Harris makes plea to young voters at star-studded rally in Georgia
Vice President Harris on Thursday made a plea to young voters in Atlanta, Ga., at a star-studded rally alongside former President Obama.
The vice president called out young voters in the battleground state, saying “you all have grabbed the baton, I’ve seen what you do.”
“You are rightly impatient for change. You, who have only known the climate crisis are leading the charge to protect our planet and our future. You, young leaders, who grew up with active shooter drills, are fighting to keep our schools safe. You, who know now fewer rights than your mothers and grandmothers are standing up for reproductive freedom,” she said.
She praised the demographic, saying she was proud of young Americans for not waiting their turn.
“This is your lived experience and what I love about you is you are not waiting for other people to figure this out,” she said. “So, I see you and I see your power and I know so many of you are voting for the first time and know that our future is so good with you all at the helm. And I’m so proud of you.”
Harris added, “Can we hear it from our young leaders and first-time voters!”
Democrats are hopeful that the youth voting bloc, including first-time voters, will turn out for Harris and give her an edge over former President Trump, even though polls have started to show a shift toward him in recent days.
Harris has grown her lead over Trump among young voters to 20 points, according to a Youth & Money CNBC Generation Lab survey released Tuesday. The poll found that 60 percent of Americans between 18 and 34 said they would vote for Harris, while 40 percent of the same age group said they would vote for Trump.
Harris in Georgia also painted a picture of what the Oval Office could look like in three months, saying Trump would be “stewing over his enemy list” while she would be checking off her “to-do list.”
Harris was joined at the rally by celebrities Bruce Springsteen, Spike Lee, Samuel L. Jackson and Tyler Perry, as well as Obama.
When Harris took the stage after Obama introduced her, she recalled going to Springfield, Ill., to support him in 2007 when he was running for president.
“All these years later, Barack Obama, I say to you, your friendship and your faith in me and in our campaign means the world,” she said.
“It is good to be back in Georgia. This is quite a lineup you’ve had here,” Obama said.
Trump is leading Harris in Georgia by 0.8 percentage points, according to Decision Desk HQ/The Hill’s aggregation of polls.
Obama, during his remarks, bashed Trump over his mental acuity, highlighting that Trump gives two-hour speeches that he called “word salad.”
“He acts so crazy, and it’s become so common that people no longer take it seriously,” he said. “Just because he acts goofy does not mean his presidency wouldn’t be dangerous.”
He also called Trump a “wannabe king, a wannabe dictator” and said American voters are ready to turn the page.
“When he’s not complaining, when he’s not sending out crazy tweets, he’s trying to sell you stuff,” Obama said. “All he cares about is his ego, his money, his status. That’s his mindset. Those are his intentions.”
Springsteen brought some extra star power to the rally, performing “The Promised Land,” “Land of Hope and Dreams” and “Dancing in the Dark” for the crowd. He also issued a strong endorsement for the vice president.
“There is only one candidate in this election who holds those principles dear, Kamala Harris. She’s running to be the 47th president of the United States. Donald Trump is running to be an American tyrant,” Springsteen said. “He does not understand this country, its history or what it means to be deeply American.”
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