Politics

/

ArcaMax

Vance headlines evangelical conservative gala on Monday in Atlanta

Greg Bluestein, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on

Published in Political News

Former President Donald Trump’s running mate, U.S. Sen. JD Vance, will deliver a speech Monday targeting evangelical voters in metro Atlanta with a stop that marks a delicate moment on Georgia’s campaign trail.

The Georgia Faith & Freedom Coalition’s annual dinner at the Cobb Galleria Centre will also be the first time Gov. Brian Kemp and Vance will attend the same event in Georgia this election season as Republicans try to unite against Vice President Kamala Harris.

Vance was among the Republicans who helped broker a truce between Kemp and Trump after the former president abruptly berated the governor at a rally in Atlanta in August, leaving many Kemp allies confused and irritated by the surprise attack.

Trump has since declared all was forgiven, and Kemp, who has long maintained his support for the GOP nominee, has worked to move beyond what he has called the “distraction” of the one-sided feud.

Vance’s event is the first of back-to-back visits to Georgia this week from presidential running mates. Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, Harris’ pick for the No. 2 job, plans stops in Macon and Atlanta on Tuesday.

Vance and Kemp will headline a loaded lineup for the coalition, which said it will mount the largest voter outreach initiative “targeting voters of faith and conservatives in Georgia history.”

Other speakers include U.S. Sen. Katie Britt of Alabama, Georgia U.S. Reps. Mike Collins and Barry Loudermilk, state Attorney General Chris Carr and former U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, a onetime Democrat who is now an honorary co-chair for Trump’s transition team.

Vance’s trip comes days after a mass school shooting in Barrow County that left two teachers and two students dead and brought the issue of gun violence back to the forefront of the race. A 14-year-old student is charged with using a semiautomatic weapon to carry out the attack.

 

Democrats have condemned Vance for responding to the Sept. 4 shooting by saying: “I don’t like to admit this. I don’t like that this is a fact of life. But if you are a psycho and you want to make headlines, you realize that our schools are soft targets. And we have got to bolster security at our schools.”

A spokesman for Vance said Democratic critics took the senator’s comments out of context and noted he also called the shooting an “awful tragedy” carried out by an “absolute barbarian.”

It will be Vance’s third campaign stop in Georgia since Trump tapped him as his running mate. The Ohio senator stumped at the August rally with Trump in Atlanta and traveled to Valdosta a few weeks later to rev up conservative voters in a deep-red part of the state.

Trump supporters hope Vance can motivate evangelical voters who sometimes skip presidential elections. Ralph Reed, a close Trump ally who founded the Faith & Freedom Coalition, said Vance “knows how to fight for his beliefs and speak common sense and the truth without apology.”

And Mack Parnell, head of the coalition’s Georgia chapter, highlighted Vance’s conservative stances on immigration, abortion and taxes as he said Trump has “no better partner” in his campaign for the White House than the Ohio Republican.

_____


©2024 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Visit at ajc.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

 

Comments

blog comments powered by Disqus

 

Related Channels

ACLU

ACLU

By The ACLU
Amy Goodman

Amy Goodman

By Amy Goodman
Armstrong Williams

Armstrong Williams

By Armstrong Williams
Austin Bay

Austin Bay

By Austin Bay
Ben Shapiro

Ben Shapiro

By Ben Shapiro
Betsy McCaughey

Betsy McCaughey

By Betsy McCaughey
Bill Press

Bill Press

By Bill Press
Bonnie Jean Feldkamp

Bonnie Jean Feldkamp

By Bonnie Jean Feldkamp
Cal Thomas

Cal Thomas

By Cal Thomas
Christine Flowers

Christine Flowers

By Christine Flowers
Clarence Page

Clarence Page

By Clarence Page
Danny Tyree

Danny Tyree

By Danny Tyree
David Harsanyi

David Harsanyi

By David Harsanyi
Debra Saunders

Debra Saunders

By Debra Saunders
Dennis Prager

Dennis Prager

By Dennis Prager
Dick Polman

Dick Polman

By Dick Polman
Erick Erickson

Erick Erickson

By Erick Erickson
Froma Harrop

Froma Harrop

By Froma Harrop
Jacob Sullum

Jacob Sullum

By Jacob Sullum
Jamie Stiehm

Jamie Stiehm

By Jamie Stiehm
Jeff Robbins

Jeff Robbins

By Jeff Robbins
Jessica Johnson

Jessica Johnson

By Jessica Johnson
Jim Hightower

Jim Hightower

By Jim Hightower
Joe Conason

Joe Conason

By Joe Conason
Joe Guzzardi

Joe Guzzardi

By Joe Guzzardi
John Micek

John Micek

By John Micek
John Stossel

John Stossel

By John Stossel
Josh Hammer

Josh Hammer

By Josh Hammer
Judge Andrew Napolitano

Judge Andrew Napolitano

By Judge Andrew P. Napolitano
Laura Hollis

Laura Hollis

By Laura Hollis
Marc Munroe Dion

Marc Munroe Dion

By Marc Munroe Dion
Michael Barone

Michael Barone

By Michael Barone
Michael Reagan

Michael Reagan

By Michael Reagan
Mona Charen

Mona Charen

By Mona Charen
Oliver North and David L. Goetsch

Oliver North and David L. Goetsch

By Oliver North and David L. Goetsch
R. Emmett Tyrrell

R. Emmett Tyrrell

By R. Emmett Tyrrell
Rachel Marsden

Rachel Marsden

By Rachel Marsden
Rich Lowry

Rich Lowry

By Rich Lowry
Robert B. Reich

Robert B. Reich

By Robert B. Reich
Ruben Navarrett Jr

Ruben Navarrett Jr

By Ruben Navarrett Jr.
Ruth Marcus

Ruth Marcus

By Ruth Marcus
S.E. Cupp

S.E. Cupp

By S.E. Cupp
Salena Zito

Salena Zito

By Salena Zito
Star Parker

Star Parker

By Star Parker
Stephen Moore

Stephen Moore

By Stephen Moore
Susan Estrich

Susan Estrich

By Susan Estrich
Ted Rall

Ted Rall

By Ted Rall
Terence P. Jeffrey

Terence P. Jeffrey

By Terence P. Jeffrey
Tim Graham

Tim Graham

By Tim Graham
Tom Purcell

Tom Purcell

By Tom Purcell
Veronique de Rugy

Veronique de Rugy

By Veronique de Rugy
Victor Joecks

Victor Joecks

By Victor Joecks
Wayne Allyn Root

Wayne Allyn Root

By Wayne Allyn Root

Comics

Bob Gorrell David Horsey Steve Breen Dick Wright David M. Hitch Dave Granlund