Kamala Harris, Tim Walz wrap up 2-day rally in crucial U.S. swing state of Georgia

Vice President and Democratic candidate Kamala Harris and her running mate Tim Walz wrapped up their two-day campaign rally Thursday in the crucial U.S. swing state of Georgia capped by her first one-on-one interview with a national media outlet.

In her 25-minute speech at a rally in Savannah, Harris attacked former President and Republican candidate Donald Trump for his comments that he would be a dictator for "one day" if elected to a second term and chastised his remarks that elections would be arranged to make sure that Republicans never lose again. She also attacked Trump's policies and highlighted her stance on the hot button topics of abortion and gun control.

"So Savannah, are you ready to make your voices heard?" Harris told the crowd. "Do we believe in freedom? Do we believe in opportunity? Do we believe in the promise of America? And are we ready to fight for it? And when we fight? (Crowd responds: 'We win'). God bless you, and God bless the United States of America."

After the campaign rally, Harris and Walz sat down for their first joint television interview on CNN, with Harris saying her "values" have not changed, despite some reversals on key policy positions on immigration and fracking.

She flipped the conversation to focus on what she would bring to the American people if elected president.

"First and foremost, one of my highest priorities is to do what we can to support and strengthen the middle class," she said. "When I look at the aspirations, the goals, the ambitions of the American people, I think that people are ready for a new way forward, in a way that generations of Americans have been fueled by, by hope and by optimism."

Harris separated what she and Walz bring to the table versus Trump and his running mate JD Vance.

"Sadly, in the last decade, we have had in the former president (Trump) someone who has really been pushing an agenda and an environment that is about diminishing the character and the strength of who we are as Americans, really dividing our nation, and I think people are ready to turn the page on that."

Georgia was once considered a majority red state, like Texas and Florida, but is now considered what is called a "purple state," a mixture of Republican red and Democratic blue, especially after President Joe Biden defeated Trump in that state during the 2020 election by nearly 12,000 votes.

According to recent polling, Harris and Trump are basically running neck-and-neck in Georgia, which makes the Peach State a crucial battleground as Americans head to the polls on Nov. 5.

"I think the most important and most significant aspect of my policy perspective and decisions is my values have not changed," said Harris.