The presidential campaign is headed to the football field on Saturday, further proving the lengths the rival candidates will go to reach a captive audience of hundreds of thousands of fans of teams from battleground states.
Former President Donald Trump plans to attend tonight’s Georgia-Alabama game in Tuscaloosa, the most highly anticipated game yet of the young college football season.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, the Democratic vice presidential nominee, will spend much of the day watching the Michigan Wolverines take on the Minnesota Gophers in Ann Arbor.
And ahead of the games, Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign launched a new effort to mobilize athletes and coaches. Among the group’s members are Pro Football Hall of Famers Mel Blount and Calvin Johnson, both Georgia natives.
Why are the rivals spending precious campaign time at gridiron grudge matches and playing up sports endorsements this close to the election?
For one, they are an easy chance to appeal to voters. More than 100,000 football fans will likely pack these stadiums on Saturday, and tens of thousands of others will crowd Ann Arbor and Tuscaloosa to enjoy the pregame tailgating.
The on-campus grudge matches also are an enticing opportunity to appeal to a segment of the electorate that’s notoriously hard to reach: Young voters.
It’s strategic in other ways. Michigan is a key state for both Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris, and recent polls show Democrats with a slight lead in the political battleground.
Alabama, of course, is a GOP lock in November. But Trump’s attendance at Alabama’s highly anticipated matchup against the Bulldogs will guarantee him more exposure to fans in the neighboring battleground of Georgia.
“He’s going to get media attention regardless of whether the cameras pan to his box,” Republican strategist Brian Robinson said of the 7:30 p.m. showdown. “It’ll be the most watched event of the evening, far more than anything on cable TV.’
Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC
Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC
As for Walz, he is more than happy to lean into his background as a former high school state champion football coach. His campaign has already taken him to schools around the nation, including to Liberty County High in southeast Georgia and Georgia Tech.
Harris campaign spokesman Michael Tyler framed the emphasis on sports as a crucial way to connect with hard-to-reach voters. And he put his own spin on the GOP’s efforts.
“Donald Trump, at this stage in his life, is like that washed up athlete who claims he’s still got it, refuses to hang up his cleats, and holds the franchise’s future hostage,” said Tyler.
Georgia voters have grown used to politicking on fall Saturdays. Every two years, candidates try to leverage the enthusiasm around gridiron games into energy for their campaigns – perhaps none as much as Georgia football icon Herschel Walker, who tried and failed to channel his stardom into a U.S. Senate victory.
Credit: Jason Getz / Jason.Getz@ajc.com
Credit: Jason Getz / Jason.Getz@ajc.com
Trump, too, is no stranger to Saturday showdowns. He attended the national championship game between Georgia and Alabama in Atlanta in 2018, leaving in the second quarter before the epic (and for Georgia fans, unfortunate) game-ending play.
His attendance at that game caused a major stir. Fans still have horror stories about the logistical and security issues it created. And Trump was greeted with both boos and applause when he took the field for the national anthem.
The time-consuming cameos this Saturday means one less chance for a giant campaign rally. But both campaigns are betting the benefits outweigh the risks.
“So much of politics is tribal and college football is part of our tribal tradition,” said Robinson. “Being a part of it – and showing that you love it — is a signal that you’re part of the tribe.”
