Jill Biden will visit Atlanta and Columbus on Monday to celebrate the start of Georgia’s early-voting period, marking the first in-person trip to the state from either of the Bidens since Joe won the party’s nomination earlier this year.
Jill Biden’s visit comes amid a backdrop of ever-tightening polls that show a deadlocked race for president in Georgia. One of the latest, commissioned last week for Channel 2 Action News, showed Joe Biden with 47% and President Donald Trump with 45% - within the poll’s margin of error.
Trump has been on the defensive in Georgia, a state Republicans have captured in every presidential vote since 1996. The president visited the state in late September and Vice President Mike Pence was in the state last week to court religious conservatives. Three of his children, along with several Cabinet officials, also visited in September.
Both campaigns are intensifying their get-out-the-vote efforts ahead of the crucial three-week early-voting period, which will play an even more important role in the outcome of the race due to the still-raging pandemic.
An Atlanta Journal-Constitution poll in September showed that most Georgia voters plan to avoid casting a ballot on Election Day, instead opting for mail-in ballots and early voting. That includes poll about one-third of Democrats who plan to make their picks during the three weeks of early voting.
Turnout is expected to reach 5 million in Georgia, putting pressure on some busy polling sites that buckled under the strain during the state’s June primary, resulting in hours-long lines in some cases.
About the Author
