Atlanta voters embrace Kamala Harris candidacy with energy, enthusiasm at campaign rally
Humidity hangs heavy in the air outside the Georgia State Convocation Center near the center of Atlanta. It’s 90 degrees, and puddles still linger in the street from a summer shower only hours before. Vice President Kamala Harris is not scheduled to touch down in Atlanta for another hour, but already crowds are gathering, eager to catch a glimpse of the historic Democratic nominee-to-be.
Despite the weather, voters young and old are crowding the pavement, the line stretching back so far it crosses over a nearby highway. The palpable sense of apathy that had dominated conversations around 2024 presidential election has vanished, replaced with excitement.
Chitra Subbarayan, an Atlanta resident, arrived at the Convocation Center at 3:15 p.m. to attend the rally.
“I wanted to see her because I think she’s going to make a difference,” she said. “We need to hold onto our democracy, it’s very important.”
In her view, she said, elections should be about the will of the people, rather than any one candidate. As the mother of a daughter, she said protecting women’s reproductive freedom is a top priority for her during this election cycle.
“A woman’s right to control her own body is so important,” she said. “It’s more important than anything else.”
She also sees Harris’ youth and stamina as an asset on the campaign trail, adding that she was relieved when Biden announced that he was dropping out of the race.
“She has the energy and she has the background,” Subbarayan said. “There’s going to be a lot of mud-slinging, and she’s used to it. She’s not going to let it bother her.”
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Her sentiments were echoed by other voters who attended the rally.
“This was the shock of energy that the Democrats needed,” said Atlanta-based makeup artist Jennifer Bennett, who got tickets to attend the rally through her union, the Georgia AFL-CIO. Her biggest priorities, she said, were issues that affect workers and families, as well as access to healthcare and calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.
She thinks Harris has a much better chance of winning in a state like Georgia than President Joe Biden would have, had he stayed in the race, because of the excitement surrounding her candidacy.
“Our biggest obstacle isn’t Trump,” she said. “Our biggest obstacle is the couch. It’s the people who stay home on election day.”
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For Jewel Anderson, owner of the food truck Amorous Tacos, Harris’ candidacy is a sign that the political landscape is ready to embrace change. When she first heard the news that Biden was dropping out of the race, her first thought was, “It’s time to work!”
“It was such an energy booster,” she said, adding that it was exciting for her to see a Black, female candidate running for office. “It felt like Obama ‘08 energy, with everybody coming together.”
Both Bennett and Anderson also believe Harris is a stronger candidate to face off in a debate against former President Donald Trump or his Vice Presidential nominee J.D. Vance.
“She’s such a policy buff,” that she would have no problem debating either candidate, Bennett said.
“She’s going to demolish them,” Anderson said.
Maya Homan is a 2024 election fellow at USA TODAY, focusing on Georgia politics. Follow her on X, formerly Twitter, as @MayaHoman.
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Harris 2024: Atlanta voters embrace campaign with energy, enthusiasm
