Presidential debate will be first in Atlanta

ATLANTA — Every presidential candidate knows the path to victory likely runs through the Peach State. This week’s presidential debate proves it.

“Trump’s goal is to really galvanize the Republican base in Georgia,” said David Shock, a political science professor at Kennesaw State University. “Biden needs to show he can win back and bring enthusiasm to the race to attract large numbers of young people to the polls.”

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Atlanta hosted a Democratic presidential primary debate in 2019.

The only other debate of this magnitude took place more than thirty years ago between Al Gore and Dan Quayle – the two vice-presidential candidates in 1992. It was held on the campus of Georgia Tech; Abortion was a key issue, 11Alive archives show.

Thursday’s debate at the CNN studios will be the city’s first-ever debate featuring the Republican and Democratic presidential candidates.

“You can win the presidency without winning Georgia, but it gets harder,” Shock told 11Alive News. “It’s a game of enthusiasm and building enthusiasm among core supporters to go out and vote.”

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Shock said Georgia is already a key player in national politics, as evidenced by multiple visits by President Joe Biden, former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris so far this year.

“People who move to Georgia tend to be more Democratic, and so for Democrats it becomes important,” he said. “Atlanta becomes sort of the capital of the Democrats in the new South…it’s a base for the Democrats to expand their operations throughout the South.”