Vice President Kamala Harris drew her largest crowd yet as her party’s nominee during a boisterous rally in Atlanta where she contrasted her prosecutorial background with Donald Trump’s criminal record, quoted a hip-hop star and vowed to recapture Georgia.
The event put her nascent campaign’s surge of enthusiasm on display, as thousands packed a downtown arena for an only-in-Atlanta mix of fiery political stump speeches and a high-energy hip-hop performance.
It was the biggest Democratic rally of the campaign cycle to date, according to Harris campaign officials, drawing thousands of supporters from metro Atlanta and beyond who cheered Megan Thee Stallion and Quavo.
The crowd roared in approval as Harris promised the “path to the White House runs right through this state” and outlined her past roles as a San Francisco district attorney and top law enforcement official for California.
”In these roles, I took on perpetrators of all kinds,” she said, nodding to Trump’s felony conviction on New York charges involving hush money payments to a porn star. “So hear me when I say I know Donald Trump’s type.”
She also worked to blunt GOP attacks on her immigration stance, most recently in a campaign ad launched in Georgia on Tuesday that blames her for millions of border crossings and thousands of fentanyl-related deaths that happened on “Harris’ watch.”
”Donald Trump doesn’t care about border security. He only cares about himself,” said Harris, who pledged to revive a bipartisan border security bill that Senate Republicans blocked at Trump’s urging.
“When I am president, I will work to actually solve the problem,” she said.
Her address capped a campaign rally that put Harris’ stamp squarely on her run for president in a way that split dramatically from President Joe Biden’s style.
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
Megan Thee Stallion praised the “first Black female president” during a set at Georgia State University’s Convocation Center, while Quavo mentioned the shooting death of his Migos bandmate Takeoff as he reinforced his support for Harris’ gun control policy.
Later, Harris quoted a Quavo lyric to bash Trump before the approving crowd: “He does not walk it like he talks it.”
The thunderous reception — and the Harris-inspired lineup of speakers — underscored the changed political dynamic in Georgia since Biden quit his reelection bid. His withdrawal gave despondent Democrats new hope of recapturing the state, a hope underlined by recent polls showing a tightening race.
The changed dynamic triggered promises from Republicans to compete with renewed vigor.
Just as Harris was preparing to arrive, former President Donald Trump’s campaign announced he will hold a joint rally with U.S. Sen. JD Vance, his running mate, at the same Atlanta venue on Saturday.
During Harris’ visit, which included a stop at the iconic Paschal’s Restaurant, the vice president was surrounded by vivid reminders of the party’s successes and challenges in Georgia, where Democrats ended a drought of nearly three decades in 2020 when Biden narrowly captured the state.
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
Harris was joined by U.S. Sens. Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock, whose triumphs in 2021 and 2022 helped Democrats flip and maintain control of the Senate. Both have pledged to use their political networks to help her carry the state again.
Another in the entourage was Stacey Abrams, the Democratic gubernatorial nominee the past two midterm cycles, who fueled a wave of enthusiasm behind her quest for Georgia’s top job but twice failed to turn that energy into electoral victories.
And then there was former Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan, a Republican who represents a tantalizing prospect for Trump’s foes moving forward. Determined to beat the former president, Duncan said he’s swallowing his concerns about Harris’ agenda to endorse her.
Abrams and the other Democrats were greeted with rapturous applause from a crowd packed with young voters. Plenty have “discounted and dismissed” the state, Abrams said, while voters here dreamed of a better future.
”We’re not going back because we dream bigger — and we dream better,” she said.
Ossoff and Warnock took the stage in tandem to pro-Harris chants. Ossoff mocked Trump for not committing to a debate against Harris, recalling his own bizarre Atlanta Press Club showdown against an empty podium when then-U.S. Sen. David Perdue refused to participate.
”Let me tell you,” Ossoff said with a smile, “a candidate dodging a debate is a candidate who is losing.”
It’s a theme Harris echoed in her own remarks: “Donald, I do hope you’ll reconsider, to meet me on the debate stage,” Harris said. “Because as the saying goes, if you got something to say, say it to my face.”
Warnock reminded the crowd how Trump pressured Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to “find” exactly enough votes to overturn Biden’s victory in 2020.
”I want you to think about that. Georgia, Donald Trump tried to steal your vote. Kamala Harris is trying to earn your vote.”
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
He also laid out a vision of a Harris administration that built upon Biden’s agenda. He singled out federal voting rights protections, support for abortion rights and expanded health care access.
”Georgia, you saved the nation one time,” he said to rising applause. “And I’ve got a feeling Georgia is going to save the nation another time.”
National Republicans mocked Harris’ appearance as a grab for attention. Republican National Committee Chair Michael Whatley called it “nothing but a performance” to distract from the White House’s immigration policy.
”A vote for dangerously pro-criminal Kamala is a vote for another four years of soft-on-crime and open-border policies that are making our communities around the country less safe,” he said.
Closer to home, Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr took aim at Harris in a different way. “She is a San Francisco leftist who was put in charge of two things: concealing President Biden’s health issues and fixing the border,” Carr said. “The results of both have been disastrous for America.”
And a few dozen protesters gathered outside the arena, including a group from Cherokee County that chanted “Georgia! Red! USA!” as attendees entered the venue.
The GOP attacks did little to blunt enthusiasm. Lines stretched for blocks hours before Harris arrived. The RSVP list swelled up even before the hip-hop stars announced their plans to perform.
Stacey Livingston from Coweta County was among a group of Harris supporters who held up a banner outside the arena that stated: “Herstory in the making. I drove all the way up here to let everybody know: we won’t go back.
Staff writers Riley Bunch and Vanessa McCray contributed to this article.
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
