Donald Trump will host a pre-election rally for Brian Kemp in Macon on Sunday afternoon, becoming the second president to confirm plans to travel to Georgia ahead of next week's high-profile gubernatorial vote.
Trump's reelection campaign confirmed Monday that the president will rally with Kemp at Macon's Middle Georgia Regional Airport at 4 p.m. on Nov. 4. Details of the event can be found here.
It’s one of two campaign stops Trump has scheduled that Sunday. He also plans to headline an event in Chattanooga, Tenn., later in the day, the White House said, one of 11 rallies he has planned between now and Election Day.
Trump isn't the only president who is planning to visit Georgia in the days ahead. Former President Barack Obama will be in Atlanta on Friday to campaign for gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams and a slew of other Democratic candidates, the Abrams campaign announced Monday.
Vice President Mike Pence will also be in Georgia this week, headlining a trio of rallies with Kemp near Dalton, Augusta and Savannah on Thursday.
The Trump rally could give Kemp a major boost as the campaign looks to rev up its base ahead of Election Day. Trump’s unexpected endorsement of Kemp ahead of the July GOP runoff helped accelerate the secretary of state’s victory over Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle, and the president carried the rural areas surrounding Macon by massive margins in 2016.
While both Kemp and Abrams were initially resistant about making the race for governor about national politicians, both campaigns have changed course in recent weeks as they've sought to motivate their core supporters rather than chasing the few remaining undecided voters.
“This is a base turnout election,” Kemp said of Trump’s pending visit. “And he’s definitely someone the base is excited about, including me.”
Trump’s visit comes the same day as a previously-scheduled televised debate between Kemp, Abrams and Libertarian Ted Metz. It was not immediately whether Kemp still plans to attend the 5 p.m. matchup, which is being hosted by Channel 2 Action News.
Staff writer Greg Bluestein and Cox Washington’s Jamie Dupree contributed to this article.
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