Harris and Obama Boost Georgia Democrats as Ossoff Leads Polls and Bottoms Trails

Democrats made a final push in Georgia ahead of next week's midterm elections, with Kamala Harris campaigning for Sen. Jon Ossoff and gubernatorial nominee Keisha Lance Bottoms. Barack Obama also appeared with Ossoff at a rally in Morrow, where he called Ossoff the common-sense choice and credited the late Rep. John Lewis, for whom Ossoff interned, as a mentor. Ossoff, who flipped a Senate seat in a 2021 runoff, faces Republican Rep. Mike Collins. A RealClearPolitics average of September and October polls showed Ossoff ahead by 8.2%, while Bottoms, who could be the first Black female governor, trailed Republican Rick Jackson by roughly 1%. Political scientists Charles Bullock of the University of Georgia and Andra Gillespie of Emory said incumbency likely gave Ossoff an advantage of several points. Jackson's ads outnumbered Bottoms's, and Ossoff had significant PAC backing that Bottoms lacks.

The Washington Post, on the left, leads with Harris rallying Democrats in a final pre-midterm push, naming Ossoff and Bottoms together and highlighting the chance of Bottoms becoming the first Black female governor. Its excerpt gives no polling figures or explanation for any gap between the two candidates. The Washington Examiner, on the right, writes from Savannah and asks why Bottoms trails Ossoff. It leads with the RealClearPolitics numbers, cites Bullock and Gillespie, and notes Jackson's ad advantage and Ossoff's PAC money. It also reports that some voters blamed racism and sexism for Bottoms's numbers while others credited Ossoff's charisma and funding. Both sides treat Ossoff as the stronger Democrat and name Bottoms as the party's gubernatorial nominee. They differ in focus: the Post presents a unified rally and a historic prospect, while the Examiner examines the shortfall in Bottoms's campaign. Zeteo, an alternative outlet, takes a separate angle, centering on Obama's endorsement and Ossoff's Obama-like delivery, and asking whether Ossoff could eventually seek the presidency.