Donald Trump's Atlanta rally is a major test for his campaign

And Republicans, once confident they could win back Georgia, are now bracing for an uphill battle as Harris energizes younger and black voters while hoping to woo swing suburban voters who appeared to have turned away from Biden.

Georgia is definitely back in the game, said Meagan Myers Hanson, a former Republican lawmaker. And Republicans are going to have to work 10 times harder and really make a name for themselves with voters.

Credits: Hyosub.Shin / ajc.com

Credits: Hyosub.Shin / ajc.com

Trump’s visit carries high stakes. He’s holding his rally at Georgia State University’s Convocation Center, the same venue where Megan Thee Stallion rallied Harris supporters on Tuesday. A half-hearted audience would invite awkward comparisons.

It is his first joint event in Georgia with his running mate, U.S. Sen. J.D. Vance, whose troubled showing last month raised concerns among senior Republicans and influential activists and led Trump to downplay the role of Ohio Republicans in their White House campaign.

The statement comes after an explosive interview at a conference of black journalists in Chicago, where Trump falsely claimed Harris had only recently become black and repeatedly questioned her racial identity.

His insulting remarks about the first Black woman and Asian woman to serve as vice president undermined Republican promises to win over voters of color and sparked resistance from Trump allies, who expressed bewilderment at his strategy.

With the stakes high, Harris supporters hope that Trump's recent struggles will force moderate and independent voters, already wary of the Republican ticket, to give Democrats a second look.

Credits: Hyosub.Shin / ajc.com

Credits: Hyosub.Shin / ajc.com

Former Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan, one of the most prominent Republicans to endorse Harris, came away from his Atlanta rally more convinced that the race was in play. He said it felt like a national championship game.

If Donald Trump thinks he's going to crush the others to get back into the White House, he has another plan, Duncan said. This race is still about the middle 10 percent, and I'm betting Harris will get more of their attention than Donald Trump.

Saturday's rally will also test the Trump campaign's organizational skills.

One of the highlights of last month's Republican National Convention in Milwaukee was the overwhelming sense of unity in the GOP, as the MAGA base and traditional conservatives closed ranks around Trump's comeback bid.

Saturday's rally will serve as a barometer for the Georgia campaign, and anything less than a full house would be a stark contrast to the raucous crowd that filled the same venue on a weeknight to celebrate Harris.

The former president’s campaign launched a salvo of digital ads earlier this week to boost turnout, and Trump loyalists are expected to show up in force. Equally notable will be those who aren’t expected to attend: a trio of Republican incumbents whom Trump has sought to oust in 2022.

Credits: Hyosub Shin/AJC

Credits: Hyosub Shin/AJC

Aides to Gov. Brian Kemp, Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger have all indicated they will forgo the rally, as they have done at other Trump events since 2021.

Kemps' fraught history with Trump is part of Georgia's political lore, and he added to their saga this summer when he revealed that he cast a blank ballot in the state's primary rather than vote for the former president.

The second-term governor, however, has also said he will support Trump in November and attended the Republican convention in Milwaukee to advocate for second-tier Republican candidates.

Internal friction is no small matter in Georgia, especially as Harris consolidates her party’s base. Swing voters helped elect Biden in 2020 and helped Democrats Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock win U.S. Senate races in 2021 and 2022.

Credits: AP

Credits: AP

And many senior Republicans winced after Trump turned a question-and-answer session at a conference of black journalists in Chicago into an attack on Harris' racial identity, suggesting she had cynically adopted her heritage for political gain.

“I didn’t know she was black until she became black a few years ago,” he said. “And now she wants to be known as black. Is she Indian or black?”

Party leaders instead want him to focus on attacks that could stall her momentum by portraying her record as that of a radical prosecutor out of touch with traditional voters.

A multimillion-dollar ad campaign launched in Georgia this week is undermining her record on immigration, prompting Harris to defend her position at her Atlanta rally and vow to revive a compromise border security deal that Trump helped derail.

Former U.S. Rep. Doug Collins of Gainesville spoke about the killing of Laken Riley, a nursing student killed while jogging near the University of Georgia campus. A Venezuelan who authorities say entered the country illegally has pleaded not guilty to murder charges in her death.

Donald Trump is not afraid to talk about the murder of Laken Riley and the horrific immigration policies that led to the tragedy, he said. Kamala Harris refuses to even mention her name.

Other Republicans are hoping Trump will follow a similar script. Lt. Gov. Burt Jones has cast Harris as an extension of Biden’s failed White House administration and said Georgia voters will eventually see her that way, too.

The name on the ballot may have changed, but the failed policies have not, Jones said. No matter who Democrats nominate, they will have to defend the worst inflation in decades and the worst border crisis in modern history.

Credits: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC

Credits: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC

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