Jimmy Carter excited to vote for Harris in 2024 presidential election, son says
PLAINS, Ga. - Former President Jimmy Carter's grandson says that the Georgia politician is talking more about the presidential race as election day and his 100th birthday get closer.
Speaking to the Washington Post, James Earl "Chip" Carter III said the 39th president has been getting excited about the support he has been seeing for Vice President Kamala Harris' campaign.
It's been 18 months since Carter entered hospice, and the former president hasn't been seen outside of an appearance at the memorial service for Rosalynn Carter, his wife of 77 years.
While Carter's health remains a day-to-day situation, his grandson said that he is talking more, enjoying his favorite treat of red velvet and caramel mini cupcakes, and following the latest changes in the 2024 presidential campaign.
Chip Carter said that his father spent part of Aug. 18 - Rosalynn's birthday - at her grave on their family farm.
"He was looking at her tombstone, and I started talking, and he told me to be quiet," Chip Carter said. "No doubt he was praying, but he could have been just having a conversation with Mom," Chip Carter said.
Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter speaks to the congregation at Maranatha Baptist Church before teaching Sunday school in his hometown of Plains, Georgia on April 28, 2019. (Photo by Paul Hennessy/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
The next day was the beginning of the Democratic National Convention, and Chip Carter said his father watched all the speeches from the event they could record for him.
"He thought Michelle Obama was the best, and he thought Kamala was great, too," he said.
With the oldest living and longest-lived president in U.S. history's birthday coming up, Carter already has his sights on what's next.
"He said he didn’t care about that. It’s just a birthday. He said he cared about voting for Kamala Harris," Chip Carter said.
Carter also voted in May's primary election and can't wait to cast his mail-in ballot next month, his family said. Despite his health complications over the last few years, politics has remained an important part of his life.
When he's not thinking about politics, the family says Carter has been watching baseball and keeping up with updates about the family farm and Habitat for Humanity.
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Jimmy Carter 100th birthday celebration plans
Many believe that Mr. Carter will hang on until his 100th birthday, and plans have been made to celebrate the milestone.
Tickets are on sale for a musical celebration at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta. The concert will feature appearances by Chuck Leavell, D-Nice, Drive-By Truckers, Eric Church, GROUPLOVE, Maren Morris, The War And Treaty, and The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Chamber Chorus. Emmy award-winner Rickey Minor will serve as the musical director, with appearances by celebrity guests such as Dale Murphy and Killer Mike. Additional artists and presenters will be announced in the coming weeks.
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Carter will not be in attendance, according to the Carter Center. However, he is aware of the celebration, and they will ensure he sees photos and video from the musical celebration. Music has always been an important part of Carter's life, and he was known as the Rock 'n' Roll President.
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Other planned events include a 100-mile community bicycle ride in his home county and a free film festival in Atlanta organized by the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum. The film festival will take place from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Sep. 28 and will feature some of Carter's favorite films.