Amid Georgia’s record-shattering early voter turnout, Vice President Kamala Harris returned to Atlanta to urge voters to usher in “a new and optimistic generation of leadership.”
Congresswoman Nikema Williams delivered opening remarks alongside Sen. Jon Ossoff, Georgia high school student and gun safety activist Tyler Lee, and eight-time Grammy-winning artist Usher.
“This is Georgia, and we know a little something about breaking history,” Williams, who chairs the Georgia Democratic Party, told the crowd.
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Usher, who is performing at Atlanta’s State Farm Arena on Sunday, told attendees that he had taken time away from his national tour in order to stump for Harris.
“It doesn’t matter where you’re from — she has a vision for our future that includes everyone,” he said.
Harris’ last visit to the Atlanta metro area — a rally for reproductive rights that was held in Cobb County — was somber, as she shared the story of Amber Nicole Thurman and Candi Miller, two women whose deaths have been linked to the state’s 6-week abortion ban.
But as early voter turnout soared to 1.3 million in the first five days alone, Harris’ return to the state took on a different energy: Excitement.
“It is time to turn the page,” Harris told the crowd of roughly 11,000 attendees. “It is time to turn the page, and America is ready to chart a new way forward.”
Rally attendees echoed Harris’ enthusiasm. Tinesha Cole, a 52-year-old small business owner, said Harris’ rally was the first one she has ever attended, and that she had been eagerly watching as Georgia’s early voter count soared.
“We got great turnout numbers,” she said. “Already, over a half a million people have done early voting, which is unprecedented out here. I’m optimistic about what the outcome is going to be.”
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Another rallygoer, 63-year-old nonprofit worker Philip Rafshoon, said he was feeling “nervous but optimistic” about the upcoming election. He hasn’t cast his ballot yet, but he’s planning to do so before the end of early voting.
“I’m waiting for my husband to get back so we can vote together,” he said.
Harris’ roughly 30-minute speech also contained a few somber moments. She began by thanking the workers who have been helping residents recover in the wake of Hurricane Helene, which devastated wide swaths of the state. She also criticized Trump’s economic plans, and shared a campaign video featuring Amber Nicole Thurman’s family members that seeks to link Trump’s legacy more directly to abortion bans that have been enacted across the South.
Additionally, Harris highlighted Trump’s refusal to participate in future debates and mocked his recent spate of cancelled events, one of which was reportedly due to exhaustion.
“I do believe Donald Trump is an unserious man,” she said. “And the consequences of him ever being again in the White House are brutally serious.”
With 17 days left until the Nov. 5 election, she urged her supporters to get out to the polls and cast their ballots.
“Democracy is not a state, it is an act,” Harris said. “So Georgia, now is the time to act.”
Maya Homan is a fellow at USA TODAY based in Atlanta, where she covers Georgia politics and elections. Follow her on X, formerly Twitter, as @MayaHoman.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Harris returns to Georgia for a rally as early voting breaks records
