Bill Clinton joins Obama as part of Harris campaign blitz
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Former President Bill Clinton speaks on stage during the third day of the Democratic National Convention at the United Center on August 21 in Chicago, Illinois. Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images
Former President Bill Clinton will hit the campaign trail for Vice President Harris in key battleground states this week.
Why it matters: The battleground blitz comes as former President Barack Obama is also crisscrossing swing states campaigning for Harris. Coupled with President Biden, three of six living presidents are currently stumping for the vice president.
- Clinton and Obama's efforts aim to lock in support among the razor-thin margins that will likely determine the election.
Driving the news: Clinton will start his trot through the south with stops in Georgia on Sunday and Monday as he attempts to leverage his long-standing relationships with rural voters, a group the Harris campaign has been increasingly courting.
- The well-liked former presidents both rallied behind Harris at the Democratic National Convention, but as the curtains close on an unprecedented election season, they're meeting key voters where they are.
- For Clinton, that means addressing Americans far from the massive rallies signature to the Harris campaign. Instead, he'll speak to a few hundred people at a time at local fairs and porch events, CNN reported.
- Clinton will also campaign for Harris in North Carolina, pending ongoing recovery efforts from Hurricane Helene, according to a senior campaign official who was provided anonymity to preview details of campaign strategy.
The big picture: "The Harris campaign unleashes the Big Dog," Harris-Walz campaign spokesperson Ian Sams said in a post to X Thursday.
- Like Obama, Clinton will also focus on electing Democrats in down-ballot races.
State of play: If Harris slips in the Sunbelt, the campaign is depending on Blue Wall states to secure her win — notably, the vital states of Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania.
- As Clinton prepares to cruise through the South, Obama's get-out-the-vote sprint begins Thursday in Pennsylvania — arguably the most important swing state on the map.
- But the dual-president push comes as Democrats begin to worry Harris' support has stalled after she burst onto the trail just months ago.
Flashback: Clinton's campaign trail debut in the Peach State harkens back to 1992, when he was the last Democrat before Biden to win Georgia.
Zoom out: The Harris campaign is not just hoping to encourage a Democratic surge from the party's loyal voters — they're also trying to pick up disillusioned Trump voters in traditionally red areas.
- A prime example of that strategy came last week, when the vice president campaigned in Ripon, Wisconsin — the birthplace of the Republican party — alongside former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.).
Go deeper: Clintons endorse Kamala Harris after Biden drops out
