When Brandon Byrd learned that Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz would be in his home state of Georgia to campaign this week, he responded: “It’s about damn time.” 

Byrd understands rural areas better than most as a native of Metter, a 30% Black town of fewer than 4,000 people. Since 2021, Byrd has been working as lead rural organizer for the New Georgia Project to engage voters across the state. 

One thing he’s heard consistently: Folks feel “neglected” by presidential candidates. 

That will change when Harris and Walz stop in Savannah today for a rally to boost voter turnout. This is the first time since the 1990s that a general election presidential candidate has campaigned in the city, and the second time in six months that Harris has been to Savannah, according to Mayor Van R. Johnson II. Additionally, this week’s trip is Harris’ seventh visit to the state this year.

The move by Harris and Walz shows they’re willing to show up in rural areas that aren’t mostly conservative or white, Byrd added.

“It’s about damn time that you’re actually listening now and listening to our voices because like myself, we’ve been here for generations,” Byrd told Capital B. “We need change. We want to see change, and we need to be sure that the leaders who we’re going to give our vote to are going to make sure that we get the investments that we need for our communities.”

Byrd is one of the many Black rural Georgians who “feel seen” by Harris and Walz, who have embarked on a two-day bus tour in the southeast corner of the state. In recent years, Black voters have been crucial in turning the state blue and flipping the balance of power in Congress. Rural voters were key in electing President Joe Biden in 2020 and Sen. Raphael Warnock, the state’s first Black U.S. senator, in 2021 and then again in 2022.

Yet again, these voters could decide the fate of the next president of the United States.

“Rural Black voters have been underengaged and taken for granted, but they have the power to determine the outcome of the election in key battleground states like Georgia. That’s why our organizers have been on the ground all year in Valdosta, educating Black voters about the power of their vote,” said Kristin Powell, principal of the Black to the Future Action Fund.

She added: “Our research shows that Black voters who missed the election in 2022 didn’t know enough about the candidates. I’m excited to hear that the Harris-Walz campaign is taking these voters seriously, and I hope that they share a policy vision that will directly impact this population.”

The power of the rural Black vote 

In Chatham County, which includes Savannah, Democratic voters have been active participants in the political process. Biden received 58.65% of Chatham County votes in the 2020 presidential election, while Donald Trump received 39.9%. Democrat Jon Ossoff received 59.64% in his 2021 runoff contest for the Senate, while Republican David Perdue received 40.36%. In the other Senate race, Warnock received 59.83%; meanwhile, Republican Kelly Loeffler received 40.17%.

Biden performed well in areas beyond Atlanta. Some of his strongest support came from urban and suburban areas such as Chatham County. As for Trump, his support was solid in Georgia’s largely rural areas, such as the southeast region of the state.

Georgia’s rural regions have long been associated with conservative political movements that have challenged Black civil rights. But Harris and Walz seem determined to make inroads there.

Mayor Johnson said Savannah is expecting a large turnout today, especially since more than 150,000 people live there and more than 16 million people visit the city annually. Johnson said this rally gives Harris an opportunity to share her accomplishments under the current administration.

Johnson touted the $3.1 billion specifically for farmers and small businesses in Georgia, which is funded from the Inflation Reduction Act. Nationwide, through another program created under the act, the Biden-Harris administration has released $2.2 billion of financial assistance to farmers who have historically faced discrimination. Other issues plaguing rural communities, such as access to health care and the digital divide, have been addressed under the current administration, but there’s still much more to do, Capital B previously reported. During the rally, Harris will get to share her vision for the next four years.

For folks like Byrd, he wants to hear how she’d help alleviate brain drain among Black youth and ensure that they grow up in thriving and vibrant rural communities.

“There’s no infrastructure there. There’s no comprehensive plan to catch these rural areas up to the investments that all the other metropolitan areas have gotten. You have the youth who have to leave their hometown to get the things they need to build a better life,” Byrd said. “There needs to be significant economic investments, in addition to youth.”

Beyond policy, they also hope to experience the recent wave of Black love and joy felt across social media, other rallies, and at the Democratic National Convention. But, that excitement must translate to the ballot box in November, organizers and elected officials said.

Cliff Albright, the co-founder and executive director of Black Voters Matter, is working to make it happen, whether by knocking on doors, making texts or calls, or hosting the organization’s “party with a purpose” concert series. Black Voters Matter is also providing voter education about Project 2025, a conservative transition plan for the next Republican president, and is spearheading voter registration efforts in 12 states, including Georgia. The organization is also making sure that voters are prepared for whatever comes after Election Day.

“We already know that there’s going to be some battles over the vote counts and the certification process,” Albright told Capital B. “We’re going to have to stay vigilant and be ready to organize after Election Day to make sure that all of our votes are counted.”

This story has been updated.