Georgia was disappearing from the presidential battleground map. But Kamala Harris brought the kingdom back into the game.

The new location comes at a critical time for both campaigns in Georgia, a former Republican presidential stronghold that has taken on a purple hue after backing Biden in 2020 and electing Democrats. to the Senate in 2021 and 2022.

While many Republicans were beginning to see Georgia for action because of Biden’s dwindling numbers, Harris has given Democrats a big boost in the state. And now, neither side can take this Southern battlefield lightly.

Harris has strength with young voters and minorities

Biden in 2020 swept almost every state, boosted by his electoral potential with young voters and minorities.

In Georgia, Biden’s strong support among these groups, especially among Black voters, helped him win the state by less than one percentage point that year.

But recently, Biden has struggled to rally that base. He was usually in the mid to mid 40s in most of Georgia’s polls.

A large part of that slide was because Trump had won an unusually large number of Black voters for a GOP presidential candidate, and the younger electorate was voting for the party’s nominee. third as Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

But Harris has changed that trend, giving him an edge that Biden didn’t have in Georgia this year.

A recent Emerson College/The Hill poll showed Trump with a narrow two-point lead (48% to 46%) over Harris in the Peach State. And a recent Bloomberg News/Morning Consult poll taken in Georgia showed Harris and Trump tied with 47% support each among registered voters.

Harris can increase his support of the city

Trump’s allies had long been preparing for an engagement with Biden, using a playbook that focuses on the majority of GOP voters and winning over independents and undecided voters on the economy.

It would have done well in suburban Atlanta, especially in the outer suburbs where Republicans dominate non-statewide races.

But the rise of Harris has undermined those plans.

Although Harris is an important part of the Biden administration, he has the opportunity to re-introduce himself to the candidate who did not want to be re-elected in 2020. His focus on issues such as upholding the Constitution and protecting reproductive rights puts her right where most urbanites are emotionally.

Trump overwhelmed urban Republicans across the country in 2016, and in 2018 and 2020 his brand of Republicanism continued to push many cities — including those in the Atlanta area — away from their conservative tendencies. old GOP.

Trump underperformed in many inner-city Atlanta communities during the August GOP presidential primary, while former UN ambassador Nikki Haley received thousands of votes even after she dropped out of the race.

A large number of anti-Trump GOP voters may eventually move to Harris and give him more support in an area where he will need to work hard with Democrats to overcome Trump’s rural strength.

Trump has not let 2020 go

Elections are about the future. And if Trump holds on to 2020 instead of unifying Georgia Republicans, Harris could benefit.

During Trump’s rally on Saturday, he also rebuked Republican Governor Brian Kemp and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, relying on the anger of the 2020 election that divided the GOP.

Trump has long argued, without evidence, that he was the real winner in Georgia that year. But neither Kemp nor Raffensperger could help Trump overturn the results of the national presidency, and many Republicans wanted to go beyond the former president’s complaints about this issue.

But not Trump.

“He’s a bad guy, he’s a dishonest guy, and he’s a mediocre governor,” Trump told Kemp’s audience on Saturday.

“In my opinion, they want us to lose,” the former president said of Kemp and Raffensperger.

After Trump in a Public Truth post referred to Kemp’s wife, Marty, as saying he didn’t want the Georgia first lady’s endorsement, the governor told former President X that “he leave my family out of it.”

In 2022, Trump tried to send Kemp and Raffensperger to the GOP primaries to no avail, as they defeated MAGA-affiliated opponents.

This year, a divided Republican Party led by November will put the party’s chances of changing the state as the Harris campaign spends time and resources in Georgia.

If Trump can’t even show up in Georgia next to a popular GOP governor sitting in the state, this could affect the alignment and turnout — as Kemp’s exit poll performance was key to his victory. election against Democrat Stacey Abrams in 2022.