Georgia

Georgia was fading from the presidential battleground map. But Kamala Harris has put the state back in play.

Published

1 year ago

August 4, 2024

Georgia was fading from the presidential battleground map. But Kamala Harris has put the state back in play.

Last week, both Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump held rallies at the same Georgia State University venue in downtown Atlanta just days apart.

Harris’s event on Tuesday burst at the seams with jubilant Democrats thrilled over her new role as the face of the party and its presumptive 2024 presidential nominee.

Meanwhile, Trump’s Saturday rally, which attracted the MAGA faithful, tried to blunt Harris’ ascension in a race that the former president less than a month ago thought would be against the more politically-vulnerable President Joe Biden.

The new landscape comes at a critical time for both campaigns in Georgia, the onetime Republican presidential stronghold that has since taken on a shade of purple after backing Biden in 2020 and electing Democrats to the Senate in both 2021 and 2022.

Whereas many Republicans were beginning to see Georgia for the taking due to Biden’s sagging numbers, Harris has given Democrats a jolt of energy in the state. And now, neither side can take this Southern battleground for granted.

Harris has strength with young voters and minorities

Biden in 2020 swept nearly every swing state, boosted by his electoral advantage with young voters and minorities.

In Georgia, Biden’s strong support among these groups, especially with Black voters, helped him win the state by less than one percentage point that year.

But more recently, Biden struggled to rally that base. He was often mired in the low-to-mid 40s in most Georgia polls.

A big part of that slippage was because Trump was winning over an atypical number of Black voters for a GOP presidential candidate, and a chunk of young voters were opting instead for third-party candidates like independent Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

But Harris has reversed that trend, giving her momentum that had eluded Biden in Georgia this year.

A recent Emerson College/The Hill survey showed Trump with a narrow two-point lead (48% to 46%) over Harris in the Peach State. And the latest Bloomberg News/Morning Consult poll taken in Georgia showed Harris and Trump tied at 47% support each among registered voters.

Harris can expand her suburban support

Trump’s allies had long prepared for a rematch with Biden, using a playbook centered on sweeping GOP voters and winning over independents and undecided voters on the economy.

It could have been particularly effective in Atlanta’s suburbs, especially in outer suburban communities where Republicans still dominate in non-federal statewide races.

But Harris’ ascent has thrown those plans into disarray.

Even though Harris is a key part of the Biden administration, she has a chance to reintroduce herself to an electorate that didn’t want a 2020 rematch. Her focus on issues like upholding the Constitution and protecting reproductive rights puts her squarely where a lot of suburban residents are ideologically.

Trump weighed down suburban Republicans across the country in 2016, and in 2018 and 2020 his brand of Republicanism continued to push many suburbs — including those in the Atlanta area — further from their old GOP leanings.

Former President Donald Trump has continued to air grievances about the 2020 election results.

Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Trump underperformed in many inner suburban Atlanta communities during the March GOP presidential primary, with former UN ambassador Nikki Haley earning thousands of votes even after she had left the race.

A sizable number of these anti-Trump GOP voters could eventually migrate to Harris and give her added support in a region where she’ll also need to perform strongly with Democrats to overcome Trump’s rural strength.

Trump still hasn’t let 2020 go

Elections are about the future. And if Trump holds on to 2020 instead of uniting Georgia Republicans, Harris will likely benefit.

During Trump’s rally on Saturday, he once again lashed out at Republican Gov. Brian Kemp and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, leaning into the bitterness of the 2020 election that tore apart the GOP.

Trump has long argued, without evidence, that he was the true victor in Georgia that year. But neither Kemp nor Raffensperger would aid Trump in overturning the state’s presidential results, and most Republicans have sought to move beyond the ex-president’s grievances on the issue.

But not Trump.

“He’s a bad guy, he’s a disloyal guy, and he’s a very average governor,” Trump told rally attendees of Kemp on Saturday.

“In my opinion, they want us to lose,” the former president said of Kemp and Raffensperger.

After Trump in a Truth Social post mentioned Kemp’s wife, Marty, by saying he didn’t want the Georgia first lady’s endorsement, the governor told the ex-president on X to “leave my family out of it.”

In 2022, Trump tried to dispatch Kemp and Raffensperger in GOP primaries to no avail, as they defeated MAGA-aligned challengers.

This year, a divided Republican Party headed into November would seriously imperil the party’s chances at flipping the state as the Harris campaign pours time and resources into Georgia.

If Trump can’t even appear in Georgia alongside the state’s popular sitting GOP governor, it could affect organizing and turnout — as Kemp’s get-out-the-vote operation was critical in his reelection victory against Democrat Stacey Abrams in 2022.

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Georgia

No. 4 Georgia dominates Charlotte behind Bo Walker’s breakout performance

Published

6 hours ago

November 22, 2025

Press Room

No. 4 Georgia dominates Charlotte behind Bo Walker’s breakout performance

ATHENS, GEORGIA – NOVEMBER 22: Gunner Stockton #14 of the Georgia Bulldogs scrambles during the first quarter against the Charlotte 49ers at Sanford Stadium on November 22, 2025 in Athens, Georgia. (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images)

ATHENS, Ga. – Freshman Bo Walker ran for his first three career touchdowns, Nate Frazier added two scoring runs, and No. 4 Georgia cruised to a 35-3 victory over underdog Charlotte on Saturday, strengthening its position in the College Football Playoff race.

What we know:

Georgia (10-1) entered the game looking to protect its No. 4 CFP ranking and secure a first-round playoff bye. The Bulldogs overwhelmed Charlotte (1-10) for their seventh straight win, while the 49ers dropped their eighth consecutive game.

One week after Gunner Stockton threw four touchdown passes and ran for another in a 35-10 win over then-No. 10 Texas, the Bulldogs leaned heavily on their ground game, rushing for 192 yards and outgaining Charlotte 449-169.

Senior running back Cash Jones made his first start in his final home regular-season game, but Georgia’s offense found more rhythm with Frazier and Walker leading the rushing attack.

Frazier scored on runs of 2 and 7 yards in the first quarter. Walker followed with touchdown runs of 15 and 12 yards in the second quarter to extend the lead to 28-0.

Walker capped his breakout day with a 3-yard touchdown on Georgia’s first drive of the second half, set up by Stockton’s completions of 11 and 38 yards to Noah Thomas.

Georgia maintained focus despite a sparse crowd at Sanford Stadium, scoring the first 28 points and never being threatened. The convincing win should solidify the Bulldogs’ standing in both the AP Top 25 and CFP rankings.

Dig deeper:

Stockton, a fourth-year junior, participated in Georgia’s Senior Day ceremony, possibly signaling his intention to enter the NFL draft — though some fourth-year players take part and still return for another season.

What’s next:

Georgia will face No. 15 Georgia Tech on Friday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.

The Source: The Associated Press contributed to this article.

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Georgia

Marjorie Taylor Greene’s 14th Georgia district remains solidly GOP

Published

1 day ago

November 22, 2025

Press Room

Marjorie Taylor Greene’s 14th Georgia district remains solidly GOP

ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) — Northwest Georgia’s 14th congressional district took center stage in American politics late Friday night with the astonishing news that U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene is resigning.

Citing a disillusionment with the nation’s current political climate after a stunning break with President Donald Trump, Greene said her resignation would take effect Jan. 5, 2026.

READ: Marjorie Taylor Greene’s full statement

Georgia’s 14th congressional district stretches from the Chattanooga, Tennessee, metropolitan area in an east/south arc toward toward metro Atlanta’s outlying suburbs.

The district’s major population centers are Dalton (Whitfield County); Rome (Floyd County); Cartersville (Bartow County area near Paulding County); and portions of Paulding County (Dallas).

The district includes most, if not all, of Catoosa, Chattooga, Dade, Floyd, Gordon, Haralson, Murray, Paulding, Polk, Walker, Whitfield, and part of Pickens counties.

PROGRAMMING NOTE: This Sunday’s On The Record With Atlanta News First will feature an in-depth look at Marjorie Taylor Greene’s resignation and its impact on Georgia and the nation. Watch On The Record With Atlanta News First at 11 a.m.

While mostly white, the district has notable Hispanic populations concentrated around Dalton with its carpet-industry workforce.

Its economy is centering around manufacturing (particularly in Dalton’s carpet/rug industry); agriculture, and small business.

The Cook Partisan Voting Index rates the district solidly Republican, as does Ballotpedia. Historically GOP, it was represented by Tom Graves before his retirement in 2020.

Greene won the district initially in that election, winning a crowded GOP primary in a runoff before winning outright in November 2020.

She won reelection in 2022 – again, facing several GOP challengers – and 2024, where no Republican opposed her in the primary.

Arguably once President Trump’s staunchest ally in Congress, Greene’s relationship with the now-47th U.S. president has been deteriorating in recent weeks.

Georgia’s nationally watched midterms in the 2026 primary is May 19, 2026. Gov. Brian Kemp may decide to call for a special election before that date, or could simply let the seat remain vacant until the state’s primary rolls around.

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Georgia

Pitt and Georgia Tech squaring off in primetime with College Football Playoff implications

Published

2 days ago

November 21, 2025

Press Room

Pitt and Georgia Tech squaring off in primetime with College Football Playoff implications

A shot at the College Football Playoff is on the line for both No. 15 Georgia Tech and Pittsburgh ahead of a prime-time matchup Saturday night.

The Yellow Jackets (9-1, 6-1) will clinch a spot in the Atlantic Coast Conference title game on Dec. 6 if they beat Pitt (7-3, 5-1), while a Panthers’ victory would keep them alive for the same goal heading into their regular-season finale against No. 14 Miami.

“This is a championship game in its own right,” Georgia Tech coach Brent Key said Tuesday. “That’s the way we’re viewing it, that’s the way we’re approaching it. It’s on everybody to get the job done.”

Regardless of the outcome, the ACC standings remain in flux. No. 19 Virginia, SMU, Miami and Duke are all in the mix for the title game, but Georgia Tech is the only team completely in control of its destiny.

Key said simply put, games this time of year are “different,” and he doesn’t “shy away from that.”

Georgia Tech trailed Boston College (1-10, 0-7) 28-17 late in its game last week, but rallied to escape with a 36-34 victory. Still, the scare against the conference cellar dweller coupled with a Nov. 1 loss at N.C. State has created an uneasy feeling around the Yellow Jackets, particularly with their struggling defense.

Georgia Tech leads the Football Bowl Subdivision in total offense, but resides near the bottom of 136 teams in total defense.

“I got after them pretty good,” Key said of his defense. “But it’s telling them, ‘You’re good. Let’s fix it and go play that way.’”

Pitt is coming off a disappointing game in its own right, albeit one with no bearing on ACC positioning. The Panthers stepped out of conference play and fell flat in a 37-15 defeat against No. 9 Notre Dame, but still would reach the conference title game with wins in their final two games plus one loss by either Virginia or SMU.

“We just take it one game at a time,” Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi said. “We treat everything the same. The word pressure is bad. Our guys know what they’ve got to do. They’ve got to go out and win one football game.”

Pitt is seeking its third trip to the ACC title game under Narduzzi and first since 2021, while Georgia Tech is aiming for its first appearance since 2014.

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