HINESVILLE — Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, kicked off a two-day swing on Wednesday through southeast Georgia that tests the limits of Democratic ambitions in the battleground state.
The Democratic ticket dropped in on a marching band practice in rural Liberty County, where they were regaled with the school’s fight song. They swung by a barbecue joint on the outskirts of Savannah. And they prepared for their first joint interview, a highly anticipated sit-down with CNN that will air Thursday.
Harris and Walz toured parts of the state that rarely see Democratic presidential contenders as part of a strategy to boost liberal turnout, appeal to independent voters and send a signal the campaign intends to compete in rural areas where former President Donald Trump thrives.
But the campaign’s itinerary, a closely-guarded secret, didn’t include any visits to deep-red areas where Harris hopes to cut GOP margins. Instead, it consisted of two stops in friendly territory separated by a roughly one-hour ride in a lengthy motorcade.
The first visit was to Liberty County, the only other county in southeast Georgia outside of Savannah’s Chatham County that Democrats won in 2020.
At Liberty County High School, Harris and Walz were greeted by a roar of applause from a room full of football players, cheerleaders, members of the marching band and several faculty members as they entered a cramped classroom.
Just as suddenly, the students quieted long enough to let the band play the school’s fight song. Walz, a former high school educator, spoke first. He was introduced not as Minnesota’s governor but as “Coach Walz,” a nod to his success as a high school football coach.
“Education is the key to the middle class. The pathway to the middle class,” he said, adding: “It’s not a cliché. This is truly about building the future. And you’re the future.”
Then came the vice president, who mentioned how she played musical instruments in school. Then she looked toward the football team, standing in the back of the classroom crowded with students, faculty and what seemed like 100 reporters.
“Sometimes you’re going to win the game. Sometimes you’re not. But you’re not going to let any circumstance knock you down or slow you down. You just keep going at it.”
An hour or so later, the Democrats swung by SandFly Bar-B-Q, a local hotspot known for its “Savannah-style” barbecue. They posed for pictures with patrons, include a group of educators who asked for a “teacher” picture with Walz.
Their outreach strategy is based off lessons learned from President Joe Biden’s slim victory in 2020, which made him the first Democrat to capture Georgia in nearly three decades. He won thanks to huge turnout in metro Atlanta and better-than-expected support from areas long neglected by Democratic presidential contenders.
“It is about time Democrats are coming to rural Georgia,” said Keith McCants, chairman of the Bryan County Democratic Committee. “I’ve been preaching this for the last 15 to 20 years.”
The two-day trip is the first joint campaign event in Georgia since Harris tapped Walz as her No. 2. It culminates with a solo rally on Thursday featuring Harris around 5 p.m. A few hours later, CNN is set to air the first interview with Harris and Walz.
Republicans greeted Harris’ arrival with a shrug. Trump and other Republican presidential candidates routinely travel to outside metro Atlanta when they campaign in Georgia, and GOP leaders said the Democratic focus on other parts of the state was overdue.
“Democrats in Georgia are finally learning an important lesson: there is more to Georgia than just Atlanta,” said Morgan Ackley of the Republican National Committee. “Republicans from Catoosa to Camden County and everywhere in between are fired up.”
Harris’ visit evoked memories of one of the last times a Democratic presidential candidate spent significant time outside metro Atlanta on the campaign trail.
That was in 1992, when Bill Clinton led a 10-bus motorcade from Columbus to Valdosta with stops in Albany, Tifton and tiny Parrot. Aides dubbed it “Bubbas for Bill.”
The Harris campaign assembled a massive fleet of vehicles, too, with dozens of staffers, journalists and political leaders stuffed into about 35 vans, buses and SUVs for the rolling tour of southeast Georgia.
“We don’t win Georgia without Savannah and coastal Georgia,” said Savannah Mayor Van Johnson, who lobbied for Harris to make her first post-convention stop in the city. “Not many of the 19,000 cities, towns and villages can say that.”
