Harris visits black church in Georgia as part of Souls to the Polls early voting initiative

CNN
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Vice President Kamala Harris visited a church in suburban Atlanta on Sunday and urged congregants to vote early to turn out black voters as part of her “souls to the polls” campaign.

The push for early voting comes as Harris tries to energize Black voters, who are a key part of the Democratic base. Her Republican rival, former President Donald Trump, has targeted these voters – hoping to give Harris a lead, particularly among black men.

“Our country is at a crossroads and where we go from here is up to us as Americans and as people of faith,” Harris said at New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Stonecrest, Georgia.

“We are faced with the question: What kind of country do we want to live in?” she said. “A country of chaos, fear and hate or a country of freedom, compassion and justice?”

Black churches have played a crucial role in mobilizing Black voters since the civil rights movement — and Democratic campaigns have long sought to reach those voters, particularly in early voting states like Georgia, where polls were open Sunday afternoon.

Although Harris had an advantage over Trump among black voters, she lagged behind his 2020 victory in most polls of President Joe Biden's demographic numbers. In recent weeks, her campaign has made targeted media appearances, introducing proposals aimed at black men in an attempt to strengthen her coalition. As part of the vice president's Souls to the Ballot campaign, which launched earlier this month with a panel of Black faith leaders from across the United States, Harris' running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, also attended the service at Victorious Believers Ministries in Saginaw, Michigan.

On Sunday, the Georgia congregation sang “Happy Birthday” to Harris, who turned 60 that day. The service was also attended by Opal Lee, known as the “Grandmother of Juneteenth” because of the 98-year-old's decades-long effort to make the day a federal holiday commemorating the end of slavery.

The vice president wore a black suit with a pink blouse in honor of the church's “Pink Day,” which aims to raise awareness about breast cancer, and she highlighted her mother's work as a breast cancer researcher.

Harris said she often attended Sunday school and sang in the choir as a child. She learned of a “loving God who asks us to stand up for those who cannot speak for themselves and to defend the rights of the poor and needy,” she said.

“For me, as for so many of us, the church is a place of growth, belonging and community; a place where we are reminded of the incredible power of faith and community. And in difficult and uncertain moments, when the path is not clear, it is our faith that guides us forward,” Harris said.

Trump appeared on Fox News Sunday morning where he said his closing message in the final stretch of Election Day on Nov. 5 focused on border security, inflation and transgender athletes.

“We are a failing nation right now,” Trump said. “We are failing at the borders. We are failing because of inflation and the economy. We're failing with all these woke things, like men playing in women's sports and transgender surgeries, and all these things that are just terrible for our country and we just can't allow them to happen.”

However, at a rally the night before, his final throw ended with profane attacks and a salacious story about the late golfer Arnold Palmer.

His running mate, Ohio Senator JD Vance, visited the Kroll's West sports bar in Green Bay, Wisconsin, on Sunday before a Packers game.

“Go Pack, go Trump,” Vance said after taking a sip of beer.

CNN's Aaron Pellish, Veronica Stracqualursi and Kit Maher contributed to this report.