After a two-day bus tour through southeast Georgia alongside her running mate, Tim Walz, Kamala Harris arrived in Savannah to a lively crowd, urging supporters to stay focused and work hard to secure victory in November. Addressing approximately 9,500 attendees inside the Enmarket Arena, Harris reminded them that, despite being underdogs, Georgia is still winnable. "Don’t pay attention to polls – we are underdogs," Harris said. "We don’t mind hard work. Hard work is for workers."
The crowd braved hours of rain and a humid Savannah afternoon, eagerly awaiting Harris’s speech inside an arena typically used for minor league hockey games and concerts. Harris wasted no time diving into her campaign message, contrasting her vision for the country with that of her Republican opponent, Donald Trump. She criticized Trump’s approach as regressive and outlined her plans for affordable childcare, healthcare, paid family leave, and expanding Medicaid, emphasizing her commitment to an “opportunity economy.”
“Unlike Donald Trump, I will always put the middle class and working-class families first,” Harris said, drawing cheers from the crowd. Recent polls show Harris and Trump neck-and-neck in Georgia, a battleground state narrowly won by Joe Biden in 2020.
The Savannah rally marked Harris's first visit to the city since becoming the Democratic nominee, a significant moment as the city has not hosted a presidential candidate since 1990. Harris underscored the importance of Black voters, who played a crucial role in flipping Georgia blue in the 2020 election and electing Senators Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff.
As the Harris-Walz bus tour wound through southeast Georgia, a diverse mix of supporters and detractors lined the rural roads. Mark Lebos, a Savannah-based personal trainer who volunteered to drive in the campaign caravan, remarked on the uniqueness of the tour. “These aren’t roads that presidents typically drive down,” he said, highlighting the campaign's efforts to connect with often-overlooked communities.
Inside the arena, a DJ kept the energy high, leading the crowd in chants of Harris’s name. Supporters like Ann Curry and Nancy Oosterhoudt, drenched from the rain, expressed their excitement at seeing a female presidential candidate with a real shot at the White House. “It’s about saving democracy,” Curry said, while Oosterhoudt cited reproductive rights as a key issue motivating her support for Harris.
Harris received some of the loudest cheers when she spoke about protecting reproductive rights, condemning recent state-level actions as “Trump abortion bans.” She emphasized her stance that the government should not dictate women’s choices, a sentiment that resonated strongly with the largely female audience.
Despite the positive reception, not all attendees were in support of Harris. Twice, pro-Palestinian protesters interrupted her speech, only to be escorted away without incident. Harris used the disruptions to address the broader issue of democracy and the importance of allowing voices to be heard, even as she reaffirmed her commitment to seeking a ceasefire and resolving the conflict that has cost many lives.
As Harris continues to campaign in Georgia, her message of hope and forward-looking policies stands in stark contrast to Trump’s rhetoric, which she characterized as backward-looking. Harris’s supporters, confident in her potential to make history as the first female president, are determined to work tirelessly to make that possibility a reality.
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