College football campaigning offers risks and rewards in the presidential race

The presidential campaign is headed to the football field this weekend.

Former President Donald Trump is set to hold court at the Georgia-Alabama game on Saturday in Tuscaloosa. And Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, the Democratic vice presidential nominee, will spend a chunk of his Saturday watching the Minnesota Gophers play the Michigan Wolverines in Ann Arbor.

Why are the rivals spending precious campaign time at gridiron grudge matches this close to the election?

For one, they offer an easy chance to appeal to captive audiences. More than 100,000 football fans will likely pack these stadiums on Saturday, and tens of thousands of others will crowd Ann Arbor and Tuscaloosa to enjoy the pregame tailgating. For dueling campaigns desperate to appeal to young voters — and young men — fall football offers an enticing opportunity.

It’s also strategic in other ways. Michigan is a key state for both Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris, and recent polls show Democrats with a slight lead in the state. Alabama, of course, is a GOP lock in November. But Trump’s attendance at the biggest game of the young football season will guarantee him more exposure to fans in the neighboring battleground of Georgia.

As for Walz, he is more than happy to lean into his background as a former high school state champion football coach on the trail.

There are downsides, too. Fans at the last Georgia-Alabama game that Trump attended — the national title game in 2018 — still have horror stories about the logistical and security issues it created. Stepping on the field risks embarrassing boos before throngs of rowdy fans. And the time-consuming cameo means one less chance for a giant campaign rally. But both campaigns are betting the benefits outweigh the risks.

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Credit: Jason.Getz/AJC

Credit: Jason.Getz/AJC

GOOD MORNING! The presidential election is 40 days away. Do you know where former Fulton County special prosecutor Nathan Wade is? The U.S. House Judiciary Committee can’t find him.

Here’s three things to know for today:

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Credit: Jacquelyn Martin/AP

Credit: Jacquelyn Martin/AP

UNION BATTLE. The fight for labor union endorsements is usually one-sided. Republicans need not apply.

But former President Donald Trump has upended that thinking. In July, the president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters — one of the nation’s largest and most influential unions — was a featured speaker at the Republican National Convention.

Then, last week, the Teamsters announced they would not endorse a candidate for president. The union said an internal poll of its members showed Trump had an advantage over Harris. Trump counted that as a win, calling the lack of an endorsement “a great honor.”

Vice President Kamala Harris has been fighting back by racking up a slew of endorsements from local Teamsters unions. The latest came this week when the Teamsters Joint Council 75 backed Harris. The council represents 10 local unions across Alabama, Florida and Georgia.

Overall, the Harris campaign says it has the backing of 25 local Teamsters unions that represent “more than 1.5 million active and retired members.”

The Trump campaign says its union support comes from rank and file members. On Wednesday, the campaign held a call with reporters featuring two Teamsters — Joe Shea of Arizona and Johnny McGillen from Pennsylvania.

“Some people don’t think we can be conservative, but we are,” Shea said.

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Credit: Nicole Williams for the AJC

Credit: Nicole Williams for the AJC

SCHOOL SHOOTING DRILLS. President Joe Biden has ordered a bunch of federal agencies to come up with best practices for how to conduct school shooting drills.

Most schools have their students and teachers practice what to do if a shooting were to happen on campus. But there’s not much research on how to do these drills. Plus, they can be traumatic for students and staff.

On Thursday, Biden ordered federal agencies to publish information within 110 days on how best to do these drills, including a summary of what research is out there and tips for how to cater the practices for various age groups.

The order comes weeks after a school shooting in Georgia left four people dead and nine others wounded.

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Credit: AP, Courtesy photo

Credit: AP, Courtesy photo

VOTER BEWARE. Now that the Georgia Supreme Court has disqualified a pair of lesser-known presidential candidates from the ballot, the race is on to let people know that any votes for them won’t count.

It’s too late to change the ballots to remove the names of Cornel West, an independent, and Claudia De la Cruz, of the Party for Socialism and Liberation. Instead, voters should see signs at their polling places — and notices in their absentee ballots — telling them that any votes for West and De la Cruz won’t be counted.

Voters don’t have to heed those instructions, of course. After Wednesday’s ruling, the West campaign urged its supporters to vote for him anyway.

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ABORTION AD. The deaths of two Georgia women from abortion complications has prompted a storm of criticism from the left, who have blamed Republican-passed reproductive restrictions.

Now, the right is responding with a TV ad in Georgia, blaming the tragedy on “Democrats’ abortion lies.” Women Speak Out PAC is spending $500,000 to air the ad in the Atlanta, Augusta, Macon and Savannah markets.

The ad says Georgia’s abortion law did not prohibit the two women — Amber Thurman and Candi Miller — from receiving the lifesaving care that they needed. Instead, it calls them victims of misinformation.

“There would be no confusion if abortion advocates were not spreading confusion,” said Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, which is partnering with the Women Speak Out PAC.

Georgia bans abortions once a fetal heartbeat is detected, which is usually around six weeks of pregnancy and before many know they are pregnant. There are exceptions in the case of rape, incest, fetal anomaly or to save the life of the mother.

Democrats say the law has caused confusion with doctors and nurses about what they are allowed to do and when they are allowed to do it. In one case, Thurman died after waiting more than 20 hours for treatment.

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Credit: J. Scott Applewhite/AP

Credit: J. Scott Applewhite/AP

A ‘VILE’ POST. Two Georgia Democrats delayed their trips home from Congress on Wednesday to deal with the fallout from a racist X post from a Louisiana Republican.

U.S. Rep. Clay Higgins called Haitian migrants “thugs” and said they needed to get “out of our country before January 20th,” the date of the presidential inauguration. The post has since been deleted.

The Congressional Black Caucus Chair — U.S. Rep. Steven Horsford, D-Nev. — confronted Higgins and moved to censure him. That effort was blocked by Republicans. Dozens of Democrats delayed their trips home to remain in the chamber with Horsford, including Georgia Reps. Hank Johnson of Lithonia and Nikema Williams of Atlanta.

Former President Donald Trump and other conservatives have been targeting legal Haitian immigrants with false allegations that they eat pets. Trump has also called for mass deportations of immigrants if he is elected in November.

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Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC

Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC

POSTAL SERVICE WOES PERSIST. Georgia’s congressional delegation is still mad at the U.S. Postal Service.

U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff, an Atlanta Democrat, introduced legislation last week to change how the postmaster general is hired by requiring Senate confirmation for the appointee and implementing term limits.

Meanwhile, Republicans from Georgia sent a letter to Postmaster General Louis DeJoy expressing concern that ongoing issues at the Atlanta Regional Processing and Distribution Center in Palmetto will cause delays in the processing of mail-in ballots.

DeJoy told reporters last week that he is confident that the Postal Service can meet the increased demand as millions of ballots are mailed off in the coming weeks.

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Credit: Natrice Miller/AJC

Credit: Natrice Miller/AJC

LISTEN UP. Today on “Politically Georgia,” former Fulton County Elections Chair Cathy Woolard talks about her ethics complaints against the State Election Board. Then, AME Bishop Reginald Jackson discusses leaving the 6th Episcopal District of Georgia but still working to engage Black voters.

You can listen live at 10 a.m. on WABE 90.1 or follow “Politically Georgia” on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. Episodes are uploaded by noon each day, just in time to have lunch with us. Have a question for the show? Give us a call at 770-810-5297.

On Wednesday’s show, the AJC’s Greg Bluestein and Democratic strategist Rick Dent talked about former President Donald Trump’s visit to Savannah. And Emory University political science professor Andra Gillespie discussed polling.

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Credit: Patrick Semansky/AP

Credit: Patrick Semansky/AP

TODAY IN WASHINGTON:

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Credit: J. Scott Applewhite/AP

Credit: J. Scott Applewhite/AP

LOOKING AHEAD. Members of Congress won’t return to Washington until after the election in the second week of November, where they will quickly face a Dec. 20 deadline to avoid a government shutdown.

But that’s not all that will be on lawmakers’ plates during the lame-duck period.

Congress faces a Dec. 31 deadlines to renew the most crucial components of the federal farm bill and pass the nearly $1 trillion National Defense Authorization Act. And Hurricane Helene could exacerbate what is already a growing need for more disaster aid.

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Credit: AP

Credit: AP

ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL. Events today:

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WASHOUT. It looks like Mother Nature is the only one who can slow down the presidential campaign in Georgia.

U.S. Sen. JD Vance of Ohio, the Republican vice presidential nominee, was supposed to campaign in Macon and Flowery Branch today. But the campaign postponed the events with Hurricane Helene bearing down on the southeast.

Tropical Storm Debby forced Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee, to postpone an event in Savannah last month.

The weather also canceled a big fundraiser that the Georgia WIN List planned to host tonight. The state Senate Study Committee on Access to Affordable Childcare canceled its meeting in McDonough. Republican Gov. Brian Kemp has already declared a state of emergency, calling up 500 National Guard troops to both prepare for and respond to the storm.

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Credit: Courtesy photo

Credit: Courtesy photo

SHOUTOUTS. Today’s birthday:

Want a birthday shoutout in the Politically Georgia newsletter? There’s a form for that! Click here to submit the shoutouts. It’s not just birthdays. We’re also interested in new jobs, engagements, birth announcements, etc.

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AS ALWAYS, send your best scoops, gossip and insider info to greg.bluestein@ajc.com, tia.mitchell@ajc.com, patricia.murphy@ajc.com and adam.beam@ajc.com.