Kamala Harris drew her largest crowd yet at her Atlanta rally
Vice President Kamala Harris drew her largest crowd yet as her party’s nominee during a boisterous rally in Atlanta where she contrasted her prosecutorial background with Donald Trump’s criminal record, quoted a hip-hop star and vowed to recapture Georgia.
The event put her nascent campaign’s surge of enthusiasm on display, as thousands packed a downtown arena for an only-in-Atlanta mix of fiery political stump speeches and a high-energy hip-hop performance.
It was the biggest Democratic rally of the campaign cycle to date, according to Harris campaign officials, drawing thousands of supporters from metro Atlanta and beyond who cheered Megan Thee Stallion and Quavo.
The crowd roared in approval as Harris promised the “path to the White House runs right through this state” and outlined her past roles as a San Francisco district attorney and top law enforcement official for California.
”In these roles, I took on perpetrators of all kinds,” she said, nodding to Trump’s felony conviction on New York charges involving hush money payments to a porn star. “So hear me when I say I know Donald Trump’s type.”
She also worked to blunt GOP attacks on her immigration stance, most recently in a campaign ad launched in Georgia on Tuesday that blames her for millions of border crossings and thousands of fentanyl-related deaths that happened on “Harris’ watch.”
”Donald Trump doesn’t care about border security. He only cares about himself,” said Harris, who pledged to revive a bipartisan border security bill that Senate Republicans blocked at Trump’s urging.
“When I am president, I will work to actually solve the problem,” she said.
Her address capped a campaign rally that put Harris’ stamp squarely on her run for president in a way that split dramatically from President Joe Biden’s style.
Megan Thee Stallion praised the “first Black female president” during a set at Georgia State University’s Convocation Center, while Quavo mentioned the shooting death of his Migos bandmate Takeoff as he reinforced his support for Harris’ gun control policy.
Later, Harris quoted a Quavo lyric to bash Trump before the approving crowd: “He does not walk it like he talks it.”
The thunderous reception — and the Harris-inspired lineup of speakers — underscored the changed political dynamic in Georgia since Biden quit his reelection bid. His withdrawal gave despondent Democrats new hope of recapturing the state, a hope underlined by recent polls showing a tightening race.
The changed dynamic triggered promises from Republicans to compete with renewed vigor.
Just as Harris was preparing to arrive, former President Donald Trump’s campaign announced he will hold a joint rally with U.S. Sen. JD Vance, his running mate, at the same Atlanta venue on Saturday.
During Harris’ visit, which included a stop at the iconic Paschal’s Restaurant, the vice president was surrounded by vivid reminders of the party’s successes and challenges in Georgia, where Democrats ended a drought of nearly three decades in 2020 when Biden narrowly captured the state.
Harris was joined by U.S. Sens. Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock, whose triumphs in 2021 and 2022 helped Democrats flip and maintain control of the Senate. Both have pledged to use their political networks to help her carry the state again.
Another in the entourage was Stacey Abrams, the Democratic gubernatorial nominee the past two midterm cycles, who fueled a wave of enthusiasm behind her quest for Georgia’s top job but twice failed to turn that energy into electoral victories.
And then there was former Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan, a Republican who represents a tantalizing prospect for Trump’s foes moving forward. Determined to beat the former president, Duncan said he’s swallowing his concerns about Harris’ agenda to endorse her.
Abrams and the other Democrats were greeted with rapturous applause from a crowd packed with young voters. Plenty have “discounted and dismissed” the state, Abrams said, while voters here dreamed of a better future.
”We’re not going back because we dream bigger — and we dream better,” she said.
Ossoff and Warnock took the stage in tandem to pro-Harris chants. Ossoff mocked Trump for not committing to a debate against Harris, recalling his own bizarre Atlanta Press Club showdown against an empty podium when then-U.S. Sen. David Perdue refused to participate.
”Let me tell you,” Ossoff said with a smile, “a candidate dodging a debate is a candidate who is losing.”