Vice President Kamala Harris and Tim Walz got creative for their campaign event in Atlanta, Georgia with rapper Pastor Troy.
Dubbed “Ballots & BBQ,” the event united community members, local leaders, and featured Pastor Troy as a special guest, highlighting the importance of civic engagement and voter participation. Attendees enjoyed delicious BBQ, music, and motivational speeches to rally support for the upcoming election. Pastor Troy gave an energizing performance, followed by an impassioned speech on each person’s vital role in shaping their community through voting.
As part of the initiative, participants had the chance to check their voting status, ensuring everyone was ready for the upcoming election. The event encouraged early voting and provided information on where to vote early.
“This is a very important election. Probably the most important election I’ve seen in my lifetime,” Pastor Troy said ahead of the event. “So I just want to encourage everybody to support.”
With Georgia as a key battleground swing state with significant influence over the election outcome, Pastor Troy recognizes the importance of using his platform to encourage Atlanta residents to make their voices heard.
“It’s a beautiful thing to see our state become so pivotal in the scope of things” Troy said of Georgia’s power as a battleground swing state. “I just want all of us to get out there and let our voices be heard.
The event took place the same week Vice President Harris held a rally in metro Atlanta as part of the “When We Vote We Win” concert series, where she underscored the importance of the current election and warned that the stakes are higher than in previous years. Former President Barack Obama joined Vice President Harris at the campaign stop, urging Georgia voters to use their power by voting early.
The stars came out to support Harris at Halliford Stadium in Clarkston in the battleground state including Director Spike Lee, actor Samuel L. Jackson, filmmaker Tyler Perry, DJ Mix Master David, and a performance from award-winning musician Bruce Springsteen.
“So, listen, so much is on the line in this election. And this is not 2016 or 2020. The stakes are even higher,” Harris told the crowd. “Over the last two years and in particular the last eight years, Donald Trump has become more confused. More unstable. And more angry.”
“Last time at least, there were people around him who could control him. But do notice in this election, they’re not with him this time.”
The Vice President is returning to Atlanta this weekend to hold one final rally in the state that could decide who occupies the Oval Office for the next four years. Harris’ return to Atlanta comes after former President Donald Trump held a rally Monday night on the campus of Georgia Tech, following a sold-out rally Saturday night at Madison Square Garden rally in his home state of New York.
This election is poised to be historic: if Harris wins, she would become the first woman president, while a Trump victory would make him the first former president to reclaim the White House after a reelection loss since Democrat Grover Cleveland in the 19th century.
