Former President Donald Trump and U.S. Sen. JD Vance, his running mate, will headline a joint rally in Atlanta on Saturday at the same venue of Vice President Kamala Harris’ first event in Georgia since becoming the presumptive Democratic nominee for the White House.

Trump’s evening rally Saturday at the Georgia State University’s Convocation Center in downtown Atlanta will offer a visceral contrast of how the two campaigns are competing for Georgia, one of the most heated political battlegrounds on the 2024 map.

President Joe Biden’s decision just over a week ago to withdraw from the race has upended the political landscape in Georgia, giving despondent Democrats new hope of recapturing the state — and triggering promises from Republicans to compete with renewed vigor.

Trump’s campaign said his rally will focus on the economy and immigration, and it invoked the killing of Laken Riley, the 22-year-old nursing student who was slain while jogging on the campus of the University of Georgia. A 26-year-old who police say entered the U.S. illegally from Venezuela has pleaded not guilty to murder charges in Riley’s death.

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Charlie Kirk, co-founder of Turning Point USA, speaks during Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump’s rally at Gas South Arena in Duluth on Wednesday, October 23, 2024. (Arvin Temkar/AJC 2024)

Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com

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In this file photo from October 2024, Atlanta Braves outfielder Jorge Soler and teammates react after losing to the San Diego Padres 5-4 in San Diego. The Braves and Soler, who now plays for the Los Angeles Angels, face a lawsuit by a fan injured at a 2021 World Series game at Truist Park in Atlanta. (Jason Getz/AJC)

Credit: Jason.Getz@ajc.com