Current:Home > ContactFormer President Bill Clinton travels to Georgia to rally rural Black voters to the polls -PrimeWealth Guides
Former President Bill Clinton travels to Georgia to rally rural Black voters to the polls
View
Date:2025-04-15 06:27:00
ALBANY, Ga. (AP) — Former President Bill Clinton urged churchgoers in Albany, Georgia, on Sunday to rally behind the upbeat campaign of Vice President Kamala Harris for the office he once held.
“Uniting people and building, being repairers of the breach, as Isaiah says, those are the things that work,” Clinton said. “Blaming, dividing, demeaning — they get you a bunch of votes at election time, but they don’t work.”
While Mt. Zion Baptist Church was not quite full, a hefty crowd welcomed Clinton with a standing ovation. Many attendees were older, but some younger people were dispersed throughout the pews.
“I think it was a great advancement for southwest Georgia to have the former president come to grace us today during the church service and spread the word about voting, especially to our young people,” said Takisha Campbell.
Georgia is one of seven states seen as pivotal in this year’s presidential race, and turnout among Black voters could hold the key for Democrats to winning the state’s 16 electoral votes. Harris and former President Donald Trump are neck-to-neck in state polls, and President Joe Biden won Georgia in 2020 by just 11,779 votes out of more than 5 million cast. That was the first time a Democratic president won the state since Clinton’s victory in 1992. Four years later, Clinton lost the state to Sen. Bob Dole, the Republican nominee, but won re-election.
In 1992, Clinton and then-Sen. Al Gore rode a campaign bus through southwest Georgia to court rural voters. Harris and Gov. Tim Walz revived the approach earlier this year by visiting Savannah and Liberty County in the southeastern part of the state, but they did not travel west.
At Mt. Zion, Clinton reminisced on a time when politics were less polarized and lamented a political climate that has been poisoned with misinformation. He pointed to U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s post on X claiming that Democrats caused Hurricane Helene, which swept through the southeast last month, and called Vice Presidential nominee JD Vance, who has repeatedly failed to acknowledge Trump’s defeat in 2020 in this year’s campaign, a “yes man” to Trump.
He also touted Harris’ accomplishments and promises, including her involvement in Biden’s work to reduce insulin costs and revive the economy. He said she would pave the way for greater economic opportunity, mentioning her plan to provide financial support for first-time homeowners.
Regina Whearry, who attended the service, said she wished more people knew the former president was coming. But she appreciated how Clinton touched on both policy and scripture.
“It was well needed because in this area, we have very low turnout, especially among our Black males,” Whearry said.
Democrats see Clinton as someone who can mobilize both rural voters and Black voters. But while Clinton was recognized for his popularity in southern Black communities, it remains to be seen whether he can still inspire Black voters as the population familiar with his presidency grows older. But he didn’t hold back in describing the stakes in this year’s race.
“This whole election and the future of the country is turning out to be what people who were sort of on the fence about voting are going to do in the next three and a half weeks,” Clinton said. “It’s the craziest thing I’ve ever seen.”
What to know about the 2024 Election
- Today’s news: Follow live updates from the campaign trail from the AP.
- Ground Game: Sign up for AP’s weekly politics newsletter to get it in your inbox every Monday.
- AP’s Role: The Associated Press is the most trusted source of information on election night, with a history of accuracy dating to 1848. Learn more.
Black registered voters have overwhelmingly favorable views of Harris and negative views of Trump despite his attempts to appeal to nonwhite voters, according to a recent poll from the AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. But the poll also shows that many Black voters aren’t sure whether Harris would improve the country overall or better their own lives.
Albany was an early battleground in the fight for civil rights. The city garnered national attention as hundreds of protesters, including Martin Luther King Jr., were arrested and jailed in 1961 and 1962.
Clinton, who was governor of Arkansas before he became president, also spoke at the campaign’s Albany office, where he told attendees he asked the campaign to send him to rural areas, where he feels most at home.
__
Kramon is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. Follow Kramon on X: @charlottekramon
veryGood! (47319)
Related
- Where will Elmo go? HBO moves away from 'Sesame Street'
- Protests turn ugly as pressure mounts on Spain’s acting government for amnesty talks with Catalans
- Can you make your bed every day? Company is offering $1000 if you can commit to the chore
- Don't Be a Cotton-Headed Ninnymuggins: Check Out 20 Secrets About Elf
- Whoopi Goldberg is delightfully vile as Miss Hannigan in ‘Annie’ stage return
- These 20 Gifts for Music Fans and Musicians Hit All the Right Notes
- What to know about Issue 1 in Ohio, the abortion access ballot measure, ahead of Election Day 2023
- Powerball lottery jackpot climbs to $179 million: Here's what to know before next drawing
- Google unveils a quantum chip. Could it help unlock the universe's deepest secrets?
- Gigi Hadid's Star-Studded Night Out in NYC Featured a Cameo Appearance by Bradley Cooper
Ranking
- Newly elected West Virginia lawmaker arrested and accused of making terroristic threats
- Michigan State men's basketball upset at home by James Madison in season opener
- Alabama playoff-bound? Now or never for Penn State? Week 10 college football overreactions
- Civilians fleeing northern Gaza’s combat zone report a terrifying journey on foot past Israeli tanks
- What to know about Tuesday’s US House primaries to replace Matt Gaetz and Mike Waltz
- Ethics agency says Delaware officials improperly paid employees to care for seized farm animals
- Australian central bank lifts benchmark cash rate to 4.35% with 13th hike
- Australian central bank lifts benchmark cash rate to 4.35% with 13th hike
Recommendation
How to watch the 'Blue Bloods' Season 14 finale: Final episode premiere date, cast
Megan Fox Describes Abusive Relationship in Gut-Wrenching Book of Poems
What to know about Elijah McClain’s death and the cases against police and paramedics
The Air Force asks Congress to protect its nuclear launch sites from encroaching wind turbines
Buckingham Palace staff under investigation for 'bar brawl'
New Mexico revisits tax credits for electric vehicles after governor’s veto
Voters in Pennsylvania to elect Philadelphia mayor, Allegheny County executive
Highland Park suspected shooter's father pleads guilty to reckless conduct