Harris and Walz begin Georgia bus tour as Democrats’ hopes rise

The Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris and her running mate, Tim Walzwill campaign together on Wednesday in Georgia, a state that Democrats narrowly won in 2020 and that could play a decisive role in this year’s elections.

The 2024 race has changed dramatically since Harris became her party’s candidate last month, and hopes to galvanize black voters, who make up about a third of Georgia’s electorate and will be crucial in the effort to win there.

Harris and Walz will tour southern Georgia, home to one of the largest black populations and where the campaign has beefed up its staff and opened local offices.

Before President Joe Biden dropped his re-election bid last month and endorsed Vice President Harris, opinion polls showed Republican nominee Donald Trump with a clear lead in Georgia, and some Black voters were disillusioned with Democrats.

Since then, however, Harris has steadily gained ground in national polls and has been boosted by more than $500 million in donations.

The latest polls compiled by FiveThirtyEight show Harris trailing Trump 46% to 46.6% in Georgia, compared with a lead of about 5 percentage points for the former president before Harris entered the race on July 21.

A new Reuters/Ipsos poll on Tuesday showed Harris has eroded Trump’s lead on the economy and crime.

Before the 2020 race, Georgia last backed a Democrat for president in 1992.

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