13 days until vote
Wednesday marks 13 days until Americans vote in federal and state races on Nov. 8. All year, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has brought you the key moments in those races, and it will continue to cover the campaign's main events, examine the issues and analyze candidates' finance reports until the last ballot is counted. You can follow the developments on the AJC's politics page at http://www.myajc.com/s/news/georgia-politics/ and in the Political Insider blog at http://www.myajc.com/s/news/political-insider/. You can also track our coverage on Twitter at https://twitter.com/GAPoliticsNews or Facebook at https://facebook.com/gapoliticsnewsnow.
If Donald Trump can boost his support among women in Georgia by just a few points, he can lock up a must-win state. And on Wednesday the Republican sent one of his most influential supporters to metro Atlanta with hopes of doing just that.
Ivanka Trump and her sister, Tiffany, rallied support for their father in Marietta as polls show the Republican presidential nominee locked in a tight contest with Democrat Hillary Clinton. It’s the latest sign that Trump’s campaign is playing defense in Georgia, where a stark gender gap is making the race too close for comfort for Republicans.
“Get out there and continue to support us,” Ivanka Trump implored the crowd of more than 100 women, who cheered in response. “This election is in all of your hands, and we need to get out there and vote.”
Democrats staged their own day of events aimed at energizing female voters, including a meet-and-greet with state House Minority Leader Stacey Abrams at South DeKalb Mall to rev up support for Clinton on her birthday.
“Women across the state are celebrating Hillary’s birthday and the potential first woman president by taking action,” Abrams said shortly after shaking hands with voters. “The turnout in South DeKalb shows that women are in it to win.”
A mother and an entrepreneur, Ivanka Trump has emerged as her father's unofficial liaison to women, traveling across the nation pitching his child care policies and economic plan. But the gender gap exposed in an Atlanta Journal-Constitution poll conducted last week detailed the campaign's challenges in Georgia.
The poll, which had a margin of error of 4.26 percent, gave Donald Trump a lead of 44 percent to 42 percent in the state thanks to a hefty advantage among men. But the New York businessman trails among women 48 percent to 37 percent, and some voters say they're still haunted by his claims of groping women and a string of sexual assault accusations that he's denied. About 64 percent of women contacted for the poll have an unfavorable view of Trump, while 66 percent of men have a negative perception of Clinton.
Ivanka Trump continued trying to polish her father’s image with women at a meeting in Kennesaw with about a dozen female business owners. She pitched her father’s plan to allow parents to deduct the total cost of child care expenses from their income taxes and ensure six weeks of paid maternity leave to mothers who don’t already receive the benefit from their employer.
And she heard from several business owners who complained about rising health insurance rates under President Barack Obama’s health care overhaul.
“It’s one of my hot-button issues, and I am very happy to see your father advocating repealing and replacing it,” said Jo Anne Reed, who owns a public affairs firm.
Women at the Cobb County events were eager to trumpet their support for the GOP nominee. Many said the media have blown out of proportion Trump’s crude comments about women, and they cast him as a changed man who could shake up an ossified Washington.
“Look around. Do you think there’s a gender gap here?” Margaret Williamson, a Gilmer County volunteer for Trump, asked while pointing at the crowd. “This war on women stuff is nonsense. He’ll win Georgia. The only way he will do better with women is to pander to us. And I don’t want a candidate who will do that.”
Linda Lucas, a textile designer from Acworth, said the narrative that Trump struggles with women “annoys me to death.”
“I am very well educated, and this place is full of women like me. We are not stupid redneck mamas,” she said. “I understand the consequence of the vote. And I am just done with corruption. That’s why both sides are so afraid.”
Ivanka Trump is the latest in a string of high-profile Republicans who have come to Georgia to provide backup for the GOP nominee. Donald Trump Jr. hosted a pair of fundraisers in Georgia for his dad this month, and vice presidential nominee Mike Pence made a two-day unity trek through the state in August.
Clinton's camp also has sent several heavy hitters to Georgia in recent weeks to raise cash for her presidential bid. But while Clinton has ratcheted up her efforts in reliably conservative Arizona and poured money into other GOP-leaning states with close Senate races, her push has largely bypassed Georgia.
Still, Democrats are hoping to make Trump scrap for a win in Georgia in the final sprint before the election. Rebecca DeHart, the executive director of the Democratic Party of Georgia, cast Ivanka Trump’s appearance as hopeless “damage control” and tried to tie his agenda to Republican U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson, who is seeking a third term in November.
“The man has a well-documented record of bullying women, treating them as sexual objects, bragging about sexual assault, and pushing a draconian anti-woman agenda,” she said. “His actions are deplorable, and any GOP leader — including Senator Johnny Isakson — who supports and votes for this unfit man should be ashamed.”
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