Georgia GOP Chair David Shafer mocked Biden and other Democrats who have “fallen into control of the angriest people in America.” And Gov. Brian Kemp suggested that Biden might have gotten lost.

“Maybe he wants some good BBQ and Southern hospitality, or maybe he needed to get out of his basement and taste some freedom,” Kemp said. “But if Biden is down in Georgia looking for electoral votes, he’s come to the wrong place.”

The rally, scheduled late Monday, drew a dozen or so reporters and an enthusiastic crowd. Among them was Esther Morales, who said Biden wasn’t welcome in Warm Springs, which is best known as a former private retreat for President Franklin Roosevelt.

“Biden is trying to get a picture of himself at the Little White House because he’ll never get to live in the big White House,” she said.

Credit: EPA

Credit: EPA

Calling on Clayton

U.S. Senate candidates Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock zeroed in on the state’s most heavily Democratic territory with a stop Tuesday at the Slutty Vegan restaurant in Jonesboro shortly before Joe Biden’s visit.

Joined by rapper and activist Common, the two Democrats implored the crowd of likely voters to rally voters in Clayton County, one of the party’s most important strongholds.

“We have seven days to change the world — and the world is watching,” said Ossoff, who is running against U.S. Sen. David Perdue.

The county south of Atlanta will play an important role in Biden’s efforts to win in Georgia. Hillary Clinton captured 84% of the vote in Clayton in 2016, and Stacey Abrams won nearly 88% there two years later.

Early-voting statistics show about one-third of the county’s active registered voters have cast their ballots so far — a rate that lags behind other denselypopulated metro Atlanta counties crucial to Democratic efforts.

“We’ve got a few days to finish, and Clayton County is key,” said Warnock, who is challenging U.S. Sen. Kelly Loeffler. “You’ve been showing up, but we’ve got an opportunity for growth. You have the ability to help swing this election. The reason that the other side is engaging in voter suppression is because they see your power.”

Spotted in the crowd was a group of Warnock’s Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity brothers. The Clayton County chapter of the national organization has canvassed the county for months, and the group headed to another rally shortly after picking up food.

“We are going to encourage everybody in Clayton County that we need to get out and vote,” said Donald Bullock, the chapter’s chaplain.

A pre-Biden party

Supporters began gathering at the Lakewood Amphitheater parking lot in Atlanta long before Joe Biden’s arrival.

State elected officials congregated outside their cars as vehicles lined up for the drive-in rally, which drew about 300 cars.

A handful of President Donald Trump’s supporters gathered across the street from the event, waving signs and chanting “four more years” as Biden backers sat in traffic along Pryor Road.

“We want to say to America: Welcome to battleground Georgia,” U.S. Senate candidate Raphael Warnock said. “This is not a battleground state, this is the battleground state. This is a defining moment in the history of our country.”

The pre-party was capped off with performances from rapper Common and a surprise mini-set from Offset of the Migos.

“This is awesome,” someone in the crowd said. “None of us have been to a concert in ages.”

Biden switched up his campaign soundtrack in honor of Atlanta. Instead of walking on stage to the Staple Singers' “We the People” and walking off to Bruce Springsteen’s “We Take Care of Our Own,” he finished with “Hey Ya!” from Atlanta’s own Andre 3000 of OutKast.