President Donald Trump encouraged voters to turn out for Republican Brian Kemp in Tuesday’s election during a rally Sunday in Macon.
Courtney Kueppers / WABE
President Donald Trump was the latest in a string of high-profile surrogates to stump for candidates in Georgia this week.
Trump campaigned for Republican gubernatorial candidate Brian Kemp this afternoon at Middle Georgia Regional Airport in Macon.
Trump praised Kemp “as an incredible fighter and tireless champion for the people and values of Georgia.”
“He will keep your jobs and wages rising. He will provide great schools and health care for your loved ones, and he will keep your family safe. He will stand behind our military and behind our vets,” Trump said.
“He’s always behind our police and our law enforcement, and he will never let anything bad happen to our Second Amendment, which, believe me, is under siege.”
Trump supporters gather Sunday at a rally in Macon. (Courtney Kueppers/WABE)
The president’s visit to Georgia was his latest stop in a series of rallies held across the country before Tuesday’s midterm election.
This weekend alone, he was also campaigning for Republicans in West Virginia, Indiana, Montana, Florida and Tennessee.
Trump has also gone after Kemp’s opponent, Democrat Stacey Abrams.
At the Macon rally, Trump called Abrams “one of the most extreme, far-left politicians in the entire country.”
Last week, Trump said Abrams isn’t qualified to be governor because of “her past.”
On Sunday, Kemp called Tuesday’s election a “battle for the soul of our state.” He praised the president for a variety of policy positions and for his response to Hurricane Michael in South Georgia.
At Sunday’s rally in Macon, Brian Kemp praised the president for his support of Georgia’s farmers in the wake of Hurricane Michael. (Courtney Kueppers/WABE)
Former Georgia Gov. and Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue, Gov. Nathan Deal and lieutenant governor candidate Geoff Duncan also spoke at the rally.
Samantha Campbell, 22, of Statesboro, said she was looking forward to hearing what the president had to say about politics in Georgia. She said she supports Trump because he “keeps his promises” and values things like the Second Amendment.
“I like the way he protects our freedoms and our liberties – that’s what a president should do,” Campbell said.
Patrick McCormick, 25, of Columbus, said he hopes Trump’s visit will give Kemp the edge to win at the polls on Tuesday.
“I think it’s always good when a president comes down … it’s going to give (Kemp) a little bit of a bump, especially so close to Election Tuesday,” McCormick said.
Kellie Simpson, 48, of McDonough, said she’s supporting Kemp because she believes it will mean a raise for teachers like her.
Simpson came with her daughter to Sunday’s rally and said she was excited to see the president’s “enthusiasm and patriotism.”
Vice President Mike Pence also showed his support for Kemp with a series of stops earlier in the week.
Trump’s predecessor, former President Barack Obama, campaigned Friday in Atlanta for Abrams and other Democratic candidates.
