Early voting in Georgia is underway as Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump kick their campaigns into higher gear to try to drive up turnout across the state.
More than 1 million Georgians have already cast ballots, shattering in-person early voting records for the first week of voting. And both candidates are targeting vote-rich metro Atlanta with campaign events throughout the week.
Harris held a rally in Atlanta Saturday and will participate in a “souls to the polls” event at New Birth Missionary Baptist Church on Sunday. She’ll be back in Georgia on Thursday with former President Barack Obama for their first joint appearance on the campaign trail.
Trump, too, has stepped up his focus on metro Atlanta voters. He held a rally at the Cobb Energy Center last week and is set to headline another campaign event Wednesday in Gwinnett County.
Both campaigns will be busy all weekend encouraging their supporters to get out and vote.
The rally is over. Harris will remain in Atlanta so she can participate in a "Souls to the Polls" event to encourage voting this Sunday, which is one of the designated Sundays early voting is allowed.
Vice President Kamala Harris invoked the name of a Georgia woman who died from abortion complications in the weeks after the state's law restricting the procedure in 2022.
Nonprofit news organization ProPublica reported that the death of Amber Thurman was preventable, something her family learned while the article was being reported. After playing an ad Thurman's family filmed for the Harris campaign, the vice president recognized Thurman's parents, who were in the crowd.
Her mother, Shanette Williams, held up Thurman's obituary. "Speak her name, Amber Nicole Thurman," Harris said, leading a chant of Thurman's name for the crowd of about 11,000. "Amber's family, including her parents, Shanette and Andre, are here with us tonight. I thank them both for their courage and their strength."
Days after he turned 100, former President Jimmy Carter cast a ballot for Vice President Kamala Harris. She urged voters in Atlanta on Saturday to use him as a model to follow suit.“If Jimmy Carter can vote early, you can too.”
Campaign officials say an estimated 11,000 people are attending Vice President Kamala Harris' rally at Lakewood Amphitheater, making it her largest event in Georgia this cycle.
Vice President Kamala Harris touted the more than 100 Republican officials who backed her campaign for the White House.
"It's time to turn the page. America is ready to chart a new way forward. We are ready for a new and optimistic generation of leadership. Which is why Democrats, Republicans and independents are supporting our campaign."
Vice President Kamala Harris opened her rally with a dose of confidence:
"We have 17 days left in one of the most consequential elections of our lifetime. And look, let’s have some real talk. It’s going to be a tight race until the very end. And we are the underdog. We are running as the underdog. But make no mistake: We will win.”
U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff called on attendees to throw their support behind the Democratic nominee, reminding voters of his win in 2021 alongside Senator Raphael Warnock. They said there was no way, but Georgia made a way,” he said. “The nation turns its eyes on us to see what difference we will make with future generations counting on us in a pivotal moment in American history.”Ossoff called Trump unfit for the presidency, pointing to his “despicable schemes to hold on to power.”“It’s up to us to turn the page on Donald Trump once and for all,” he said. “America’s future will be won here in Georgia.”
Vice President Kamala Harris has long courted celebrities to energize voters. On Saturday, she turned to one of the music world’s biggest stars to pump up voters.
Usher took the stage to ear-splitting applause as he urged Democrats to mobilize behind Harris.
“I’m counting on you – we can make a difference in this election,” said Usher, who is in the middle of a sold-out three-date tour in Atlanta.
“I’m supporting Vice President Harris because she fights for everyone’s rights. For freedom,” said Usher, who attended North Springs High School in Sandy Springs.
“It doesn’t matter where you’re from, she has a vision that supports everyone.”
U.S. Rep. Nikema Williams told the crowd that Georgia should "turn the page on Donald Trump's division and chaos for good" and remind the world that "the South's got something to say."
She encouraged attendees to find their nearest early voting location and bring three friends along because "friends don't let friends sit out elections." "We did it in 2020 and we're going to do it again in 17 days."
U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff made a direct appeal to swing voters at Vice President Kamala Harris' rally in Atlanta by bringing up GOP criticism of former President Donald Trump.
"You should hear what Republican senators say about Donald Trump when the microphones are off. There are a lot of elected Republicans who know the man is unfit for the presidency."
Still, he said, these elected Republicans "will not restrain" Trump out of cowardice. That means it's up to bipartisan voters to band together to defeat him, he said.
"In Georgia, we believe in loyalty to the Constitution -- not to a strong man," he said, adding: "This is deeper than Democrats versus Republicans. It's about the character of our nation."
He reserved even harsher words from Trump, who he said had a "despicable" record of trying to reverse his election defeat.
"I'm talking about his abuse of power and his despicable schemes to hold on to power by hook or by crook, even when the voters rejected him. Because In Georgia, after all that's been sacrificed by heroes like John Lewis, we will defend our voting rights against those who would trample them.