Former President Barack Obama will headline a rally in Atlanta next Wednesday with Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.) and Democratic gubernatorial nominee Keisha Lance Bottoms, the party announced Tuesday, as Democrats look to capitalize on a surge of early voting in one of the nation’s premier battlegrounds.
The Democratic Party’s official account on X posted a graphic promoting the event, which comes less than two weeks before Election Day. Obama confirmed his participation in a post on the platform, writing: “Georgia! I’ll be in Atlanta on October 28 for a rally to support @KeishaforGA, @Ossoff, and Democrats fighting to make your life better.”
The visit is part of a broader swing through competitive states for the former president, who is scheduled to campaign Saturday in Michigan with Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed and in Ohio alongside Senate hopeful Sherrod Brown and gubernatorial candidate Amy Acton.
Ossoff, seeking a second term, is being challenged by Rep. Mike Collins (R-Ga.). Recent polling has shown the incumbent with a comfortable lead, including an 8-point advantage over Collins in one survey, and a separate poll found him ahead by double digits. The nonpartisan Cook Political Report rates the Senate race as “likely Democratic.”
Bottoms, the former Atlanta mayor, is facing Republican Rick Jackson in the governor’s race. Cook Political Report rates that contest as a “toss up,” making it one of the few genuine pickup opportunities for Democrats in a cycle otherwise defined by GOP momentum.
Georgia has become a focal point of national politics, having flipped narrowly for President Trump in 2024 after going for President Biden in 2020. The state’s shifting demographics and robust organizing infrastructure have made it a perennial target for both parties.
Early voting data suggests intense voter interest. Last week, Georgia set a record for the first day of early voting in a midterm election, with more than 180,000 ballots cast, according to the secretary of state’s office. That figure is roughly 50,000 higher than the first-day total four years ago.
Obama’s rally is designed to consolidate Democratic enthusiasm and boost turnout among key constituencies, particularly in the Atlanta metro area, which is critical to the party’s fortunes statewide. The event also underscores the national stakes of Georgia’s races, which could determine control of the Senate and shape the 2028 presidential primary landscape, as some analysts note that Democratic Senate wins in 2026 could complicate 2028 hopes.
With less than two weeks to go, both parties are pouring resources into the state. Democrats are hoping that Obama’s star power, combined with the early-voting surge, will provide the final push needed to secure victories up and down the ballot.
