As the final leg of his presidential campaign crescendos, Democratic candidate Joe Biden is hoping to pull off what hasn't been done in decades; Biden will aim to be the first Democrat to win Georgia since former President Bill Clinton managed the feat in 1992.
In 1968, Georgia voted for Independent George Wallace in an election that marked the last time a third-party candidate received any electoral votes.
Georgia has 16 electoral votes up for grabs in the 2020 election -- and Biden is not wasting any time.
“[Biden] understands the vitality of the Sun Belt and the importance of not just winning this election, but setting the table for success for the Senate and for the country,” said former gubernatorial nominee Stacey Abrams. “Georgia has been ground zero for many of these conversations.”
An Atlanta Journal-Constitution poll released Monday showed a tight race in Georgia with Biden winning 47 percent of likely voters and Trump taking 46 percent. Strategists say a Democratic advantage is possible, but that Republicans can potentially close the gap on Election Day by voting in-person. According to the secretary of state’s office, 128,590 Georgia residents cast ballots in person on Monday, a more than 40 percent increase from the previous record first day of in-person voting, ahead of the 2016 presidential election.
"One distinct advantage for Biden in the early numbers is the share of the votes cast by Black voters, which by Sunday was about 31 percent of the total mail-in vote — roughly the same as the Black share of the overall electorate in 2016. Polls show that more Black voters plan to vote in person than by mail, meaning that turnout rate could grow on Election Day," The Washington Post reported.
“Atlanta is a tale of the country, as far as what the suburbs do,” said Robinson, who lives in the northern part of DeKalb County, outside Atlanta. “More than ever, what the suburbs here will determine is, do enough white people who live around me vote for Biden? Or do they stick to where they’ve been most of their lives and vote Republican? The entire country should be watching this.”
