Harris and Walz start Georgia bus tour as Democrats' hopes rise

By Andrea Shalal and Nandita Bose

HINESVILLE, Georgia (Reuters) -Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris and her running mate Tim Walz campaigned together on Wednesday in Georgia, a state that Democrats narrowly won in 2020 and could play a decisive role in this year's election, with an appeal to young voters.

The duo arrived to cheers in the band room at Liberty County High School, where students were seated with their instruments and with members of the football team and cheerleaders also present.

"Our country is counting on you, all of you," Harris told them. "You are leaders."

“Your generation ... is what is going to propel us into the next era," she said.

Harris and Walz are riding a bus through southern Georgia, home to some of its largest Black populations and where the campaign has added staff and opened field offices. Liberty County, with a population of around 65,000, is about 40% Black and voted overwhelmingly for Joe Biden in 2020.

The 2024 race has changed dramatically since Harris became her party's candidate, and she hopes to galvanize Black voters who make up about one-third of Georgia's electorate and will be crucial in the effort to win the state.

Before President Joe Biden dropped his reelection bid last month and endorsed Vice President Harris, opinion polls showed Republican candidate Donald Trump with a clear lead in Georgia, and that some Black voters were disillusioned with Democrats.

Since then, however, Harris has steadily gained ground in national polls and has been boosted by well over $500 million in donations.

The latest polls compiled by FiveThirtyEight show Harris just behind Trump, 46.0% to 46.6% in Georgia, compared with about a 5 percentage point lead for Trump before Harris entered the race on July 21.

A new Reuters/Ipsos poll on Tuesday showed that Harris has eroded Trump's advantage on the economy and crime.

Before the 2020 race, Georgia last backed a Democrat for president in 1992.

If elected, Harris will be the first female president in U.S. history. As a Black and South Asian woman, she is seeking to shore up support for Democrats among Black voters and motivate new groups of voters.

In Boston earlier on Wednesday, Walz made a pitch to the 350,000-member International Association of Firefighters, which has not joined other large unions in endorsing Harris. She has pledged support for labor rights and cutting taxes for the middle class, he said, while Trump blocked overtime benefits and opposed efforts to raise the minimum wage.

"We're going to need you with us to win that fight," Walz said. "Sisters and brothers in labor, it's time for you to step up to the plate."

Harris was expected to focus on the economy and abortion rights during the Georgia trip, including a pledge to lower consumer costs, a campaign official said.

The tour will culminate with a Harris rally in the Savannah area on Thursday.

It is Harris' second Georgia trip since she became the Democratic candidate. A rally in Atlanta earlier this month featured hip-hop star Megan Thee Stallion and drew more than 10,000 people.

Harris, 59, pledged then that Democrats will win the state, which has 16 Electoral College votes and is one of several swing states that can lean either to Republicans or Democrats. Democrats won it by less than 12,000 votes in 2020.

Republicans have dramatically ramped up spending in Georgia and the Republican-controlled state election board added a new rule that voting rights advocates say could delay certification of the vote in November.

Trump, 78, said in a social media post last week that winning Georgia "is so important to the success of our Party, and most importantly, our Country." He is expected to campaign in the state several more times before Election Day on Nov. 5.

(Reporting by Andrea Shalal and Nandita Bose in Washington; Additional reporting by Jim Oliphant; Writing by Nandita Bose and Steve Holland; Editing by Heather Timmons, Jonathan Oatis and Bill Berkrot)