Running as a Republican for state seat in an area that was a Hillary Clinton stronghold has proven to be tough for DeAnna Harris.
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Harris, a Black candidate, is vying for a state House seat in Democratic territory in Georgia. So when she tried to canvas in the Cobb County area, residents weren’t as receptive in a district that Clinton clinched just two years ago.
“When people come at me with the whole Trump conversation, I have to bring them back,” she told the AJC. “It’s not about Trump. It’s about this district. I have to reel them back in, to get the conversation focused on state issues.”
Getting Democratic voters to see past Trump won’t be easy for Republican candidates.
But President Donald Trump’s base has his back no matter and reports indicate 85 percent of likely Republican voters in Georgia approve of him. So what should a female GOP candidate do especially when the The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s latest statewide poll — reveals that denouncing and distancing yourself from the president in any way is really not an option for any GOP candidate in Georgia, man or woman.
Women like Harris are constantly being asked about Trump along the campaign trail too.
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Harris tries to just stick to the issues.
“I’m running in a Democratic district. But this is about who can best represent our community rather than political parties. Once people can understand that — and get away from the D’s and R’s — they hear me out,” she said.