President Biden was struggling in Georgia even before the disastrous debate performance last month that ultimately led him to end his re-election bid. Four years ago, he was the first Democrat to win the state in nearly three decades — a narrow but momentous victory fueled by a diverse coalition of voters. This time around, though, support had dissipated, as had hopes of a repeat.
But when Vice President Kamala Harris campaigns in Atlanta on Tuesday for the first time as the party’s likely nominee, she will be greeted by a Democratic engine roaring back to life.
Organizers and allies say that crucial parts of her party’s base that had been growing disengaged, especially Black voters and young people, are invigorated again. Concerns about a blowout Republican win in Georgia have been replaced by newfound optimism about Ms. Harris’s chances, even as former President Donald J. Trump enjoys a solid lead in the polls.
“We have a lot more enthusiasm. I’ll be frank about it,” said State Senator Nabilah Islam, a Democrat whose district sits in Gwinnett County, Georgia’s most diverse and fastest-growing region. “People have been reaching out to me to see how they can help me and the vice president win this November. Those conversations weren’t happening before and now they are.”
Ms. Harris’s supporters in Georgia point to small signs as evidence of what they believe is an already changing race: the record number of new volunteers signing up with her campaign, and the half-dozen virtual meetings of Black pastors, organizers and alumni of historically Black colleges and universities that drew thousands of attendees eager to be involved. Ms. Harris could further galvanize Black voters, a loyal Democratic bloc that makes up roughly one-third of Georgia’s electorate.
And then there is crowd size. Thousands of people have signed up to attend Ms. Harris’s evening rally, according to her campaign, a marked contrast to President Biden’s smaller events, and a number that would put her on a level with Mr. Trump. The former president frequently draws thousands to his rallies at arenas, including recently in Charlotte, N.C., Grand Rapids, Mich., and St. Cloud, Minn.
