47 days until vote
Thursday marks 47 days until Americans vote in federal and state races on Nov. 8. All year, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has brought you the key moments in those races, and it will continue to cover the campaign's main events, examine the issues and analyze candidates' finance reports until the last ballot is counted. You can follow the developments on the AJC's politics page at http://www.myajc.com/s/news/georgia-politics/ and in the Political Insider blog at http://www.myajc.com/s/news/political-insider/. You can also track our coverage on Twitter at https://twitter.com/GAPoliticsNews or Facebook at https://facebook.com/gapoliticsnewsnow.
The wife of Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Kaine on Wednesday urged Georgia Democrats to help Hillary Clinton make history.
Anne Holton, the former Virginia secretary of education, said this election presents a chance to make history twice: electing the first woman as commander in chief and turning Georgia blue.
Kaine, who is a Virginia U.S. senator, has always said the race against Republican Donald Trump would be close, Holton said.
“When the polls go up and the polls go down, he’s said all along it’s going to be a close race.” Holton told a group of about 100 women gathered at Amelie’s French Bakery in downtown Atlanta for a phone-banking event. “But we’re gonna win it. And let’s win it with Georgia in the plus column. If you all deliver Georgia, we will deliver the nation.”
A Clinton win would mean a woman would be in the White House in 2019 for the 100th anniversary of the passage of the 19th Amendment, granting women the right to vote.
Besides, “it is gravely overdue in this country” that a woman occupy the Oval Office, Holton said.
“We have way too few women in elected office,” she said, adding that the United States ranks 75th among all nations in the number of women elected to a national legislature, behind even Afghanistan and Iraq.
Brandi Wyche, a marketing manager in Atlanta, is one of Clinton’s key volunteers in the area. Wyche said her choice of Clinton was easy.
“It’s about the policy,” Wyche said. “Her policies are strong, her temperament and character — she oozes leadership.”
Earlier in the day, Holton revved up about 30 college students at Clinton’s campaign office near downtown Atlanta.
She told a story about how Clinton approached her campaign’s bus driver after seeing the woman speak to her children over the phone. For the next few minutes, Clinton and the driver chatted about family and faith. Holton said it left an indelible mark.
“She’s a listener. She’s a doer,” Holton said. “And she wants for everybody’s children what she had for hers.”
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