Vice President Kamala Harris challenged former President Donald J. Trump to commit to a presidential debate on Tuesday night during a raucous rally in Atlanta that featured some 10,000 attendees, celebrity appearances and another rare feature of Democrats’ rallies lately: fun.
In a roughly 21-minute speech, Ms. Harris, now just nine days into her position atop the Democratic ticket, contrasted her policy goals with Republicans’ agenda. But the high point of her remarks came toward the end, when she mentioned the former president’s reluctance to commit to a matchup he had initially agreed to on Sept. 10, when President Biden was still his opponent.
“Well Donald, I do hope you’ll reconsider to meet me on the debate stage,” she said, as the cheers grew louder. She appeared to savor the delivery of the next line, drawing it out for maximum effect: “Because as the saying goes, ‘If you’ve got something to say, say it to my face.’”
The crowd exploded.
At another moment, as Ms. Harris contrasted her record as a former prosecutor with Mr. Trump’s felony convictions, supporters chanted “Lock him up!” — a twist on the chants of “Lock her up” that first broke out at Mr. Trump’s rallies in 2016, aimed at the then-Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton.
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Last month, Democrats who were licking their wounds after Mr. Biden’s disastrous debate performance had tempered their expectations for Georgia, which he won by less than 12,000 votes four years ago. Now, Ms. Harris’s visit and place atop the ticket have nurtured a heightened level of optimism about their chances of keeping the state blue, despite Mr. Trump’s current polling lead. In Ms. Harris, several Democratic leaders say they see a chance to galvanize several key voting blocs, including young people and voters of color.
“Yeah, we’re changing the culture again,” said the rapper and Migos frontman Quavo, who, instead of performing, gave a brief address encouraging supporters to vote. His address — as well as an earlier performance by the hip-hop star Megan Thee Stallion — underscored the pronounced shift in energy behind Ms. Harris.
