ATLANTA — Campaign spending in Georgia has quietly shot up in the last few days. Voters in the Peach State are now in the spotlight with both presidential campaigns pouring in the cash.
One of the biggest reasons why the airwaves are thickening with campaign messaging, particularly in Georgia, is because it's a battleground state for the 2024 Presidential Election.
Former President Donald Trump even told supporters in Atlanta while campaigning earlier this month how pivotal their vote is.
"Because if we lose Georgia, we lose the whole thing, and our country goes to hell," Trump said at the campaign rally.
And his campaign put a pile of money into the state a few days later to try to advert that outcome. This past Friday, the Trump campaign reserved $37.2 million dollars in new TV ads in seven states -- with $23.8 million of it in Georgia. This is more than the spending in six other battleground states combined.
However, the money being poured into Georgia doesn't surprise Republican strategist Brian Robinson.
"So you're going to see massive levels of spending here, and right now, it looks like we may be on pace to be at record-setting spending levels in Georgia," Robinson stated.
A tighter presidential race since the emergence of Vice President Kamala Harris is a big part of the story as well. As is the former president's whisker-thin loss in Georgia four years ago.
In terms of Harris' campaign, Monday morning commuters in Atlanta, Macon and Savannah may have caught a glimpse of new billboards that seemingly appeared overnight.
Kamala Harris' Senior Campaign Advisor, Roger Lau, said that the vice president's team also sees the Peach State as a key to the presidency.
"It's clear that he (Donald Trump) sees Georgia as a path to victory for them, as do we. The fact that he's spending money demonstrates that, look, he's taking this seriously. And so are we," Lau stated.
In general, both campaigns are flushed with cash and poised to pound the pavement with their messaging over the next 12 weeks.
"This is Georgia," Robinson said. "We know no one is going to get a blowout win here."