Money isn’t the only thing coming in from out of state in the weeks leading up to the November 4th elections. More cavalry is on the way in the form visits from political heavy hitters, designed to draw out the vote and raise visibility for candidates as they sprint to the finish. Each of the candidates, (well, the Republican and Democratic ones anyway) is going to hit the road with some big time allies in the next two weeks, and each is certainly hopeful that their new friends are what pushes them over the edge to victory.
Governor Nathan Deal will host New Jersey Governor and 2016 Presidential hopeful Chris Christie this week, and if there’s one thing Christie is known for it’s drawing attention to himself. Christie is no stranger to the ethics drama like that which has swirled around the Georgia Governor, facing allegations that he shut down the heavily trafficked George Washington Bridge in an ill-informed attempt to get revenge on Fort Lee Mayor Mark Sokolich for not endorsing Christie in his gubernatorial bid. The story hurt Christie’s rising popularity, but he still figures to be one of the front-runners for the 2016 Republican nomination for President should he run. Will the portly New Jersey Governor make a stop at the Varsity with Deal like former Presidential nominee and Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney did while in Atlanta earlier this month? We wouldn’t be surprised.
Deal’s opponent, State Senator Jason Carter, has his own high-profile supporter in the form of his grandfather and 39th President of the United States, Jimmy Carter. After mostly staying out of the race over the past year, the elder Carter is jumping headfirst into the campaign over the next three weeks, attending campaign events and fundraisers across the state.
On the Senate side, David Perdue will welcome a pair of notable Senators to Georgia this month – Arizona’s John McCain and Kentucky’s Rand Paul. While the two couldn’t be more different ideologically, (at least, as far different as two members of the same party can be) each among the most recognizable members of the Senate and will attract much attention to a Perdue campaign that seems to have lost some of its momentum in recent weeks. Paul, like Christie, is eyeing a 2016 Presidential bid, and he surely would like to help get his new friend Perdue elected in time to support him in that future endeavor. McCain on the other hand is well known for his background as a war hero, and he helped reach out to Georgia’s sizable veteran population yesterday during his visit to the Peach State.
Michelle Nunn has already hosted former President Bill Clinton and First Lady Michelle Obama in the past month, and as if that wasn’t enough she will welcome former First Lady and presumed 2016 Presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton sometime before the November 4th election. Clinton, following the two Democratic heavyweights who have already crossed through the state, will hope to rally Democrats in a race that has been steadily tightening. Her own famous father, former U.S. Senator Sam Nunn, has also gotten involved with the campaign.
These endorsements and campaign stops don’t do much to swing the sliver of undecided voters who are still out there, rather they are designed to rally the party base, who is vital in grassroots and get-out-the-vote efforts over the final few weeks of the campaigns. When the polls are showing extremely tight races, last minute pushes to get people to the polls could make all the difference on November 4th.
