Obama to rally in Atlanta for Ossoff and Bottoms
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Former President Barack Obama speaks during a campaign rally on Oct. 24, 2024, in Clarkston, Georgia. Photo: Courtesy of Drew Angerer/AFP via Getty Images
President Barack Obama will visit Atlanta this week to rally Democratic voters to back Sen. Jon Ossoff in his reelection bid and Keisha Lance Bottom's run for governor.
Why it matters: The two-term president's name still carries weight in the Democratic Party, and his presence could further mobilize voters to bolster already-record turnout numbers in Georgia.
The latest: Obama's visit will be on Wednesday, but the time and location has not been revealed.
- According to a press release from Bottoms' campaign, she and Obama will talk about her proposal to expand Medicaid, invest in education and "stand up for Georgians as the reckless policies coming from Washington raise prices and threaten Georgians' access to health care."
By the numbers: As of 3pm Sunday, more than 811,000 people voted early in person at polling locations across the country ahead of the Nov. 3 general election, according to Georgia Secretary of State Election Hub data.
- That's about 50,000 more than the roughly 760,000 people who cast ballots in the first week of early voting ahead of the 2022 midterm election.
Context: At a rally held Saturday in Cobb County, Democrats encouraged attendees to vote early and in person before the Oct. 30 deadline.
- Following the rally, Bottoms said she and her team were "happy with the turnout" so far.
- "We are seeing the surge that we hoped to see, and we're hoping that May was really a good indication as to the excitement that people will have to go and vote before November," she said.
The other side: Obama's visit will come nearly a week after President Trump held a campaign rally in Dalton for U.S. Rep. Mike Collins (R-Ga.), who is challenging Ossoff, and Republican gubernatorial candidate Rick Jackson.
- According to the AJC, Trump falsely claimed Ossoff's victory in 2021 was "rigged," and praised both Collins and Jackson (who has tried to distance himself from the president as election day nears).
- If elected to the U.S. Senate, Collins said he would have Trump's back.
- "There's never been a president who has done more for foster children that are abused and neglected than this man right here," Jackson said during the rally, the AJC reports.
What's next: Trump will return to Georgia on Saturday for a planned rally in Macon.