Politics
Trump and Obama rallies put Georgia midterm campaigns in spotlight
President Donald Trump plans a Saturday rally in Perry, followed by former President Barack Obama’s Oct. 28 appearance in Atlanta. The visits are intended to boost Republican and Democratic candidates in a state where the midterm contests could shape control of Congress and state government.
Two former and current presidents are heading to Georgia in the final stretch before the Nov. 3 midterm election, campaigning for candidates in races that could influence both control of Congress and the state’s political direction.
President Donald Trump is scheduled to hold a rally in Perry on Saturday, Oct. 24. It will be his third Georgia visit this year to support statewide Republican candidates, following stops in Dalton last week and Cobb County in July. The Perry rally was originally planned for Macon, according to the Republican Party’s event registration site.
Former President Barack Obama is set to campaign in Atlanta four days later, on the evening of Oct. 28. The venue has not been announced. The rally is organized around the Democrats’ “United for Georgia” campaign effort.
Trump’s visit follows a Dalton rally where he promoted Republican U.S. Senate nominee Mike Collins and gubernatorial nominee Rick Jackson, as well as candidates in other races. Trump told supporters that Republican turnout tends to fall when he is not on the ballot and urged them to vote as if he were running.
Obama is expected to campaign for U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff, who is seeking another term against Collins, and Keisha Lance Bottoms, the Democratic nominee for governor and a former Atlanta mayor.
The closely spaced appearances highlight Georgia’s role as a battleground in the midterms, with contests for the U.S. Senate and governor among the races drawing national attention.