Georgia
Kamala Harris camp bullish on its ‘battleground’ strategy ahead of Trump’s Georgia rally
The presidential race is likely to be decided in a handful of swing states, and Saturday began with a Kamala Harris aide expressing confidence her campaign can make the case in those electoral battlegrounds over Donald Trump.
With the former president and his running mate Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance headed Saturday to Atlanta, Harris for President Battleground States Director Dan Kanninen noted in a memo to “interested parties” the presumptive Democratic nominee had already been there and done that — and signed up people willing to work for Harris’ election in the process.
“Last weekend, we mobilized the campaign’s biggest organizing push yet across the battleground states to talk directly to the voters who will decide this election. And, we didn’t stop there. The momentum continued this week. We saw over 1,000 Georgia volunteers sign up to get involved with the campaign at the Vice President’s rally in Atlanta,” Kanninen contends.
This is, he adds, part of a larger effort beyond the Peach State, in which “volunteers have placed 2.3 million phone calls, knocked 172,000 doors, and sent nearly 2.9 million text messages to voters in battleground states.”
The ultimate meaning of those engagement metrics remains to be seen with more than 90 days before votes are counted, but Kanninen is confident nonetheless that “Harris is strong in both the Sunbelt and the Blue Wall — with multiple pathways to 270” due to “grassroots engagement” and “strong enthusiasm” borne out by the data, which include 62,000 volunteer shift signups, with more than half from first-time volunteers.
Kanninen asserts Harris’ campaign is putting in resources the other side isn’t matching.
“Trump is running a flailing campaign with no vision for the future, his brand new running mate is depressing Republican enthusiasm, and with only three months until Election Day, his campaign still lags far behind in the infrastructure needed to win in key battleground states. For example, in Nevada, Team Harris has 13 offices, while Trump has just one. In Pennsylvania, we have 36 coordinated offices while Trump has just 3. In Georgia, we have 24 offices while the Trump team didn’t open their first until June.”
Georgia, of course, could be the ultimate battleground, as evidenced by Trump and Vance heading to Georgia State University Saturday afternoon and Harris’ own visit to Savannah slated for Friday.
The GOP nominee is projecting confidence ahead of that event.
“24 HOURS UNTIL WE UNLEASH HELL,” asserted Trump in an email sent to supporters Friday, The Hill reported. “At this time tomorrow, Crooked Kamala’s worst nightmares come true.”
A PollingPlus (InsiderAdvantage and Trafalgar Group) Georgia survey released Friday reveals Trump up 49% to 47% in a margin-of-error race in what the pollsters say is “likely the bellwether state” in the election, with analysis seemingly corroborating Kanninen’s points.
“The emergence of Kamala Harris flipped prior demographic trends in the state. Senior voters moved more to the Trump column, while independent voters drifted more towards Harris. African American voters appeared to consolidate behind Harris, while Trump enjoyed a large lead among white voters,” the pollsters assert.
Other recent surveys show even a closer race.
Polling released a couple days ago from Bloomberg-Morning Consult shows a 47% to 47% tie in Georgia. The survey, which took other battleground states into account, showed Harris up in four of them (Arizona, Michigan, Nevada and Wisconsin) and Trump leading in North Carolina and Pennsylvania.
The fight for the battlegrounds continues Tuesday in one of those states Trump leads, meanwhile, with Harris to announce her running mate in Philadelphia. Perhaps coincidentally, Gov. Josh Shapiro is among the leading contenders for that No. 2 spot.
For his part, Trump posted to Truth Social Friday that he’s agreed to a Fox News debate with Harris in the Keystone State with a “full arena audience.” But Harris hasn’t agreed to that proposal yet.
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It can be hard to find a truly unique experience for your next vacation. That’s where Travel + Leisure comes in.
Back in May, members of the publication’s team created a list in celebration of America’s 250th Fourth of July, highlighting a unique experience in each state “from hidden gems to iconic highlights and editor-approved favorites.”
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Most unique experience in Georgia
The Georgia spot highlighted was the World of Quercus. Here’s what writer Lydia Mansel said about it:
“The 3,800-acre property, dotted with pecan groves and cabins, isn’t your run-of-the-mill retreat. Guests are encouraged to roam the land by golf cart or on foot, visit the biodynamic vegetable garden, fish the Flint River, and connect with the ranch’s horses. Owned by Chiara Visconti di Modrone and her husband Angelos Pervanas, Quercus is a place where relaxation comes in many forms—and you can design your experience to fit your pace and preferences.”
Where is Quercus?
Quercus is in Gay at 208 Caldwell St. It’s about 30 miles east of LaGrange and over 50 miles south of Atlanta.
How much is Quercus per night?
The Sylva, Ember, and Cypress cabins are $2,700 per night. The Naya cabin is $4,500 per night.
Unique experiences in the South
- Alabama: Freedom Monument Sculpture Park
- Florida: Greater Florida Everglades
- Georgia: Quercus
- Kentucky: Kentucky African American Heritage Trail
- Louisiana: New Orleans Museum of Art
- Missouri: Anheuser-Busch Brewery
- Mississippi: Vikin’s Mississippi Delta Explorer
- North Carolina: Good Hot Fish
- South Carolina: Casual Crabbing with Tia
- Tennessee: Blackberry Farm
- Virginia: Chincoteague Island
- West Virginia: New River Gorge National Park
Miguel Legoas is a Deep South Connect Team Reporter for USA Today. Find him on Instagram @miguelegoas and email at mlegoas@gannett.com.
APPLING COUNTY, Ga. (WCYB) — The co-owner of Yurezz Home Center in Greeneville has been arrested in Georgia, according to a report obtained by News 5.
Earlier this week, News 5 told you about the dealership in Greeneville that abruptly shut down last month.
This has left homeowners with partially built homes and employees without jobs.
It is not yet clear why Richard Altman was taken into custody.
This is a developing story.
Georgia
Georgia Supreme Court upholds convictions of men in deadly shooting during gas station carjacking
Two men found guilty of murdering a man while he was pumping air into his tires at a Georgia gas station will remain in prison, the Georgia Supreme Court has ruled.
Miles Chatezal Collins and Josiah Hughley, Jr. had appealed to the state’s highest court after they were found guilty of felony murder, aggravated assault, violating Georgia’s Street Gang, Terrorism and Prevention Act, and hijacking a motor vehicle, among other charges in 2025.
The men’s charges stem from a shooting on July 10, 2022, at a QuickTrip gas station in Peachtree Corners. According to the Gwinnett County District Attorney’s Office, 30-year-old Bradley Lamar Coleman had stopped at the gas station to fill up his tires when Collins, Hughley, and a third man pulled up beside him and tried to steal his Dodge Charger.
When Coleman tried to stop the men, officials say they shot him and fled the scene.
Authorities say the three men were members of the Blood gang and had tried to steal the car to increase their status.
While their first trial ended in a mistrial due to a comment by the prosecution, a jury found Collins, Hughley, and their co-defendant, David Jarrad Booker, guilty of more than a dozen charges in 2025. They were each sentenced to life plus 145 years in prison.
In Collins and Hughley’s appeal to the state Supreme Court, they argued that there was insufficient evidence to support some of the charges and that the judge in the case improperly admitted certain evidence and committed errors in instructing the jurors.
The justices’ rulings disagreed, finding that their attorneys failed to object to the supposed errors and that the two men’s claims were insufficient.
The judges also found that a claim by Hughley that his counsel failed him by not asserting that a statement made to law enforcement should have been suppressed. With those findings, the Supreme Court chose not to overrule the case, letting the convictions and sentences stand.
“We are grateful for this affirmation from the Georgia Supreme Court,” Gwinnett County District Attorney Patsy Austin-Gatson said. “Thanks to the incredible work of our team of trial and appellate prosecutors, and all of the staff that assisted with defending these convictions, two dangerous criminals will remain in prison.”
Booker’s appeal remains pending.
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