ATLANTA — President Donald Trump and former President Barack Obama are both scheduled to visit Georgia over the next two weeks as campaigns work to rally voters ahead of the November 3 midterm elections.
Trump is expected to campaign for Republican candidates in Macon on Saturday, marking his second Georgia rally of the election cycle after visiting Dalton last week.
Obama will headline a rally for Democratic candidates in metro Atlanta on Wednesday, October 28.
Georgia State University political science professor Dr. Amy Steigerwalt says the high-profile visits are designed to encourage voter turnout and generate excitement among voters.
“It’s about exciting the base, it’s possibly about exciting those who haven’t really been paying attention, who might be on the fences,” Steigerwalt said.
Steigerwalt says the impact of these rallies can extend beyond those who attend in person.
“I think it raises interests and the hope is that it has a cascading effect not to the people who were at the rally, but to the people who are at the rally that they then talk to and try to persuade to go and turn out,” Steigerwalt said.
The visits come as new polling shows Democrats leading Republicans in congressional races nationwide.
A new ABC News-Washington Post poll shows Democratic candidates holding an average eight-point lead as Republicans attempt to maintain control of Congress.
Correspondent Steven Portnoy says Trump’s approval rating has also reached a new low.
“He’s at 33% approval, 66% disapproval, and just over half, 52% say they disapprove of him strongly and that’s worse than what the president was polling just after January 6th,” Portnoy said.
The poll also found that approximately two-thirds of respondents believe Trump is not committed to respecting the authority of Congress or the courts. Another 66% believe the president is using his office to enrich himself.
The polling comes as Americans continue facing high gas prices and rising costs of living.
Meanwhile, early voting remains busy in Georgia, with record-breaking turnout reported ahead of Election Day.
Steigerwalt says the rallies also serve as reminders for voters who may not have been following the midterm elections closely.
“To remind them that there’s an election, you need to turn out to vote, this is what day you need to turn out to vote on, and we really hope that you’ll turn out for our candidate,” Steigerwalt said.
Election Day is Tuesday, November 3.
WSB Radio’s Ashley Simmons & Jonathan O’Brien contributed to this story.
