President Joe Biden and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump campaigned in the critical state of Georgia on Saturday (9), in what will essentially be the first direct confrontation of the 2024 general elections.
As a result, there may not be a more contested arena than Georgia in the November 5th general election, a state that swung to Biden in the 2020 elections and was the scene of false claims by Trump that he had been the victim of widespread electoral fraud.
The former president also faces criminal charges in the state for his attempts to interfere with vote counting there.
Trump is expected to win his party’s official nomination on Tuesday (12), when Georgia, Hawaii, Mississippi and Washington State will hold primaries.
Meanwhile, on Thursday (7), Biden delivered his State of the Union speech full of criticism of Trump, accusing him of threatening democracy, bowing to Russia and boycotting reform of the immigration system.
The president, however, continues to face backlash from Democrats for his firm support for Israel in the war against Hamas in Gaza, discontent that could be expressed in the Georgia primaries on Tuesday.
It’s worth remembering that in the Michigan primary in February, more than 100,000 people voted “uncommitted” rather than supporting Biden in protest over Gaza, and a similar proportion of voters made the same choice in the Minnesota primary held last Tuesday ( 5). Those actions have amplified concerns among Democrats that some voters may choose to stay home in November.
