Biden’s presidential motorcade passes through a small Atlanta neighborhood in front of a sparse crowd

President Joe Biden’s motorcade rolled through deep blue Atlanta this weekend without much fanfare, leading many to question the enthusiasm for his 2024 campaign.

In 2020, the president became the first Democrat to win a presidential election in Georgia in 30 years. The party also won both Senate seats in the southern state.

But the state’s landscape has changed significantly over the past four years, with recent polls suggesting former President Donald Trump is leading in the Peach State.

On Saturday, video showed his motorcade passing through Atlanta’s Buckhead neighborhood with only about a dozen people on the streets to greet or catch a glimpse of him.

As the conservative account RNC Research puts it: “If a presidential motorcade passes through town but absolutely no one cares, did it really pass through town? »

The president was in town this weekend to deliver the commencement address at Morehouse College, a historically black institution.

Biden has lost some support among Black, people of color and younger voters in Georgia, according to a new analysis from The New York Times.

Those groups were instrumental in his 2020 victory, which he narrowly won by about 12,000 votes, portending a much tougher battle in the state heading into the November election.

Georgia’s population has grown and diversified in recent years.

In 2020, that, along with years of voter registration efforts and mobilization with historically disenfranchised groups, helped Democrats make progress in expanding the suburbs of cities like Atlanta.

Momentum was also provided by protests for racial justice following the killing of George Floyd, which gained popularity in Atlanta.

The government’s response to the coronavirus pandemic as well as glaring inequality in access to health care have also given Democrats ample opportunities to win over voters.

However, Trump and his team attempted to overturn the defeat in Georgia, leading to criminal charges being filed against them.

Trump is now gaining support due to backlash over the lawsuits against him, the New York Times reports.

These cases “attempt to criminalize political disagreements,” Joshua McKoon, chairman of the Republican Party of Georgia, said Friday.

Democrats also fear that voter turnout won’t match what it was in 2020 without the motivating factors of protests and the pandemic.

“I think people understand the importance of elections, but there is some fatigue,” Sam Park, a Georgia Democrat, told the Times.

Local Democratic activists are also concerned that some sectors of voters who supported Biden in 2020 have since become disillusioned, according to the publication.

Those on the ground report that there is significant anger over Biden’s failure to get tougher on Israel over its actions in Gaza, as well as the party’s failure to address issues such as the rising cost of housing and student debt.

Others say the real problem is not that Democrats are failing to address the issues voters care about, but rather their inability to effectively communicate their accomplishments.

They say low levels of unemployment in the Black community, large amounts of federal funds sent to the state for pandemic relief and infrastructure, and government efforts to forgive student loans are all notable successes. .

“These things should not be kept secret,” Bishop Reginald T. Jackson, presiding prelate of the African Methodist Episcopal Church of Georgia, told the Times.

Democrats are aware of the need to craft a narrative in this swing state and are set to launch a $14 million ad campaign in the state later this month.

“I’m not saying it’s easy,” Quentin Fulks, Biden’s deputy campaign manager, also from Georgia, told the Times.

Adding: “But I think we have a formula conducive to accepting this message.”