Molly Samuel
,
Rahul Bali
| WABE
July 21st, 2024
U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff and U.S. Reps. Nikema Williams, Lucy McBath and Hank Johnson are among the high-ranking Georgia Democrats who have already thrown their support behind Vice President Kamala Harris for the presidential nomination.
Harris has been a regular visitor to Georgia lately. She’s made at least five visits this year alone, including two Atlanta trips within a single week last month.
One of those stops was at the annual 100 Black Men of America conference. While there, Harris touted the Biden administration’s efforts to tackle student loan debt.
“Anybody who has received student loan debt forgiveness please testify,” she said to a cheering crowd.
A few days later, she was back in Atlanta again. Among the events she attended on that trip was a summit hosted by Atlanta rapper Quavo to discuss gun violence prevention.
“You just might want to know — before someone can buy a lethal weapon — if they’ve been found to be a danger to themselves or others,” she said at that event.
Harris does not automatically become her party’s nominee. Democrats will finalize their choice at their convention in Chicago next month.
Whoever ends up being the Democratic presidential nominee will likely not have an issue appearing on the November ballot in Georgia.
A spokesperson with the Georgia Secretary of State’s office said the nomination process is strictly up to the party. While there is no formal deadline, there is a practical limitation as November ballots are put together in mid-September.
Georgia convention delegate Duro Haynes, chair of the Henry County Democratic Committee, said the convention should be interesting, but for now, nothing changes about his and others’ work to mobilize voters.
“I think this just kind of cranks it up to another gear,” Haynes said.
WABE reporter Juma Sei contributed to this story.
