President Donald Trump and former Pres. Barack Obama will be in Georgia this weekend
With massive early voting numbers and polls that have consistently been within the margin of error, the battle between Brian Kemp and Stacey Abrams has drawn the eye of political prognosticators the country over. We may or may not see a blue wave sweep over Georgia next Tuesday, but one thing is for sure – the Peach State has become one of the most hotly contested battleground states in the country in 2018.
Need proof? Look no further than the pair of U.S. Presidents coming to town this weekend – Barack Obama at Morehouse College on Friday, followed by Donald Trump in Macon on Sunday. Those two men are among the greatest grassroots campaigners in recent memory, and both have been summoned to give their parties’ get out the vote efforts one last big push that will be needed to secure victory on Tuesday.
The GOP has spared no expense in trying to make sure Georgia remains red, with multiple members of the Trump administration (and family) heading to down ahead of the midterm elections. Vice President Mike Pence will also be in the state this week, joining Kemp on the campaign trail at events spanning the state from Dalton to Savannah. Kemp is currently on a bus tour with popular Governor Nathan Deal, as well as Lara Trump, the wife of Donald Trump’s son Eric.
Obama may lack the family tree of Trump, but his presence alone causes ripples across a race that will need to see sky-high African American turnout if Abrams hopes to become the first Democrat in the governor’s mansion since Roy Barnes in 2003. Obama famously rallied the black vote to unforeseen numbers in 2008 when he defeated the late Sen. John McCain, numbers that the Dems have had trouble matching since the former Illinois senator left office.
Some 4.4 million black voters who voted in 2012 stayed home in 2016, contributing to Trump’s surprise win over Hillary Clinton.
As IAG CEO Phil Kent pointed out earlier this week, Abrams likely needs to bump up black turnout up to 32 percent to have a chance to win outright. Per georgiavotes.com, that number currently sits at 30 percent, so a major election day push would be needed to get over that hump. Most pundits think it unlikely that Abrams could rally her base a second time to win a runoff, a possibility which looms as very possible should Libertarian Ted Metz suck up 1-2 percent of the vote on Tuesday.
Obama had previously endorsed a handful of Georgia Democrats running in the midterms, including Lucy McBath and Carolyn Bourdeaux in metro Atlanta’s 6th and 7th congressional districts, as well as state House candidates Matthew Wilson, running against Rep. Meagan Hanson in HD 80, and Shelly Hutchison, who faces Janet Mihoci in a race to replace the retiring Rep. David Casas. Both of those districts voted for Hillary Clinton in 2016 and have been targeted by the Dems as flippable seats.
To attend the Trump rally in Macon this Sunday at 4PM at the Middle Georgia Regional Airport at 100 East Dr., you must register HERE
Tickets for the Friday Morehouse event featuring Obama will be made available on a first-come, first-served basis on Wednesday from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. at these locations:
Albany Campaign Office – 141 W Broad Avenue, Albany, GA 31701
The Gathering Spot – 384 Northyards Blvd NW, Building 100, Atlanta, GA 30313
Zucot Gallery – 100 Centennial Olympic PK DR SW, Atlanta, GA 30313
Augusta Campaign Office – 601 Broad Street, Augusta, GA 30901
Cobb Campaign Office – 591 Cherokee Street, Marietta, GA 30060
Columbus Campaign Office – 1828 Midtown Drive, Columbus, GA 31906
Dekalb Campaign Office – 4185 Snapfinger Woods Drive, Decatur, GA 30035
Gwinnett Campaign Office – 2100 Pleasant Hill Road, Suite 243, Duluth, GA 30096
East Point Campaign Office – 2605 Ben Hill Road, East Point, GA 30344
Macon Campaign Office – 1343 Georgia Avenue, Macon, GA 31201
Savannah Campaign Office – 713 E 65th Street, Savannah, GA 31305
(Note: There is a two-ticket limit per person)
