Harris/Walz surrogates say stay the course with DNC less than two weeks away

Harris/Walz surrogates tell Ga. voters to stay the course with DNC less than a week away

By Donnell Suggs

Under the image of one of the South’s greatest Civil Rights Era icons, the late Congressman John Lewis, a number of Georgia politicians and Harris/Walz campaign surrogates spoke to assembled media and supporters on Thursday afternoon. The goal was to continue the positive momentum of the campaign in Georgia ahead of the pair’s first visit to the state. A campaign stop in Savannah was postponed due to Hurricane Debby and concerns over the weather in coastal Georgia. Harris held a large rally at the Georgia State University Convocation Center in Atlanta last week, just days before selecting Walz, the Governor of Minnesota, as her running mate.

Georgia State Rep. Saira Draper, Georgia State Senator Harold Jones II, North Fulton County Democrats Chair Dontaye Carter, and Tolulope Kevin Olasanoye, the executive director of the Georgia Democratic Party, all took turns speaking about the dangers of another presidency under former United States President and current Republican presidential nominee Donald J. Trump.

Olasanoye said he and the politicians were there because the Georgia State Election Board has forgotten what it is supposed to be doing. This comes in the wake of the Board deciding to pass a new rule to allow county boards to request more information before certifying election results. Many see this as a preemptive stalling tactic by a GOP-led board.

“It is very, very clear that there are members of the State Election Board who are doing the bidding of Donald Trump,” Olasanoye said. “They are trying to rig the game before the game gets started.”

Olasanoye believes the energy from the large crowds at rallies that took place around the country, particularly and most recently in Atlanta, is a good sign , but cannot be seen as the sure bet for democrats. “Good feelings alone are not going to get us over the finish line,” he said.

“We will continue to fight,” Draper added. “Georgia Republicans are trying to make it harder to vote, but they will not succeed.”

All of the speakers, including North Fulton Democrats Chair Dontaye Carter, made sure to mention the Trump/Vance campaign running out of things to say, and thus resorting to the negativity that Trump is more famously known for. Voting in record numbers, which Georgians did during the last presidential election in 2020, can go a long way to keeping the state and its 16 electoral votes blue/purple.

Carter said he had a message to Georgians who are thinking of not voting or don’t know why they should vote this time around: You must vote.

“For people of Georgia, the fight ain’t over,” Carter said. “We have to get our souls to the polls.”

Early voting in Georgia begins on Tuesday, October 15. The deadline for voter registration is Monday, October 7.

“Women take care of the family, the home, the family. Why not the world?” said Jamal Omar Tenker, a Democrat and Harris/Walz supporter.

While the press conference continued, people drove by and beeped their horns or others walked by, some shouting “Kamala Harris”. Voters like Jamal Omar Tenker walked by several times during the press conference. He said he was looking forward to Election Day.

“We say it all the time, behind every successful man there is a woman. Well, now put her in front,” Tenker, a democratic voter, said as he stopped by the mural to look on. “Women take care of the family, the home, the family. Why not the world?,” he asked. 

“Women take care of the family, the home, the family. Why not the world?” said Jamal Omar Tenker, a Democrat and Harris/Walz supporter.

While the press conference continued, people drove by and beeped their horns or others walked by, some shouting “Kamala Harris”. Voters like Jamal Omar Tenker walked by several times during the press conference. He said he was looking forward to Election Day.

“We say it all the time, behind every successful man there is a woman. Well, now put her in front,” Tenker, a democratic voter, said as he stopped by the mural to look on. “Women take care of the family, the home, the family. Why not the world?,” he asked.