Vice presidential candidates appear in Georgia over competing policies – WABE

A day after Republican Sen. J.D. Vance appeared at a conservative fundraising event in Georgia, Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, returns to the Peach State on Tuesday for two major campaign rallies in Macon and Atlanta.

Although Walz visited Georgia in August on a two-day bus trip with Harris through several coastal and rural towns, this is his first solo visit to the swing state since joining the campaign.

The appearance of the Democratic vice presidential nominee marks the start of a new initiative targeting younger voters who are still unsure about how to cast their ballots.

Walz appeared at a political event in Macon early Tuesday morning. According to a media advisory from the Harris-Walz campaign, he will fly immediately to Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, landing around 12:45 p.m.

From there, Walz will attend political events around the city before flying to Ashville, North Carolina.

Speaking to a room full of volunteers, Walz discussed the importance of the role campaign workers in Georgia play in the upcoming election.

“It’s about working together, and each of us has a role to play,” Walz said. “You are the people in this room who most likely can make a difference in establishing Kamala Harris as Madam President.”

He also spoke about the campaign’s position on gun violence, less than two weeks after the shooting at Apalachee High School in Georgia, which left four students and teachers dead earlier this month.

“That’s not just a fact of life … this violence across the country has to stop. Gun violence has to stop,” Walz said, referring to a comment Vance made the day after the shooting.

The brief campaign visits came less than 24 hours after the Republican vice presidential candidate appeared Monday night at the Cobb Galleria for a fundraising dinner hosted by the Georgia Faith & Freedom Coalition, one of the state’s leading evangelical organizations.

The event marked the first time Vance, whose most recent visit was his third to the state as a vice presidential candidate, appeared publicly as Trump’s running mate at an event with Gov. Brian Kemp.

Georgia’s political leader and former President Donald Trump, both popular among Republicans in the state, have recently put their feud aside as the state remains a battleground for the presidency.

During his speech, Vance discussed the impact his Christian upbringing has had on his life and political issues, such as abortion and crime restrictions, which he says have a major impact on people of faith.

He also criticized Harris for what he saw as a lack of effective leadership in her role as vice president under President Joe Biden.

“Everybody wants a prosperous economy, everybody wants a secure border, everybody wants to be able to walk their kids safely through their city streets … without being harassed by violent criminals or by fentanyl brought in by Mexican drug cartels,” Vance said.

“On every policy issue over the past three and a half years, Kamala Harris has been a failure, and on every policy issue from 2017 to 2021, Donald Trump has been a resounding success.”

Georgia is among the backdrop states that have seen campaign stops from vice presidential candidates in an effort to reach undecided voters. The state played a pivotal role in the 2020 presidential election, and with early voting set to begin on Oct. 15, the clock is ticking for the two parties to make their impact.

“It’s going to depend on a couple of states,” Walz told Macon campaign volunteers. “And Georgia is probably going to be the focal point.”

Rahul Bali contributed to this report.