SAVANNAH — Vice President Kamala Harris pledged to reverse Republican-backed anti-abortion and health care policies in a fiery address Thursday before a rowdy crowd of thousands so energized that they repeatedly drowned out her speech with cheers.
The Democrat blasted Georgia’s refusal to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act and renewed promises to overturn abortion restrictions passed in 2019 by a narrow Republican majority and signed into law by Gov. Brian Kemp.
And she electrified supporters by invoking a string of recent Democratic statewide victories in 2020, 2021 and 2022 that helped send Joe Biden to the White House and cemented Democratic control of the U.S. Senate.
“You sent President Biden and me to the White House. You showed up. You knocked on doors. You registered folks to vote. And you made it happen. You did that,” she said before issuing a challenge to the crowd packed into Savannah’s Enmarket Arena.
“And now we are asking you to do it again. Let’s do it again.”
The visit was designed to show the campaign’s strength in a part of the state often overlooked by presidential contenders, and thousands showed up hours early to demonstrate their support.
During the 21-minute speech, supporters interrupted Harris so many times that at one point she exhorted the crowd to “hold up” so she could lay out her policies. “Georgia, I love you back,” she said after another chant erupted.
The visit came as Republicans grappled with new dynamics in a race upended by Biden’s withdrawal and new internal rifts.
Back in Atlanta, Kemp was to attend a fundraiser for Donald Trump weeks after the former president berated him on his home turf, as Republicans aimed to show they were unified behind the GOP ticket.
Harris’ speech capped a second day spent in a part of the state that rarely sees Democratic presidential nominees. It’s part of Harris’ strategy to boost liberal turnout and appeal to independents as polls show a tightening race in Georgia.
“She knows we’re on the map,” Democratic state Sen. Derek Mallow said of the importance of the visit. “We have a vice president who can say, ‘I don’t just go to metro areas, I go to smaller towns, too. And I talk to voters who may not vote for me.’ "
Earlier in the day, Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, sat for their first joint in-depth interview with CNN. Harris then visited two popular downtown Savannah restaurants, where she thanked volunteers.
‘Fight with me’
At Enmarket Arena, the city’s new entertainment venue, supporters arrived hours in advance amid drenching rain. More than 5,000 attendees crammed the arena’s seats, with hundreds more waiting in line outside.
The crowd ebbed and flowed with Harris’ speech, echoing chants of “not going back” interspersed with loud applause and catcalls at any mention of Trump.
Clinton Edminster, a small-business owner and Democratic activist sitting in one of the first rows, noted the spike in applause when Harris used the phrase “when I’m president.”
”Folks just want this over and want her in the White House,” he said. “Specifics be damned.”
Another rally attendee, retiree Rosemary Mackey, spoke of the challenge of converting the enthusiasm into electoral energy in less than three months.
“Let’s hope this translates to votes.”
State Rep. Edna Jackson, the city’s former mayor, brought the crowd to its feet with her spin on pioneering former U.S. Rep. Shirley Chisholm’s famous quote, “If they don’t give you a seat at the table, bring a folding chair.”
“The difference is here Kamala Harris will be at the head of the table, and everybody will have a chair,” she said.
Savannah’s current mayor, Van Johnson, used his remarks to paint the contrasts between Harris and Trump while also asking the crowd to pray for a Savannah police officer injured escorting the motorcade on Wednesday. Authorities say he was in serious but stable condition.
And U.S. Rep. Nikema Williams of Atlanta, the chair of the Democratic Party of Georgia, took aim at Trump’s attempt to overturn his 2020 defeat in the state, which triggered pending criminal charges in Fulton County.
“Are we going to let Donald Trump take us back to a dark place, or are we going to walk with Harris into a bright blue future?” Williams pressed the crowd. “We have 68 days. This is battleground Georgia, where every vote counts. I need you in this fight with me.”
A changed race
A few weeks ago, Republicans basked in a sense of unity around Trump’s bid. Even Kemp, with his many reasons to oppose Trump’s comeback, made the pilgrimage to the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee to extend an olive branch to MAGA forces.
It was Democrats who worried about eroding support from their base with Biden at the top of the ticket. Polls showed Black voters, the party’s most loyal constituency, drifting away from Biden despite rock-solid support from Democratic Party elders.
In the roughly five weeks since Biden withdrew from the race, Harris has consolidated Democratic support and moved to expand the map in Georgia by appealing to independents and disaffected Republicans uneasy about another Trump term.
Meanwhile, the Republican harmony in Georgia was shattered in early August when Trump revived a long-standing feud with Kemp seemingly out of thin air. Both have worked to calm tensions since then, but senior Republicans are skeptical it will last.
And now Republicans acknowledge the race is tighter than ever. A Fox News poll released this week showed Harris has narrowed the gap with Trump in key battleground states, including a neck-and-neck contest in Georgia within the margin of error.
Still, the visit has also highlighted the steep challenges Democrats face in coastal Georgia. Trump supporters lined the route of Harris’ motorcade, waving signs and banners proclaiming their support for the Republican.
Wayne Johnson, a GOP congressional candidate for a southwest Georgia-based district, shadowed the armada of vehicles with his own three-van fleet bedecked in his campaign insignia. He mocked Harris for not venturing far beyond Savannah.
“A real bus listening tour in Albany, Americus, Ellaville, Moultrie and Sylvester would have had a tremendous impact — even 15 minutes with farmers,” he said. “This bus tour is a flagrant publicity hoax.”
