High-profile Democrats descend on Savannah to campaign for Harris and Walz
First Lady Jill Biden and U.S. Senator Raphael Warnock stopped in Savannah this weekend to encourage Georgians to show up at the polls for Vice President Kamala Harris and Governor Tim Walz.
Following recent campaign visits from Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff and Walz, Democrats continued to blitz Georgia, and particularly Savannah, ahead of Tuesday's presidential election. Biden and Warnock essentially shared the same message that the country needed to move beyond the divisiveness of Donald Trump into a new era of leadership.
FLOTUS calls on supporters to 'get to work'
After stops in Atlanta and Macon, Jill Biden landed in Savannah on Saturday afternoon to appear at a canvassing kickoff event held a Harris-Walz campaign field office located in Garden City, Georgia.
Savannah's warm weather coupled with the packed crowd of roughly 50-60 Harris-Walz supporters led to a humid atmosphere in the upper floor at the field office. Attendees fanned themselves while waiting more than hour for the first lady to arrive. They had kept their spirits high, though, with bottles of water and chants of “Harris, Walz” and “Freedom.”
Biden spoke for about eight minutes to sweat-drenched Harris supporters. During her speech, she asked them to “remind people that character and temperament matter” by continuing to canvass for Harris. She also touted Harris’s background, having been raised by a mother who had high expectations that ultimately shaped Harris into “the president we all deserve.”
She drew boisterous cheers from the crowd by saying Democrats will win Georgia again because, “the other guy only cares about himself.” She also highlighted Harris’s plans to lower costs for average Americans and protect freedoms like women’s rights. She then asked attendees to bring other voters into the fold so as to “meet this moment as if our democracy is on the line, because it is.”
She ended her remarks around 5:15 p.m. by saying, “I love you, Savannah, let’s get to work.”
Savannah Mayor Van Johnson, who rallied the crowd ahead of Biden's arrival, underscored Chatham County’s importance on the national stage. He noted other major political figures who have visited the Hostess City over the last few months, including Harris herself at the start of her campaign back in August.
While Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger's office announced Thursday that "Georgia voters exceeded 50% statewide turnout among active voters" through early voting, Johnson said that Chatham County’s turnout was around 42%. He wants it to reach at least 50% come Tuesday.
Selina Cruz, a recent University of Tampa graduate and Savannah field organizer for the Harris-Walz campaign, introduced Biden at Saturday's event. Cruz said “the energy on the ground is real" referring to supporters' excitement for Harris's chances to win. Cruz assured the field office crowd that, as president, Harris would fight for reproductive freedoms and citizens' ability to build generational wealth.
Like Johnson, Cruz emphasized the state’s importance this election season. “Georgia has something to say ya’ll,” she said, and then asked supporters to help "put an end to the Donald Trump era.”
After Jill Biden exited, event attendee Tam Tam Reavs was asked what brought her to hear the first lady speak. Reavs emphatically said, "Victory."
Warnock: Voting for Harris 'makes you a patriot'
A day before Biden's visit to the Hostess City, roughly 150 Harris-Walz supporters gathered Friday night for the Get Out the Vote "block party," which Savannah native Warnock attended.
The vacant lot across from Kim's Café on Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard was bustling with music from a DJ. Attendees enjoyed chicken, ribs and red rice amid rows of signs for Democratic nominee Harris and running mate Walz. Some partygoers swarmed Warnock during parts of the event to take pictures and shake hands with the senator. He even lifted a toddler into the air at one point.
Attendee Randy Zurcher said he started canvassing for the Harris campaign "several weeks" before the Savannah rally. "I feel like this thing has momentum that I didn't even see with Obama in '08," he said. He pulled out his phone and showed a picture of him with VP Harris at The Grey during her August visit to Savannah where she met with volunteers and canvassers as part of her Coastal Georgia bus tour.
Friday's event was just yards from Herbert Kayton Homes, where Warnock grew up. Johnson called it "poetic." He also said that Savannah has "without a doubt" seen an unprecedented level of campaign activity this campaign season. "Whether you are the red or blue spectrum, for us it's great. We get to tell the story of Savannah every time someone comes here," he said. Other local public officials who attended the block party were former mayor and current State Rep. Edna Jackson and Chatham County Board of Commissioners District 7 Candidate Orlando Scott.
Warnock also gave a speech, which spanned nearly 30 minutes. He quoted scripture passages, criticized Republican nominee Donald Trump's character and touted Harris' plans, such as extending the Child Tax Credit.
In an interview after his remarks, Warnock said people he has met on the campaign trail around the country have a "profound sense" of what is at stake in the election, and the excitement in the air is "electric." While he referenced his own narrow margins of victory in recent elections, he knows the presidential race will be close. "I am heartened by the turnout, but we need people to continue through election day. We cannot let up. We have to leave it all on the field," he said.
During his remarks to the crowd, he also offered this advice to supporters: "Tell your Republican friends that voting for Kamala Harris in a moment like this doesn't make you a Democrat, it makes you a patriot."
What to know for Tuesday
Early voting in Georgia ended on Friday Nov. 1.
If registered voters have not already voted in person or already submitted absentee ballots they can vote in person on Tuesday, Nov. 5.
Voters can always check their status and review assigned polling locations at the Georgia My Voter Page (mvp.sos.ga.gov/s/).
Polls open at 7 a.m. Tuesday. Polling stations must stay open until all voters who are in line by 7 p.m. have voted.
Voters must have a valid form of photo identification. Georgia law prohibits campaigning inside of or within 150 feet of the outer edge of polling places as well as within 25 feet of any voter standing in line to vote. The laws also prohibits signs on vehicles within proximity to polling places, as well as clothing or other accessories featuring the name of a candidate, political party or slogan.
For more information on election day preparedness in Georgia go to www.georgia.gov/vote-in-person-election-day
Joseph Schwartzburt is the education and workforce development reporter for the Savannah Morning News. You can reach him at JSchwartzburt@gannett.com.
Savannah and Chatham County Government Reporter Evan Lasseter contributed to this article.