Swing Voter Project Georgia: September 2024

In this Article

• Context for Georgia Swing Voter Group 
• Views Before and After the First Presidential Debate 
• Which Candidate Won the Debate 
• How Georgia Swing Voters Feel About Harris 
• Which Candidate Would Bring More Change? 
• Opinions About the Economic Plan from Trump  
• Opinions About the Economic Plan from Harris 
• Top Concern for Georgia Swing Voters 
• What These Voters Think about Abortion 

The day after the first debate between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump, the Swing Voter Project checked in with 11 Georgia swing voters. They shared their opinions about the debate, which one of the candidates they support, the economy, and abortion. 

An ongoing collaboration between Sago and Engagious, the Swing Voter Project talks to voters in key battleground states each month about the election and issues that might influence their votes. The focus group participants voted for Donald Trump in 2016 and Joe Biden in 2020. 

Context for Georgia Swing Voter Group

There are 16 electoral votes up for grabs in Georgia and which party the state’s voters will select in November is too close to call. During the last five decades, Georgia has supported mostly Republicans for president. In 1976 and 1980, though, they did support Democratic candidate Jimmy Carter, the state’s former governor. Georgia voters also went for Bill Clinton, a southern Democrat, in the 1992 election. Joe Biden won the state in 2020 by a narrow margin of 0.2%.

Views Before and After the First Presidential Debate

The day after Harris and Trump faced off on Sept. 10, Georgia swing voters shared their thoughts about the debate. While some of them thought the debate may have helped other voters see Harris in a more positive light, none of them changed their minds after it. Before the debate, seven planned to vote for Harris and four were going to vote for Trump. After the debate, the tally remained the same.

Which Candidate Won the Debate

Six of the 11 Georgia swing voters said they had watched all or some of the debate. Three tuned in to some of the broadcast. Out of these nine viewers, seven thought Harris was the victor. Their comments included:

“She was clearly the better option. Intelligent, steady, she asked good questions. She literally goaded him and baited him into a lot of crazy answers.”

“I feel like she had facts of what she’s done while she has been in office … 

I feel like Donald Trump, from the parts that I’ve watched, I was kind of distracted from his facial expressions, from how petty he was being.”

“She was clear, concise, she sounded like a president, whereas Trump, honestly, sounded a little bit like a lunatic. Some of the things he was saying were just so absurd that there’s no way he could have won in my mind. Also, he seemed to be rambling a lot. It just wasn’t very presidential of him.”

Two of the nine voters who watched the debate saw Trump as the winner. Here’s what they said:

“I just thought he presented himself strong. I think he’s a good debater anyway and so I thought he was in top form.” 

“He was talking about things that were going on and he was pointing out relevant facts, whereas Harris just said these very general things. She just stood there and she just kind of sneered.”

How Georgia Swing Voters Feel About Harris

When the Georgia swing voters were asked to use a word or phrase to describe how seeing Harris makes them feel, here’s what they said:

“Proud”

“Studious”

“Uncertainty”

“Disappointment, at this point”

“Optimism”

“Uncomfortable. Apprehensive”

“I would say I feel proud.”

“Hopefulness”

“Reassured”

“Disappointment”

“Intrigued”

Which Candidate Would Bring More Change?

The voters were asked to consider whether Harris or Trump would bring more change if elected. 10 of the 11 voters believe Trump would enact bigger changes. However, they don’t think Harris would focus on carrying out the agenda Biden might have envisioned for his second term. Their comments included:

“Well, I don’t think she’s be carrying out his agenda, because, if you remember, his agenda is not too popular. She has to carry it out right now because she’s still the vice president … I think she’s already come up with her own ideas, things that she wanted to do for herself in her administration.”

“She’s vice president for Biden, so she obviously has a lot of the same values and a lot of the same ways of working. But I do think maybe she sees that one of the biggest complaints of Biden’s presidency was that he’s very ineffective.”

Questions About the Economic Plan from Trump

Trump and Harris presented two different economic plans during their campaigns. However, it seems voters haven’t become familiar with the details of either plan. Only four of the 11 Georgia swing voters could name at least one economic proposal from each candidate. The voters still had questions when presented with the details of each economic plan.

From Trump’s plan, voters remembered a proposal to eliminate taxes on tips and a plan to institute more significant tariffs on imported goods, including a 60 percent tariff on goods from China. Trump’s plan includes a federal tax cut to offset higher prices from the increased tariffs. Trump has also proposed cutting taxes for corporations from 22% to 15%.

Voters wanted to know the following about Trump’s plan:

“What regulations are we going to reduce and how are those going to help propel us toward energy independence and dominance?”

“How much they are going to cut federal taxes and how will that actually offset the new tariffs?”

“If these are tax cuts, how are they are tax cuts when I see increases?”

“So, if you cut all these taxes for corporations, what guarantees that that goes to the middle class or increased spending rather than to CEO pockets?”

“The tax cuts for the corporation are from 21 to 15%. How does that benefit the middle class?”

Questions About the Economic Plan from Harris

From Harris’s economic proposal, voters could recall an expanded child tax credit and $25,000 in down payment assistance for first-time home buyers. Another part of the plan they remembered was an increase in expense deductions, from $5,000 to $50,000 for new small businesses. Harris has also called for a federal ban on price gouging for food and groceries. Her plan includes the elimination of taxes on tips, as well.

“We already have a hard time trying to regulate gas stations’ price gouging, when it comes to gas. How would she be able to regulate this, and who would monitor this?”

“How is this going to actually help? What outcome are you expecting from some of these things?”

“My question mostly has to do with the expenses for small businesses. What sort of expenses are eligible, and what aren’t? Then, what sort of filing do you have to complete to be eligible as a small business?”

“How are you going to pay for this? You just going to print some more money?”

“I guess just some clear info on what price gouging means, like what’s the line to determine that? Who is determining that?”

Top Concern for Georgia Swing Voters

For these 11 Georgia swing voters, the economy remains a top concern. Seven of them say the U.S. economy is in “lousy shape.” Seven also said their wages have not kept up with their expenses in the past few months.

However, they aren’t blaming President Biden or Vice President Harris for these issues. Instead, they believe the causes are related to residual effects of the pandemic and supply chain issues.

Overall, nine of the 11 voters preferred the economic plan presented by Harris over the one presented by Trump. Comments about Trump’s plan included:

“I have a feeling it’s some of this is going to backfire. What’s going to happen with this 60% on Chinese goods? I know that we have this problem with China and costs and whatnot, but it’s going to backfire.”

“I think it doesn’t address enough of the economy and even people getting medications … It’s maybe a start, but I just think it’s incomplete to what the bigger picture is.”

What These Voters Think about Abortion

When asked about the issue of abortion, nine of the 11 Georgia swing voters said that former President Trump is at least partially responsible for Roe v. Wade being overturned. However, only three of these Georgia voters were aware of the six-week abortion ban in their state.

The focus group participants were shown the details of the Georgia abortion law. Eight of the 11 said the law was unfair. Their comments included:

“Most women don’t even realize they’re pregnant till after six weeks.”

“I just think telling a female what she should do with her body, given the circumstance, is just crazy. No matter how far along it is, you never know what someone has been through or will go through with this pregnancy. Sometimes it’s a life-or-death situation.”

The 2024 election is only weeks away. Stay tuned for another check-in with voters in a battleground state in October. Plus, you can check out previous monthly installments of the Swing Voter Project to track voters’ views throughout this year.