlington, Vt., has mounted a spirited challenge to Clinton's left, surging in New Hampshire and Iowa polls. But he has a more difficult challenge in the South, particularly as he tries to break through among black voters.
The New York Times reports today that Clinton is hoping to take advantage, seeing the South as crucial to her chances:
In interviews, advisers said the campaign was increasingly devoting staff members and money to win the South Carolina primary on Feb. 27 while laying the groundwork to sweep Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia on March 1. Those Super Tuesday states are highlighted in red on maps in the offices of Mrs. Clinton's senior aides in Brooklyn.
The eight primaries will deliver several hundred delegates for Mrs. Clinton, advisers believe, toward the goal of more than 2,200 needed to clinch the Democratic nomination. The campaign is barraging superdelegates in the South with requests for support — sometimes even jumping the gun by sending pledge forms prematurely — in hopes of adding scores of these party leaders who can bring their votes to the Clinton column at the Democratic National Convention.
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