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President Joe Biden on Saturday campaigned in Georgia for the first time this year, telling supporters gathered in Atlanta that he is “fighting like hell” for women’s access to reproductive health care and to preserve our democracy. he said.
“It is no exaggeration to suggest that our freedoms are literally on the ballot this November,” he said, to thunderous applause.
Biden spoke for about 21 minutes on a humid Saturday to hundreds of loyal Democrats at Atlanta’s Pullman Yards event space.
Biden chose Georgia as the second stop in a multi-state campaign stop to begin his general election campaign against former President Donald Trump. Trump was also in the state today as he said he was campaigning in northern Georgia with Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, as Georgia is critical to further victories.
“You can tell a lot about a person by who they hang out with,” Biden said.
He said putting Trump back in the White House would reverse years of Democratic gains and allow Republicans to push for more tax cuts for the wealthy and corporations, as well as restrictions on abortion and in vitro fertilization. I warned you that it would be.
Biden has promised to “restore Roe v. Wade as the law of the land.”
Chinye Enura, a real estate agent who lives on Atlanta’s west side, said she was excited to hear Biden talk about affordable housing and reproductive rights.
“Our rights are at risk. This is serious and women need to go to the polls now more than ever,” said Enura, 44.
The campaign suspension came ahead of Tuesday’s primary election. Biden narrowly won Georgia in the last presidential election, and Democrats say winning the state is essential to returning him to the White House in 2024.
“Once again, Georgia will decide the fate of our country,” U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff said before Biden took the stage. “The stakes couldn’t be higher.”
Biden said he is focused on lowering prescription drug prices.
“Americans pay more for prescription drugs than anywhere else in the world. That’s wrong,” he said.
He also said he wants to make sure students can get a quality education without having to take on expensive loans, and that more people can afford to buy a home. The speech repeated many of the same themes and even some of the same quotes as Thursday’s speech. State of the Union Address. He also touted the administration’s racial diversity and, in particular, the appointment of Black women to judicial positions.
“We have already achieved so much. Now let’s talk about the future we can build together,” the president said.
Credit: Steve Schaefer/
Credit: Steve Schaefer/
Protesters who shouted angrily at Mr. Biden about his administration’s approach to Israel’s war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip were escorted from the venue.
The protester was escorted away and his cries were drowned out by the president’s supporters chanting “four more years.” Mr. Biden responded, “I’m not outraged by his passion. There are many Palestinians who are being unjustly victimized.”
Biden said he had developed a “comprehensive plan on immigration to secure our borders,” but he did not mention Laken Riley, a 22-year-old nursing student who was killed on February 22. The University of Georgia campus a few hours after going for a run. The suspect charged in Riley’s death, Jose Antonio Ibarra, lives in Athens but is not a U.S. citizen. Authorities say he entered the United States illegally in 2022 and was previously arrested in New York.
First lady Dr. Jill Biden visited Georgia last week to support Women for Biden-Harris, a national organizing program aimed at encouraging women across the country to vote for the president and encourage their friends and family to follow suit. ” was launched.
There is reason to believe that both Biden and Trump will be competitive in the Peach State.
In the 2020 presidential election, Biden won Georgia with 49.5% of the vote, winning by less than 12,000 votes. This is the first time Georgia has voted for a Democratic president since Bill Clinton in 1992 and former Governor Jimmy Carter in 1976 and 1980.
Victory in Georgia may depend on who can win the floating vote. Nearly 20% of Georgians were not ready to support either candidate, according to an Atlanta Journal-Constitution poll.
With the path to the nation’s highest office narrow, both candidates are focused on crossing the finish line in Georgia, a state with a growing number of people of color and changing political attitudes, especially suburban, college-educated women. ing.
For Biden, Tuesday will be a test of the loyalty of his supporters. Some of the party’s critics are encouraging Georgia voters to cast blank votes to show dissatisfaction with the administration’s handling of the war in Gaza. The Gaza War began on October 7th. Hamas is a terrorist organization that has killed approximately 1,200 Israelis. Since then, heavy fighting has broken out in the area, leaving around 30,000 Palestinians dead.
Protesters gathered outside the venue and called on the administration to halt all US aid to Israel.
“We want Mr. Biden to get the message, but we also want the community to get the message,” said Monica Johnson, an organizer with the far-left Socialism and Liberation Party.
Former Democratic gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams, whose election-year organizing work is credited with helping win Georgia to Biden in 2020, was out this weekend. Friday She told reporters she was proud to welcome Biden back to Georgia.
“We need four more years of progress, so we need four more years with a Biden presidency,” she said. “The investments he made through the CHIPS Act were [Inflation Reduction Act]And we can only continue to grow if he is in charge, through the work he has done to not only strengthen our economy, but to turn the corner. Listening to what the other person does. And President Joe Biden needs to take the lead. ”
Staff reporters Patricia Murphy, Michael Cannell and Riley Bunch contributed to this report.
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