Former President Donald Trump’s running mate, U.S. Sen. JD Vance, will speak this month at the Georgia Faith & Freedom Coalition’s annual dinner in an appearance that will mark a significant moment on Georgia’s campaign trail.
The Sept. 16 gala at the Cobb Galleria Centre will also be the first time Gov. Brian Kemp and Vance will attend the same event in Georgia this campaign season as Republicans work to unite behind Trump in one of the few battleground states that will shape the outcome of the November race.
Vance helped broker a truce between Kemp and Trump after the former president abruptly berated the governor at a rally in Atlanta in August, leaving many Kemp allies confused and irritated by the surprise attack.
Trump has since declared all was forgiven, and Kemp, who has long maintained his support for the GOP nominee, has worked to move beyond what he has called the “distraction” of the one-sided feud.
Vance and Kemp will headline a loaded lineup for the influential organization, which said it will mount the largest voter outreach initiative “targeting voters of faith and conservatives in Georgia history.”
Other speakers include U.S. Sen. Katie Britt of Alabama, Georgia U.S. Reps. Mike Collins and Barry Loudermilk, state Attorney General Chris Carr and former U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, a onetime Democrat who is now an honorary co-chair for Trump’s transition team.
It will be Vance’s third campaign stop in Georgia since Trump tapped him as his running mate. The Ohio senator stumped at the August rally with Trump in Atlanta and traveled to Valdosta a few weeks later to rev up conservative voters in a deep-red part of the state.
Trump supporters hope Vance can motivate evangelical voters who sometimes skip presidential elections to show up for the GOP ticket.
Ralph Reed, a close ally of Trump’s who founded the Faith & Freedom Coalition, said Vance “knows how to fight for his beliefs and speak common sense and the truth without apology.”
And Mack Parnell, head of the coalition’s Georgia chapter, highlighted Vance’s conservative stances on immigration, abortion and taxes as he said Trump has “no better partner” in his campaign for the White House.
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