Georgia Back in Play?

President Biden eked out a narrow win over then-President Trump in Georgia in 2020.

And until a couple of weeks ago, with Democrats facing lagging enthusiasm and concerns about Biden’s health, their hopes of another Georgia win seemed to be fading. (This, you’ll remember, is a state that was solidly red until recently…certainly when I was there back in 2014 and 2015 at Georgia Public Broadcasting. But Georgia now has two Democratic senators and has been moving into the purple category in recent years due to demographic shifts and the work of activists like Stacey Abrams).

With Biden’s decision to step aside from seeking reelection and Vice President Harris’s elevation to the role of likely nominee, that’s changed.

Harris held a major rally there this week, and her team seems confident the state could be back in play for Democrats.

As the fight for Georgia ratchets up, former President Trump and his running mate JD Vance will campaign in Atlanta this weekend.

And what about Trump’s comments this week about Harris’ race, in a room full of Black journalists?

Click HERE to listen.

I talked with colleagues Asma Khalid, who covers the White House, and Stephen Fowler, who’s based in Georgia, about all of it on the NPR Politics Podcast.

As a reminder, ‘The Exvangelicals’ ebook is just $2.99 for a couple more days! A great time to add it to your Kindle or other e-reader collection if you haven’t yet.

And thank you for support for this book - for reading and spreading the word - I’m still regularly hearing from readers who have been touched by it and that means so much.

Happy Friday!!