‘Election could be decided here.’ Bill Clinton campaigns for Kamala Harris in Columbus
Former President Bill Clinton criticized conspiracy theories about Hurricane Helene and attacks against President Joe Biden’s immigration policy during a campaign event in Columbus Monday.
Clinton’s visit to campaign field office in Columbus was among a series of stops in Georgia he’s made over the last few days, including a trip to the state fair in Perry.
The former president’s visit shows how important Georgia is as a battleground state in this election, Jason Esteves, Georgia State senator and owner of the Flying Biscuit Cafe in Columbus, told the Ledger-Enquirer
“The ultimate goal is to send the message that this is all gas, no brakes,” Esteves told the Ledger-Enquirer. “Between now and Election Day, we have to do everything we can to turn out the vote.”
Angela Fontain, a 30-year resident of Columbus, is a volunteer who attended the event to encourage others to vote.
“We as parents, grandparents, aunties and relatives have to show our young people how important it is to vote,” Fontain said.
Clinton echoed how important winning Georgia would be for Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign as she seeks to beat former President Donald Trump. Clinton said there are seven states that are “too close to call” and urged voters to understand how important turnout is.
“You have to realize it is literally possible that the whole election could be decided here,” Clinton told the supporters.
Early voting starts Tuesday in Georgia, and the last day to request an absentee ballot is Oct. 25.
Local Harris supporters share biggest issues
Veronica Hall, a Columbus resident and member of the United Food and Commercial Workers labor union, attended the event with other UFCW members to see Clinton and to show support for turning out the vote.
“We need a pro-choice, woman candidate who’s going to support workers,” Hall told the Ledger-Enquirer.
Barrell Floyd, a 20-year Army veteran, attended the speech wearing a Bronze Star hat that caught the former president’s attention.Clinton pointed out the high number of military veterans in Columbus and criticized how some voting policies could have a disproportionate effect on minority communities, which in turn affects minority veterans.
“You’ve got too many military veterans who’ve paid too high a price and served this country to turn around and be discriminated against in access to the polls,” Clinton said.
Georgia’s election laws have faced scrutiny this year amid changes made by the state election board. Among those changes is a hand-counting ballot rule, which prompted a lawsuit by the Muscogee County elections board.
“Veterans are going to go out and vote,” Floyd told the Ledger-Enquirer.
Floyd’s biggest concern heading into the election is the state of the economy, he said.
The economy was also a concern for Columbus resident Brian Jenkins. But while conservative officials are talking often about the economy, they aren’t listening to their constituents on issues like immigration and abortion, Jenkins said, which is a bigger concern for him in this election.
Abortion has been a prominent topic in Georgia since the overturning of Roe v. Wade. Georgia’s Supreme Court reinstated a six-week abortion ban last week while it reviews an appeal of a lower court ruling striking the law down.
Jenkins also said he’s alarmed by Project 2025, a set of policy initiatives laid out by people close to Trump’s administration which would significantly change how the executive branch operates.
“That is a dictatorship,” Jenkins said.
While Harris’ campaign has repeatedly criticized Trump over Project 2025, Trump has distanced himself from it. But Clinton attacked Trump in his speech because some of its writers were affiliated with Trump’s administration.
Conspiracy theories, division and immigration
Along with encouraging voter turnout, Clinton addressed recent conspiracy theories and false claims about people modifying the weather which began spreading in the aftermath of hurricanes Helene and Milton.
“I love being in politics,” Clinton said. “And I love public service. But if I had had the power to change the weather, I would have been in a different line of work.”
Clinton also attacked Trump over his party blocking an immigration bill earlier this year, accusing the other former president of wanting to use the issue for his campaign.
The compromise for immigration was to allow fewer migrants into the country, Clinton said, while providing more resources to ensure families can stay together. With the country having a lower birth rate, he said, more immigrants are needed to ensure the economy can keep growing, he said.
“I don’t think Americans are anti-immigration,” Clinton said. “I think they’re anti-chaos.”
Clinton hopes a Harris win would reduce division in the U.S.
“A new way forward is that we’re going to have more us and fewer them,” he said. “This ‘us and them’ thing is eating us alive.”
