Former President Barack Obama gestures to Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris after introducing her to speak during a campaign rally for Harris on Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024, in Clarkston, Ga. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
This marked their first joint appearance of the campaign, as he sought to boost her chances of success in the upcoming election.
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“Together, we have a chance to choose a new generation of leadership in this country,” Obama told a crowd of 23,000 people at a high school football stadium in Clarkston, Georgia. “And start building a better and stronger and fairer and more hopeful America.”
As Harris took the stage, he raised her arm in a triumphant gesture, reminiscent of a prizefighter celebrating a victory.
She swiftly embraced his legacy, energizing the crowd—her largest audience since becoming the Democratic nominee—by leading them in a chant of “Yes, we can,” echoing Obama’s iconic slogan from the 2008 campaign.
“Millions of Americans were energized and inspired not only by Barack Obama’s message but by how he leads,” Harris said after he ceded the lectern to her. “Seeking to unite rather than separate us.”
She went on to denounce former President Donald Trump as an “unserious” yet perilous authoritarian, warning that he would harm Americans in their daily lives while simultaneously undermining the nation’s democracy.
This year, Harris’s campaign aims to harness the popularity of the party’s leading politicians and major celebrities to energize its base. At Thursday’s event, she was joined by rocker Bruce Springsteen, who performed a three-song set on guitar and harmonica before her speech, during which he accused Trump of aspiring to be an “American tyrant.”
Harris is set to appear with Beyoncé, one of the world’s most famous musicians, on Friday night in Houston, and she will rally with Michelle Obama in Michigan on Saturday.
The array of celebrity entertainers present on Thursday underscored the coalition Harris is attempting to build. Among them was Springsteen, who resonates with older, white Americans, and actor and comedian Tyler Perry, whose impassioned speech about growing up in poverty appealed to Black women. Prominent Black entertainers like Spike Lee and Samuel L. Jackson also joined, with Jackson humorously noting that he and Harris share a favourite expletive.
Jake Schneider, the Trump campaign’s rapid response director, downplayed the influence of celebrity endorsements, claiming that “relying on celebrities is nothing new for the party of Hollywood elites.” Harris and Obama have been close friends, and she notably endorsed him over Hillary Clinton in 2007 while serving as San Francisco’s district attorney, breaking from much of the Democratic establishment.
Georgia is a crucial battleground state, with Atlanta driving a significant portion of Democratic votes due to its sizable Black population. However, Harris has struggled to secure support among Black voters, particularly Black men, compared to typical Democratic candidates.
Earlier this month, Obama suggested that sexism might be a contributing factor. On Thursday, Georgia Senator Raphael Warnock, who introduced Harris, sought to quell concerns about Black men potentially supporting her opponent. “We’re not confused,” he asserted. “We know that this is the man who was held accountable by the Justice Department for refusing to rent apartments to Black people.”
In the 2020 election, Joe Biden won Georgia by fewer than 13,000 votes—the first time a Democrat had carried the state in a presidential election since 1992. His victory was driven by demographic changes and a focused effort to engage new voters, leaving the party hopeful for a repeat this fall. However, polls indicate a remarkably tight race.
Both campaigns have responded by heavily investing resources in Georgia, where more than 2 million people have already cast their votes. Trump visited the state for the second time in eight days on Wednesday, while Harris’s trip on Thursday marked her second visit in a week.
As seen in other locations, Trump’s campaign has concentrated on economic issues and immigration in Georgia. He has frequently evoked the tragic death of Laken Riley, a 22-year-old nursing student allegedly killed by an immigrant who entered the country illegally, to stoke fear about the increase in migrants crossing the border during the Biden administration.
In contrast, Harris’s campaign has prioritized abortion rights, particularly in a state that imposes a near-total ban on the procedure after about six weeks. On the campaign trail, she and her allies have shared the stories of Amber Thurman and Candi Miller, two Georgia women who died after experiencing treatment delays caused by the ban, as reported by ProPublica.
Now, Harris is working to win over moderate independent and Republican voters by holding Trump accountable for the abortion bans enacted in several conservative states. “In every state in the South, including Georgia, there is a Trump abortion ban,” she stated on Thursday, emphasizing that many of these bans include no exceptions for rape or incest.
Although Harris was generally well-received in Clarkston, following Obama—one of the nation’s most gifted political orators—came with challenges. As she spoke, some audience members, who had waited for hours in the heat, began to drift toward the exits.
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