With 98 days to go before Election Day, Vice President Kamala Harris greeted a packed arena for her first Atlanta campaign rally yesterday, just 10 days after she took over from President Joe Biden as the Democratic Party’s presumptive nominee for the White House.
Throughout the evening, chants of “Kamala, Kamala!” “When we fight, we win!” and “Not going back!” reverberated across the Georgia State University Convocation Center’s arena in downtown Atlanta from an enthusiastic crowd of over 10,000 supporters, according to organizers.
Along with a performance from Grammy-winner Megan Thee Stallion, Harris and a star-studded cast of Georgia Democrats laid out a vision of governance that promised solutions to the housing affordability crisis and cost of living pressures.
“Prices are still too high — you know it and I know it,” Harris said in her 20-minute speech.
“On day one, I will take on [corporate] price-gouging and bring down costs. We will ban more of those hidden fees and surprise late charges that banks and other companies use to pad their profits. We will take on corporate landlords and cap unfair rent increases,” Harris continued. She asserted that her administration would also “take on Big Pharma” to lower prescription drug costs.
She contrasted that to former President Donald Trump’s corporate friendly agenda and promised her supporters: “We are never going back.”
Many rally goers who spoke to Atlanta Civic Circle cited the high cost of living and the economy as their top issues, along with healthcare and reproductive rights.
“Number one, the economy. Number two, womens’ rights,” said 34-year-old Lindsey Cofer of Fayette County. “Everyone is talking about eggs and milk, but I’m a mom to a three-year-old and I just spent $300 on back to school supplies.”
“Affordable healthcare is something I think about every single day,” said Buckhead resident Gracie Bulleit, a 32-year-old event planner.
Letitia Owens, 63, reiterated how important it was to her that prices come down. “People like me go into the grocery store and are saying ‘I’m angry’ before I even get to the door, knowing that my grocery bill is now $200 more than it should be.”
An all-star lineup of Georgia Democrats, including voting-rights advocate Stacey Abrams, U.S. Sens. Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock, U.S. Rep. Nikema Williams, and Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens heated up the crowd, followed by a high energy song-and-dance set from Megan Thee Stallion. Lawrenceville rapper Quavo, of Migos fame, also briefly took the stage to give Harris a nod of approval for her stance on gun violence, himself having lost a nephew, the Grammy-nominated rapper Takeoff, to a shooting in 2022. Harris, he said, “stands on business.”
While light on specifics, Harris’s speech laid out in broad strokes the Democratic agenda for the next four years, as the final act of a nearly two-hour program. The adoring response from the crowd left little doubt about the energy and enthusiasm her ascendance to the top of the ticket has unleashed among supporters.
Rally goers danced and sang along to hits like “All I Do Is Win” by DJ Khaled, “Not Like Us” by Kendrick Lamar, “Walk It Talk It” by Migos, and “Teach Me How To Dougie” by Cali Swag District. (L: Photo/Claire Becknell; R: Photo/Libby Hobbs)
The downtown Atlanta venue will host a rival rally on Saturday from Harris’s Republican opponents, Trump and his running mate, Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance.
Harris called out Trump for refusing to meet her on the debate stage, taunting, “If you’ve got something to say, say it to my face.”
Rally attendees chanted “Kamala, Kamala,” “When we fight, we win,” and “Not going back.” They swayed their signs side to side during the song “Swag Surfin’” by F.L.Y. (L: Photo/Claire Becknell; R: Photo/Libby Hobbs)
L: Grammy-winner Megan Thee Stallion performed her hit songs “Mamushi” and “Savage.” R: Atlanta rapper Quavo, who fronted hip-hop group Migos, briefly took the stage to endorse Harris on the issue of gun violence. His nephew, Takeoff, also a Migos member, was gunned down in 2022. “You can’t understand the struggles of gun violence unless you’re in the field or in the heart of it,” the Lawrenceville native said. “One thing I learned about working with Vice President Harris is that she stands on business.” (Photos/Libby Hobbs)
