Vice President Harris to Address Influential Black Group in Atlanta

Vice President Kamala Harris is expected to speak with an influential black organization in Atlanta on Friday, the first of two visits in a week to Georgia aimed at building support in one of the party’s most loyal constituencies. She will speak at the annual 100 Black Men of America conference at the Hyatt Regency.

Harris then plans to return to town on Tuesday, this time to speak at hip-hop star Quavo’s conference on combating gun violence.

The series of stops in Atlanta underscore the campaign’s concerns that former President Donald Trump is gaining ground among black men, with recent polls showing black voters’ support for Democrats beginning to drift.

President Joe Biden’s hopes of keeping Georgia in the Democratic column four years after his narrow victory in the state rest on strong turnout among black Georgians, the pillar of a coalition that also includes white liberals, suburban voters and disillusioned Republicans.

Even a small group of Black Georgians staying home could upend the fragile electoral alliance that helped Biden win the state by fewer than 12,000 votes.

While top Democrats in Georgia say there is little chance of an exodus of black voters to Trump, they are more concerned that Biden’s campaign will not inspire the same rush to the polls that it did. did when he flipped the state in 2020.

Simply put, many of the president’s allies don’t see that this is a Biden or Trump issue among black men, who have long been among the most loyal Democratic voters. This is more of a battle between Biden or the couch.

The frequent stops in Georgia also remind Democrats in Georgia and elsewhere that the Biden campaign still considers the state competitive, despite polls showing Trump with a single-digit lead in the state.

“His continued presence in the state underscores how competitive Georgia is,” said Charles Bullock, a political scientist at the University of Georgia. “We are considered to be very involved,” he added. “It’s clear that Democratic leaders have not sidelined us.”

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