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Vice presidential nominees visiting Georgia
Both Democratic vice presidential nominee Gov. Tim Walz and Republican Sen. JD Vance have Georgia on their mind this week as they work to try and secure the state's crucial electoral votes.
ATLANTA - Both vice presidential candidates have Georgia on their mind this week as Democratic nominee Gov. Tim Walz heads to Atlanta on his first solo campaign swing through Georgia a day after Republican candidate Sen. JD Vance's visit.
Walz will begin his visit to the Peach State with remarks at a political event in Macon on Tuesday morning before flying to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport to participate in multiple events.
Later in the afternoon, the Minnesota governor will head to Ashville, North Carolina to speak at a rally.
An advocate for the Harris-Walz campaign tells FOX 5 that the governor will address reproductive rights during his trip, saying that it is an issue that may be instrumental for undecided voters.
Minnesota Governor and Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Walz speaks at the campaign rally at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, August 20, 2024. (Photo by KAMIL KRZACZYNSKI / AFP) (Photo by KAMIL KRZACZYNSKI/AFP via Getty Images)
ELECTION 2024: HOW TO REGISTER TO VOTE IN GEORGIA
JD Vance campaigns with Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp
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FULL: JD Vance speaks in Cobb County
Republican vice-presidential nominee Sen. JD Vance speaks at the Georgia Faith and Freedom Coalition's annual dinner in Cobb County on Sept. 16, 2024.
Walz's visit to Georgia comes a day after a visit by his Republican counterpart, who traveled to Cobb County to take part in a dinner held by the conservative Christian group The Faith & Freedom Coalition.
Vance and Gov. Brian Kemp took to the same stage with a shared focus: advocating for former President Donald Trump and criticizing Kamala Harris.
"We have to expand our majority in Congress, take back control of the U.S. Senate and send Donald Trump back to the White House," Kemp told a full ballroom of evangelical political activists and donors.
Vance also addressed the issue of abortion during a speech to the crowd, promising a second Trump administration would pursue policies that help would-be mothers and new mothers, such as investments in job training, education and child care.
"We are united in our gratitude and our admiration for these devoted defenders of the unborn and for the judges, justices, and especially President Trump, who is committed to defending the law and the Constitution allowed this breakthrough after over 50 years," Vance said, celebrating that abortion regulation is now back in control of state governments.
This was Vance's third visit to the state since being selected as Trump's running mate.
Georgia's importance in the 2024 presidential election
Georgia remains a crucial battleground in the upcoming 2024 presidential election. Democrats narrowly won the state four years ago, and it is once again a key focus for both the Democratic and Republican campaigns.
As the race intensifies in the final weeks before the election, both campaigns are making concerted efforts to secure votes in Georgia and other battleground states that could determine the outcome of the 2024 election.
Republicans had feared previous tension between Trump and Kemp would help Harris keep Georgia in the Democratic column four years after Biden won the state by a mere 11,779 votes out of 5 million cast. Lately, however, the two Republicans' formerly frosty attitude toward each other has warmed.
A recent Quinnipiac University poll found that Trump has pulled ahead of Harris, garnering favor among 49% of those polled compared to Harris' 45%.
Early voting in Georgia begins Oct. 7. The deadline to register for the Nov. 5 election is Monday, Oct. 7.