On a Friday morning in Savannah, Keisha Lance Bottoms stood before a packed room and handed her supporters a simple charge for the final days of a long campaign: bring one more voter to the polls before Election Day. Georgia's governor's race has narrowed to a contest that a single poll measures at barely half a point, and in moments like this, the quiet work of persuading neighbors often matters more than the speeches. Her closing argument reaches past the top of the ballot toward the Public Service Commission and the state legislature, reminding the state that power is distributed in many sm
Bottoms Makes Final Savannah Push as Poll Shows Narrow Lead Over Jackson Before Election Day
We're in the sprint part of this marathon
Mark
Why does a rally in Savannah matter this late in the race?
Mimi
Because the margin is so thin. Bottoms was up by half a point in one poll, so turnout in a Democratic base city like Savannah could matter a great deal. Her ask was simple: each person brings one more voter.
Mark
She was in Brunswick that same morning. Is that significant?
Mimi
It shows the coastal strategy. She said she'll be crisscrossing the state for the final days, so she's trying to be everywhere.
Luke
I'd be careful with the poll, though. It's one poll, Poll Max, and half a point is almost certainly inside any margin of error. The article doesn't say how many people were surveyed or give a margin of error, so nobody can say she's actually ahead.
Mark
Mayor Van Johnson brought up Trump asking voters to pretend he's on the ballot. What was that about?
Mimi
Johnson used it as motivation. He said he kept it in mind when he voted, and he urged people to leave no doubt on Tuesday. It's an attempt to turn the other side's message into a reason to turn out.
Luke
Worth noting that the Trump remark is relayed secondhand here. The article doesn't say where or when he said it, so it's framing from Johnson's side.
Mark
What does Bottoms say she'd do if she wins?
Mimi
Restore funding the Trump administration cut, suspend the grocery tax, and expand Medicaid. Those are her top three.
Luke
Those are promises, not plans. The piece gives no costs, no timeline, and nothing on whether a legislature would go along, which is why her push for the state House and Senate matters.
Mimi
Right, she tied the two together herself, talking about flipping the House and picking up Senate seats alongside the Public Service Commission races.
Der Puls
- A final rally at Kim's Cafe turned a packed room into a last-minute call to action, with each supporter asked to bring one voter before Nov. 3.
- A poll showing Bottoms ahead of Republican Rick Jackson by just half a point keeps the campaign tense and refuses any comfort.
- Bottoms is crisscrossing the state, moving from Brunswick to Savannah, while allies like Mayor Van Johnson rally Democratic voters to leave no doubt.
- The fight is spreading down the ballot, with Democrats pushing to flip the state House, gain Senate seats, and send Peter Hubbard to a Public Service Commission seat.
- Everything now hangs on Tuesday's count, which will decide whether the thin margin holds and whether the down-ballot push lands.
On a Friday morning in Savannah, Keisha Lance Bottoms stood before a packed room and handed her supporters a simple charge for the final days of a long campaign: bring one more voter to the polls before Election Day. Georgia's governor's race has narrowed to a contest that a single poll measures at barely half a point, and in moments like this, the quiet work of persuading neighbors often matters more than the speeches. Her closing argument reaches past the top of the ballot toward the Public Service Commission and the state legislature, reminding the state that power is distributed in many small rooms as well as in the capitol. Whether that distributed effort holds will be answered only when the last ballot is counted.
The room at Kim's Cafe was standing room only on Friday morning, and Keisha Lance Bottoms used it to give her supporters one last assignment before Nov. 3: find someone you know and make sure they vote. Earlier that day she had been in Brunswick, and she said she and her team would be crisscrossing Georgia over the coming days, with Savannah, a city whose Democratic voters she is counting on, among the key stops.
Savannah Mayor Van Johnson, a close ally, told the crowd about her commitment to public service, recalling how she called regularly to check on Savannah residents during the COVID-19 pandemic. He also took a shot at President Trump's rallies, saying he kept that in mind when he cast his own vote. "Let our votes do the talking," he said.
The urgency has a number behind it. Poll Max showed Bottoms leading Republican Rick Jackson by only half a percentage point. Bottoms said a lead that thin gives her no comfort, and that this is the sprint portion of a marathon. She does not intend to take anyone for granted.
She also pressed the case further down the ballot, pointing to Dr. Alicia Johnson's work on the Public Service Commission and the chance to send Peter Hubbard to another commission seat. Democrats, she said, need to flip the state House and hoped to gain Senate seats, and it will take all hands on deck. Asked about her priorities if she wins, she named three: restoring funding the Trump administration has cut, suspending the state grocery tax, and expanding Medicaid.
With Election Day set for Tuesday, the margin in the governor's race and the fate of the down-ballot seats will tell the story.
The room at Kim's Cafe in Savannah was standing room only on Friday morning, and Keisha Lance Bottoms, the Democratic candidate for Georgia governor, used it to give her supporters one last assignment before Nov. 3: find someone you know and make sure that person votes.
It was the closing stretch of a campaign that has now brought her back to Savannah, a city whose Democratic voters she is counting on. Earlier the same morning she had been in Brunswick. She said she and her team will be crisscrossing the state over the next few days.
Savannah Mayor Van Johnson, a close ally of Bottoms, was among those in the room. He told the crowd that her commitment to public service reaches well beyond Atlanta, and he recalled that during the COVID-19 pandemic she called regularly to check on Savannah residents. Johnson also referred to President Trump, who has been telling voters at his campaign events to pretend he is on the ballot. Johnson said he kept that in mind when he cast his own vote. "Let our votes do the talking," he said, adding that voters need to leave no doubt on Tuesday.
The urgency has a number behind it. According to Poll Max, Bottoms led Republican Rick Jackson by only half a percentage point on Friday afternoon. Bottoms said that a lead that thin gives her no comfort, and that she will not relax until the final vote is counted. In her words, campaigns are marathons, but this is the sprint portion, and she does not intend to take anyone for granted.
She also pressed the case for Democrats further down the ballot. Bottoms pointed to the work of Dr. Alicia Johnson on the Public Service Commission and said voters have a chance to send Peter Hubbard back to fill another commission seat. She said Democrats need to flip the state House, and hoped they could also pick up seats in the state Senate. It will, she said, take all hands on deck.
Asked about her priorities if she wins, the former Atlanta mayor named three: restoring funding that the Trump administration has cut, suspending the state grocery tax, and expanding Medicaid.
With Election Day set for Tuesday, the things to watch are the margin in the governor's race, which one poll puts within a single point, and whether the Public Service Commission seats and legislative chambers Bottoms highlighted move her way.
Bemerkenswerte Zitate
Let our votes do the talking. Ladies and gentlemen, we need to leave no doubt on Tuesday.— Savannah Mayor Van Johnson
We're in the sprint part of this marathon, so we're not going to take anybody for granted.— Keisha Lance Bottoms
Möchten Sie die ganze Geschichte?
Das Original lesen bei Savannah Morning News ↗
Politics & Governance